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
US
Email Anonymous | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent budget safari, knowing before going is important
Overview:
Karibu Safari is well reviewed by many people. Competitive price for 5-day budget safari. Had a great overall experience. 5-day safari was good but could be condensed into 4-day safari (see below under "Cons"). Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Hell's Gate were all worth going to. If we could have done only one, we'd do Hell's Gate since you can rent a bike and bicycle next to the animals and then hike in slot canyons (see below in "Details"). Unique and very nice after so much driving. Lake Nakuru is similar to Maasai Mara in that you game driver looking for animals. Lake Naivasha you see hippos and water birds. Robert (trip coordinator) was prompt in his responses. Peter (driver) was great at finding and pointing out animals. He really cared about providing the best and most well-rounded safari experience. Note: It appeared the budget safaris were more aggressive at finding animals then the more luxury safaris.
Pros:
- We got what we paid for. We had to have our driver call our trip advisor to send him more money to buy more water since we ran out by day 5.
- Accommodations were fine with running water and electricity. The "tents" are large canvas tents with a ceiling over them and not like backpacking tents.
- Meals were fine for budget safari.
- Peter (driver) was excellent at finding and viewing animals. He provided enough time to view and take pictures, not rushing us. He really emphasized the safari experience. He was a safe driver amidst the more crazy drivers and matatu's.
- The season was excellent which was mid- to late-November. Not crowded. Although this was claimed as the rainy season, it did not rain on safari, but only when driving and near Lake Naivasha and Nairobi. Also, all the animals just had babies so we got to see baby animals of almost all animals seen!
Cons:
- The itinerary should include estimated drive times.
- The itinerary should include more details. For example, on our 4th day, we were dropped off at a hotel after our game drive at Lake Nakuru en route to Lake Naivasha. We spent the whole afternoon there (from ~12noon and on). We were disappointed because we didn't fly half way across the world to sit in a garden. It would be nice to have known this. This is where the trip could be condensed to 4-days instead of 5-days.
- Peter could have provided more information to us. When we began we didn't know exactly where we were headed, how long it would take, etc. It would have been nice to review the day's events with us each morning.
- Peter could have offered us more information on the animals, landscape, plants, etc. He did if you asked, but it would be nice for him to just tell us.
Good to know:
- All 5-day safaris are pretty much identical in what they offer and pay for. So email to find best price when you go.
- There is a lot of (bumpy) driving. Not all in our van was prepared for this.
- You may get shuffled around since they mix people with different safari lengths. We started with a van that included people who booked 5-day, 4-day, and 3-day safaris.
- You may not get a window seat (right next to window). This was not a big issue though. They pop the van top and you can stand during the safari. But if this is a concern, have the van agree to rotate seats throughout the safari.
- The meals are pretty much the same for lunch and dinner, local food (rice, lentils, veggies, usually meat, etc.). So if you don't like the food, you will need to bring your own or purchase.
- The driver is contracted by the safari company. This is important should issues arise based on itinerary or pricing of certain things.
- There can be lots of traffic leaving and coming back from Nairobi, so plan for this when booking other trips or flights.
- Sunday has less traffic so leaving on this day was great.
- We tipped the driver ~$20 USD per day for the whole vehicle. So with 7-8 people in the van, this was ~$2-3 USD per day per person. Other than that we did not tip anyone else. (Our native Kenyan hosts said that tipping is not expected most places and even if it is, it is not as much as the USA.)
Details:
- Maasai Mara Village Tour: This may or may not have been worth the $10 USD. This is quite touristy. You can get some good pictures and see them dance and sing. But you need to ask them to show you everything. For example, we asked to taste the Maasai beer as our driver said we would. If we didn't ask, they wouldn't have done this. We also asked to see the school. If we hadn't asked, they would not have done this. When they take you into the traditional home, they will try and sell you stuff then and afterward. The Maasai markets in Nairobi have more selection and you can bargain more.
- Boat Ride at Lake Naivasha: This is expensive at $20 USD per person but we thought this was more worth it than the Maasai village tour. You see hippos and many birds and it was fun to be in a boat. You can get great pictures of the African fish eagle diving for fish that the boat driver throws in to the water.
- Hell's Gate bike and hike: The bike rental was $5 USD. You don''t need a guide for this. You stay on the main road to get to the gorge. Go in the early morning to see more animals. When we rode back, there were hardly any animals. At the gorge, more people will offer to guide you. We did not take a guide, but a Maasai man ended up going with us anyway. It ended up being a necessity as the trail is not well marked. Our group of 4 tipped him 700 Kenyan shillings and shared some nuts and instant coffee.
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Email Christina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lions and tiger and bears oh my!!
We were a group of 4 and we did the 5 night budget safari (2 nights Masai Mara, 1 night lake Nakuru, 2 nights Amboseli) $650pp Driver: Edward
I highly recommend this tour company and would definitely use them again but would pay more for a private safari van next time!! Edward our driver is also excellent!!!!
From the beginning Robert answered all my questions and responded immediately to all my emails. I found Karibu Safari on safaribooking.com and decided to go with them because their prices were very reasonable for the budget Safari and they also have reviews on TripAdvisor so it gave me confidence to send my deposit and have trust that they were a valid company. Here are my observations and what we experienced
1) They recommended Decasa hotel in Nairobi... DO NOT STAY THERE! It was cheap at $32 a night but the neighborhood is sketchy and we had to have the hotel’s security guard escort us around the block to dinner where we also had to buy his dinner. The toilet was broken and the sink was clogged. There’s a tv but only god knows where the remote to turn it on is. Our friends didn’t take a shower for fear of electrocution due to low hanging wires. Find your own place and have Kirabu pick you up!
2) The van - it’s good and it’s the style that all the other budget companies use but.... it holds 8 people and 9 if someone sits up front with the driver but when you’re actually on Safari it’s not comfortable with 7 people which is what we had in our group!! 6 is the best but if you can afford the private safari van then DO IT!!! The front row is awesome because you get unobstructed views but very awkward as you have to stand on the seats but when you sit down you get your own side window, you also get jostled around a lot while on safari. The middle seats are 2 captains chairs and give lots of room but no side windows, the back row seats seats three and also good because you get unobstructed back views. The 7 of us switched seats everyday to give everyone a chance to get a different perspective and seat but if you have tall guys then the back row is best for them. It’s also a long drive to get to the different places!! 6 hours to get from Nairobi to Masai Mara, 5 hours to get to Lake Nakuru, 8 hours to get to Amboseli. It would be AMAZING if Kirabu would equip their vans with WiFi as some of the others had this feature to pass the time on these drives from place to place or have your drivers offer a personal hotspot via a company phone. *if you can sort out a SIM card before the safari do it!* oh and some of the other vans had coolers to keep drinks cold, that was probably the luxury safari tours but it would be a nice touch to add.
3) Lunch stops - it’s good! Usually a rice, bean, veg, meat buffet style with a bunch of other groups but they are efficient and it’s a decent meal to fill you up and you’re on your way. When you stop for lunch you buy your own water and drinks. They usually stop somewhere there’s souvenirs and a little market to grab a few snacks attached to the lunch place. ALWAYS carry toilet paper or tissues!!!!!! Also hand sanitizer is a good thing to have on hand as well.
4) Mara Springs tented camp - DO NOT USE their public toilet!! It is so gross!!! As soon as you get to the camp which really right next to the park and you can see the wild animals (zebras, giraffe) on the way there as you pass through these small villages and the camp looks directly on the hillside of the Masai (its a peek-a-boo view so don’t get your hopes up) still really cool though! The tents are what’s expected for a budget Safari but the beds look like the Great Rift Valley as they are very worn. We had 2 tents side by side and both bathroom windows the screens were broken so we had lots of bug visitors at night so keep that part of the tent zipped! I told them about this and they didn’t seem to be interested in fixing it. We also had to ask for chairs to sit on outside the tent which is a great place to relax at the end of the Safari day. The first night we arrived they didn’t have toilet paper or towels until around 8pm that night so again make sure you carry some. There’s power in the camp from 5:30-7:30am and then at night from 6:30-10pm and this is when you take showers and charge your batteries in the communal area. The showers were hit and miss the first night I got a barely warm shower and the second night it was HOT! With our friends it was the opposite so I guess it depends on your luck when you decide to shower. *pack shower shoes too* In regards to the charging area it was a total cluster!! The Chinese took over that area and almost all the available outlets so get in there quick!!! We forgot about our batteries one night and the next morning they were still there. Every one at that camp is very nice and accommodating. The food was good and I loved the packed lunch for the all day Safari day. The driver is given a case of water as soon as we arrive at the camp and I recommend you all divide it up as we only took one bottle and during dinner had to buy another bottle of water because the driver wasn’t sleeping at that camp so we had no access to the water that was included with the tour. I also recommend bringing a head lamp as it makes it so much easier to move around the camp and your tent when the power is off. There are no outlets in the tent.
5) Masai Mara Safari - BRING GOOD QUALITY BINOCULARS!!!!!! We were hoping to get to see the great wildebeest migration but missed it by a week. However...... the first night drive was fabulous! There’s a CB radio and all the drivers work together to find out where the good stuff is and then we get to see it! We saw two lioness and 3 cubs the first night. We also watched wild dogs on the hunt but had to leave because there’s a rule about having to be out of the park by 6:30?? The next morning we were told we would start at 6:30 as they start serving breakfast at 6:00. The all day safari was excellent! It’s kind of a traffic jam if something exciting happens and I mean 30-60 vehicles all trying to get their people a good view. Edward is AWESOME!!!! Incredible driving and maneuvering!!! He did his best to get us up front every time and he succeeded!!!!! He took us to the river crossing and there was not one wildebeest but lots of hippos. We had lunch under a tree which was so cool! This is where it gets a bit confusing. When I messaged Karibu I was told drivers can drive off road in Kenya which is why it’s better to Safari in Kenya but we were told by Edward that there’s a $500 fine for driving off the designated roads. Every time we saw something it wasn’t anywhere near a designated road and there were a million Safari vans and trucks there so I’m not sure what is up with what I was told by Karibu and Edward. On the final morning before moving on to Lake Nakuru you are given an option of Masai Village or Lake Navishu??spelling?? Half our group wanted village and are group of 4 wanted to do the lake. Both of these tours are $30pp extra and Edward was nice enough to allow us to do both. We went on a morning safari and then to the village where 3 people went in and we hung outside with some of the kids and played ball and tag the. Edward drive us to the lake (must pay in cash in local, USD or euro) where we got on our own boat and it was wonderful!!! So many different kinds of birds! Loved our boat tour around the lake. We had to drive an additional 3-4 hours to get to the hotel.
6) Citymax hotel- It was a nicer hotel than Decasa. The WiFi only works in the main lobby and for some reason when you charge your electronics and phones in the single room outlet it takes FOREVER! Shower was HOT and water pressure good! It’s nice to watch the sunset from the rooftop area but they don’t have any chairs to sit and relax which would make it so much better. We asked for ice and sparkling water and one of the guys at the hotel said he would run and grab it for us. He came back with a small bag of ice and 4 bottles of sprite and said it was $17. I don’t recommend asking them to run to the store for you!! We had been used to eating a buffet style meal and so when we sat at our assigned dinner time we had noticed the group before us had a nice buffet selection but with us they said that we would get fresh food brought to us. Well..... the plate had the tiniest chicken leg and tiny portions. We asked if we chould have more but they said we would have to buy it and gave us a menu. Half a chicken was $15usd and a bowl of soup $5. I would expect to pay these prices in a 5 star hotel but this was a BUDGET hotel ripping off the tourist in my opinion!!! It was just one night and we were off to safari around Lake Nakuru. The hotel was 3 minutes from the park but as with every park entrance (Masai, Nakuru,Amboseli) we sensed that there was some kind of underlying politics with the drivers and the parks where some vans went straight in and others had to wait in line while the driver sorted things out. We got into Nakuru and they don’t have the million flamingo like before and you have to stay on the road so we never got really close to the rhinos and we wished we had brought binoculars!! It was still sooooooo amazing to see them!!! We drove around the whole lake. I would have liked to have stopped at one of the view points but 2 people in our van were on a time crunch but I never felt cheated and enjoyed the Safari!! This is were we said goodbye to the couple and single guy as they were heading back to Nairobi and we continued on to Amboseli just the 4 of us and it was HEAVENLY to have the whole van to ourselves!!! I honestly think Edward is super human as he drove from 6:00am that morning and got us to Amboseli around 9pm that night without any rest!
7) Kimana tented camp - WOW!!!!! Talk about a night and day difference from Mara Springs tented camp. This place was fantastic! 24hr power, outlet in the room, 24hr hot shower, a bar!!, a chef that comes out and talks to you about the food, the staff that works there are incredible, public communal toilets are clean, the area is very well maintained, fire pit at night!!!! So happy to have finished with this camp!!! Also super close to the entrance of Amboseli park and looks directly at Mt Kilimanjaro! We were offered the nature walk for $10usd per person plus tip and this is a rip off. They just walk you in a circle and you don’t see much. We just saw an enormous bird on a tree and talked about dating and customs. Very underwhelming. They will also ask for a tip at the end and it was only 45 minutes. Amboseli however is the park to go to if you love elephants!!! So many and they are so HUGE!!! We witnessed huge male elephants refuse to let safari trucks pass on the road and made everyone back up. Edward read this one elephant family’s route and positioned us perfectly to have them cross right in front of our van!!!! What we didn’t know then was how lucky we were to see the mother with the twin elephant babies and then there was another baby elephant with so much attitude we were in hysterics laughing and watching!!! The elephants in Masai were very mellow but the elephants in Amboseli were so mesmerizing to watch!!! We saw hyenas in Amboseli that we didn’t see in Masai but we did see lionesses and the usual zebras and wildebeest. Loved Amboseli!!!
8) Edward our driver - He was not a man of many words but when he did speak his knowledge of the animals and the parks are incredible!!!! He had answers for every question we threw at him and he had to put up with 4 Americans, 1 single American and a Swedish couple and I commend him for really giving us a fabulous safari!!! I’m not the easiest person as we’ve travelled a lot and so my expectations and demands come in waves, fast and lots of them but he really was so incredible!!! He never lost his patience with any of us and truly tried to please everyone and get everyone exactly what they wanted! He is an incredible driver!!! He has been doing this for 9 years if I remember correctly and you can tell! He knew where to go and would be on his radio trying to find us good stuff!! Since we missed the wildebeest migration I asked him when we left him if he could do me two favors. 1) send a video of the migration as soon as he sees it 2)send a video of a kill which he did 3 days later and it was so sad I’m actually glad I never saw it in real life. It just reinforces my opinion of how awesome he is and that he did this for me after our Safari was over and we were out of the country but so I could see these things!!
Here is my list of packing essentials...
Packet of mustard!! Those packed lunch sandwiches are dry.
Safari hat!!! Just for the fun photos!!
Neck pillow- eye mask for the long drives
Bandana or surgical mask - lots and lots and lots of dust
Binoculars - no cheap ones!!!
Head lamp
Sunglasses
Toilet paper/hand wipes/hand sanitizer
Travel towel
FR
Email Andoni | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Plan not respected, lies, never been to Masai Triangle, not real Masai Mara Park.
Absolute joke:
- We’ve been asked to pay cash.
- The manager asked us to give a good review afterward, before the Safari even started.
- The driver in “Masai Mara” spent his all time on the phone and gave us very very very few information
- He also drove very dangerously because the Rangers were “chasing us”. We were on a restricted area
- We also spent an entire day in the car transferring to Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru (the driver refused to do a morning or evening game drive, and on top of that he dared to say I “asked for more time to sleep in the morning”)
- We discovered during dinner with other tourists that are used to Safaris, that the Masai Mara site we visited was actually a very very small part of the park. We had actually never been inside the Masai Triangle.
I can see that I’m not the only tourist to complain about this agency. Other customers complained on TripAdvisor.
I honestly think that this is a scam.
Thanks to Alex, the “new” guide that we had to make the overall experience slightly better.
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Dec 18, 2018
Hi,
Am so sorry to hear that.....that must have been really frustrating - That was not the plan.
You were booked for the 4Days 3nights Masai Mara and on the 2nd night you choosed to go to lake nakuru with the other group which were leaving masai mara early to lake nakuru, i wish you could have stuck with the old plan of you staying in Masai Mara for 3nights we could not have this problem.
I had of your complain earlier when you reached lake nakuru and offered you boat in lake naivasha which you agreed as compensation for you departing early in Masai Mara.
About the driver talking on phone he has explained that his Radio call was not working hence he had to use his mobile to communicate with the other driver guides in the park in regards to the wild animals locations...but we have fixed in now.
We have learnt from the mistakes and it will not happen again.
Thanks for bringing this to may attention.
Regards
Mary
Safari coodinator
ES
Email Marta | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
If problems come up they just ignore you
We booked the 10 day tour that includes safaris at Kenya and Tanzania. The only positive thing that has happened with this agency was that we had Aruni the first three days as a driver (he was 10/10). But, since the beginning, the programme you are supposed to follow is not followed at all, and they skip several game drives during those 10 days. Our big problem with the agency began when we arrived to Tanzania and we tried to contact to the agency because again they were skiping the morning game drive at Manyara Lake. Although at the beginning they answered back, they did not give me any solution, and that same day they did not amswered until now. They were supposed to provide me a transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport the last day (paying 40 dolar). I messeged them by WhatsApp to see if finally they will provide it or not. They did not answered. I asked then the Tanzanian agency with which they cooperate and the said that they will arrange the transfer for the airport for me. Suddenly, when I was expecting to pay for that transfer, our guide and driver at Tanzania, Joseph, said that his boss wanted to talk to me by the mobile. His boss told me that Karibu would aford the payment of the transfer to the airport, although personal of Karibu did not inform me about that by WhatsApp. They were supposed to pick us up at 4:30 am. Noone appeared at the hotel. At 4:45 am we calles for a taxi. I have contacte to the hotel once we have arrived to Zanzibar and they have confirmed that no driver went to the hotel. This agency is no serious, so don't waste your money with them. Some times low proceso become expensive and a headache!
CH
Email Marco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Never again
+ The organisation is very well and they‘re very fast in responding
+ They were always on time for the pick up
- The car was in a very bad condition. Also it was not a Land Cruiser. They took us to safari in a very old bus. The seat belt was broken, some electrical cable were falling down and also some parts of the roof were falling down what made it difficult to look for animals while on safari with the open roof. Also we had to be towed two times.
- The driver only spoke limited english
- The driver‘s phone was ringing very loud every 5 Minutes (I‘m not talking about the radio microphone he used to communicate with other guides) and he was answering to private calls
- We paid USD 990.00 for the tour. On the internet I saw that the tour only costs USD 950.00.
- In their 3 days maasai mara tour they advertise that you do 3 game drives (day 1: evening game drive, day 2: fully day game drive, day 3: morning game drive). Once you get there they don‘t want to take you to another game drive on the third day. We had to discuss for hours with the driver and the office until they agreed to bring us to the game drive on the third day. However, they kept the third game drive very short (2 hours), even we had more time because we agreed to drop us off at Nairobi Airport at 6pm. At the end of the game drive we saw cheetahs getting ready to attack wildebeests. There were other 20 cars around to wait until the cheetahs attacked. After 10 minutes our driver said, we got to go back to Nairobi. We didn‘t understand, as we had so much time left until our flight left. On our way back the driver told us, that we will pick up 2 other guests and bring them back to Nairobi (even we booked private safari…). So we had to make space for them. When we got to Nairobi, we first stopped at their apartment to drop off their luggage, then they got back in the car and after we dropped them off in the Nairobi West Hospital for their Covid Test. Traffic in Nairobi is really bad and this stops in Nairobi cost us about 2 hours. Finally we got to the airport and it was clear to us why we made only such a short game drive in the morning: It was because of the 2 People we had to pick up and this wasn‘t told us in advance. Don‘t get me wrong, the 2 people were really nice, but we expected our day to be different.
In general, be carefull with all tours: They advertise all 3 days Maasai Mara Tours with 3 days Safari (Evening game drive the first day, fully day game drive the second day and morning game drive the third day). But most of the cheap tours like this try to skip the last morning tour and tell you „you‘ve already seen everything yesterday bla bla bla“. The reason they do this is, that the Park Fee for Maasai Mara is paid per 24 hours. This means, if you go to the first game drive in the evening from 4pm to 6pm and the next day you do a full day game drive from 7 am to 4 pm they only pay one day park fee. If you do a game drive on the third day, they would have to pay additional USD 80.00 for each guest (hope my explanation makes sence). So always make sure to clarify in advance what you will pay and what you will get. We met spanish people on a similar tour and they had to pay the park fee seperately for 48 hours (USD 160.00 each). They gave the money directly to the guide and I guess he only buyed tickets for 24 hours and told them that they‘re not going to do a third game drive. So he kept 80 USD of each passenger for himself.
US
Email Lisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Robert was responsive and staff friendly but............. NOT an overall great experience - Sadly
Robert was very responsive. In fact, I contacted a few companies and thought that I was working with Robert for a couple of weeks to find out that it was another company. A couple of days before I thought I was going on Safari, I found out from the other company that it wasn't Karibu and didn't think I would have a chance to go on a safari last minute. I called Robert and he said he needed to call me back to see if it was still possible. I was then confirmed for a 7 day safari that was to start in Masai Mara and then go to Amboseli as the last park. He also said that I could pay in Shillings since I did not have USD. (I was on a working visa and had been in the country for 3 months, so only had Shillings)
I was greeted a few days later by a driver who was picking me and taking me to the office to start my safari. I didn't think any of it. Got to the office and signed my paperwork and paid. Was brought downstairs and put in the same low rider vehicle that the driver picked me up in. I just thought the driver was taking me to the place were the Open top Vans or jeeps were going to be. After the driver started to drive out of town, I questioned him on the vehicle and he said no that it was just me and him and in the car. He then said, instead of going to Masai Mara, we were going to go to Amboseli first and go backward because the car can't be driven in Masai Mara. I told him that I was not happy and didn't think this was going to work. He said that even with a car, It wouldn't be an issue getting great pictures in Amboseli. After trying to contact the office and not getting through, I felt I had no choice and agreed. SADLY, not true.
Don't get me wrong, the driver was a GREAT guy...... and due to CoronoVirus and the country shutting the borders and airports down, I had to leave after the first full day. Karibu did give me a partial refund (only for 4 days of park fees - about 200) but I was hoping for more due to the fact that I was in a car that was so low, the undercarriage of the car came off and we couldn't go that far into the park because it would flood out or scrap. Plus trying to take pictures so low in this car with tinted windows was a nightmare. I only got one day and it really didn't give me the happy experience I was looking for. When I got home aside from the photos on the hilltop from lunch, they were not great!!!! Not from my cell phone or borrowed camera.
I took pictures of the car but it doesn't allow me to add them onto this review sadly. You will see what a disaster of a car it was for a safari.
Like I said Robert was nice and replied back quickly and Raymond the driver in the car was nice and felt bad. The staff at the tented camp was great too.....
If it wasn't for the LOW RIDER CAR, and the fact that they didn't refund me in full the money for the other 5 days, I think this company might have been fine which is the reason why I gave them 2 stars. I feel bad for rating so low but it just wasn't practical putting someone so low in a car with dirty tinted windows for a safari after they confirm via email that the vehicle was an open-top Van. I honestly would have rather not even gone and saved myself a lot of money.
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Apr 2, 2020Hi Lisa,
Yes you were in kenya for a volunteer work in Machakos County and after that you booked a 7Days safari with us and this was ust at the begining of the corona virus out break and we had plenty cancellations so we decided to back track your safari and start with Amboseli in a smaller car and when you head to lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha & Masai Mara you will meet up with other travelers and continue the safari with a popping up rooftop safari van as we did not want to cancel your safari beginning date.
When you were coming from Amboseli to meet the other travelers to head to lake nakuru you called the office and said you have changed your plans and your heading back to the USA the same day at 2pm and requested to be dropped at the airport and demanded for your refund, as per the hospitality policy thats last munite cancelation and No refund on that but we decided to refund you the park fees (USD80 x2 for masai mara), (USD26 x 1 for Hellsgate-lake naivasha) and (USD60 x 1 for lake nakuru) as we were going to bank it the same day you canceled and we refunded it to you.
Accommodation in all the facilities were paid in advance and we could not get a refund on that.
Park fees that we had not banked in the kenya government account for the entrance fees is what we refunded, lucky to you you canceled the safari early before the banked opened for us to do the banking.
The pandemic has caused of cancellation making group joining safari not possible at the moment.
We are sorry about your experience and we will take your feedback and work on it for other futures safaris.
Regards
LEON
CHAIRMAN
Email Tania Paschen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
3 day safari that really only added up to 1 day - promised refund never came!
I booked a 3 day safari to Amboseli with Karibu Safaris. I was told I would be joining a group on their way through from the Masaai Mara and be picked up at 12.00 midday. I was not picked up until 3.30, meaning that the game drive scheduled for that afternoon did not happen as we were travelling til 9.00 that night, and eating dinner almost at 10.00. I was also promised free water and a visit to a Massai village - neither happened. The group I joined had been told they would all get a window seat in the van - my arrival meant that there were 3 in a row on our seat, and we couldn't all stand up at once to do the game viewing when we finally got out into the park for a day. It was a good day, very average lunch, accommodation VERY basic, stinking toilets, 20 mins to get hot water etc The next day after a 2 hour game drive we had to drive to the Kenya / Tanzania border to drop off some of the group. This meant me sitting in the van for 2 hours in various carparks waiting for them to be sorted over the border. Not my problem, not what I paid for. So 3 days was two days driving and the equivalent of 1 day game viewing. Arrived back into Nairobi at 2.00pm - nothing like a full day there either. I asked for a refund, was told that I would be given $50 refund, I said $60 given the free water had not eventuated either, and so was told I would get $60. I sent account details, was told that it had gone to accounts, and now - typically - am not getting any replies to my enquiries. The trip was also run by Bigtime safaris, a totally different company I was just thrown onto. I have been travelling through Africa for 15 years and this was the most disappointing trip - lied to, oversold, bored sitting waiting in carparks while others had their trip sorted out and I couldn't get mine sorted, and then to be promised in various emails a refund only to have that fall by the wayside too. DO NOT GO WITH KARIBU!
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Jun 30, 2015Hi Tania,
Sorry about your experiance while in safari with us.
From the begining of the emails we have mentioned to you that we have a depature to amboseli for 2nights 3days that will begin by 1pm because the clients were coming from lake nakuru, on that day the clients had extended the game drive and there was a delay, we told you about it and picked you from your hotel and took you for lunch at the city center so that they can just pick you while they will be on transit, you mentioned that you have been in nairobi before several times and new the trafic around the city center, the driver got stuck ih the trafic jam and reached by 3pm you arrived amboseli at night and had dinner and overnight at Kimana tented camp where all the other guest stayed, we were not aware of the bad state toilets it could be better if you could have told the camp manager and he could have changed your room because we had called him after you wrote the email and he said there were other rooms with were no occupied and he could have changed.
The 3days safari group joining to amboseli is usualy $420 and since we knew you are going to miss the 1st game day game drive we changed you Usd350(park fees is usd80 × 2= $160) then we paid for accomodation, driver guide, transport and meals, so the price wasent high for the safari.
The tour included visit to the masai village(transfer to the village)and not the entrance fee to the village.
We had 4pax including you for the trip and bigtime safaris had other clients too and we decided to join them (but its a mistake that will never happen again).
About your refund kindly check with your bank because we have sent you the $60 as per the details you gave us.
From the experiance we had with the amboseli trip we have stoped selling amboseli to clients who will be joining the safari from nairobi to amboseli joining clients who will be coming from lake nakuru because of the delays and we will sell private safari only from nairobi to amboseli.
Next time you will be in kenya(i am told you said you come kenya for work each time)pass by our offices we will offer a complimenatry trip.just ask for the DIRECTOR.
We have also purnished the staff who was hundling you by not repsonding to your complains on time.
Sorry about that and it will not happen again, visit us when you come back again in kenya.
Regards
Msafiri
DIRECTOR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Miss sold safari package, asked for a refund and never got even an apology. Total rip off
1) Number of passengers in the cars, we have agreed for MAX 6 passenger and for several days there were 7 people in the car making the game drive very uncomfortable since there is no space for everybody to view from the roof.
2) Road Trip from Masai Mara until Nakuru
We and other 4 clients has to wait for 3 hours at the restaurant for a connecting van/safari group (coming from the same place!!!).
This delay meant that we were not able to have the evening game drive in Nakuru as per schedule
3) Road trip from Naroku until Amboseli
We passed to Nairobi to pick the chef and an other passenger instead than going directly to Amboseli, we found a lot of traffic to get in and out from Nairobi and this deviation made our travel longer of probably 2-3 hours and made our travel even longer, obviously we missed the evening game drive as advertised on the schedule
4) road trip from Amboseli until Arusha
the arrangement of this trip was just unbelieveble, we waited for 4 hours at the border with two other spanish tourist due to your arrangement (travel in a 15 pax) as we first had to get our visas (10am) wait for the shuttle (12am) and wait for another three hours for the other 15 people and one BUS!! to get their docs. As a result, we had lunch at 4pm and missed our afternoon game drive in Navaisha (arrived when it closed 6pm).
The result of this delay was the cancellation of the evening game drive to lake Manyara and the change of schedule for the rest of the trip in Tanzania
5) Lodges advertised, you advertised on your schedule Mara sidai camp and we stayed in a different one (Lenchada), without internet (as advertised and a very low quality) None of the lodges have internet in the contrary of what you told us.
6) Advertising a cross country package that you cannot offer, your company is cleraly not registred and authorized for doing business in Tanzania, and therefore you cannot sell a package without saying that it would be provided by a different company (Aruexpeditions).
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Jul 31, 20151) Honestly the 7th person joined you while you were heading Amboseli(Tanya) she also wrote a review other wise in masai mara you were 3pax nakuru you were 6pax.
2) We are sorry for the delay,the delay was caused by another safari company car broke down and we could not watch there clients suffer and at the end of the day all us are promoting kenya as a travel destination you arrive lake nakuru late but we compensated for you game drive on the next day before departing to Amboseli.
3) From Masai mara to Amboseli you have to pass Nairobi no other option what cause the heavy traffic jam was the heavy commercial truck driver blocked the highway and were on a go slow because of police harassment.,but we take the blame for that.
4)For the border crossing after you borded the shuttle(the shuttle was not ours it a P.S.V-Rainbow shuttle) the immigration detained it for a while because they had fogot to carry the original log book thats where the delay was making you arrive lake manyara late and not sleep in the park but outside because the park get closed at by 6pm.
5)In the program we sent to you via email we never mentioned Mara Sidai but Lenchada check your emails well...just check in internet you will see mara sidai reviews and lenchada reviews and the facilities it self you can compare the difference,as a tour operator we visit there every weekend for inspection, I think you were corresponding with another operator that offered mara sidai making the booking with us that why you say we offered that..
6) The was a new law that no Kenyan tourist vehicle can enter Tanzania and no Tanzania tourist vehicle can enter kenya even at the airports so we have to work with agents this was to create equality and no company has permit to operate in both countries we have to use agents/partners.
Kindy also reply with where you stated in the email that you wanted refund...honestly its not good to paint a bad picture, we apologized and explained what happened on email correspondence with stelio( your travel companion)
Director
Msafiri
SE
Email Dee Johnson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!
With this I am expressing my deepest disappointment regarding the 3-Day tour we received from Karibu Safaris in Kenya.
The communication with Robert and the tour planning was ok, I have no complaint about that.
The problem is the way the tour was guided and the attitude from the driver and tour guide HAMISI, it was a very strong disappointment and even humiliation towards us as visitors and customers.
- no drinking water for the guests. When I asked about the water, the tour guide HAMISI said "sorry, I forgot". But at the same time he had drinking water, even several bottles!!!, at the game drive and was drinking himself and keeping them in the cooler box. That was very very much humiliating. Very unprofessional conduct. Phaawww!
- on the 3rd day's morning we were supposed to have a game drive in Amboseli park till 10am in the morning (that was confirmed beforehand by Robert - the organiser), but we left the park at 8:40 already with no reason. So the driver cut us the pleasure of experiencing the park by one half (50%), as we spent there only about one and a half hours (90 minutes). Another hour and 20 minutes were stolen. It's a huge disappointment. Robbery!!!
- the choice of the roads. In order to maybe make a small fuel economy (6 to 10$), the driver chose rural roads that in parts were hardly passable and full of dust, all our clothes, bags, hair, bodies and electronic equipment was in dirt and dust. The driver, willing to save a few hundreds of shillings, was driving the roads that are no good for safari tours. We did not meet a single other Safari tour operator's vehicle while taking the rural roads, while there were many of them on paved roads. So the point is that the unprofessional driver/tour guide deliberately chose bad roads just to make some "shortcut" meanwhile breaking the company's vehicle and disappointing the customers that were on a private tour. That is soooo STUPID!!!! We made a remark on that before our return on which driver HAMISI only laughed at us - straight into our faces... Very very humiliating!!! Guys avoid this scam of an operator!!!
There are some more problems and negative remarks that I should point out like a lack of explanation about the parks, surroundings, eco-system, animals, history, etc.; - instead the driver is chatting by sending texts on his smartphone...
- the vehicle arrived to pick us up dusty and dirty inside (from outside was ok) - it's just a proof of to what extent this company is unprofessional and do not consider the comfort and needs of their customers. I have experienced over six different tours in Tanzania and Kenya and I can compare the services received by this incompetent company with others.
This operator should be AVOIDED!!!
I need to express that I deeply regret having chosen this company's services and I have to warn other visitors and possible clients to AVOID tours given by Karibu Safaris in Kenya.
AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!
IL
Email Zeev | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
If you have another option, choose to use it
Safari is minimal in terms of conditions.
The vehicle was Oldest relative to other safari vehicles.
Unconventional tour coordination, planning was poor, not based on customer requirements, the driver wanted to finish as quickly as possible without taking additional sites. Edward and recommended his name to go with it.
Robert was not available to solve problems, and at the end of evaded answering the allegations.
There are other companies that drive safari, recommended to get them on trips in Kenya.
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Mar 29, 2017
Thanks for the feed back,
I took sometime to make a follow up on your complain and questioned robert and edward and was told that all was well when you did the 4Days Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru(even the guest from Ukraine (Aleksandra) wrote a review immediately after getting dropped at the hotel from the safari, the whole problem started on the last day when you were taken to at the base of mount kenya to take photos and you demanded be taken for game drives which was not included in the package you were offered and when Edward asked you to confirm with your program and whats included you confirmed and saw it was not included, as for you to have game drives we had to pay park fees and car and driver park fees and Edward suggested that you pay the park fees and then you be taken for game drives which you declined and returned to Nairobi.
Robert on the given day was not around(Saturday) we usually send him out on the field over weekends for camp/accomodation inspections, but we sent Arony the driver guide that you went with the 4Days Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru and when he reached the hotel was told your out, he called you and you told him you were out and you will call him when you arrive which you did not.
About the safari vans we have the latest safari vans in kenya(wish could attached some of the photos) that's why many small safari operators trust us and give us there guests to join with ours to take on safari.
Sorry once again and i will do my investigation keenly and who ever will be held responsible has to be punished.
Regards
Msafiri
CHAIRMAN