$2,834 to $3,438 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateThis Tour Is Offered By
Shanjoy Tours Team
Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
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KETZ
Shanjoy Tours and Safaris is a travel company that offers tours and safaris in Kenya and Tanzania. We provide you with a once-in-a-lifetime safari that is fully customizable to your specific requirements. Our safari experience ensures that our guests receive the best possible service and enjoy nature at its finest. Our mantra is simply "to share the joy of adventure.".
Reviews215
DK
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Unforgettable Safari — Expertly Planned, Beautifully Executed
**TLDR**
Shanjoy delivered one of the best travel experiences of our lives. From the first email to the final train ride to Mombasa, every detail was handled with professionalism, honesty and genuine care. If you're planning a Kenya safari, stop looking — book Shanjoy, request Rio as your guide, and trust Rodah in the office to build the perfect itinerary.
**Planning — Honest, Flexible and Genuinely Collaborative**
We came to Shanjoy with a rough idea of what we wanted and a wedding on the coast to reach at the end. What followed was a genuinely collaborative back-and-forth with Rodah in the office. She was honest about what would and wouldn't work — steering us away from itineraries that didn't make sense for our dates, rather than just selling us the most expensive package. We went through multiple iterations before landing on something that felt exactly right: Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha → Amboseli, finishing with a first-class train from Emali to Mombasa — a creative touch Shanjoy arranged seamlessly as part of the package. The whole process felt like working with someone who genuinely wanted us to have the best possible trip.
**Rio — The Guide Who Made the Difference**
Our driver-guide Rio was exceptional. As a private tour — just the two of us in our own Land Cruiser — we had the flexibility to stay as long as we wanted with any sighting, and Rio made full use of that. We spent a full hour parked with a mama lion and her three cubs. No pressure, no agenda.
What set Rio apart was his combination of deep knowledge and sharp instincts. He understood animal behaviour well enough to position the vehicle in exactly the right spot before things happened — not chasing sightings after the fact, but anticipating them. His network with other guides meant we rarely missed anything significant. Beyond the headline animals, Rio opened our eyes to birdlife in a way we didn't expect — especially in Amboseli, where we spent wonderful time on species like the Hamerkop and Squacco Heron. His driving was consistently safe and confident, and we always felt completely at ease.
A lovely touch: Shanjoy gave us each a branded safari hat on arrival. Small, but it set a warm tone from day one.
**Staying Inside the Parks — Absolutely Worth It**
One of the best decisions we made, on Shanjoy's advice, was choosing lodges inside the national parks. In the Maasai Mara we stayed at Ashnil Mara Camp — a luxurious tented camp right on a bend of the Mara River, with hippos visible and audible from the lodge at all hours. We didn't know it was fully all-inclusive going in, which was a wonderful surprise. Staying inside the park meant every minute of our game drives was spent actually looking for animals, rather than commuting to and from the gate. Over several days that adds up significantly.
**Wildlife Highlights**
We completed the Big Five — with both black and white rhino spotted at Lake Nakuru in the same afternoon. Cheetahs were a recurring joy: six sightings in total, including a mama with two cubs on our final morning as we headed for the train — Rio stopped for fifteen unhurried minutes. Leopards were equally spectacular: one walking through tall grass, and sitting less than three metres from our car pausing to scratch itself, another sleeping by a river. These intimate encounters are what a private safari makes possible — no other vehicles competing for position, no pressure to move on. Some of the most moving moments were the quietest: being the only car surrounded by a large elephant herd in complete silence.
**The Hell's Gate Bike Safari**
Riding through Hell's Gate among zebras, giraffes and warthogs is unlike anything else. Note that you can at the moment not enter the gorge, but the ride is still very much worth doing — go early for cooler temperatures and better wildlife activity. We were lucky enough to spot a Secretary Bird. Rio lefts us here with a local guide, that also was very friendly and knowledgeable.
**Practical Tips for Future Travellers**
These are not critiques of Shanjoy — just things worth knowing:
The drives between parks are long — Nairobi to the Mara is 5-6 hours. We knew this going in, but still underestimated how much we'd appreciate having snacks. Pack more than you think you need.
Bring warm layers — more than you'd expect this close to the equator. Nairobi, the Mara and Amboseli are all at altitude and the early mornings are genuinely cold. A fleece or light down jacket is not optional.
On your departure morning from the Maasai Mara, game driving is not permitted — you drive straight out. This is a park rule, not a Shanjoy issue, but worth knowing in advance.
The train from Emali to Mombasa was a highlight in itself. We were a bit nervous, but it was spotlessly clean, comfortable and served lunch on board. A wonderful way to transition from the bush to the coast.
**In Summary**
Kenya exceeded every expectation, and Shanjoy was central to that. Rodah's planning was a genuine partnership, Rio was the guide we could only have hoped for, and the itinerary was perfectly constructed from start to finish. And for a competitive price. Just book it.
Incredible guides who bring the wildlife to life.
Very good company who assigned fantastic guides, who were friendly and very knowledgeable about wildlife. They were easy to talk to and really did bring the experience to life. Their knowledge of the parks was outstanding too, the tracks are complicated but they always knew exactly where to go when they got a radio call for animals like leopards and cheetahs.
Accomodation was superb too.
JP
Kind,Professional and timely Communication.
I communicated with the tour operator through WhatsApp messages. She responded to all of my inquiries promptly and always took the time to explain anything I didn't understand in a clear and friendly manner. Thanks to her support, I felt completely at ease throughout the booking process and was able to trust the tour company with confidence.
During the tour, our professional driver made every effort to find all the animals we hoped to see and brought us close enough to enjoy amazing views of them. It was truly an unforgettable experience, and I will cherish these memories for a lifetime.
Top Notch Operator - Best Planner and Drivers
Shanjoy - 5 stars all the way! Our safari started with the meticulous planning from Rodah. She was amazingly responsive, offered ideas to customize our itinerary that covered Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro crater by road. Shanjoy was able to secure some great lodges at better prices than direct booking. She worked very hard to make this a great trip, including finding us two amazing guides that fit our desires to maximize time in the bush. Thank you Rodah!
Stephen, our Mara driver was amazing. His vehicle was clean and well maintained. Stephen was great at finding unique ways to explore the entirety of Mara in 3 bush days. We saw the Big 5 on our first arrival game drive and the rest was all bonus finding the animals hunting, feeding, and up as close as the roads would allow. Stephen knew just where to position the vehicle every time for the best photos. He was very active with the other guides to find the best spots. Stephen was kind and always sought ways to share his knowledge. Highly recommended!!
Elly, was our guide in Tanzania. We covered lots of territory to find the great migration and found it! Elly was always willing share his knowledge and be patient waiting for the scenes to unfold. He made sure we were taken care of at every camp and spent nice full days in the bush. He knew just how to plan out our days with sunrises in the morning drive and sunsets arriving at the lodge. Not a minute waisted. So many animals even elusive leopards!
Shanjoy was top notch! Our groups experienced ranged from newbies to those with 3 countries and 3 safaris under their belt and all around 5 star rating!!!
The best tour operator across all aspects of a safari.
I travelled to Kenya and Tanzania with my husband and teenagers to experience a safari operator by Shanjoy and our expectations were surpassed. I have done many safari's and this was the best. Right from the start Shanjoy out perform others. We communicated with Patrick and Beth many times to plan a lengthy safari and they were very responsive to our requests and communicative. Shanjoy are also very trustworthy and the recommendations that they provided were fantastic and they were not trying to lead us into arrangements that were easier for them. Overall this company if highly ethical and wants to provide a wonderful and memorable safari to its clients.
They are a company that is passionate about wildlife and Africa in general. The company is very experienced within the Safari sector and this experience is to the travellers benefit. The staff are continually visiting and appraising safari lodges and ensuring that quality is maintained over time.
One of the best elements that Shanjoy has to offer is their experienced guides. If you are travelling in Kenya I highly recommend Kim as a guide. He is the ultimate veteran and professional. He has decades of experience and when you drive into a park he engages with huge enthusiasm for all wildlife and nature. It is as if he is seeing it for the first time and as he says it each day offers something different. His knowledge about all animals, including birds is superior and he is also skilled at understanding the landscape and finding animals. He is also one of the nicest people ever.
Our guide Kim knew staff at all lodges which was very advantageous when I needed to see the lodge nurse and he had her direct number! Kim made sure that everything was in place and going well for us everyday and paid attention to all the details that made our holiday a smooth experience, and is the standard provided by Shanjoy.
After several safari's I can't recommend Shanjoy enough and would definitely use them again.
Other Safaris & Tours13 – Offered by Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
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3-Day Fly-in Package to Basecamp Masai Mara
$1,518 to $1,925 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tour
Mid-range Tented CampYou Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Nairobi Airport (End)
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3-Day Private Safari to the Mara
$1,287 to $1,634 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tour
Mid-range Tented CampYou Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Nairobi (End)
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3-Day Luxury Flying Safari- Kandili Camp
$1,606 to $2,072 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxuryTented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Nairobi (End)
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7-Day Best of Kenya Safari Midrange Luxury
$2,602 to $3,135 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Amboseli NP, Nairobi Airport (End)
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![3-Day Luxury Fly-in Safari to Zebra River Camp]()
3-Day Luxury Fly-in Safari to Zebra River Camp
$1,925 to $2,233 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxuryTented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Nairobi (End)
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![7-Day Bush and Beach Honeymoon Safari]()
7-Day Bush and Beach Honeymoon Safari
$3,278 to $3,795 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tour
Mid-range Tented Camp & HotelYou Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Diani Beach, Nairobi (End)
