Beacon Safaris Team in Masai Mara
Beacon Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
JP
Email Jamie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A remarkable experience!
October 2023, we went for the 7 Days Taste of Kenya Safari Tour.
Overall, we enjoyed it very much and it definetely became an unforgettable adventure!
Firstly, we appreciate Robert's thorough organization of the tour. Robert gave us great details on what to bring and what to expect! He also helped us with getting our visa's; email respondments were fast and reliable.
Our tour guide, Mike, was a standout star. Mike offered detailed insights into the wildlife and the tour's daily schedule. His knowledge of animals and the safari locations was impressive. Mike's sharp eyes even allowed us to spot elusive leopards, rhinos, cheetahs, those hard to find etc. Mike's driving skills were exceptional. He ensured we always had the best positions in the safari. Mike always made sure that we were able to get goods shots of the animals with our camera (attached are some photos we were able to shoot). Great communication, he answered all our questions (even questions regarding the safari cars!), time punctuality was perfect, and every though sometimes the road was crowded, his fast and safe driving made our trip seamless and enjoyable.
As for itinerary, boat ride in Naivasha (which Mike helped us for the payment) and lunch picnic in Masai Mara was superb.
Accomadation was great too!
Here's some points that didn't turn out quite well:
-Mostly our fault, but we encountered an issue with the payment process as we decided to pay half of the money beforehand through bank transfer and another half on the day we arrived, with cash. Trouble happened because we forgot to bring the cash and was in need of currency exchange (We asked the staff members if we can pay the other half by card, and were told they were in need of USD cash). So on the first day of our tour, we were first taken to the airport to exchange money which I thought was a bit unrealistic (as I do not expect cashiers in the airport would have $2000 USD). Finally after sometime at the airport which did not result in good results, the staff told me that Robert would be able to send us a link so we can pay the rest of the money with our card. This resulted in an additional cost (around +30 USD to the original price) which was a bit unexpected. We did not get any reasoning for the additional fees from the company, so we assumed that it was due to commission fees for the financial company behind the payment system. It was a bit disappoiniting as Beacon Safari's gave us great quotations and that was one of the reason we decided to choose this company, but since it was our oversight, we accepted it without asking much.
-Unforeseen changes in government rules affected our safari experience. We weren't able to go to Masai Mara for the last day, and the original cost included all park fees (also for the last day), but no explanation or refund was provided for the adjustments. Still, we understood that flexibility is essential in such situations and we got the last day to chill and go some souvernior shopping so all was good (thank you to Mike again)
-The tour didn't always stick to the planned itinerary. For example, "early morning drives" started a bit later at around 8 AM. Despite this, we were fortunate to see a wide array of wildlife, including the Big Five, which compensated for any deviations :)
In summary, our safari tour, despite some unexpected financial and itinerary adjustments, was a remarkable experience. The standout element of our adventure was undoubtedly our guide, Mike, who made the journey informative and unforgettable. Thank you so much.
If I ever get another chance to go to Kenya (and it's other national parks/reserves), would definetely want to go with Beacon Safaris and Mike again.
CR
Email Natalie Lelchuk | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best Safari
Beacon Safaris surpassed all of our expectations. We are a family of five adults who booked a 10 day safari. Everything from the hotels to the game drives was amazing. Ken, our guide, made our experience unforgettable. He was extremely nice, knowledgable and accommodating. He made sure that we always had everything we needed and went the extra mile to make sure that we saw all of the animals we wanted to see. From the first day, we saw a pride of lions, a leopard kill and family of elephants right next to our car. Everyday after that, we continued to be amazed by all of the animals we saw. The hotels booked by Beacon were great. The only complaint would be in Flamingo Hill Camp, in Lake Nakuru, where our rooms where located near the town border and that night the music did not stop until four am. Apart from that, all of the other places were amazing.
When we began talking to Robert to book our safari, communication was great and very efficient. However, once we got closer to the date and during the safari, communication with Robert became more difficult as we wouldn't receive answers from him until days later.
Despite this, we would recommend Beacon for any future safari booking and we would definitely ask for Ken!
Email Marie Robinson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service and communication
Wonderful safari experience. Easy booking and excellent communication. All ran very smoothly. Nothing was too much trouble. All accommodation during the safari was of a high standard (sopa lodges). We booked weeks safari and our guide, Joseph, was brilliant. He was polite, punctual and very knowledgeable. What a fabulous guy. The experience was worth every penny and I highly recommend Beacon Safaris.
AE
Email Piers Thompson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Experience
Simply fantastic. The team are excellent and did their very best to accommodate every request (even driving hundreds of km for us).
Special mention for Peter and Ken who were brilliant. We saw so many animals and had a brilliant time, that we will remember for life.
We highly recommend them and think the value for money was excellent too.
DE
Email Irene | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful experience that we will never forget
Left Nairobi for an 8 day tour early in the morning for Amboseli National Park, then headed for Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and finally for Masai Mara. So many impressions, so many encounters with a variety of wild animals (including rhinos, a leopard, cheetahs, funny birds...), so many opportunities to chat with locals. The Sopa lodges were not new, but very beautiful and charming retreats. Robert had organized everything, was very reliable, responsive and friendly. Anthony was our guide and an experienced and very cautious driver. We couldn't have had a better companion. He found all the hidden places, gave us every information on all the animals, but also on many other things and supported us wherever he could. Thanks for everything.
OM
Email Jerome | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour operator and guide are very good
We , my wife and daughter planned the trip just a week before the actual travel date. Beacon safaris able to plan and arrange within couple of days. From planning till saying bye at the airport is very memorable. The guide Mr. Mike is a top class. He made all efforts to show us the Big 9s. The hotels were top class , stayed at SOPA group lodges. A very memorable trip.
Email Clair | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top notch tailor-made family safari
Beacon Safaris were brilliant. We travelled as a family of four and were looked after from booking with Robert to the tour itself with our guide Samuel. Masai Mara and Lake Naivasha.
US
Email Jacob | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beacon Safaris is accommodating, flexible, professional, and provided an incredible experience.
We did a 5-day safari, including Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli National Parks. This was our first safari, and it was everything we hoped it would be. Booking and communication with Robert beforehand were great. Robert was quick to respond and answer our questions. He was even able to accommodate a last-minute change to our itinerary, which we were very thankful for. Our guide, Ken, was amazing. He was very knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. He was able to answer all our questions and show us some incredible things during our trip. Roger and Ken were flexible and accommodating and helped meet our needs and requests. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. We would go again in a heartbeat. We highly recommend Beacon Safaris!
RS
Email Olivera | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operator was very well organised, accomodation and reliable
This was the first time we have gone to a safari trip and thanks to Beacon Safari we had the best time. Communication and organisation about the trip was made easy by Robert. The driver, Ken, picked us up at our accomodation. He was very nice and he answered all our questions. We went to a 5 day safari which inclided Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. We saw many amazing animals, the Big 5 of Kenya. We were staying in Sopa lodges which were very comfortable and the personnel very accomodating.
It was a unique experience. I warmly reccomend Beacon Safaris to anyone who wants an affordable, comfortable and unforgetable experince
CN
Email Jiahui | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari! Excellent Guide!
I selected and compared several safaris companies at very first, like one month before departure. After reviewing the itinerary and comparing the price and accommodation and etc. , I decided to choose Beacon. I did make a wise decision.
Robert always replied me quickly and answered my questions clearly and thoroughly. He provided me a quite good price compared with other companies.
Daniel was chosen to be our 6-day tour's guide and we were very lucky to have Daniel to be our guide. He is quite kind, friendly, enthusiastic and professional. During 6 days, he tried his best to let us to see many many animals, including big five! Especially at Masai Mara, he drove over 50km to Masai Triangle for taking us to see leopard, which is very very rare. Also he would like to hear what we want to do and try to make our trip flexible. Many thanks to Daniel and he gave us a wonderful Kenyan Safari tour. I definitely recommend him to be your Safari guide.