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
AE
Email Sarah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience with Karibu Safaris in Kenya!
We had an amazing experience with Karibu Safaris in Kenya. We had a really great tour guide, Collins James, who was really helpful and accommodating to specific things we wanted to do, he even managed to spot the Big 5 for us on our first safari which was amazing. It was great having everything included in our package, accommodation, transfers, food, entrance fees. It was smooth sailing throughout our trip and the company helped us with sorting our Covid tests as well which was great. We had a great time and would definitely recommend to travel to Kenya with this company.
PK
Email Mariam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Money well spent!
We took a 5-day trip (Oct 4-8, 2021) which included Maasari Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate. This was my first experience on a safari and I have to say I was blown away. Karibu made life so easy - they took care of our transport, accommodation, food, safari tickets. We were well taken care of and did not face any issues. All the people we interacted with from Karibu's team as well as all the other service providers we interacted with during those 5 days were incredibly sweet and hospitable.
Special shout out to James, Richard and Peter.
James took us to Maasai Mara and he was just amazing! He made sure we had the best possible safari experience and utilize our time to the fullest and get great viewings of the Big Five. He was super sweet and accommodating. Great job James! We absolutely loved you!
We explored Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate with Richard and he was very helpful and accommodating. He made sure we were well taken care of.
Our interaction with Peter during the safari was rather brief but we got in touch with Karibu tours again to arrange a Nairobi half-day tour and Peter was our driver/guide that day. Super sweet guy and very helpful!
All in all the Karibu team is awesome and we had a lot of fun on this trip. Thank you for making this happen!
IE
Email Brian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Collins was an excellent guide throughout our week in Kenya.
Karibu Safaris provided an amazing experience for our group throughout our time in Kenya. Our guide was informative, patient and attentive at all times. He even offered advice on other activities/experiences that were available in Nairobi which was very helpful also. There was clear communication between the company and tour guide about what we wanted and the Company responded very quickly to any queries that the group had throughout the trip. We felt comfortable at all times and were provided with water every day and regular stops for fuel/washroom breaks as well as packed lunches for the long drives. The accommodations provided were great and there was a smooth transition between each destination. Overall a 10/10 experience with Karibu Safaris and we would definitely recommend their company if looking for a great experience in Kenya.
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.
AE
Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very reliable, punctual and high standards were consistently maintained.
Excellent communication between ourselves and Karibu Safaris through email. Our driver Aroni was fantastic. He had a wealth of knowledge about all things Kenya and was on hand to answer any questions we had throughout the trip. He was very friendly and respectful and made us feel welcome and safe at all times. Couldn't recommend him more!
RU
Email Anna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was the best vacation ever!
Our trip was in late September and early October. Our guide was Raymond, our car was a big comfortable Land Cruiser.
First we were in the Amboseli park. Fortunately, we were lucky with the weather and we saw elephants in the background of Kilimanjaro! Thanks to Raymond - we made great photos. After Amboseli we had a trip to Tanzania - and a few days later we returned to the Masai Mara Park. The number of animals was simply amazing. We filled two memory cards of 128 and 64 GB with photos, and even the phone's memory did not have free space. When we thought we had seen everything, Raymond showed us amazing new animals. Many thanks to him for his professionalism and his knowledge of animals. Marvelous!
This was the best vacation ever! Kenya is an incredibly interesting and welcoming country.
RU
Email Dmitry | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing impressions!
We visited Amboseli and Masai Mara National Parks in Kenya.
Absolutely everything was great: weather, accommodations, food; the trips were very comfortable! We saw many different kinds of animals and birds in the parks.
Many thanks to our guide, Raymond! He was very professional. With his help, we managed to see all animals that we would like to look at. Moreover, we got a lot of information about animals and Kenya at all from him. Also, he helped us with many things such as documents for crossing the borders, hotel in Nairobi choosing.
We recommend Karibu Sarafis and Raymond!
Sunday safari game
Felix has been an very great driver to show me all the animals possible, he have a very sharp eye which helps to see animals in the wild and he is also very friendly !
Much recommended
US
Email Nikki R | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This is an amazing budget friendly safari!
Booked a 3-day shared safari with Karibu, and it was amazing! My driver, Edwin, was a great guide. He was knowledgeable about all of the animals and communicated well with the other guides to get us to wherever animals were spotted. He got us to and from camp safely. He got us so close to so many animals! A cheetah feeding, giraffes, elephants, lions, a lioness with her cubs. There was an abundance of all kinds of animals! Please keep in mind the guide doesn’t determine what you’re going to see on a game drive. But he will do whatever possible to get you neat whatever is spotted.
The tented camp we stayed at was comfortable and a great experience. I was traveling solo and was given my own tent. The bed was very comfy. And they provide an amble amount of bedding for the chilly nights.
The food was good (as an American I kept an open mind about the meal selections.) They catered to a little of all diets. And the food was flavorful. I know some reviews complained about limited selections. You’re on a budget friendly safari. You’re camping. You’re not going to starve and the food is buffet style. So you can get more than one serving. Please keep in mind that beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic…including water) have to be paid for. This is actually normal for safari. Edwin did take some of our group to a liquor store per their request.
The Masai men patrolled the camp at night to ward off any unwelcome visitors (hyenas, baboons and the possible occasional Buffalo). They were very friendly and helpful with getting my bags to and from my tent.
It would be wise to bring a pocket flashlight. As after 10pm the generator turns off. A flashlight is very helpful at night. Especially going to the bathroom in the middle of the night in your tent.
Please note that the roads to, from and while there are extremely bumpy. There is no getting around this part. Edwin handled the roads like an expert and tackled every bump.
There weren’t any mosquitoes that I noticed. And I packed with Deet spray and wipes thinking there would be. But the deeper we got on safari the more the flies were in abundance. There’s really no getting around the flies. You’re roaming around the open land. The animals’ land. Where they eat and poop. And where there’s poop there will be flies. We just consistently fanned them away. Again, that’s not a negative to Karibu. More so an FYI about the safari experience.
We did a game drive the evening we arrived at camp for about an hour. The second day of as a full day of safari. Leaving camp at 7am and returning at 4:30pm. Our camp was close to the Mara entrance. The morning of the third day our group chose to visit the Masai village before heading back to Nairobi. The visit to the village was so exciting and memorable!! We were able to purchase items handmade by the Masai women at the end of the village tour.
Also thank you to my agent Robert and other drivers Evans and Peter!!
If you want a budget friendly, safe and comfortable safari, definitely book with Karibu!!
ES
Email Blanca | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip was amazing thanks to Mansur, the best guide
Although we experienced a small problem at the beginning, related with schedule, our memories about Kenia are amazing thanks to the guide, Mansur. He was so kind, enthousiastic, close to us...but above all, he was a proffesional. He is an expert and knows everything on Safaris (Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli in our case). We saw the Great 5 thanks to him! Always trying to catch a spectacle of animals!
I would call this agency again for sure.
Thanks Mansur, and the agency!
Blanca & José Manuel