Magical Retreats & Adventures Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $120 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Jamar Young | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magic with Magical Retreats
I travelled to both Kenya and Tanzania in January of 2017. In Kenya I didn't have too many things on the to do list. Most of my time was focused on a Safari tour to Maasai Mara National Reserve in Narok Kenya. We engaged
Magical Retreats & Adventures Tours to help coordinate our overnight tour to the reserve. Pamela Wanjugu, the owner, was very prompt and diligent in building a personal tour package that catered specifically to our travel needs.
We were picked up bright and early from our hotel by our guide Livingston who was not only extremely accomodating but was very informative along the way. He was sure to give us enlightening historical accounts of the townships we were driving through and specific information about the daily life of their residents. The trip was approx. 4.5 hours with a few stops on the way for food and pictures. Once we reached the reserve Livingston took care of our entry into the park and took us on a quick game drive before we settled in to the Lodge so that we had as much daylight time in the park as possible. The vastness of the park is unimaginable and Livingston navigated it's trails as if it were his own backyard. With Livingston's direction we were delighted to spot big five game in no time. We then took a break to get settled into our overnight accommodations and to grab lunch. After lunch we went back out for another game drive.
The Massive landscape of the Maasai Mara is humbling and even during dry season we were able to spot tons of Buffalo, Antelope, Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes, Lions, Hyenas, and Cheetahs. After our late afternoon game drive we returned back to the lodge for dinner and a special Maasai presentation from residents of the local village.
Accomodations in the Reserve
We stayed at the Sopa Luxury Lodge on the grounds on the Reserve. I kid you not, the lodge was far from a rinky dink tent city in the bush, this was an official 4 star retreat inclusive of food, a beautiful pool with great views of the Reserve and several bungalows with King Size beds, nice adorned bathrooms, mosquito nets etc. The food was spectacular and so was the service. Remember this was an overnight all inclusive lodge stay so lunch, dinner and breakfast was included in the fee.
After breakfast we loaded up the van for one more game drive before heading back to Nairobi. Note that the road to and from Maasai Mara is unpaved for a good portion of the journey so be prepared for a bit of an uncomfortable ride from time to time. Livingston was sure to keep is engaged and stopped for lunch before dropping us to the airport where we flew to Zanzibar. There's no doubt in my mind that the service and price provided by Magical Retreats & Adventures Tours is uncomparable. I would definitely recommend anyone planning a Safari your in Kenya to book through them.
If you can get more for less... plan ur holidays with Magical retreats...
Thanks to Pamela to make this memorable trip to fit our budget. Peter was a great driver and guide. Mara sidai was a great place to stay and people were very hospitable.
IN
Email MumbaiMadhav | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional, helpful, organized, value for money
Pamela Wanjugu maintained constant communication with us as soon as we expressed an interested in going on a safari. She was most helpful and friendly, answering every question (there were a lot as this was our first trip to Africa) at all times of the day.
As soon as we arrived in Nairobi, she was on ground with our friendly driver and guide Livingston. They immediately whisked us off to Amboseli National Park, the first stop, before heading to Masai Mara via Nairobi.
Both hotels provided (Kibo Safari Camp in Amboseli and Mara Serena in Masai Mara) were exceptional and unique. Great food, surroundings and location.
Livingston was very knowledgeable about the animals and their habitats, and generally had lots of useful information on traveling in Kenya. The game drives were well planned, but he was also flexible in accommodating our request to travel outside the park and get a closer view of Mount Kilimanjaro.
African safaris are expensive when you look at the final price, but totally worth it. We found Magical Retreats and Adventure through a simple Google search and weren't sure at first about the legitimacy. We did a few Google searches and then decided to bite the bullet. But now, speaking from experience, we highly recommend Pamela and her team for a hassle-free African adventure.
AE
Email Zahid | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overwhelming and Beyond expectations
Great Safari. Thanks to the owner Pamela who guided us to each and every layer of the tour. She was very cooperative, I was planning with her 3 months prior to our tour and she was calm and composed for each and every query we had regarding the tour and iteneary. Our game guide Driver Peter was knowledgeable and knew the park thoroughly, we enjoyed our stay in Kenya and taking back with us a lot of memories of the safari.
Will definitely recommend you to Magical Retreats. They will take care of you.
AE
Email Abhijit Bhattacharya | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super duper
Excellent service, very caring owner Pamela, very experienced & helpful driver Peter. Had a great time at Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Lake Naivasha. Cheers
Amazing
Everything was just as it was supposed to be. Safaris were great! Hospitility was amazing..
Overall we had a great trip
IN
Email Akshaya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Honeymoon in Kenya
Hospitality: 5/5
Accommodation: 4.5/5
Trip plan: 4.5/5
Overall: An amazing experience!
The longest pending review:)
I remember searching for packages to kenya and how exorbitantly priced each of them were. So I delegated the work to my then fiancé. The very next day he found Magical Retreats & Adventures Tours. And the most perfect package. Our long planned honeymoon was finally taking shape. Pamela offered us an extremely accommodative package at affordable prices.
We all have our doubts going into a new country and spending a holiday. But what changed was how Pamela personally came by to greet us at the airport. To me it felt like a warm feeling I would get at home. And we were taken to our hotel. We had a fabulous time at the capital enjoyed buffets, baby elephants, kissing Giraffes and a lot more.
We headed towards the much awaited Masai Mara (primary reason why we visited Kenya). My husband being an animal lover and me scared of everything that moves, we didn't opt for a resort which was in the middle of the jungle. But instead in the corner of the jungle just to balance what both of us needed. And spent an evening with the locals too! (A big plus)
The next day was the Safari. Unlike the evergreen forests, the Masai Mara is a grassland. And the best thing about it, you can see lot of animals as far as your eye can see. And also eat some packed lunch sitting in the jungle beside them. So you're sure to be satisfied. But some how I got extra lucky in Kenya, we got to spot the big Five (I've not spotted :( a tiger in the Indian jungle for the last 5 times that I've been). It wasn't just my luck that played, I think it was mostly Livingstone Masagha our safari driver (he drove us around the entire journey in kenya too!). His enthusiasm was like it's his first visit to the park. But his experience in spotting animals, was like he belonged in the jungle. I still remember it was 17:30 and we were heading back to the gate (gates close at 18:00 hours) completely exhausted after close to a 10 hour journey in the jungle, Masagha heard on his Walkie talkie one of the other safari cars had spotted a Rhinoceros (the one animal left in our big five list to spot) he made sure to drive us all the way back into the jungle and show us the Rhinoceros. We still remember him for his kind gesture. Post Masai Mara we headed to lake Naivasha before heading back to the capital.
Here are somethings that I took away from kenya.
Kenyans are really warm at heart, so make sure you show them some love. They might even invite you for a meal at their place.
Masagha had told us about the great African massage. A 70 kilometer stone road drive on the way to Masai Mara. It's quite a massage we had underestimated it! So stay ready for that.
The animals are always best in their home, so respect them when you step into their home. Noise scares them away.
Don't depend on real time navigation, traffic is random.
Apart from that enjoy kenya :)
IN
Email Usha | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great safari organised by true professionals
The safari experience with Pamela's Magical Retreat was truly awesome. The accommodation, the vehicles and the drivers/guides were all super. Pamela was very responsive and helpful. The food was great. No problems. Got to see all the animals and were given lot of important information by the guides. All in all a strong recommend for the company.
EG
Email Ahmed | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honest, transparent and friendly
Honest, transparent and friendly people, i have booked with them for a safari trip to amboseli national park. it was very nice journey with a friendly and professional driver, the lodge was very clean and well organized with a very good service and the over all experience was great
i only felt a little dissappointed for not managing to see mount Keliminjaro due to weather conditions in this time of the year, but this is nature !
IN
Email Satyabani | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Experience is great & wonderful
Communications is excellent providing service excellent