$4,383 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateThis Tour Is Offered By
STAFF
Voyage to the Magical Africa
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
-
KERWTZUG
Welcome to VOYAGE TO THE MAGICAL AFRICA! We're a Tour and Travels company founded on a passion for people, a passion for wildlife, a passion for the magnificent parks & landscapes of Africa and a passion to meet and surpass our clients safari expectations! Based in Nairobi, Kenya and serving travelers globally, we specialize in creating personalized and immersive travel experiences for individuals, families and groups.
Reviews17
SA
Spectacular and amazing journey
Overall, this was one of the best trips I’ve ever had, and I’m truly grateful for the experience.
Our journey started with one unfortunate issue: our airport driver arrived late to pick us up. It was quite stressful, especially after landing, and honestly, it made us feel a little unsafe. Thankfully, after that, everything started getting much better.
Our first hotel was Cozi. It was a lovely place with good food, a safe environment, and very friendly staff. We had a comfortable stay there before the driver took us to the domestic airport for our flight to the Maasai Mara.
Once we arrived in the Maasai Mara, we met our guide and driver, Simon, and from that moment on, the trip became absolutely amazing. He was professional, friendly, and made the entire safari experience comfortable, enjoyable, and unforgettable.
During the safari, we stayed at three different lodges:
Kandili Camp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was an excellent camp. The staff were incredibly welcoming, kind, and always happy to help. The food was delicious, the camp felt very safe, and staying in the tent surrounded by nature was such a unique and unforgettable experience.
Ziwa Bush Lodge ⭐⭐☆☆☆
Unfortunately, this was the only place we didn’t enjoy. There were too many spiders, the rooms felt small, the food was average, and both the restaurant and hotel staff weren’t very welcoming. Personally, I wouldn’t choose to stay here again.
Naivasha Kongoni Lodge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This lodge was fantastic. The staff were wonderful, and Adam was especially helpful throughout our stay. Our cottage was clean, comfortable, and beautiful. My only suggestion would be to improve the indoor lighting at night, as it felt a little too dim. Apart from that, everything was excellent. The food was absolutely delicious, and the entire lodge had such a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.
Overall, this was truly one of the best experiences of my life. We got to see and experience things that many people may never have the opportunity to witness, and that’s something I’ll always be grateful for. The memories from this trip will stay with me forever, and I would absolutely love to do it again in the future.
Thank you for the excellent planning and organization. Everything was very well arranged, apart from the few negative points I mentioned above. I genuinely recommend this experience to anyone looking for an unforgettable adventure.
Nature wins every time. 🌿🦒❤️
SA
An exceptional tour operator that made my dream African journey truly unforgettable
This was truly the most beautiful trip of my life, and I enjoyed every single moment. The safari itself was unforgettable, and our guide was outstanding, knowledgeable, cheerful, and always willing to help. He made every game drive enjoyable and memorable.
Candili Camp was absolutely wonderful. The staff were incredibly kind, welcoming, and helpful. A special thank you to Fred for his warm hospitality, great sense of humor, and exceptional service. I would also like to thank Chef Solomon for preparing some of the most delicious meals I have ever had.
Naivasha Kongoni Lodge was another highlight of the trip. It was spacious, comfortable, and truly felt like a home away from home. The staff were amazing, the food was excellent, and I especially want to thank Adam for his warm welcome and all the help he gave us during our stay.
Unfortunately, Ziwa Bush Lodge did not meet our expectations. The staff were not very welcoming, the room was quite small, and the food lacked variety. The supervisor was very disappointed from the stuff and he tried to do his best.
I would also like to mention that the airport transfers need significant improvement. Upon our arrival, there was no driver waiting for us, no sign with our name, and we had difficulty finding our transportation. We eventually had to ask a local person to help us contact the organizers, which was not a good first impression after a long journey.
The departure transfer was also disappointing. The driver dropped us far from the gate and asked us to walk with our luggage. When we politely requested to be dropped at the terminal entrance instead, he refused.
Despite these transportation issues, the safari experience itself was exceptional, and the warmth of the people we met along the way made this the most beautiful trip of my life. Thank you for making my dream of visiting Maasai Mara come true.
Voyage to the Magical Africa was a reliable tour operator, everything went smoothly.
The safari really was magical. Brian was a great communicator and ready to solve any issue. The itinerary was excellent and our driver was experienced and reliable. We saw so many animals!
CA
Incredible, unforgettable experience - exceptional service
We booked a 4 day, 3 night Safari experience through Voyage to the Magical Africa, where we visited two destinations: Masai Mara (for two nights) and Lake Nakuru for 1 night. It was an incredible and unforgettable experience, and I would definitely do it again. I've broken down my review to give you as much detail as possible.
Timing: We booked in April, which is the "off season", and genuinely, I think that was the best decision we could have made. Prices were much lower (our total trip was about $4K USD, including more luxurious accommodations, pickup and dropoff in Nairobi, and 3 nights in 2 different locations). We lucked out with amazing weather, and we had exceptional service, barely any crowds, and we got to see a WIDE assortment of animals.
Booking with the Voyage to the Magical Africa Team
I had a great experience communicating with and booking with the VOYAGE TO THE MAGICAL AFRICA team. The individual we spoke with was Brian, and he was INCREDIBLY helpful and solicitous, and very, very communicative. We had no idea what we wanted from our safari experience, and he gave us several incredibly detailed quotes, going back and forth with me, and answering all my questions with patience and speed. He was very communicative throughout the experience, and Brian was honestly the main reason we booked with this company, compared to some of the others we received quotes from.
Things to keep in mind: Pesapal, the platform used for payment does charge fees for your transaction (when you're paying your deposit, or paying for your safari). For our initial 50% deposit, we used a bank transfer, but if I had known in advance, I would have brought cash for the second part of the payment. This also would have helped as when I was trying to pay the second half of the payment, it took a long time going through 2FA via pesapal, and it was needlessly stressful.
Feedback on the vehicle: While we did have a great experience, the land cruiser provided by the company was quite old. We had seen videos of people going on safaris in much more comfortable and updated cars (with mini fridges, charging ports, cupholders), and while we didn't need all of the bells and whistles, the vehicle we used had only 1 working seatbelt. While our experience was safe and (relatively) comfortable, I do hope the company upgrades their vehicles for future visits.
The Guide: Our guide's name was John, and quite honestly, he was the best possible guide we could have worked with. We would honestly request him for future trips. John is Masai himself, and studied animal behaviour and birds. So on top of his friendly nature and great attitude, he also knew what he was talking about. We got to see all of the big 5 on our trip, along with lots of other really cool birds and animals. Brian was so knowledgeable, and we often found ourselves telling other guides and vehicles about animals WE spotted, so they could go see them. Brian had a great instinct for knowing where animals would be, and would spot "hidden" animals and birds with ease. We had such a great experience with him. My sister, who is a biologist, and entomologist was so impressed with his depth of knowledge, and we learnt so much about animals, plants, and birds from John. Truly, I couldn't have asked for a better guide for our first safari experience.
Our accommodations: We stayed in 2 parks: Maasai Mara, and Lake Nakuru.
Maasai Mara was INCREDIBLE. We would absolutely go back there, as it's so huge, and I could have honestly spent an entire week just there. We saw our first three of the big 5 just on our drive in to the hotel (Buffalo, Elephants, and Lions), and saw so many cool birds, big groupings of animals, and more. The weather was amazing, getting a bit hot in the daytime, with cool evenings. We also barely encountered any mosquitoes.
We stayed at the Ashnil Mara Camp, and let me just say, it was the most exquisite, luxurious, and incredible hotel / resort I have ever stayed at. It was BEAUTIFULLY furnished, with gorgeous, comfortable, and tastefully appointed luxury tents. The rooms were big, comfortable, and clean (although some bugs WILL get in, it can't be avoided, but don't worry!!). They had great amenities (mosquito lotion, hand cream, shampoo and body wash), and even did 5 items of laundry for you (for free) every day, as a part of your stay. The food was delicious, you ordered from a menu, and the breakfast buffet was EXCELLENT (we preferred it to the packed breakfast, as nothing can compare to a hot breakfast buffet). The dining area was gorgeous, overlooking a river where you would frequently see and hear hippos. There were even lots of wild animals ON the site, like monkeys, insects, cool birds, mongoose, and deer. The staff was incredibly courteous, friendly, and helpful. I don't remember everyone's names, but the bar staff, the restaurant staff, the porters, and cleaners, and laundry staff, and the front desk staff were all great. John the restaurant manager was very friendly and helpful, and we were usually served by Dickson, who was so friendly, kind and helpful. I also got a Swedish massage from Rose - and oh my goodness, it was such a relaxing and enjoyable experience (I am pretty sure I fell asleep and started snoring!!). My favourite thing was all the little touches - cool towels when we checked in, the free laundry, fresh juice and cold water, hot water bottles tucked into our made beds!! I felt like a princess, lol. I wish I could have stayed even longer, and would love to go back.
In Lake Nakuru, we stayed at the Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge.
Lake Nakuru National Park itself is pretty small, so not everyone recommends it, but we lucked out, seeing the last of the big five (rhinos and a leopard) almost right when we entered the park, on our way to the hotel. We saw a of babboons, zebra, gazelle, topis, impalas, and cool birds here. We also saw some white rhinos, rothschild giraffes, hippos, flamingos, and the same male leopard 3 times. This place is a lot more marsh-y, so we saw a ton of birds, and a lot more mosquitoes (although many resorts spray for them). It rained a little during our time here, so the roads were muddy and puddle-y, which was fine, but we did see a safari vehicle (recklessly) drive into some big puddles and get stuck right by the water (eventually getting out).
Our accommodation at the Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge was decent. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but the rooms were a bit small. We were there during the off season, and there were so few guests there that they hadn't even opened their dining area, we ate in a smaller area by the bar. The food was buffet style, and it was pretty good though. My biggest complaint was that you had to pay (!!!) for water. You had to buy bottles of water to drink, which was very frustrating as our booking had specified we'd have access to drinking water. We also had to pay for soda, whereas at our other accommodation, both were free and abundantly available. There were 3 bottles of water in the room, for brushing teeth/making coffee, but for our lunch and dinner we had to buy bottles of water to drink and fill our refillable water bottles. Interestingly, at breakfast, there was a jug of drinking water available, which was a bit frustrating, because why did we have to pay for water for our other two meals?
On our way back, our guide, John, generously detoured through the Lake Naivasha area. We decided against the boat ride and Crescent Island safari because we were worried about running out of time, but we did eat a delicious lunch at the Lake Naivasha Country Club where my sister said their Buffet was the best of all the meals she'd eaten on the safari trip.
Overall, we had a truly incredible experience in Kenya, thanks to our incredible guide John, as well as Brian and the staff at Voyage to the Magical Africa, and the wonderful and friendly staff at all our accommodations. I definitely hope to come back!
CA
Amazing
Brian researched and got us the best itinerary with best hotels. It was within our budget and timeline. Brian is a very good communicator and stayed constantly in touch with us from beginning to end and is still in touch with us. Very accommodating gentleman. Our travel guide John is the Best!! It was our first visit to Africa, first to Kenya and first Safari ever! And we will be coming back for more!
Other Safaris & Tours48 – Offered by Voyage to the Magical Africa
-
5-Day Classic Tour to Kenya's Most Famous Parks
$3,649 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Lake Naivasha (Naivasha), Jomo Kenyatta Airport (End)
-
5-Day Best of the Great Savannah and the Lake Circuit
$4,978 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Lake Nakuru NP, Lake Naivasha (Naivasha), Masai Mara NR, Nairobi (End)
-
4-Day Exclusive Maasai Mara Lake Nakuru Timeless Moments
$2,967 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxuryLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Jomo Kenyatta Airport (End)
-
7-Day Exploratory Safari in Kenya
$3,729 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxuryTented Camp & Hotel
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Laikipia Plateau), Samburu NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Masai Mara NR, Jomo Kenyatta Airport (End)
-
![4-Day Maasai Mara and Lake Naivasha Luxurious Safari]()
4-Day Maasai Mara and Lake Naivasha Luxurious Safari
$3,883 to $3,905 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxury+Lodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Naivasha (Naivasha), Nairobi (End)
-
![6-Day Whispers of the Savannah]()
6-Day Whispers of the Savannah
$4,204 pp (USD)
Kenya: Shared tour (max 7 people per vehicle)LuxuryLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Amboseli NP, Nairobi (End)
