Africa Remote Safaris (Kenya)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ETT, Eco Tourism Society Kenya & East African wildlife Club
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great migration safari
I have been on safari in Kenya and Tanzania with Africa Remote Safaris. This was my first time in Africa . I was very impressed with their services especially our guide Hamza from Tanzania. We arrived on an early morning flight and Hamza was at the airport to meet us. We traveled to Lake Naivasha and we stay at Cray Fish camp. This is an intimate camp located at the edge of the lake Naivasha and is just a walking distance to hells gate park. We also took bicycles and went to hells gate park. This was unforgettable tour. Our local guide Morris was very knowledgeable about birds and animals. We also took a boat to the crescent island, we saw hippos, giraffe, buffalo and zebras. The next morning we drove to Maasai Mara, a section of the road is good but there is a very rough part for 3hours driving to Ol Moran tented camp. Ol Moran camp is a semi- luxury camp in a good location. The meals at the camp were super. Better than most hotels we have been to. We spend three nights. Maasai Mara. The best part of the safari was on the second day when we witnessed a group of 22 lions hunting. We spent 3 hours waiting patiently as the lions took positions around a group of 10 Buffalos. This was incredible. The lions were hiding behind the Safari cars- Very clever-I think.
They hunted in groups and waited until two buffalo were free from their group. We watched at the Lions attacked the two buffalo but there was a big fight. The Buffalo fought off the Lions in a fight that lasted almost twenty minutes. In the end the Buffalo won. too bad for the Lions.
After the Maasai Mara we drove to mwanza where we stayed at Speke Bay Lodge. The service at Speke Bay was not very good and the manager was not very kind to his staff. Next was Serengeti-We stayed at Ikoma Bush Camp. The camp has a German owner and is very good. Clean rooms, hot water and great food and many Stories from Mr Pepe. A very friendly man. The Serengeti is ten times the size of Maasai Mara, we saw huge crocodiles at Grumeti river, we saw the big five. Ngorongoro Crater was amazing- we stayed at Rhino Lodge, A small lodge that is managed by Local Maasai People.After two days we left for Lake Manyara for one night at Twiga Safari Camp- Again great food and friendly local people. Our Safari ended in Arusha where we said goodbye to the best guide ever! Hamza who had become part of the family from Kenya all the way to Tanzania. We were very lucky to have one guide for this safari.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya ,Tanzania safari
12 Days Kenya and Tanzania. Awesome planning.
We chose the 12 Day Kenya Tanzania Cradle of Mankind Safari and cannot commend this company highly enough. Steve, Haron, Shafi(Tanzania) and Amy (Nairobi) really went out of their way to make our honeymoon Safari memorable. The organization was flawless,
We really got top level service and real value for money.
Evans and Shafi were our articulate and knowledgeable safari guides for (Kenya and Tanzania). We stayed at the Oltukai Lodge in Amboseli .
Our room had INCREDIBLE view of the Kilimanjaro.
We traveled to the Ngorongoro and stayed at Serena Lodge,Kati kati Serengeti, Mbalageti Camp ,Serena Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru(Lion Hill again great food and welcome). The lodges and camps that we stayed at were great from the point of view,Location, game availability and food.
In Maasai Mara we stayed at Mara Serena which was a touch of luxury and well worth the extra. We then moved on to Entim Camp which again was luxury. This is a new camp and although based outside the park was a treat given the personal service we received (as only 2 of 4 people staying) and the enormous tent that we stayed in, completing new, safe and good to be in what was a genuine Masai community (owned and run by Kenyans). Africa Remote Safaris arranged every detail of the trip and did so for a price that was better than any other firm and the same price as reputable UK firms were offering for road trips in a far lesser standard of accommodation.
Steve was exceptional: well informed and welcoming throughout. This firm could not have been better in any way and can be thoroughly recommended. Finally we'd like to promote the fact that by booking and trusting local based firms such as this you are investing in a wonderful country that needs such trust and investment. You really can't lose as it gives you exposure to Local people, you are investing directly in the country and the level of service is undoubtedly better and cheaper than that offered by tour companies. If you're thinking of 'going safe' and booking with an international tour company please have a think and decide to trust our review and you won't regret it!
Recommending Hosking -Safari guide with Africa Remote Safaris
Hello,
We just returned from a safari in Kenya where we visited Amboseli, Tsavo West and Tsavo East . Haron was our guide. An amazing guide indeed who spoke fluent French and English.
The Safari organisation exceeded our expectations. A very big thank you to Amy for responding to all our emails and arranging a memorable safari. We spent magical moments in the reserves, especially in Amboseli and Tsavo West. The nights in the Kibo tented camp in Amboseli was a unique experience. We also had a great time relaxing in Ngulia Safari Tsavo West camp, watching the animals from the terrace of our room!
Regarding reserves, it is at Amboseli that we saw most of the animals.
Tsavo West park is a great place to enjoy nature with vast rolling hills and Leopards.
However, we did not see a lot of animals at Tsavo East Park.
In summary, we highly recommend Africa Remote Safaris and thank you to Amy for the organization, and our expert guide Haron.
Larry
Email Jeremy and Kate | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 Days Kenya Safari
This was our first Safari in Africa. We can’t quite get the exact words to describe our Safari but Extra ordinary comes close. After Months of being fixed on wildlife television channels and wishing we could cross into the Television screen, we finally travelled to Kenya.
Our Driver for the Safari was Haron aka ‘Simba’ . He had eyes of lynx and very keen.At some point we thought he had eyes at the back of his head due to his animal spotting skills. When he saw something he always showed us. 9 out of 10 of his sightings were correct. Sometimes the Lions were hidden in the grass camouflage, rare serval, 2 leopards after mating in the Aberdare park and the Rhinos at Lake Nakuru. We have taken more than 3000 pictures for the 10 Days we were in Kenya as well as more than 8 hours film. Apart from a few blurred images(due to our poor photography experience),there isn't much to throw away.
Speaking of Africa Remote Safaris, we would highly recommend this company if you are looking for a reasonably priced or Mid budget tour. Our quote was unbelievingly 30% less than most bench marked companies here in the UK. The professionalism of the team can only be compared to the beautiful landscapes of Kenya. We want to thank Amy who organised all the paperwork, our guide Haron- we will not forget his jokes, Joseph the cook, so good with dishes and kindness which just read on his face. We were sad to say goodbye at the end of the 10 days. Unforgettable!! Thank you very much.We will definitely return and maybe try out Tanzania ,Zanzibar and of course request if possible for the winning combination of Haron and Joseph . Thank you.
Email Shainav | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Recommending Africa Remote Safaris
We want to thank you for this great safari!
We had a wonderful stay in Kenya and Tanzania.( with Zanzibar)
Your organization was perfect, at no time we were disappointed. Except for the short delay at the border, not your fault of course. We saw landscapes, animals and made many friends along the way. We shall never forget Mto wa Mbu.
During all our safari we met 3 great guides, true professionals:
Agoi in Kenya
Shaff in Tanzania
Mwalima, our guide for Zanzibar spice tour.
A big thank you to these 3 people they were patient and always listening to us and always available for us. They have incredible knowledge of animals, the country and its cultures.
Regarding accommodations, Ol Moran Camp in Maasai Mara, Serenet Lodge on Lake Victoria, and Tingitana Ndutu Camp were execellent, better than some hotels in here in London! The food was very good,
Thank you to all the team of Africa Remote safaris for making this Safari a memorable experience for us.
THANK you! we are very happy.
7 Days Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire Safari with Africa Remote Safaris
When we started doing our research for a Safari company, we were at first very sceptical as most Europeans usually are when dealing with overseas companies. This was to be our honeymoon destination ( 08 Days Tanzania) and we were on a certain budget. We wrote to several companies and asked a lot of questions. We also used Safaribookings.com and trip advisor to make a decision regarding the tour Company. Africa Remote Safaris wasn’t the cheapest quote but compared to the local UK companies. They were almost 30% cheaper and half the price that Thomsons had quoted to us.
Although we had an idea of the sort of itinerary we wanted, Steve, one of the managers helped us choose the best itinerary in consideration of our Length of stay. They also booked our flights out of London (Qatar Air via Doha). I was working on the Safari day and needed a flight departing at 8pm. Africa Remote Safaris did not disappoint. They booked us on the flights and sent me the E ticket. I must say that we found their service really professional and in a timely manner.
My concern however was when making payments. We had preferred paying my credit card instead of the wire transfer. However when making the payments, we were informed by their Credit card merchant that I should send over my verification details, this included a copy of my Identity and part of my Credit card. I found this to be very strange. My Bank advised me against doing so. They tried using yet another system from their bank but with the verification requirement. We found this to be very frustrating but the Tour operator’s hands were tied. In the end we had to bite the bullet and sent the documents requested by the 3G.
On the payment process I would honestly give them a 4 over 10.
On arrival in Nairobi, we realised that our concerns were short-lived , we were met with Steve himself and our guide Mr Haron. Honestly while in Serengeti I realised that we had a very good deal. Based on the quality of accommodation. ( Serengeti Kati Kati, Olduvai camp and Tloma lodge)
We had an amazing Safari. We saw elephants, buffalo and giraffe and all the Big 5. As our guide had explained, it is very rare to see ALL the big 5 especially the black Rhino and leopard. Our guide found was incredible. We saw more than 20 Lions, then another 14 lions in Serengeti feasting on a Buffalo, 8 Cheetah’s including the ones that were hunting before killing a warthog. We also saw 08 leopards in total with one that was just about 2 meters away from us on a tree.
All in all, we saw so many animals and the camps and lodges were wonderful. I want to thank Africa Remote Safaris and especially Steve and Haron for making our Honeymoon very memorable.
We hope to come back one day.
Erin and Becky Copeland
NO
Email Patricia Lusigi Kivali | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Tanzania Safari Report with Africa remote Safaris
My husband and I had a fabulous safari experience with Africa Remote Safaris in April 2016 for our private guided safari in Tanzania. To be honest I cannot say anything negative about our Safari experience with them. At the onset I was a little hesitant ,especially about arranging a guided tour because we definitely prefer independent, but decided that Africa was not the best place to be self guided. We made own flight arrangements. We only asked Stafford logistical questions. So from Dallas first to Amsterdam for a short stay, then Nairobi before flying to Arusha . I requested for a wildlife guide who was also a birding expert to fulfil my husband’s wishes and that is exactly what we got and far more than that we were blessed to have the delightful Waziri as our companion for your stay in Tanzania. He met us at the airport exactly on time and ,was friendly and courteous ,professional and even immediately began teaching us Swahili words and phrases. We were immediately comfortable with him and knew we had a gem. We stayed the New Safari hotel in Arusha booked through Africa Remote Safaris. Their guide came to the hotel to give us our paperwork and answered all the questions we had so as to make sure that we had everything that we needed prior to departure.
Our safari vehicle was very comfortable for the two of us and I couldn’t imagine being squashed in with as many people as I saw on some other agencies. We visted Tarangire and stayed at Roika lodge., Ngorongoro we stayed at the Rhino lodge not far from the Ngorongoro crater. We also visited Serengeti . Tarangire is a heaven for birds of all types, including many eagles and Waziri’s vast knowledge of the avian world provided us with memories to last us a lifetime. On top of the crater where another guide phoned Waziri to tell him that he had a flat tyre, Waziri graciously asked if we minded waiting and we were thrilled to stand at the viewpoint for an extra 20 minutes while he assisted. We stayed at Ngorngoro for two nights then departed for the Serengeti where we saw the Big five within just an hour of our arrival. We had been upgraded to Tanganyika wildlife camps and we loved this loved tented camp. For the entire trip Waziri was interesting, patient, cautious and when necessary good humoured. When it came to depart to that small airfield to fly back to Mt Kilimanjaro, he refused to leave until our plane had departed.
When we arrived in Arusha our Africa Remote Safaris representative named Edna was on hand to meet us and accompanied us to a day hotel so we could get lunch before our long trip home. She was once again very helpful and professional.
We found Waziri to be a treasure and will never forget our time with hims and the wildlife of Tanzania.
From our experience I highly recommend Africa Remote Safaris and their tours in Tanzania.
Kenya Photo Safari
I am back after my 5th safari for what was the 3rd photo workshop organized with this wonderful team
A stay of two unforgettable weeks ... a week in the Maasai Mara, two days in Nakuru and Baringo 4 days photographing everything we had hoped to see: Cheetahs, lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceros and fish eagles .
Our guides have been incredibly knowledgeable! They shared their skills, availability, generosity and flexibility not to mention a constant good humor!
Our chef James did wonders with his little dishes to perfection!
The was organization flawless as always.
In short, a dream holiday for this trip 150% photograph which we keep again wonderful memories!
We would like to thank their team for organizing the visit to the Orphanage that allowed us to offload 100kgs of school materials, We will never forget our encounters with these children who in the end gave us their smiles and much more than “thank you” Thank you to all the Team at Africa Remote Safaris. Kenya is Safe, not for one minute did we feel discomfort(except for the bumpy ride) . We hope to come back. This time with bigger group.
AE
Email Raluca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything wa perfect
We did 3 days safari in Tsavo East and West, everything was perfect. The Lodges in the middle of savanna are a dream, amazing experience.
I also highly recommend our driver Jackson, which is a wonderful person.
QA
Email David D-Iver | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari Experience1
"Steve Biko did an outstanding job Overall an excellent trip, well carried out. Outstanding services the driver guides in Kenya and overland from Isbania to Serengeti and Ngorongoro made a great impression. Both (Simon and Waziri) were standouts. The transfer reps all did an excellent job particularly since, we arrived on the late night Turkish airlines flight at 2am.
. All accommodations except for Arusha were excellent. Memories of the Swahili culture ranks first but a close second in our minds will be the choice of camps and lodges. The Ol Joto house in Naivasha offers a peaceful and intimate refuge from the bustle of Nairobi city.
In Maasai mara our reaction to the Bateleur Camp upgraded from Kichwa Tembo was that it was the best Luxury tented accommodation ever. Little did we realize each subsequent camp in Serengeti(Mbalageti), Ngorongoro(Tloma lodge), Lake Manyara and Tarangire (Roika) would top that, except for the last in Arusha. We were there at an important moment in Tanzania’s development during election time and the various viewpoints in different towns reflects the promise and challenges facing the country. Some thought the shock of health care systems could be better absorbed later in the itinerary, however, the geography preempts that alternative. Always room for improvement so we would offer the following Biggest disappointment was the Ol Duvai gorge nothing really much to see here. Not all of the guides were understandable. They all seemed intelligent and knowledgeable but were lacking in delivery of a dialogue. Some speak in a droning monologue that is difficult to follow and includes blinding detail that is soon forgotten. Two glitches that were remedied: The Safari van in Kenya had an impossible seating arrangement but that was corrected overnight to our complete satisfaction.
The New Arusha hotel rooms were initially a problem. One room was lovely but the other two were substandard, although the hotel said they were in the same class. Basically, the better room had the bathroom and closet along the full wall while the substandard alternative used only half the wall resulting in a minute closet, no shower, a single sink and no window. They initially stated that there was nothing better but within an hour the duty manager had found two adjacent rooms on another floor that had the double sinks, separate claw bath and shower overlooking the city as well as better closet space. They graciously moved us while we were at dinner on the rooftop. Finally there is always the gouging at shops where the guides get a commission. At a couple of stops this seemed egregious but we are all seasoned travelers and work around that annoyance. Some of the others may wish to add to these comments but those are my thoughts. Good memories, thanks" I will certainly recommend this company.