The team
Karibu Safaris In Kenya
- Office 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
IT
Email Gabriele | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The first and best Safari ever done. Castro the best driver
This experience has been fantastic. We did the 7 days safari with Hell's Gate, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Every day has been full of emotions. We've seen a lot of animals, and with the driver Castro we did things i never expected. He's done all was possible to give us the opportunity to see the big five. And we've seen a lot of them. Excellent drive and excellent experience over all. We will never forget this.
the price is lower than other agencies and despite this we have been in excellent places, with a great van and valid restaurants.
Is it all well comunicated?? Thanks a lot Castro and Karibu
Questa esperienza è stata fantastica. Abbiamo fatto il safari di 7 giorni con Hell's Gate, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru e Amboseli. Ogni giorno è stato ricco di emozioni. Abbiamo visto molti animali e con il pilota Castro abbiamo fatto cose che non mi sarei mai aspettato. Ha fatto tutto il possibile per darci l'opportunità di vedere i big five. E ne abbiamo visti molti. e anche molti altri animali. Guida eccellente ed esperienza eccellente su tutto. Non lo dimenticheremo mai. il prezzo è più basso di altre agenzie e nonostante questo siamo stati in ottimi posti.
è stato detto tutto? Grazie mille Castro e Karibu
DE
Email Ethan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They turned the jeep into a matatu for profit
I was hoping that the good reviews are real, but I was a fool to think so. Karibu Safaris put us 9 people in a jeep when the maximum is always 7 people. They breach their specific promise since we asked multiple times to make sure that no more than 7 people will be in the jeep. They simply surprised us in the morning and we couldn't do anything about it.
It should be 6 in the back and one next to the driver maximum, but they decided to make extra money on our back and had 8 people (one sat in the back with no window view) and also a small kid ( so 9 people in total ). Moreover, they tried to lodge two of us in a single room where we clearly booked private rooms.
US
Email Daniel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour guide who made the extra effort to ensure we had a great time!
Overall great communications and flexibility during the tour. I felt the tour was a very good price for what was provided. The tour guide (James) was a legend and made the extra effort to make sure we had a great time and I always felt safe and in good hands. Lots of animals around to see, the guide made sure we saw them all and overall everyone was nice. Only two negatives:
1) This was not the Karibu part of the tour (it was with the Masai, which the tour guide hands us to) - after a short tour of the Masai house, three Masai men stood over me to try and sell me some trinkets, for a rip-off price. They bullied me and I felt pressured to buy one. I would rather have paid for the tour up-front. Left the safari on a very negative note and I would suggest Karibu tell them in the future to back-off or charge a tour fee.
2) The food was overall ok, but lacking a bit in meat - would be willing to pay more for dinner / lunch for slightly better food.
But, overall, great tour and I would recommend it!
RU
Email Max | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
Thank you very much for the safari. Especially to Robert for his help in organizing and for solving additional questions.
Great organization. Very friendly and helpful staff.
It's a pity that it was only 2 days should have to take a safari for at least 3 days.
Highly recommend.
Email P. Onungah. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect trip to the coast - Diani.
A trip to remember,very proffesional driver guide,always on time for pick ups,jovial n ready to help when need a rises, can't wait to do another safari with you guys,Thanks so much Raymond. Anyone planning a safari, karibu safaris in kenya won't disappoint.
US
Email Jared | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Budget doesn't mean bad quality! We had an amazing time, but be prepared to sit in a car for a long
I will separate the reviews in two since Karibu is just a booking service and doesn't actually operate the tours themselves. For Karibu, Robert was always responsive to my emails, however seemed to answer my questions with minimal effort and detail so that was a bit disappointing but went with them anyways since they have good reviews. The airport pickup they provided went smoothly and the payment in the office as well.
For the tour itself, we did the 6 day Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli safari and had an amazing time thanks to our driver Gibson and the other 6 people in our van. The tour itself beat my expectations due to our driver and that the overall quality was better than I expected. We were worried 6 days might be a bit too long at first, but each park was so different that it was perfect. My only warning to people is that you should be prepared to spend A TON of time in the car (10-12 hours per day i'd say). If you don't like long car rides, or uncomfortable bumpy roads for hours on end, then this tour is not for you. But your only alternative is flying between places and that gets expensive, so no budget tour is for you in that case.
Driving - Our driver Gibson was very knowledgable, funny and an excellent driver. Usually on the game drives we were one of the first vans to discover an animal before the rest flocked over. We saw the big 5 and more, Gibson made sure to give us the best experience and he clearly knew his way around each park. The van was comfortable enough and we all had a proper viewing spot with the pop up top. As reiterated before, we were surprised at how much time is spent in the car and also how terrible the roads are...so just something to keep in mind, but nothing the company did wrong here.
Accommodations - This was originally what I was most worried about doing a budget tour, but actually ended up being totally fine. The first camp in Masai Mara there was no hot water and the electricity was quite hit and miss. The hotel in Nakuru was a nice step up from the camps, and the final camp in Amboseli was actually quite nice even if basic.
Food - Also a major worry of mine before, but was a big surprise that it was actually quite decent. We are vegetarians and had a good selection of things to eat and they fed us plenty every day. Also everyone is given 1 liter of water per day which was nice, with the option to buy more.
Optional tours - We did the morning nature walk with the Masai guides in Amboseli and the boat ride in Lake Nakuru which I would definitely recommend both! I can't comment much on the Masai village tour since we didn't do it, but as far as I heard they just try to sell you all their arts and crafts aggressively which we hate those type of tourist trap things.
Overall, i'd totally recommend this tour to anyone who is looking to do an affordable safari trip...we feel like we got our money's worth and more. This tour is not for anyone expecting comfort and luxury, but if your goal is just to see some amazing animals at an affordable price then don't hesitate and do the tour!
Email bell caspi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
BEST SAFARI FOR SOLO TRAVELER!!!!
first of, it was the best worth for the money, one of the cheapest price from the safari agencies. the safari was far beyond my expectations.
I got picked up from the airport straight after my flight, and the driver Dan was really nice and welcomed me although I was terrified because it was my first time in Africa.
and then I met with Robert (sultannnnn) , the director of the agency, he was extremely helpful and funny to talk with. (if u really want to laugh, ask him to do a little rap for u)
so lets talk about the safari itself, it was FRICKIN INCREDIBLE!!
adward (this cobra Mann) was soooo helpful, supportive and was helping me with everything I needed including planing the rest of the trip in kenya, and actually I booked another safari with them right after I finished the 3days tour.
so adward did us very long game drives was fun! he was very sharp on spotting the animals , so we got to see the BIG 5, and even the most rare animals on maasai mara like rhinos and leopard which quite hard to spot. we saw even cheetahs trying to hunt and even the river crossing!!!!
then I took 2 days private safari to Amboseli and tsavo west with bonnie (coolboy), which is so cool, funny and very easygoing. he was professional and was ready to set the safari according to my needs. In Amboseli we even saw a lot of flamingos which never ever happens.
so definitely highly recommend !!
TH
Email Miyo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond my expectation
First of all, I'd like to say thank you Robert and his team that my dreamed vacation made fantastic.
He responses all of my questions promptly, and arrangement was perfect.
All of my guide/drivers, Ambrose, Gene and Stanley are very professional; they won't miss anything with their eagle eyes and excellent communication skill together with driving skill yet very safe driving technique.
I could see Big 5 together with migration at Masai Mara!
Lake Nakuru and Amboseli shouldn't be missed; I'm so glad to be included on my itinerary.
Email Denis S | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not as expected
Had to pay in cash in USD, reason given, that all park fees had to be paid in cash USD. Some on the tour had paid online, but using another company. Would be great if Karibu accepted online payment.
Supposed to be 7 passengers, with window seat for all. Day one we were 9, of which 2 kept us waiting after lunch to join up. Lunch was in Narok town not at the camp. We were delayed for the 7th to 9th passengers. One insisted on seating next to the driver and was accomodated after lunch, so all had a seat. No game drive after lunch as promised, but we managed to see some animals on the way to camp. 4th bed added in a 3 bed tent, no mosquito net. Lights from 6:30 to 10 and from 5:30 in the morning. Bathroom basic but functional. Towels provided. Second day, we were promised 2 would be left at camp. Did not happen. Very uncomfortable full day safari with 9 in the van. The promised water was distributed at midday. 6 bottles per person at one time, quota for the whole tour. This after correspondence with Karibu. Guide was not informed on the first day, so we bought our own water. He was very good on the safari, trying to get us the most out of it on this day. Night was spent in another camp close to the Masai village. Horrible, 3 beds touching each other in a 2 bed tent. No mosquito net. Had to squeeze between a bed and the wall to get into the bathroom. No towels or toilet paper provided. Not polite people running the camp either.
Day three was mostly spent on driving around dropping people off and picking others. Morning was an optional 10$ Masai village visit and evening was an optional 20$ boat ride at lake Naishava. No game drive. One stop at a souvenir shop and lunch at a road side restaurant. Unhygienic place, flies in the buffet lunch and impolite wait staff. 2 unpleasant lunches here.
Night was Hotel Citymax in Nakuru. Nice people, comfortable hotel, internet worked. I could not see AC or fans, but the weather was pleasant and mosquito net available. Meals were basic, served at the table, but adequate.
Day 4 started good early game drive and then long drives to swap people. Car supposed to do that at the lunch stop didn't turn up. Our driver was driving like crazy, quite a lot off the road to beat the Nairobi traffic. We reached Amboseli after dark, but safely. Day 5 was good in Amboseli, only 5 in the bus, much more comfortable than being cramped up like before. Guide was also in a less stressed mood. Camp was better, shared hut with a female, but she didn't mind for 2 nights, so all well. Nice camp workers too. Got stuck in the swamp, but guide handled in quite well.
Day 6 morning short game drive on the way out of the park, back to Nairobi. One couple had to catch the 10 am bus to Mombasa. Luckily mount Kilimanjaro was visible.
Driver/guide did the best he could, much appreciated. Poor organising and not enough support given to him. I feel the answers to my messages were less than honest or uninformed. As a courtesy to your co passengers please come to Nairobi a day early and leave a day after the safari. This way others are not waiting for your flight to turn up or hurrying back on day 6. Just carry the baggage you need. Excess baggage in the cab is uncomfortable. Snoring at night, with strangers in close proximity is not going to make you friends.
AE
Email Rosh and Liz Thomas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience the real Kenya thru Karibu Safaris
We loved every bit of it! All our wishes and requests were full filed by the team from start to finish. Martin our driving partner was fantastic and he enhanced our trip with his amazing stories. Thank you!