The Bencia Africa dedicated Team
Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- KWS, KTB, ECO -Tourism, TRA & KATO-member
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $55 to $325 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NL
Email Gert | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very pleasant and professional to organise the safari
We had a very nice safari to Amboseli Parc, lots of animals and with fine accomodation. It was arranged smoothly and at very short notice, Paul was a very reliable and safe driver cum guide. All was efficiëntly discussed and organised by Alfred and his staff. Thanks to Bencia Adventures.
FR
Email Sonia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very satisfied
We are very satisfied with our safari. We prepared everything via WhatsApp from France with Alfred. We were staying at Diani Beach and it was me who asked to do the safari in Amboseli to see Kilimanjaro. What I didn't know is that it's actually a 10 hour drive between these two points
(automatic translation from French)
Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good value for money
From a lot or research beforehand and our experience, I would recommend Bencia over other companies for a value-for-money budget safari, despite one con. The review is very long becuse it can be hard to find specific details about most tours which in the end is the difference between getting what is promised and getting tricked.
Pros
1. Accommodation at Lake Nakuru is inside the park (Wildlife Clubs of Kenya - Nakuru) which is a big advantage over other tour groups because it means we could do an afternoon and morning tour on the same 24hr ticket. A 24hr ticket for Lake Nakuru only allows for 1 entry and exit. Though other companies say they offer both morning and afternoon tours, when I actually enquired how this was possible when their accommodation was outside the park, they then stated it was either morning or afternoon, not both. Bencia was the only budget safari I found, from emailing many companies, who could actually offer what the website says.
2. Our guide was thoughtful about the welfare of the animals and didn't harass them, unlike other drivers we saw. He was also nice to chat with about wildlife and Kenya in general.
3. Great in-house chef who travelled with us and adapted well to a vegetarian menu. An example of our meals, though each chef may be different, was: breakfast (omlettes, toast, sweet potato, pancakes, fruits, instant coffee/tea), lunch ( tasty and fresh buffets on the road between locations, and a huge packed lunch for the full day safari including fruits, sandwich, juice and snacks) and dinner (rice, great mixed veges, beans, potatoes and fruits). We were always so full, no snacks are needed to complement the meals.
4. Accommodation was good for the price. Good enough mosquito protection. The accommodation in Lake Nakuru is particularly good as the animals are all around the camp gates.
5. The joining tour ran with even 2 people, as promised, which not all companies could promise us and seemed important for changing circumstances like Covid. It also meant by luck we had a private tour.
6. Really, really responsive emails from the office beforehand always getting back within minutes or just a few hours.
Con
1. We felt we our driving hours and timing was not quite what was agreed upon and we had to negotaite to remain close to our planned schedule which was a dampener. As noted below, a bit too little time for the MM afternoon (which could have simply been credited the next days but wasn't). Additionally, it was very important to us, and promised to us in emails, that we would do a morning tour day 3 in MM from 6:30-8:30am. When we were there we were told we could do 6am-5pm on day 2 instead of the morning drive on day 3. We said no because that is not what was promised. Strangely, the last day we entered quite late going from 7am-9am which was the same duration but not the hours we were promised or that we asked for the night before. It seemed strange they would offer to enter at 6am on the long day but not on the short morning. I know some companies do an afternoon drive day 1 and then a long day 2 so they save money on gate fees nut but charge you for 2 days on entry fees, despite what their website programme states. So I was pleased that they at least stuck to the promise of 3 days of driving and not 2.
Trip details:
The order of our trip changed and we ended up doing 4 days nd 3 nights with Lake Nakuru first, which in the end felt better going from a small park into the huge expanse of the Masai Mara.
There is a lot of unavoidable travel in between parks, though I think we spent too long between Nakuru and Masai Mara trying to arrange picking up some more passengers which cost us time that afternoon at Masai Mara and this was never made up later.
Rough timing; Nakuru to MM - 7 hours (should be much quicker), MM to Nairobi - 5hrs, Nairobi to LN 7am from hotel to 3pm arrival.
PL
Email Anna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good budget safari operator, has own chefs and does not sell clients and runs safari even for 2 peop
We booked a 4 day safari and even noone joined it happened as planed. We had a good guide/driver Mourinho and a friendly chef John who cooked us very tasty food. A minibus and places to stay were budget type but good value for money. We saw everthing we wanted even though last day game drive was shorter than expected.
US
Email MikeJeff | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good Planner and cost effective
Bencia Africa Adventure & Safaris is one tour company we can recommend for great inter country safaris. We planned as a group to do both Tanzania and Kenya and they were able to plan both safaris with all entry fee paid as agreed and all the accommodation perfect as indicated in our quotation. We were able to send them advance and they pick us at JKIA as promised. Alfred was friendly and accommodating . The team would do anything to accommodate our request, being readily available at any time of the day.
FR
Email D. Tardivo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great safari in Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru
My daughter and I booked our tour through Viator and were happy to be taken care of by Bencia Africa Adventures and safaris. Our safari in Masai Mara was great and we saw so many wild animals. Lake Nakuru Park seemed small compared to Masai Mara but the lake itself with the flamingos and other birds is worth seeing and we had the chance to see a black rhino. Our driver Morris had very sharp eyes and was able to spot the animals easily. George did nice meals for us (great soups!!). The accommodation was basic, which is OK for young people, but at my age I would have enjoyed more comfort. I would definitely recommend this agency especially if you don't have a big budget.
DK
Email Birgitte Ryelund | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very realiable, very dedicated, will always do the best for you. Lot of humor
These guys are nice and easy to communicate with, and they are more than dedicated to find the animals, actually they are almost overdedicated to that part. John is also a good chef. I highly recommend the company