This Tour Is Offered By
Our director Caroline.
Gatelinks Kenya
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- Magical Kenya, AMREF FLYING DOCTORS, Kenya Wildlife Services & Tourism Reguratory Authority
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
-
KE
Welcome to Gatelinks Safaris and Car Hire! Our mission is to make the beauty and adventure of the wild accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget. Under the guidance of our amazing director, Mrs. Caroline, we have been providing budget-friendly safaris without compromising safety for nearly five years. We specialize in offering short and personalized safari experiences that exceed expectations. Our services include customized private budget safaris and car hire in Kenya.
Reviews12
BE
5 days with Gatelinks Safaris, an unforgettable experience
For my first safari, I had a clear idea of the itinerary I wanted to follow, including must-see parks and activities like a balloon flight and a bike tour at Hell’s Gate.
After a long research, « safaribookings.com » popped up with a few companies and Gatelinks Safaris was the first one to respond to my quote request.
Rose answered me very quickly, just a few hours after my enquiry, with a detailed quote and a digital itinerary matching my personal choices.
After a few contacts with other companies, I decided to select Gatelinks for my project.
From the first conversation, Rose has shown her deep knowledge in safari experiences and we builded together the perfect project for a 5 days safari including Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Hell’s gate and the Girafe Center at Nairobi.
Every project is fully customizable and so every request will be analysed by Rose and included in the program depending on availability and feasibility.
For every question you have regarding your project, Rose will answer without delay, even during weekends or late evening.
We met at my hotel the first day, the whole itinerary was explained in details again and she handed me over to my driver, David.
David is, as Rose, a wonderful person.
He took care of me during those 5 days, checking everything for me (money withdrawal, change of planning due to weather,…) and making my safari unique and safe.
His drove me trough those beautiful parks with care and his knowledge about wildlife is wide and valuable.
David is such a good driver, his talent to spot animals is exceptional and this the result of years of experience.
The drives between the parks can be very long (5 hours sometimes) but with David, you just don’t realize it. We stopped a few times on the way for a coffee, had great discussions about the life in Kenya, he learned me some basic Swahili words,…
David is not just a driver, he made in every way my safari unforgettable.
From the first minute, Rose will take care of your program, making sure all your requests are fulfilled.
From the first kilometer, David will take care of you while discovering the beauties of Kenya.
Just choose Gatelinks Safaris, you won’t regret it.
As this was my first Safari, here are some tips.
Vehicle
Choose the Land Cruiser, it’s an extra budget but the car is much more confortable than the standard van.
Furthermore, the Land Cruiser can drive trough every kind of road or path, giving you the chance to explore many off-road areas.
It’s very well equipped : water, charging station for mobile phones, pop-up roof,…
Visa
Apply for the ETA at least one week in advance and print your ETA document in colours. The black and white picture is sometimes not clear enough which does not help when going through immigration.
Tipping
This is an important part of the total budget as it is a common practice in Kenya.
I personally used those numbers : 10usd /day/drive - 10usd/day/hotel
This can be adapted according to the level of performance delivered and personal feelings.
Suitcase
It is recommended to use a backpack or duffel bag as it fits better in the car trunk.
Especially if you travel in group or using national flights between the parks.
However, I have seen a wide majority of tourists traveling with hard cases on wheels.
Money
If you decide to withdraw money via an ATM, USD’s are hard to find as the majority of ATM’s offer KES only.
Money exchange at a “bureau de change” or bank is always possible.
Make sure you have a mix of both currencies even if paiements with credit cards are often accepted.
BE
Excellent experience with wonderful people
A clear itinerary and fast communication through Whatsapp with Gatelinks has lead to a wonderful experience. We requested some changes and everything was updated and included as we asked for.
Our guide Tony was amazing - super friendly and he knew just the right spots to make our safari unforgettable. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Thank you Tony!
The tour itself included a lot of driving, since we created a schedule to visit 4 national parks in 7 days. But it was all worth it in the end: we saw lions, elephants, cheetahs, a leopard, a serval, hippos, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, wildebeests, impalas, gazelles… and so much more!
We stayed in 4 different tented camps/lodges which were all very clean and safe with super friendly staff.
Would definitely recommend Gatelinks (and ofcourse Tony) to everyone.
FI
Great value safari
Before the details here is the short version: It was a great safari with a good price. Highly recommend.
I booked as solo traveller and wanted to do Maasai Mara and lakes Nakuru and Naivasha.
Booking: Communication was very fast and it was easy to change lodges to the ones I liked better. I also tweaked The last day itenary to fit my flight scheldule.
Safari: Me and The guide got along very well. It was easy to chat about our countries and life in general. He was very knowledgeable about the animals and the land. I also liked that we sometimes just drove quietly. I saw everything I had wished and got amazing photos.
The van: I was a bit worried how the car would handle the park roads but there was absolutely no trouble getting through water and mud. The van is lighter than the Jeep so sometimes it was better getting accross obstacles. Jeep might have more cool factor but especially if you have done a safari before, this was a good way to save some $. The side windows are a bit smaller but almost always you stand to take photos anyways. There was water and power outlet to charge phone.
Last tips to first timers: Be patient. The drives are long and it's not cool animals every minute. Sometimes it takes an hour to locate something special. Also things happen on road. Cars may break and then you rescue some passengers. Just enjoy and relax. Hakuna Matata!
IT
Professional
The Kenya safari was a simply magnificent experience! 🌅
The wild nature, the incredible animals, and the breathtaking landscapes left us speechless. Special thanks go to our super driver: an exceptional guide, with excellent knowledge of the area and its wildlife, always available, friendly, and capable of making us experience every moment to the fullest.
Thanks to him, we discovered hidden corners and experienced unforgettable emotions. A trip that will remain in our hearts! ❤️🐘🦒🦁
Highly recommended
What a great experience! This review relates to a trip we have just completed as a family- mum and dad (me) with son (19) and daughter (17). I’ve travelled in Africa a fair bit over the years in different countries including Kenya but first time in Africa for the “kids”.
We were picked up promptly from our airport hotel in Nairobi by John (driver) and Kevin (a trainee with the company) and set off for two days in Masai Mara. From the start we were in good hands. John has been doing this for many years and clearly knows the job, the reserve and the people inside out. Even driving through unassuming parts of Nairobi he was pointing out things of interest from where the President got married to where his own Mum lives! But there was still plenty of opportunity to sit back and watch Kenya trundle past the window; I never felt “talked at”.
We stopped a couple of times en route for a restroom and a coffee, with the obligatory soft sell of local crafts which was friendly and fun, even when we chose not to buy. The last hour or so was on unmade tracks (a free “African Massage” according to John!). We were in a minibus rather than a Land Cruiser which most people seemed to use, but I don’t feel we were at any disadvantage in doing so, and John clearly knew what he was doing behind the wheel.
The trip to Zebra Plains lodge took about 6 hours total but passed pretty quickly.
On arrival we were met with broad smiles, a cool damp towel (lovely) and a welcome drink, before sitting down to be served a late lunch by the ever-accommodating Victor. Elias was the man in charge and he looked after us all brilliantly.
Once we had caught our breath we set off for a game drive. ZP is about 25 mins outside the Talek gate by road, though it is situated right on the edge of the Mara- the Talek river separates it from the reserve hence the drive. The other side of the river about 100 yards from my glass of beer in the evening we saw giraffes, hippos and a jackal. There is a subtle electric fence between the lodge and the river though so no danger of getting eaten ourselves.
The evening game drive gave us a pride of 8 lions around the carcass of a Cape buffalo they had brought down, and various herbivores from impala to topi.
You have to be out of the park by 6.30 unless staying inside the boundary but it was getting dark at that point. So home for a delicious dinner and bed in a sumptuous tented home on stilts. Barely a mosquito to be seem and good mosquito nets.
Up early the next day (5.45) to get into the reserve ax the sun rose. Good breakfast and coffee helped fortify. I would have taken a few snacks along as it was a while until lunch, but mainly to feed the teenagers. So now lots more lions, a leopard literally 400m across the border in Tanzania (asleep in a tree but clearly visible), a herd of a dozen or so elephant walked straight past us, lots of zebra, giraffe, Cape buffalo, numerous birds and lots of other creatures I have failed to mention. We did not see rhino or cheetah on this trip but only just missed the latter.
Lunch was provided with table and chairs in the middle of nowhere with distant views and good food.
On return to the lodge about 4.30 we had plenty of time to wander about and look at the hippos in the river before showering and sitting out for a drink. In case you were wondering, you can get both an Aperol Spritz and a Moscow Mule in Zebra Plains. Or a beer (Tusker).
Good food once again and a chat with John about the next day; we were flying on to Zanzibar but our flight with Precision Air (don’t) was delayed a few hours; John arranged a trip back to Nairobi via Lake Naivasha and a boat trip and walking tour ($200 for us four) which I would highly recommend. Then picked up a packed dinner on the way to the airport- very tasty.
I have already mentioned John who I can’t praise highly enough- great guide, great driver, knows everyone and seems to have a sixth sense of where to find animals.
It would be remiss of me not to mention Kevin; although a trainee with limited experience in the reserve, he was a media wizard and filmed almost constantly. He is unfailingly enthusiastic and engaging, doing TikTok dances with my daughter and providing all round good companionship. He had since sent some great videos and pictures as a record of the trip and I am assured that we have been tagged on his Insta, though I don’t fully understand what that means.
In terms of tips, I don’t have many; probably worth having a few snack bars knocking around for teenagers, plenty of bottled water was provided, take some hand gel, and wear your seat belt- we came across a fairly significant road accident on the road back to Nairobi.
In summary: great trip, great company, great people, great wildlife and great memories. Would do it again tomorrow.
