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
RS
Email Milan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good agency at a good price
Part of safari in Mara completely fulfilled my expectations, but the part at Nakuru didn't since there were no flamingos and actually went there cause the lake was advertised as 'pink lake'.
Communication with agency was great, patient trip advisors with lot of information.
Driver patient and informative.
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.
AE
Email Olivier and Olivia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience!
My wife and I went on a safari to Lake Nakuru (1 day) and Masai Mara (2 nights) in September 2016 during the Eid break in Dubai and it was simply amazing.
We were welcomed in Nairobi by Aruni, our guide/driver, who stayed with us the whole time. Aruni was very helpful in all situations, and we got to know the region, its people and its fauna quite well thanks to his explanations, stories and jokes. Ask for him if you were to book with Karibu.
Few points we were actually a bit disappointed about Karibu:
- Robert told us before the trip that we would be able to do a late game drive on the 1st evening we went to Masai Mara as well as 2 full days game drive the next days and finally a last early morning game drive on our last day before returning to Nairobi. However, this was not achievable and we only did the two full days game drive. Not that we wanted to do more, but I feel like the guys based in Nairobi overestimate their capacities and what they can deliver.
- Robert also gave us the names of the hotels where we were supposed to sleep but once in Kenya, we slept in different ones.
- Finally, Robert had confirmed to us before our trip that we would be provided with binoculars but it was not the case, which you can imagine is very disappointing especially when you can see rhinos about 500m from your car (and you can't get closer because the road stops) and you don't have binoculars to observe them.
Apart from those three points above, the trip went very well and Aruni was an amazing guide/driver.
NL
Email Laura and Frazer | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent value for money, great experience
We booked a 6-day safari with Karibu Safaris in Kenya and had a wonderful time. Given that this is really a budget tour, the accomodation we had was really good, and Always very close to the gate. Food was OK too. The van we were in was standard- I think that 80% of the safari vehicles driving around the Maasai Mara looked exactly like ours. If you have the time, I would greatly recommend going for the 6-day option since the variety between the parks was astonishing and each park has a certain 'specialty' of wildlife.
Robert was a great organiser, whenever we had a question or issue he would respond right away and help us to the best of his ability.
All in all, highly recommended!
KR
Email hajin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you want to do short safari, This is a reasonable price.
This is not bad and not good. I have arranged pick up service in the airport. But, They didn't pick me up.
This is a not good point.
But, I enjoyed this package.
As you know, This package is most cheapest price among the package.
And they tried to endeavor a lot.
I think they did best.
This is a not bad point.
Nomally i was enjoyed.
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Sep 27, 2016Hi Hajin,
Sorry about the airport pick up delay, The driver had gone to the wrong arrival terminal as Fast Jet usually arrives in terminal 1D and this time round you arrived from domestic arrivals terminal 2, when the driver was noted of the arrival changes before the driver had arrived at the domestic terminal 2 to pick you when you, you had already boarded a taxi which brought you to the city center and we paid for it.
Sorry ones again.
Regards
Msafiri
SK
Email Tatiana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
dream come true
For us- doing the safari was a dream come true. We saw pretty much everything we ever wanted. Of course- the communication, the car or the accommodation could have been better, but well- we chose the budget option. For those considering Karibu Safaris- go for it but choose the mid-range option, it is worth it.
ES
Email Carla | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
striiking experience
During 3 days and one night, myself and other six guys went to Massai Mara. The experience was absolute incredible. Accomodation was in Rhino Tourist Tented Camp, good option, clean, nice food, gentle staff... our driver Isaac knew very well the area and his knowledge about the park helped us in order to ejoy the trip.
IT
Email fabio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 days in the wildlife of Masai Mara
The safari booking process was clear and the price fair. The driver came to pick us up at the hotel and was excellent in driving along the unpaved road leading to the park. The three days were nice, and so was the tented camp. The bottled water was not present in the jeep in the quantity agreed.
Very positive experience.
Exellent and well-organized safari.
I thoroughly enjoyed the service provided by Karibu Safaris. We got to see all the Big 5 and many more animals. The tented camp we stayed aｔ ,"Elephant Springs", was well kept and very comfortable. The meals provided throughout the experience were excellent.
The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was due to our driver. He was friendly enough and tried his best - driving over 100kms on our second day - but lacked the ability to interact with the clients on a scale that I have experienced on other safaris - this may have been due to an insufficient English language skills. It may also have been because we were in the back of a large mini-van and hearing was sometimes difficult. He also had a habit of driving close to other cars which meant 'eating' a lot of dust. It would have been easy to pull back a bit (say 50 metres) and avoid the dust. I understand he was sometimes in a hurry to get to rare animals (eg, rhino, cheetahs) when it was radioed through and I appreciate this. Also, he tended to drive off before we had finished photographing and on other safaris I have done the driver always made sure that we were ready to go.
The van we used had 8 people in it despite being promised that there would only be 7, with a window each. I suspect this was done to enhance profits. Admittedly I did change my dates a few times so maybe they had a good reason for this. This did not affect our safari so much as there were a couple of older ladies who had been on various safaris before and they were mostly happy to view from the windows. Make sure you are promised only 7 as it could get crowded at the top of the pop-up-top.
I think Karibu Safaris has a lot of promise. The driver we had just needs a few training tips and he will be fine. I would not hesitate to book them again.
Email Bhavna | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
value for money
From my first submission of an enquiry with Karibu Safari's in Kenya, I was contacted promptly and made aware of what was on offer and the booking was made simple. The email communication was great.They also helped us with an airport shuttle and overnight hotel stay before the safari began.
Unfortunately, we were not introduced to our driver/guide on the first day, and I believe that this is an important part of the whole Safari. The second issue I would like to raise, is that the drivers should be more personal (eg getting to know the people on the van), and informative advising us of a comprehensive daily itineracy and also offering more information regarding the animals we encounter and some history/knowledge on the routes we take during the day and the places of interest. The driver should also have introduced us at the hotels that we stayed at.
Overall I would recommend Karibu to my friends & book again with them