Esther Ndegwa - Travel Consultant
Kenya Budget Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $120 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Elise | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari with 2 young children - easy planning, great service and amazing trip
We had a fantastic experience with Kenya Budget Safaris and would recommend them to anyone looking to book an affordable safari. We spent 3 nights at the Sopa Lodge in the Masi and then one night just outside of Lake Nakuru. Planning the safari was easy - Esther was always available by email and then by phone once we were in country. She responded to all of our questions and provided all the details we asked for. She helped us compare costs and benefits of camping v. lodge safari and made the recommendation that we pay extra for a "private" (i.e., just our family) safari, which was fantastic advice. Last minute changes were easy, and we felt great about the price we paid and the services we received.
Because we were traveling with our 7 and 9 year old it made a huge difference to have our own vehicle, make stops when we wanted, leave and return from game drives when we wanted, etc. Our driver, David, was a father himself and struck the perfect balance between kind, helpful, full of information and not intrusive.
I recommend Kanya Budget Safari without reservation!
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Email Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nairobi National Park
After emailing the company last-minute, I got a prompt response on a Friday night from Esther. After accommodating a number of requests and questions I had, she set me up with Judge, an *outstanding* driver/tour guide who joined her to pick me up from my hotel, took me on safari, then to Carnivore, and finally to the airport to head out.
I cannot imagine a more seamless experience. From the pickup to the various animals on the safari to the meats of Carnivore to the final drop off at the airport, I felt like this crew really took great care of me.
I would highly recommend the package, and would also personally recommend that you get out as early as possible to see the animals. I left at 7am from my hotel and was lucky enough to catch several white rhinos and a couple of lions munching on a zebra before the rain came down around noontime. The animals were certainly more active while we were driving around, and only slowed down when we started leaving for lunch. Perfect timing.
TW
Email Huang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice people, great service
I've book a 11-day Kenya Tanzania safari trip with Kenya Budget Safaris.
The consultant who I contacted with is Esther. She was very helpful and nice.
I was travel alone and I've chosen to join group tour.
In the 11 days I've traveled with three groups. But this is okay, they arranged well.
And the travel agency in Tanzania is World Tours Safari.
Their service was also good. The foods are fantastic, and of course I've seen many animals (Big 5).
Next time if I have chance to travel in East Africa again, I'll choose these two company again.
Email Caitlin McKay | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Masai Mara, Nakuru, and Amboseli
Before booking I many great reviews, so i was fairly certain that this was going to be great safari. Even worth these expectations, I was 100% blown away by so many aspects: firstly Esther was so quick with her responses and amazingly helpful with all of my million emails!; the accommodation was a much higher standard than expected - especially love the Masai Mara camp; food was delicious; tour van - everyone got a window seat; and omg... Patrick! I absolutely love him, he is funny, personable, extremely helpful, eagle-eyed spotting animals, one hell of a good driver, and so incredibly knowledgeable about everything safari! I honestly could not have gotten a better guide!; most of all... as a female traveling by herself, I felt incredibly safe.
This is my first stop of many affixed countries to visit this holiday... future guides have a lot to live up to!
Thank you!
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Email Fernando and Katia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Experience
Our first impression of booking with Budget Safari was one of ease. We looked at various competing safari services, email a few and got back responses between 1-10 days. Budget Safaris was almost immediate and with the perfect customer service you expect when you are about to spend a decent amount of money on vacation. Esther personally handled all the communication and asked questions regarding our expectation of how we wanted to experience the safari. We shared with her the options we considered, 1) group safari 2) Semi Private and 3) Private Safari. We also were looking at 7-8 full days in the bush, and most other companies that we entertained only had fix dates of scheduled departures. After a series of emails, we agreed on our experience, Private Safari for two, detailed itinerary with names of the lodges we would stay and cost.
Upon our arrival into Kenya, Henry our driver, met us at the terminal in our safari vehicle, preceded to meet Esther, and we headed out to our first lodge. Upon meeting Esther, she suggested a couple last minute deals and upgrades to our lodges based on availability, which given the extra cost of 200 dollars, we considered it a bargain for the entirety of our stay in Kenya.
In terms of our Driver Henry, there are not enough nice words to describe the added experience his conversations gave our Safari. He shared his experiences regarding the Safari, Animal Behavior, Photography, Culture, Masai Tribes, etc… each hour we had was an experience in itself. During our game drives, he accommodated our schedule to depart a little earlier or a bit later depending on weather, our scheduled meals and animal sightings in the area. I would recommend him and would gladly repeat the experience with him.
The lodges were first class, as mentioned above, we did a small upgrade and got better amenities, great lodges, and all you can eat buffets that are shy of a nice restaurant in any big US city, Lots of variety, including local food, Indian, Chinese and American.
Overall, I would rate this and 11 out of 10 if I could. Esther and her team made this an unforgettable experience for my wife and I.
Thanks again.
IT
Email Francesca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya Budget Safari, great value for money
I really enjoyed my week travelling with Kenya Budget Safari.
Accomodations were always good (more tent-like lodges will be even better!), we had no problem with food or water and everything worked out as planned
Our driver Patrick was the best, thank to his skills we saw everything you could wish to see: all the Big 5 (several times), lots of birds and hundreds of herbivores.
He knows a lot about animals and plants you meet during the safari, he's really kind, nice and accomodating to our needs.
I have just one suggestion, for both Nakuru and Naivasha accomodation: I know the arrival time at destination could change according to the traffic, but it will be nicer for the hotels to be closer to the city center. That will make easier to visit of the city if the van reaches the destination hours before the next planned activity. (FYI, we managed to visit both Nakuru and Naivasha thanks to Patrick anyway)
For all the rest, you're doing great, guys!
I'd totally reccomend to use this agency for your safari.
DE
Email Caspar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I was all happy
Before getting Africa I did some research here. This operator had a package according to my requirements and comparable to many other tour companies. But they had a tour planed that suited my dates and for some reason, they were significantly more affordable than others.
After the down payment, I had good email contact until the day I got to arusha. They picked me up, gave me a briefing and I paid the final share.
The safari was exactly as advertised, even though the group was super small they sticker to the exact Programm. The equipment and vehicle where all fine, and the guide was friendly and knowledgeable.
I ended up all happy with the operator and would recommend them.
SA
Email Dolon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
in one word excellent
Thank you very much for all your help and excellent arrangements. I had
extra concern for my parents... you and Henry made it really easy.
Henry is a very nice person/guide/driver. We enjoyed a lot. Hopefully we
will come again for safari and meeting you
DE
Email Julian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great Safari trip for a very good price!
We had a Safari of 10 days in total, a combination of Kenyan parks (Aberdare, Masai Mara) and Tanzanian parks (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Arusha).
Esther was a great help in planning the trip, always very quick with her responses and she never got tired of our questions and demands. You gotta love her!
In the end we were offered a very good deal.
Our drivers/guides were true professionels. Always on time, they always knew the right places for spotting animals, you could ask them anything and got interesting informations in return. Plus, they were nice guys to spent time with.
So big thanks to Henry, Simon and Edgar!
Our cook Vitali provided us with great food. 3 meals a day, a variety of delicous stuff (we had a vegetarian in our group, she was also very satisfied)! Thank you Vitali!
I would defintely recommend to book a Safari with Kenya Budget Safaris.
We didn't have the money for an expensive Safari and got exactly what we wanted: an affordable Safari that gave us unforgattable expressions of the animals and the nature of Eastern Africa.
So thank you to the whole team (also Richard for the wine and the presents in the end).
Julian, Laura, Michael
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Email Ciaran | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari in Kenya and Tanzania!
Esther did a great job. Leading up to the trip Esther provided great communication and full details on what to expect while on Safari. We saw more animals than expected. Both of our drivers were great and knew so much about the animals and game parks. The accommodations were pretty nice for being in the middle of no where. The lodges and tented camps served great food. Book this trip! You will not regret it!