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Apodiformes Adventures
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority, AFRICA TOURISM ASSOCIATION & FRIENDS OF NAIROBI NATIONAL WILDILIFE CONSERVATION
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $250 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Andre | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
So and so
I did a slight variation of the 12 day safari that the company offers in January 2021 as a solo traveler. I paid $2820 + 3% credit card fee. The trip included 3 nights in Masai Mara, a day at Lake Nakuru, a day at Mt. Longonot + Hell's Gate, a day in Amboseli, and 3 days in Tsavo (1 in West, and 2 in East). I had previously done a safari in Tanzania in August 2017 for 8 days in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngororongoro, and therefore I will compare this safari with the previous safari experience. There were both good and less good things about this safari in Kenya.
First, I think that visiting Kenya out of the high season in Masai Mara, which is July to October, may not be a good idea. I knew that the wildebeest will not be in Masai Mara in January, but I was expecting that there would still be many other animals. The wildebeest also had left Central Serengeti when I visited it, but there were still many other animals left there. In Masai Mara in January, though, there were very few animals with the exception of a small area near the gate. You could drive around sometime for an hour without seeing any animals. On the other hand, the animals migrate much less from the other parks, so the experience there was probably as expected.
The second issue to consider is that while the safari was advertised as 12 days, and there was some sort of game drive for all days except the last when we traveled from Tsavo back to Nairobi, the actual number of 24 hour periods for which permits were purchased was in fact 8. This is partially due to the long distances that need to be covered between parks, but also because the company wants to minimize the number of permits it has to purchase, so it includes quite a good amount of downtime in the itinerary, which is not evident when booking a trip. For instance, in the first day starting from Nairobi at 8AM, one could do a half day game drive in Masai Mara starting maybe from around 1-2PM at the latest. Instead, because of several stops along the way, including a half an hour stop a tourist shop right before the 1 hour stop for lunch, and also a stop at the lodge right at the gate of the park, one enters Masai Mara only at 4PM, for a relatively quick game drive. Similarly, on the day when we entered Amboseli coming from Naivasha, we could have entered the park at about 1PM, but instead, we entered at 4.30PM (we got to a lodge right at the park entrance and then stayed there for 1.5 hours). That was so that the next day, which was supposed to be a full game drive in Amboseli, we would not have to exit the park too early, because the company only wanted to pay for one 24 hour permit. These are just some examples - the whole schedule is affected by this. On top of that, the driver further cut the available time in the park. For instance, for the full day Amboseli game drive, he exited the park at 3.15PM, although the permit would have allowed exiting at 4.30PM. And he cut other days short as well. These being said, it is likely that other companies use the same strategy when setting itineraries in Kenya. What I can compare with is the itinerary that I had in Tanzania, where out of the 8 days I paid for, we actually stayed in parks for 7 days because they were very close to each other, and once we entered Serengeti, we stayed there for several days continuously, with the camps being right in the middle of the park.
Third, the accommodations that were offered varied quite a lot in terms of quality. The lodges where I spent 5 nights near Amboseli and Tsavo were very nice, while the rest where I spent the first 6 nights were much less so, with the hotel in Naivasha barely meeting the minimum for a tourist grade hotel. The food at the good lodges was good, but for instance, at the hotel in Naivasha, the breakfast was one fried egg, two pieces of toast and a little bit of fruit. This is very poor for an almost $3000 safari. In general, for the first 6 days, the food was quite poor in terms of quality and quantity, and I had to buy myself more food even though I don't usually eat a lot. The packed lunches during these 6 days were also insufficient. For instance, in Masai Mara, they were consisting of a small chicken leg, a banana, and a small vegetable sandwich the size of a closed fist.
Fourth, the van that was offered, while not a 4x4, as stated in the tour description, was relatively new and reliable. And since there were Land Cruisers to get us out when we got stuck a couple of times in Masai Mara, I would say that it was perfectly fine. In Tanzania all tours are run by Land Cruisers.
Fifth, the experience with the company's manager, Silas, also had good and less good parts. The communication prior to the trip and during the trip was very efficient, most times with almost instant responses. However, there were some things that were not as expected. For instance, he agreed that I would make the payment with the credit card upon arrival in Kenya never mentioning that he would expect me to pay a 3% fee until right when I had to make the payment, even though there were plenty of opportunities to do so during our prior communication. Normally, if the seller expects the buyer to pay that fee, that is clearly stated when agreeing on a price and payment method. Second, while he promised prior to the trip that I would be able to set my own game drive schedule during the trip since I had booked a solo trip, in practice that did not happen. As mentioned above, that was partially to avoid paying too many park fees, but also because the driver, Nelson, did not really care about what Silas had promised even if I mentioned that to him, and exited the park when he wanted to exit it even when I explicitly said that I would want to stay more on that day. The driver basically said that whatever I discussed with Silas has no bearing on him and I should talk with Silas if I have anything to discuss on that topic, that "this is Kenya and promises don't mean anything", and so on. While I can say that I did see enough of each of these parks, maybe except for Amboseli, I would have liked to make the most out of the time in Kenya and spend it in the parks even if sitting around looking at some animal, rather than in lodges. In Tanzania, I had no problem accomplishing this, unlike this safari in Kenya. However, for people who are fine spending more time in lodges, this may not be an issue.
As for the guides/drivers (I had two of them since the first one had a family medical emergency after the first 5 days), they also had good parts and less good. They were both very knowledgeable of the parks and of the behavior of the animals, and while in the parks, did their best to show me the animals and the various landscapes. The first guide, Jackson, was also perfectly fine to interact with. The second guide, Nelson, was quite weird. Much of the time, he was a perfect guide, but when contradicted or disagreed with using some objective facts, he was starting to say some really unpleasant things that I had never heard on any other guided trips I was on. Like if you were to tell someone that 1+1=2 instead of 3, as they claim, and then hear him telling you some unpleasant personal things because you dared to contradict him even if you do it in a casual way. I tried to not be too affected by these and I was mostly able to accomplish that, but it may ruin the trip for people who would be a little bit more affected by such discussions. Also, worth mentioning that both drivers were saying at times things that were clearly not true when it was serving their purpose, as I could tell from other sources of information, like asking other people there. But probably this is not too surprising.
Overall, I obviously enjoyed this trip through Kenya, although it could have been better on several dimensions. However, for people who think that they may do only one safari in their lifetime, I would personally recommend to do that in Tanzania in July-August, with time in Tarangire (which is a really special park even if less known), Serengeti (including a day in the North part at the Sand River to see the wildebeest crossing) and Ngorongoro Crater. You can do that in 8 days for less than the cost of this 12 day Kenya safari. That safari I did in Tanzania was perfect - it couldn't have been better - and was probably 10 times better than the one I did now in Kenya. On the other hand, if you have already been to Tanzania and want to also see another country, then Kenya also has interesting places and somewhat different landscapes and it is also definitely worth visiting if time and money allows you. As for the operator I booked with, it may well be that in that price range, all companies offer similar services, but just prepare yourself to be a little bit disappointed every now and then relative to what you would expect or was promised. However, you should still be able to enjoy the trip eventually if you can get over these issues.
Email Kirshnee | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Captivating Kenya
From my first interaction to my last, Apodiformes Adventures exceeded all of my expectations!
The team at Apodiformes are committed to delivering an unforgettable Kenyan experience, tailored 100% to their clients' needs.
I was lucky enough to enjoy a private tour with Isaiah - an extremely knowledgeable and experienced Kenyan tour guide and safari guru!
I would highly recommend Apodiformes for an authentic Kenyan journey.
Thank you Silas and Isaiah for the amazing visit in your beautiful country. This will certainly not be the last! :)
AE
Email Priyank | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was very awesome having game drives with Isaiah and Silas
Everything was super smooth and they delivered as it was mentioned while booking. The guide was super co-operative and we never felt any issues while traveling or staying with any hotels which they booked. I would highly recommend Apodifomes adventures for Kenya tours.
Cheers
ES
Email Maria talavera | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a unique experience
the tour, overall, was amazing. We are Spanish and we were accompanied by a guide who knew Spanish so that we did not miss any detail. Both he and the driver are lovely people who gave us a tour of the most beautiful places in Kenya. they made sure we see all the animals and we did. We came from another city and we were a bit lost when it came to moving around Kenya and they helped us with everything we need. I recommend it 100%, I leave this safari experience very happy, it has exceeded my expectations.
Email Nicol | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Was very satisfied with all the help and quick booking. Made my time in kenya very rememberable
Was very happy and satisfied with my tour guides on my tour to kenya. They helped with giving me the best of my time there
FR
Email Allari thomas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 parks, all the animals, nice people
The contact we have was really reactive. It let us ask as many question as we want
AE
Email Eliana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour
The safari and everything we were able to see was amazing, our Tour guide Janto, was the most patient, helpful person, always making sure we were enjoying the trip, answering all of our questions and taking care of us. Thank you Janto!! You are amazing!
GI
Email gerry mccarthy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing everything was perfect . no problems with anything.
they were available 24/7 and nothing was a problem we arranged the whole trip and advised me all the way .
EG
Email Bassem | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very organized and value of money
They are clear and honest in schedule . Well orgainsed
RU
Email Ekaterina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reality has exceeded expectations!
While the memories are fresh, I want to share my impressions of the seven-day Safari! Don't wait for anything and you will get everything! First of all, I want to thank Silas! Silas always patiently answered all my questions, because I am an individual traveller and I had a lot of concerns.. even if there were unforeseen situations, Silas always found a solution that was profitable for me! The accommodation was quite acceptable, good food, friendly staff. Only in the last place, in Amboseli, for a small fee, I was upgraded..
Secondly, thanks to our drivers: Patrick and Maxwell., we saw a lot of animals, took great photos and got a lot of positive emotions! These guys know animals and love their work very much.
I recommend this company to You! The price/quality ratio is 10/5.
