safari in Masai Mara
Budget Holiday Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Josef Konrad | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was very properly organized and communication with Anne was easy and quick
Anne responded quickly according special interests and wishes..
Stanley was a good driver and guide - often we were first or second to see special animals.
The vehicle looked a bit old but there wasn´t any problem and it got dusty anyway.
The accomondation in the Amboseli park was a bit basic.
CA
Email Daniel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beyond my Imagination!! Wonderful is the word!!
First the response to my inquiry was within minutes which made planning our safari quite pleasant.
Our contact person Ann answered any questions we had and she was open to any adjustments we needed.
We had the best tour guides for both Kenya and Tanzania Safari's.
My God! The wilderness in this countries is beyond expectations. We saw the big five in just one afternoon, the guide in Kenya was the best, he knew where to take us where we even saw the great wildebeest migration!! ..its an experience of a lifetime.
The lodges were good for the price..food in Kenya is quite cheap though Tanzania has better menu to choose from but overall if you want to visit either of the two countries without breaking the bank, budget Holiday Safaris are the best. Thank you guys for creating great memories for me and my friends. YOU ARE THE BEST
Fantastic 12 days in Kenya / Tanzania
The communication was fast, helpful and overall excellent. I got answers on every question beforehand. Service was top notch. Our guides always wanted to make the experience memorable. Saw all the big five animals and much more. Organization is really flexible and budget friendly for solo travellers.
Thank you! Had an amazing time in Africa.
IT
Email Luca & Francesca | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari!
We bought a tourist package for a week during the great migration. 3nights in Masai Mara and 3nights (lake Nakuru, lake Baringo, lake Naivasha) Perfectly organized tour, very good driver and everything was ok
US
Email Eric Buscher | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DO NOT USE - THIS COMPANY IS DANGEROUS
I used Budget Holiday Safaris and I have to say not only do I not recommend them, I would warn you from using them. I booked an 11 day safari with them in Kenya and Tanzania. They did not tell me that they don’t handle the Tanzania part but partner with a different agency, Sandlands Tours. I only found out while on the tour and when I googled Sandlands, I found there were a number of customer complaints about them. If they had told me upfront I never would have used them.
In Tanzania, Sandlands switched drivers while we were staying in the Serengeti. The original driver took all our paperwork and didn’t pay for our time in the park, and when we tried to leave, the park tried to get us to pay over $2500. Sandlands was refusing to pay. Rather than pay ourselves, we called our embassies, who had to put pressure on Sandlands . We had to stay an additional night without food or lodging, and had to sleep in the car with water buffalos and lions roaming around the car.
When I contacted Budget Holiday Safaris about this issue, their response was just that they would speak to the manager. I emailed them several times after that and they never bothered to respond. It was only when I emailed them that we had contacted the embassies and that I was going to report them as a scam to my credit card company did they bother to message me back, asking me to not do any damage to them. No concern over the situation at all.
The next day, because of the pressure that this was turning into an international incident, Sandlands relented and paid. However, Budget called me and wanted me to continue on the tour with this company. I told them I no longer felt safe and refused. Other people in my tour got calls from their agencies demanding they continue the safari or else they would be breaking their contract and would be held liable. One woman burst into tears from this.
Other problems:
• When we tried to check into our hotel in Arusha, they claimed we hadn’t been booked in and wanted us to pay for our rooms. They claimed we would be reimbursed. When we showed them our forms, they magically found our names in the registration book. This hotel also is the office for Sandlands.
• They would consistently put more people in the cars then the maximum promised for the tour.
• The vehicles lacked most seatbelts. We had several break down while on the road. The final car had broken windows and no seatbelts and felt extremely unsafe.
• We weren’t given meals several times during the trip.
• When concerns or issues were directed to Budget, they were dismissed or ignored. Once they just straight up lied to me.
While Sandlands was the primary agency in Tanzania, they were acting in full cooperation with Budget Holiday Safaris. Neither agency has made any move to apologize for the experience or to make any kind of compensation or restitution. I believe Budget to be fully aware of how Sandlands conducts business in their name, and therefor they must approve or condone their actions. I believe that the actions of these two companies are dangerous and if people continue to use them, someone is going to be seriously injured.
Reply from Budget Holiday Safaris
Posted on Sep 11, 2018We apologize for the hiccup that occurred on day 9 of safari as only one day of safari was remaining. Day 11 is usually for travelling back from Tanzania to Nairobi, so no visit to National park.
THE FIRST PHASE OF SAFARI WHICH THE CLIENT DID NOT MENTION WAS PERFECT AND AS PER ITINERARY.
We really tried our best to avail our services and we feel the client is unfair to say we are a dangerous company and are in business to injure people.
Tanzania safari, we always do with agents as Kenyans are not allowed to own permanent offices in Tanzania. We have been working with Sandland Safaris for over a year now and we had never had a problem with them. We always get good services from Sandland until this time. We have followed the matter and tried our best to understand what really happened.
In Serengeti after the change of guides, which is very normal when doing a group safari, there was a hiccup in handing over and the first guide left with the stamped entrance fees and second guide couldn't exit the park. This brought about the delay which led to the clients spending a night in Serengeti instead of heading to their last destination. The clients were taken back to the campsite, where they had slept on the first night and provided with the same food from before, which they refused and chose to sleep in the car, and yet they were doing camping all along, from day 1, why were they not attacked by lions? The camps and campsites are government grounds protected by park rangers of the various governments.The locations are also areas that have been allocated by the government, and are very safe. We tried to resolve the issue that arose in Serengeti from Nairobi and Arusha but Sandland safaris turned out to be a company that could not be trusted anymore.We do not condone the events of this safari, nor do we support what Sandland Safaris did, as our primary goal is to give our clients a good experience. As a result of this, we have terminated our contract with Sandland safaris and have partnered with a different agency.
We sincerely apologize to Eric and his partner and assure our future clients that we are still committed to ensure we give the best services.Choose us and definitely, you will always share a different experience from this.
PL
Email Sylwia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!
Me and my friend did the 5 days safari tour, Masai Mara, lake Nakuru. Saw the big five. The hunting cheetah was breathtaking. Our driver was very knowledgeable and open for our questions and requests.The safari group did amazing job. Lovely people, good accommodation and food. I definitely recommend this trip!
CN
Email Ziqing Wang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safari
I went on a 12 day safari Kenya and Tanzania. Anne was very helpful in planning our trip. Our guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and knew where to find the animals. Very good value for your money.
AE
Email NOERINA | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari
Went on a 5 day safari which included Masai Mara, amboseli and lake Nakuru. Our guide Ann Ruth was exemplary amazing i must recommend her very knowledgeable and helpful.Enjoyed seeing the animals and the flamingos as well.Very good value for money will definitely be back.
KR
Email Jimmii Shin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Such a lovely 7 days
I wanted to see Masai Mara, Hell's Gate, and Amboseli and I found this item. I actually contacted several other agencies but Budget Holiday Safaris was most kind, so I decided to go with this.
Every day was so wonderful, each day had its own surprises, crews were nice, and group members were young and cheerful. (I am young and I was expecting people of my age) At the end at Amboseli, I almost disappointed, of course, you have already seen all the animals and nature on your previous 5 days, but on my last day sky was clear enough to see Mountain Kilimanjaro very clearly so I was satisfied.
Everything is as described, well.. wonderful driver/guide was not on description. Our guide 'Papa' made our trip even more great.
Hotels in Nakuru and Naivasha are really nice, although in Masai Mara and Amboseli it's difficult, of course it is budget range and it's campsite. If you are not up for tent accommodation, I think you can always ask for upgrade.
I definitely recommend Budget Holiday Safaris. Thank you Rose!
Email Richard Valdambrini | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari, guide found all the animals.
I went on a 6 day safari, including Masai mara, Lake Nakuru and Amoseli. Our guide was very knowledgeable and found all the animals. Very good value for money.