The team
Karibu Safaris In Kenya
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1986)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Tourism Regulatory Authority & Eco Toursm Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $280 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AE
Email Kevin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb experience with Castro
Superb experience. We got to see all of the animals we wanted. Castro was an excellent tour guide who knew where to go to get the best views. A very nice guy also.
IE
Email Máirtín | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
The safari was absolutely epic. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed this unbelievable experience. Castro was our guide and he was a class act. He provided us with ample information about the animals and their lives. He was very friendly, helpful and very welcoming. Thanks Castro.
AE
Email Joe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Castro was a fantastic tour operator who showed patience and understanding. He was great fun
Fantastic services, saw everything we wanted and more. Everyone was so helpful and did more than they needed for us. Castro was a fantastic tour operator as well and would recommend him and the company to all of my friends for an unforgettable experience.
IE
Email Stephen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreal
Karibu Safari was excellent. Very knowledgeable tour guide and an excellent driver also. Great food as well. Castro is the man.
Email Jess & Rob | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheap and cheerful- great tour! 7 nights 6 days Hell’s Gate-Masai Mara-Nakuru-Amboseli
For us, Edward made the trip as he was extremely knowledgable, hard working and funny! He was a great guide and also great company.
The bus is fairly spacious and comfortable and the tour sizes are reasonable. We were just the two of us for day 1, then 3 more joined for days 2-5 and 2 more for the final two days (making 7 people in total for the final ride, the maximum group size but there was still enough room).
Day 1 we went to Hell’s Gate, which is small national park. You can see zebras, wilderbeast, giraffes, buffalo, warthogs etc. The scenery is very beautiful although it must be said the wild life at the Masai Mara/aamboseli is much more exciting. There is an option here to rent bikes which is fun!
Day 2 and 3 were at the Masai Mara which was INCREDIBLE. Edward was a great guide and worked hard communicating all day on the radio so we saw lots of lions, a leopard, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles etc! Amazing!!
Day 4: we had a drive to Nukuru via lake Naivasha where we stopped to do a boat ride (20 dollars extra but you can negotiate this price down- we ended up paying 12). Quite cool and a nice activity to break up a long day of driving.
Day 5: we spent the morning in Lake Nakuru national park where the main attraction is black and white rhinos. This was definitely worth the stop as rhinos are hard to come by in the other parks. After the game drive was a very long drive to Amboseli. This is quite a long day as we left Nukuru at 10ish and didn’t arrive at Amboseli until 7. Accommodation here is much more basic than the others, but it is very close to the park.
Day 6: Amboseli game drive. This is beautiful mostly because of the setting, with the view snow capped Kilimanjaro. There are fewer animals than Masai Mara, but it is extremely beautiful. There’s also an option to do a walking safari with Masai guys for $10/person. This was a real highlight as after 7 days in the car it’s nice to stretch the legs. We saw elephants and giraffes from the ground which was a very cool experience.
Day 7: the rest of our group headed out for a morning game drive before heading back to Nairobi. We were continuing by ourselves to the beach so Edward very kindly arranged to buy our tickets online for the train from Emali to Mombasa ($7/person), and also got us a bargain taxi to the station (2 hour ride for $30).
Overall this is an excellent safari for the price we paid. Having read through some of the 1 star comments below I want to be clear that this is a budget tour (one of the cheapest in Nairobi) and therefore all reviews should take into consideration that it is cheap and cheerful, and you should not expect a luxurious tour if you are paying a bargain price!
The itinerary was occasionally subject to change, but the no one is trying to cheat you they are just trying to make tours for multiple people work for a good price so you must be patient and trust they have your best interests at heart!
Finally a HUGE thank you to Edward making our experience so great.
NO
Email Ahmed | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a dream trip
I did a three days trip. I booked last minute the evening before and the service was very good. Aron, the guide, was very nice and took good care of us. He knows the Mara very well and in one single day, we saw all National Geographic animals. Literally.
The tents were okay, not my favorite part but I know that I’m not at home and and I’m in a budget tour so the overall experience is great and I’ve realized my childhood dream almost entirely (I just miss the flamingos but they’re in another park).
EG
Email Mohamed ElAttar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Over expected
The guide (James) was excellent. He showed us all. The accomodation was decent. The food was satisfactory.
FR
Email Benjamin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience but don’t underestimate the budget level of the accommodation/transport
We did the 6-Day Magnificent Best of Kenya Safari with Karibu, visiting the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli.
Communication was good - office was reactive responding to emails. On the first day they picked us up from the hotel, drove us to an ATM then we handed over the cash in the car outside the office. We were not invited inside and there is apparently no toilet available for use.
Our driver Edward was friendly, deeply knowledgeable on the wildlife and highly experienced with navigating the parks, showing us a fantastic variety of animals. He worked tirelessly over the 6 days. Only suggestion for improvement would be to offer more frequent toilet breaks. Indeed Edward would stop briefly for a roadside wee whereas our toilet breaks were less frequent and fixed at souvenir gift shops!
It was frustrating that Karibu mixed people on different tours, staying in different standards of accommodation meaning we wasted a lot of time doing detours and waiting around for people. On two game drives they crammed 7 people into the van, which made the experience much less enjoyable. The 12+ hour day travelling from Lake Nakuru to Amboseli (with a stop on the outskirts of Nairobi to pick up more people) was brutal especially as the accommodation awaiting us at Amboseli was the lowest standard of the three.
The meals were generally of a decent standard but lacking somewhat in variety. Limited selection of alcoholic drinks were available for purchase. At each accommodation there were inflated prices for bottled water so it is advised to make the most of the bottles provided by the driver. Breakfast was always rushed (30 minutes between breakfast being served and departure with all luggage).
Enchoro Wildlife Camp Masai Mara – Nice camp with spacious tents. Electricity run off generator limited to fixed times in morning and evening. Beer available but not chilled.
Hotel Citymax – Budget hotel with nice evening meal. No alcoholic drinks for purchase but option to source your own beer in the town and drink in the hotel. Roof terrace available.
Kimana Amboseli Camp – Tatty and rundown camp. Small tents. Holes in mosquito nets. Decent food and cold beer available.
Optional activities were nice to pass the time:
- Masai Mara Village Visit - $10 USD
- Lake Naivasha Boat Trip - $20 USD
- Amboseli Sunrise/Sunset Nature Walk - $10 USD
EG
Email Nermeen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent trip
It's amazing trip with a very professional but yet sup friendly guide - jams-
Good choice for places to visit and value hotels vs the price with professional stuff..
The masai camp was a very special experience.. Peoples was very friendly and helpful
Safari tour itself was unbelievable and unforgettable.. Weather was amazing and views was spectacular..
Briefly.. I was happy to be there, and I wish to go back and take my kids next time.. Thank jems to make this trip over expectations
Great budget safari
We did a 5 day safari tour with James
We got to see the big 5 and the ugly 5.It was all posdible thanks to James and his co-workers that were constantly communiting by radio to make us all get the most of our safari.
For a budget tour we have no complaints.Planning already our next Afrikan trip.
Pre-communication before trip with Robert was excellent. Quick responses