Reviews
Email James | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Communicative and professional staff and a very knowledgable and friendly tour guide.
Top level: Marst are a sound outfit that delivered what was promised and communicated with us clearly, and an absolutely excellent guide Ben. If I went on another safari I would not hesitate to book with Marst and ask for Ben again, and I recommend them to anyone.
We booked a 6-day safari with Marst that took in Amboseli (Serena lodge - 2d), Naivasha (Sopa lodge - 1d), Nakuru (Sopa lodge - 1d), and Mara (Ashnil Mara - 2d). We decided on this itinerary after looking at various itineraries on safaribookings and then getting some quotes, and then selecting the itinerary we liked best and asking for more quotes for specifically that so we could compare like-for-like. We chose Marst based on the fact they had great previous reviews, were responsive and clear in comms, and they matched the best price from others.
Things to note:
1) be prepared to be in the car all the time. We knew this in theory but it really is a lot of driving - ~5h between parks, and within the park nearly all the tour is based on driving around or sitting in the vehicle to look for animals. We went for a land cruiser with a pop-up roof and I would recommend this - comfortable, roomy and with lots of suspension and ground clearance. There are also smaller minivans available which we did not try so we can't compare.
2) Hotels. If your hotel is "tented" it really means a tent roof in your room. Silly of us not to realize perhaps, but we were new to this. We had that for 2 nights (Ashnil Mara) and its a different experience to a "proper" roof - it gets colder at night in July which is the coldest period of year -- though not too cold, and they provided hot water bottles. the tent was large and high and there was masonry around the toilet/shower facilities, so it was not cramped at all and it was a novel experience. All our hotels were good, Sopa Naivasha had best food and the largest rooms of the 4 hotels. For us 2 adults and 2 kids, all the hotels had prepared 2x rooms that were next door and all except Sopa Nakuru had connecting doors internally. The hotels are all very well spaced out so get used to walking 200m from your room to the main dining/reception area. All except Asnhil had wifi throughout.
3) we sent money by bank transfer to avoid credit card charges. This was a bit scary since you're sending money to a foreign company and there's no "ABTA" industry-wide insurance coverage equivalent, so we sent a few dollars first, asked Marst to confirm reception and amount, and then sent the rest. Expect to prepay as hotels want a large deposit to reserve rooms.
4) The actual animal watching was amazing. We saw lions, elephants, a leopard, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, jackal, hyena, baboons, vultures, flamingos, pelicans and many other birds, uncountably many zebra and wildebeest in the great migration, hippos, rhino, a crocodile, and gazelles and antelopes of many species. Ben was our guide/driver and he is simply excellent - friendly, very very knowledgable, and a great safe and smooth driver (which is important given that there's a lot of unsafe driving in Kenya compared to European standards and it was so good to feel in safe hands throughout), and accommodating any requests.
5) we got esims for data plans which is great since our mobile provider charges for Kenya. We coudl install these in the UK and then just turn them on on landing for data only, with calls/texts coming through the normal sim. Recommended for convenience and not having to sort it out on arrival.
6) We got dropped off at 5pm for a British Airways 11pm flight, and the check-in didnt open until 7pm, and there's nowhere to sit in the pre-check-in areas of JKIA terminal 1A, so i'd recommend ensuring that you have somewhere else to be up to checkin time.
RO
Email Eugen A. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari Adventure with Ben and Susan
Our safari adventure in Kenya with Ben and Susan was simply amazing. Susan from Marstafrica expertly organized every detail of the trip, making sure that everything ran smoothly and that we had the time of our lives. And with Ben as our guide, we were able to see all of Kenya's incredible wildlife, from lions and elephants to leopards and giraffes. Ben was passionate and knowledgeable, always making sure we didn't miss a single animal. We are so grateful for the memories created and will never forget this once in a lifetime experience. Thank you Ben and Susan for making our safari adventure truly unforgettable!
FI
Email Marko | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari provider with reliable and friendly service
We booked a customized 5-night, 6-day safari through Marst Africa. It was my first ever African safari and it even exceeded my expectations.
Our driver was very professional and a genuinely nice guy. He shared a lot of knowledge about the animals and the plant life in the national parks. Our car was a brand new Land Cruiser. The rent for a Land Cruiser was somewhat higher than for other types of cars but it was definitely worth it. The road conditions in the parks were sometimes rough but we had no issues thanks to the car.
We started with three nights in Maasai Mara. The national park was huge and we saw tons of different animals during the stay. We saw lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, ostriches, elephants, lots of zebras, warthogs, basically everything one might expect.
After Maasai Mara we continued to Lake Nakuru where we spent two nights. Some of the highlights there were rhinos, flamigoes and a pride of lions who came to drink from a small pond located right next to our hotel restaurant (Lake Nakuru Lodge) where they could be observed.
I can definitely recommend Marst Africa. Communication with them was smooth and everything went as agreed. We will be using their services again for our next trip to Kenya.
FR
Email ERIC CEYROLLE | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent tour done on schedule with unexpected free hotel upgrade in Masai Mara
Very responsive by WhatsApp
High quality Service
Very nice staff
Price competitive
Everything exceeded expectations but the car driver/guide from Samburu to Masai Mara. I'd rather use local guides with Land Cruisers and also avoid the very long roadtrip. Using air trips exclusively is highly recommended
They have good customer care service. They have the best services have experienced so far.
I love how they handle there customers. They are polite. They are concerned about your comfort.
I enjoyed by tour with them.. They have the best tour guide, he is good and fun to be around.oooh Did i mention the good meals.
May God bless you marst Africa.
Email Andy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent communication, totally honest and genuine.
Everything was above and beyond our expectations with no difficulties encountered at all.
