Paul with clients at Ngorongoro Crater enjoying
Kenya Expresso Tours and Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- KATO & KCTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $140 to $980 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life Changing Event
To all viewers – Do not hesitate to USE THIS COMPANY. We researched for almost 2 years before our trip. We looked at American tour companies and several operators in Africa. We chose Kenya Expresso Tours and Safaris after several months of correspondence by e-mail and a couple of phone conversations. Paul spent a lot of time answering our questions and arranged our itinerary the way we wanted. Our dream safari totaled 11 days and 10 nights - 2 in Nairobi, 2 in Masai Mara; 3 in Serengeti, and one night each at the Crater in Ngorongoro; Lake Manyara, and Amboseli. Crossing the border from Kenya to Tanzania was not a problem at all. You will need a Visa for both and we feel visiting both countries is a must if you have never been as they are both unique. Some tour operators do not operate in both which was another reason for choosing KETS. Paul was willing and able to plan our trip based on our itinerary- we told him what we wanted he gave us what we wanted, simple. Several other companies we looked into want you to choose from the list of packages they offer and have trouble customizing your trip for you to include both countries.
On our first day in Nairobi, we met Paul who told us that we were in the best hands to see the Big 5. Not only did we see the Big 5 and countless other animals, Paul and his drivers, Frances in Kenya and Joseph in Tanzania, provided for us an experience of a lifetime. We went on our safari from June 17-28th and we were able to get "shoulder season" rates. The weather was perfect and not as many tourists. The plains still had color and had not turned brown as yet. Our pricing included a Toyota 4X4, (pay the little extra) lodging and full board at the safari lodging sites, and a driver/guide for a private tour of just 2 people. Stay away from mini-vans, they have a tendency to get stuck, and the 4X4's have to pull them out. We saved a significant amount by going directly with KETS; less expensive than American based companies because you are going directly to the operator there, and we had our own vehicle, and were not in a group tour - all those people. Our accommodations were excellent. We had looked up all the lodges and there was only one night where we wanted to stay at a different place than what was initially quoted and Paul accommodated us with this request.
We will honestly say that we were skeptical and unsure about going directly to a company in Nairobi without prior experience. We contacted Trip Advisor, Better Business, US Embassy State Dept. and any other resource we could find to check on the legitimacy of this company. We had some fear - what if they don't show up; what if we don't get what we paid for - let's face it, your entire trip relies on your tour operator. Everything was EXACTLY what we asked for, paid for, and was told what we would get. KETS clearly states on their home page that they charge an additional 3% to your total if you pay your safari by credit card this is not the 3% imposed from your credit card company which you can also avoid if you travel with an international credit card you will not pay this fee. So, if you want to save 3%, give Paul a certified check or cash, we missed this item. Also be very aware of the exchange rates for currency and do not get taken by street people offering exchanges - you will be taken. Gifts and souvenirs, also do your homework, we purchased some items too soon in our trip, Francis did tell us to barter and compare but the baseline place we went to as our first place was so outrageously priced we thought prices were good after that. Every park you go to will have tribe people approach you with items, beads, jewelry carvings, blankets any of these items you will get for a very good price.
We cannot say enough about how precise and smoothly all the arrangements went. Our guides/drivers - Francis in Kenya and Joseph in Tanzania, were professional, courteous and dependable. Everywhere we went, we were escorted and guided, and they were always at our meeting point before us. We never felt unsafe or uneasy, even when the drive was long and difficult. They have to navigate between animals, people, washed out road conditions and traffic can be tedious. We tried not to distract with questions too many times , and a traveler needs to understand there is some down quiet time that is needed and we cannot fault your guide for conditions or places that we chose to go. Both drivers put our safety and comfort in the highest regard. We told them that we met as strangers and left as friends, you can enjoy your experience immensely with the hours you will spend together on a trip like this by really appreciating all you can take away from it. We can honestly say that this was a life changing event and choosing your tour operator is an essential part of the process.
The places, the people, and the things we got to see and do were magnificent - the culture and the country is beautiful. This is a must see for anyone who is fortunate enough to travel there. We learned more than we thought possible from Francis and Joseph and the camaraderie was comfortable. We were both given a personalized gift as we left which Paul had Francis pick up for us. Joseph also gave us a gift from his heart and shared his story and reasons for becoming a tour guide and his passion for his country and the wildlife in it. Both are very meaningful to us. Bottom line – our dream is to return next time without the worries that we had that turned out to be unnecessary stress on our part prior to our trip. The livelihood of these companies depends on tourism and it shows in the quality of the experience we had. Will we book again with KETS - absolutely.
To Paul, Francis, Joseph, and Purity - Asante Sana, and until we meet again. Ron and Diane Florida, USA
US
Email Val and Dan McDonald | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jackson gave us the tour of a lifetime and showed us ALL the animals.
This was the best safari and Jackson was the best tour guide/driver ever. Professional,knowledgeable,and the best companion on this 7 day excursion. He showed us all the animals one could imagine and his experience and desire to share his love and concern for the animals made this a most memorable experience. He did everything to make us comfortable. He even washed the dust off the windows so we might have a better view.
KET tours was most professional and very reasonably priced. The accommodations were outstanding......like 4and5 star resorts; food was tasty buffet style; and staff could not have been more courteous.
Only negative ( And NOT the company’s fault)...the road to Masai Mara nearly did us in. Incredibly rough and torn up.....practically NO road at all.......Jackson had to make his own way. Another government improvement project gone wrong.
SE
Email Nera | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing, can't wait to go again! :)
We need to give HUGE thank you to Paul and Kenya Expresso Tours and Safaris for this amazing experience for our honeymoon!
Email Melanie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Out of this world
Prompt helpful service. This was the best holiday we have ever had. We stayed at Ashnil Mara camp which in itself was truly amazing with fabulous staff especially Fred.
Our guide Cornelius was just beyond superb with eyes like an eagle and very knowledgeable in animal life and where to go to get the fantastic pics of the wildlife.
We really didn’t want it to end and saving now for our next safari. We did 4 days/3nights in Masai Mara. Next time we will do a longer safari. No day was the same, and even if we didn’t see an animal for twenty minutes or so, it was just so amazing and the peace was out of this world.
A truly amazing experience, thank you KET.
NL
Email Ruben | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional and friendly
I had a very good experience with Kenya Expresso Tours and Safaris. Good communication, competitive offer, and living up to expectations!
Amazing safari with KETS
As a safari in Africa was a once in a lifetime opportunity for myself and my husband , choosing a company to go with was a big deal. KETS was wonderful from the beginning. You won't receive better customer service than from Paul, who always responded to any questions we had prior to our safari within hours (despite the 7 hour time difference on our end!) Our guide, Sammy was very experienced, helpful, courteous, kind and a skilled driver. Specifically, our package included Tsavo East and West, Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara. All locations had their highlights, but if you have the chance to go to Tsavo, I highly recommend it. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Huge thanks to KETS for giving us such wonderful memories. We hope to be back to Kenya again someday, and won't hesitate to choose KETS again.
US
Email Lance | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect 6 Night Safari in Kenya and Tanzania
As an initial matter, Paul (who I believe is the owner and operator of KETS) is one of the most responsive people on e-mail I've met - which is saying a lot given that I'm an attorney in NYC. This was very much appreciated as my wife and I planned our honeymoon and constantly changed the accommodation and route we wanted to take. KETS is very flexible in that respect as well. We spent two nights in Maasai Mara in Kenya (at Ashnil Mara Lodge), two nights in the Serengeti in Tanzania (Mbalageti Lodge), one night in Ngorongoro (the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge) and one night in Amboseli back in Kenya (at the Ol Tukai Lodge).
In Maasai Mara, we had Daniel as our private driver/guide. He was very easy to speak with, knew the animals and where to find them, and was generally a great guide. Maasai Mara is significantly smaller than the Serengeti, but is beautiful and less regulated than the Tanzania parks - allowing us to get closer looks at the animals. That's not to say that KETS did any offroading or anything, just that there are more off-trail roads that get you closer to the animals. We saw a cheetah with a young one, a leopard with a young one, a lion pride resting after a kill, hyenas and jackals finishing the kill, another attempted kill by a lion at sunset, and huge numbers of elephants. We didn't see tons of wildebeests or zebras, but that came later. And Ashnil Mara lodge was beautiful. A perfect view over the river where you could watch hippos as you ate/drank. And the staff was beyond generous. The food left something to be desired, but not a whole lot KETS can do about that one. One note, and this will be common throughout this review - the drives are long. So be prepared. From Nairobi to Ashnil Mara took us about 6-7 hours. But the last 2-3 hours there is at least animal viewing. There are also a couple of stops where you can look at some African crafts if you're so inclined.
The drive from Ashnil Mara to the Mbalageti lodge in Serengeti was the longest drive. It was a full day. Although we stopped for lunch across the Tanzania border that was probably unnecessary (and I think KETS recognized it too, as Paul mentioned that for future tours they would not be making that stop). Without that two hour stop, we would have been in the park much earlier. Also of note, Kenyan drivers are not allowed to drive in Tanzania (well, they can, but it's a ridiculously expensive process). So we switched from Dan to Oswald (Ozzie) at the border. Ozzie was phenomenal. Very personable and again very good with the animals and working with the numerous other safari cars to do everything they can to show you the animals you want to see most. For us, that was cheetahs and Ozzie went out of his way to find them for us (four of them in fact...). The Mbalageti lodge is the most beautiful one we stayed in with views that can't be matched. And the western part of the Serengeti park is really beautiful with thousands of wildebeests and zebras. Can't say enough about that lodge and well worth the long drive from Maasai Mara. Even with the drives, we would strongly, strongly recommend seeing both Maasai Mara and the Serengeti.
After our second night at Mbalageti, we had a long drive to Ngorongoro (probably another 5 hour drive). But this one is the easiest drive as it's all in the park. And the central part of the Serengeti is a great chance to see leopards (we were lucky enough to see two). The arrival at Ngorongoro is incredibly impressive. And the crater offers your best chance to see the elusive rhino. The Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge left quite a bit to be desired, but I'm not sure what KETS can do about that. There are only a couple of lodges there and it does have an incredible view - the rooms are just very outdated and not the most comfortable. That might be an area where you look to fork up a bit more money for a four-star lodge if that's the kind of trip you're looking for.
Amboseli could probably be skipped. Ol Tukai is a gorgeous lodge, but if that's your last stop, you'll have already seen most everything that Amboseli has to offer except views of Kilimanjaro. It breaks up the drive a bit from Ngorongoro, but I think if we did it all over again, we might have skipped that stop. Ol Tukai is gorgeous though - so definitely not a bad place to just relax after a long safari. We switched drivers again at the border (from Ozzie to Duncan). We didn't have much time with Duncan since we were winding down and largely chose to relax instead of go on game drives in Amboseli. But he certainly seemed knowledgeable of the animals/area and fell in line with the other KETS drivers we had.
Long winded, I know. So to summarize, KETS was everything we had hoped for and could have expected. We would strongly, strongly recommend KETS to those of you looking for a Kenya and Tanzania safari!
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Email Greg & Lani | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
15 Day Kenya-Tanzania Safari
We completed a 15-day Kenya-Tanzania Safari in August, 2015.
After witnessing the Great Migration in Masai Mara on Day 2 of the safari, it was easy to think it couldn’t possibly get any better. But it did…repeatedly.
This was our second safari with KETS, so we had the highest expectations and weren’t disappointed. In Tanzania, we followed the northern circuit: Serenageti (Western Corridor and Seronera), Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara. We returned to Kenya via Amboseli, then spent the final 5-days in Tsavo East, at Bigi camp on the Galana River. For elephant lovers who enjoy being in the middle of remote wilderness, Bigi Camp is for you.
A few highlights: spent 2-nights at Sarova Mara. The buffet alone would make this a destination, but add Masai Mara and brace yourself for stellar experiences. In the Serengeti, we stayed at Mbalageti Lodge. The sweeping views across the plains of Serengeti are unbeatable. A lion spent the night under our cabin, and its low rumblings kept waking us up…but we didn’t complain! At the Bigi Camp, we loved observing tuskers wandering around the tents. As vegetarians, we were pleased to see that most of the buffets at the lodges we stayed were free of animal products.
Video 1 captures the Great Migration and Tanzania:
https://youtu.be/20XmqGOcZwE
Video 2 includes Bigi Camp and the elephants of the Galana River:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulmiDTHZvTk
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience
This is the 2nd safari we have done with KETS in 2013 we did a 16 day Safari & in 2015 we did a 8 day Safari & we hope to us them again. Great accommodation at all lodgers Wonderful guides with great knowledge about the animals we were looking for. We booked our safari from Australia & each time we would email KETS with any questions Paul would reply with in 24 hours We would recommend KETS to all safari travellers .
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Three Day Maasai Mara Tour with Daniel
our safari accommondation with KETS was perfect and we like to recommend this tour operator. Paul replied all my mails immediately and was very helpful and patient with all our wishes and requests. Banktransfer and rest balance payment on site worked without problems. Daniel our Driver guide is very experienced, friendly and helpful and always exact in time. We enjoyed the game drives him very much. Our camp was Ashnil Mara and we where very very amazed about this camp. In the night we heared the soud of the hippos and a lot of other animals, dinner, lunch and accommondation where perfect. Only the way from Nairobi to the Mara Gate is unpleasant, it takes 5-6 hours and there is very much traffic and a very long rough road. Next time we will do a fly in safari with tour operator KETS.