Part of the team in our office in Nairobi
Explorer Kenya Tours & Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, KATO & EAWS
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CN
Email Kayigana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai Mara unforgettable 4-day trip
Unforgettable 4 days Safari in Masai Mara
Me and my partner we had a great time thanks to Explorer Kenya. Prior to our Safari trip we stayed in contact with Explorer Kenya workers who provided me with accurate information with a prompt response every time i made an inquiry. Afterwards i decided to book 4 days- trip in Masai Mara interacting with animals. We were lucky to have Jonathan Maina an experienced driver-guide appointed to us for the 4 days game drive.
Jonathan Maina drove safely & always on time for any appointment we've agreed on , he was always eager for us to be able to spot big animals ( Leopard, Cheetah, Lions, zebra & Wildebeest migration...). Jonathan was in a full communication with other guides to find out what they have spotted.
During our trip we saw plenty of animals exceeding about 20 species, the only animal we didn't see is Rhino & animal migration. We spotted mating lions, lions with a kill, lions with cubs, family lions of 2 adult male 3 adult female and one male cub old enough so that males were chasing it from the family, this family had a kill of baby hippo. Spotted leopard with a kill climbed tree, leopard coming from drinking water, 4 Cheetahs hunting together ( the hunt didn't finish as gazelle had already spotted them).
An experience unlike any other
The trip was unbelievable from start to finish. Before the trip began Explorer Kenya gave us a indepth itinerary of the entire week and were responsive and detailed in all our email correspondence. When we arrived our tour guide and driver David was there and ready to go. We drove to our first resort and it was an exceptional beautiful place with an extraordinary staff. We saw such incredible scenery and so much wildlife, and the whole trip was made even better by our fantastic tour guide David, who was charismatic, funny, and very knowledgable about all the wildlife as well as the country and its people. Over the course of a week we traveled to Maasai Mara, Hell's Gate National Park at Lake Naivasha, and Amboseli national park. During that time we saw lions, giraffes, wildebeest, crocodiles, elephants, and even a cheetah. It was truly an experience unlike any other.
Email Rich Hudson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience, Fantastic Time
Big Thanks to Jonathan for a fantastic Time at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
What a fantastic start to our time in Kenya, a few days up at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where our guide Jonathan Maina was always on hand to help in anyway. We were collected from a hotel in Nairobi, and driven up to the Conservancy in time for lunch followed by a game drive that afternoon. Those roads of Nairobi are something else, but Jonathan manoeuvred his way through skilfully. We had a stunning time at the Conservancy, the location is great with a water hole overload by the accommodation, which was visited by a whole range of animals. Jonathon took us out on drives each morning and afternoon, and was full of knowledge about the animals and the area, and good company. Nothing was too much trouble and he was always on hand to ensure things went smoothly. Our trip was well planned to ensure we got the best experience at Ol Pejeta, and it was sad to take the trip back to Nairobi for our next adventure at the Maasai Mara.
I can totally recommend Jonathan as a guide, he was great fun, I have never seen as many Zebra Crossings!!
IN
Email Nitin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best way to explore Kenya .. explorer kenya
The communication by Robert , the service and driving and attentiveness of our guide and driver David all was very exceptionally good. The tour went very smooth and we saw Everything on the Safari..the big 5 and much more.. thanks a lot again David , my kids still sing the African song u taught them ..
IN
Email Aatif Kakajiwalla | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
David was an excellent driver
Good driver with knowledge of the parks. Was also a great help.
HK
Email Charlie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic 6 Days 5 Nights Trip for 2 with David
Myself and my girlfriend (now fiancé but more on that later) have just come back from 10 day trip to Kenya. We spent a big portion of those days (Private tour for 2 people, 6 days/5 nights - 2 nights in Masaai Mara/ 1 night in Lake Nakuru/ 2 nights in Amboseli in a Land Cruiser) in the hands of the company and our guide David.
Before we booked the trip, Robert was always very prompt and honest in his responses, which was the difference maker for us, as we did talk to a few tour companies for comparison. Robert also never made us uncomfortable with hard selling - something we don’t really appreciate and something which we experienced with other tour companies.
On with the journey- After arriving at the airport, we were picked up by David, who greeted us with a friendly smile and off we went on our adventure! The trips by road to the parks are quite long and the roads are a tad rough - so be prepared for some bumpy moments but we were lucky that David was a fantastic driver so the trip was smooth and we even caught some sleep along the way. He also made sure that we always arrived on time as scheduled.
As we went in April during the rainy season, we did get some rain during some of our game drives but we were able to experience the safaris in all their glory. On Day 1 of our trip in the Masaai Mara, we were lucky enough to catch some cheetahs in action as well as Hyenas picking the bones of the corpse! The Masaai Mara was definitely our favourite spot and our only regret is spending only 3 days/2 nights here. We stayed at the Mara Ashnil and it was very good, although not as great as our latter accommodations in the trip. Mara Ashnil is a luxury tented camp but hot water and electricity is not 24/7, which can be uncomfortable for some but we managed alright.
After a 6 hour journey, we arrived at Lake Nakuru which is a smaller park famous for the Black and White Rhino, and pink flamingoes and we did get to see them. However, as good as the park is, it pales in comparison to Masaai Mara in terms of the sheer awe factor of the landscape and wildlife. The hotel, Nakuru Sopa Lodge, was absolutely terrific with a stunning view. We were pleasantly surprised and had a great night’s stay here.
To the final leg of our journey, and the longest drive. After 8.5 hours, we arrived at Amboseli and saw the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. It was here that I proposed to my fiancé at sunset with the view of Kilimanjaro in the background and David was kind enough to capture those moments with my camera :)
Amboseli is absolutely stunning for the aforementioned view of Kilimanjaro (clearest in the early morning and late afternoon when there are no clouds), and for the various families of elephants. David’s vast knowledge of the safaris taught me that almost 200,000 elephants use to roam the grounds in the 80s, whereas now there were only around 2,000 left, such a shame! However, David got us very close to the elephants and we saw families of elephants bathing and crossing the road right in front of our car! We stayed at the Kibo Safari Lodge, which was perfect and with a view of Kilimanjaro right outside our window! Amboseli is second to Masaai Mara on our list of favourites. And thus ended the trip for us with the company, safe to say the experience was massively enjoyable.
Food on the trip was very good - hotel buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner at Mara Ashnil and Kibo Safari Lodge, and set courses at the Nakuru Sopa Lodge. During the long drives, we had takeaway lunch boxes and plenty of water along the journey. We were fed tremendously well!
Our guide David was very knowledgable and gave valuable insights into the Safaris, animals, and the country and culture of Kenya throughout the whole trip. He was always on hand to answer all of my queries (and I consider myself a curious person so I asked a lot of questions!) and one of the highlights of the trip was just getting to know him and also the country and culture of Kenya through him. His friendly demeanour and enthusiasm rubs off on you and made our trip very enjoyable. He is very highly recommended by us!
After the tour was over, we were dropped off at Wilson airport where we flew on with our own agenda to the coast, with wide smiles on our faces from the highly memorable experience of this safari with Explorer Kenya :)
US
Email Shad J. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari trip with father and 2 adult sons
This was a trip of a lifetime and we thoroughly enjoyed our safari trip which was setup and arranged through Explorer Kenya.
Our guide Jonathan was superb and very knowledgeable of the various parks, roads and animals of interest. He made sure we had an enjoyable trip.
We visited Kibo Safari Camp in Amboseli National Park park for one night, Naivasha County club at lake Naivasha for one night and Ashnil Mara Camp at Masai Mara for two nights.
All accommodations were excellent and unique and mostly traditional African huts style which was awesome change from usual western accommodations, yet with usual amenities.
Found 9/10 of our safari animals including all big 5 (the black rhino was elusive). Lots of close up shots of these animals. Halal food was great with enough variety for everyone.
We give Jonathan a 5 star rating as our guide.
Email Laura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Had a good experience!
7 day safari
The safari was a great and interesting experience, especially thanks to our guide Jonathan! We visited Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara - all three places were beautiful!
AT
Email Caryne | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
adventurous
Thank you Jonathan for a great Safari experience. You kept your promise, we did have an amazing time.
One of the best week we had in Kenya! Thank you for your flexibility and patience in terms of time - we were not always that punctual :)
Asante!
Caryne & Mike
US
Email Amado | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The Best Way to Experience East Africa!
The Explorer Kenya experience is such a treat! It makes exploration of Africa easy and allows you to focus on exactly what you want, how you want to do it, and when. I had only a few days for a quick safari/game drive experience from Nairobi and the company made things absolutely easy and seamless. With only 3 short days available, I was able to arrange to be picked up from my hotel in the city, driven to my accomodation in Masai Mara (in a 4x4 truck well suited to any condition - city driving and the wet, muddy roads of the park), taken on a slew of game drives (afternoon on arrival, full day, morning on departure, and a quick game drive in Nairobi), and dropped at the airport - complete service end-to-end (including gas, park fees for the vehicle, and a supplement).
Perhaps best of all, my included driver/guide, Jonathan, helped make the experience all the better with his expert knowledge of the country, animals, and park itself. His having been in the industry so long made him well-known among the other drivers in the park and he was able to communicate with then effectively bia the onboard radio to give almost a menu of wildlife options ("Would you like to see these cheetahs ahead or go try to find this black rhino...?"). We would drive down lesser known park roads that would take us away from the crowds and on our own bit of exploration, finding rare surprises because of it - a lone cheetah ambling along, a feeding pair of lions that then proceeded to mate, and aside from the animals, some stunning viewpoints of the park and countryside. But aside from that, Jonathan quickly became a friend. Easy to get along with, good-natured, and fun/funny, he was someone to talk to on the long drives, to pick his knowledge of all things Africa. Jonathan was always willing to work with my schedule and desires and more than happy to try to find the wildlife experiences I was looking for (which sometimes shunned the exciting bit cats and focused on the small beautiful birds of the park - don't miss the Lilac-Breasted Roller!). Not only that, but he managed the roads like a champion - here on the edge of the wet season, the track had turned to a muddy mess, but he was able to keep us going without getting stuck (knowing all the best ways to reach the wildlife experiences we were coveting - no easy feat!).
For me, the entire experience was in noted contrast to the one I had earlier this month. Then, I rented my own car to make the drive to Amboseli National Park - that came with the added nightmare of navigating Nairobi's traffic and sometimes confusing roads. Near the park, the roadway turned to bumpy, uneven dirt (something the rental was ill-equipped for). Then, at the hotel, I'd pay to rent a safari vehicle and guide for the morning/afternoon/day. In all, I'd spend more on that experience than simply having contracted with Explorer Kenya for the all-inclusive service.
I can't recommend the team highly enough. This is the perfect way to experience the East Africa parks (hopefully you have more time than I did!). And if you get paired with Jonathan, you are in for an extra treat!
