Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
Trip Advisor Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Tour Types:
- Short mid-range tours (½ to 3 days)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Everything we would have asked for with a budget safari, even a little more!!
We had arranged a private 8 day safari from Nairobi through Kenya, across the border to Tanzania and then ending in arusha for 2 of us. Trip advisor safaris was very open to helping us plan the perfect trip for our budget and included the parks we asked for. We emailed back and forth a bunch trying to settle on the perfect itinerary with enough time to catch our plane from arusha to zanzibar. Although this tour operator was very accommodating, the only reason I took one star off was because I felt like it was a bit pushy to book every day and it was very difficult to sort out payment. I am from Canada and we dont do direct bank transfers and I found giving a deposit very annoying. Also when we arrived in nairobi to give full payment, he expected $3000us cash. Qe were not adware this is how it would be done and no way would i carry that in cash travelling alone from Canada as a female. So we paid by credit card in the end and paid the transaction fee percentage and waited in the office until the transaction arrived at the bank and then we went there so he could get the cash out for our safari guide. I feel like this could have been avoided with more clear communication. As for our safari, our guide in Kenya was Rubin and he was 5/5!!! He was so kind and honest and we trusted him 100%. He was a very reliable driver and was able to show us more animals than we ever expected! He was quiet, but very happy to answer all of our questions at any time. He never tried to make us shop or buy things, which was very nice for us. Our accommodations were even nicer than expected in Kenya some nights considering it was on a tight budget! Our crossing over the border to Tanzania was easy and our tanzanian guide Salim was waiting for us when we arrived. This portion was organized through trip advisor Safaris using the company kili slope. Salim was energetic and full of information and eager to find big cats for us. We saw many lions and also a leopard and a cheetah! Amazing! He was also a safe driver and happy to share information and quiz us on what he taught. Our personal cook in Tanzania was also named Salim and he made 100% vegetarian food for us as requested. He made delicious soups and yummy packed lunches! We were very pleased with our experience and saw everything we could imagine. As most recommendations say, get everything in writing. Our itinerary was not as full as it said because driving times in between were much longer than it seemed. But even so, we would recommend organizing with this company because we had a great time!!
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Email Carolyn & Peter from San Diego | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unbelievable experience, fantastic locations, wonderful camps
My wife and I took a 15 day private safari to Kenya and Tanzania in August and September 2018. We booked everything through Trip Advisor African Safari (TAAS) in Nairobi. The owner, Seth Vincent, was terrific to work with. He worked very closely with us over several months as we customized our itinerary and accommodations to exactly what we wanted and we valued all of Seth's input and guidance. Seth met us at Nairobi airport and was constantly in communication with us during the entire time. Our Kenya portion was a clear 5 STAR experience with a terrific driver/guide, Ken, who took us to all the right viewing locations and gave us great insight into the animals, land, people and culture. Unfortunately Kenya and Tanzania do not have great relationships when it comes to tourism an don't have reciprocal arrangements. That meant half way through our safari when we transferred from Kenya to Tanzania we also had to change driver and vehicle and go with a Tanzanian subcontractor of TAAS. We were disappointed with our driver as he was very uncommunicative and told us little about what was going on. He did take us to fantastic viewing and we saw everything we wanted to see. The lodges and camps were all spectacular. If there was a 4 1/2 STAR rating, I would have selected that, but the guide in Tanzania was significantly below standard.
We would highly recommend TAAS for any Kenyan safari. Seth is easy to work with and very knowledgeable. The value of this private safari was substantially better than any group tour we looked at. During our entire safari we felt very safe and couldn't be more happy with the overall experience and the memories we created.
IN
Email Rohan Mantri | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a Lifetime, although you'll see it everyday in your Dreams!!
All you can do is smile all the time and wonder is that for real?!
Everything feels aligned and you just sail through, mellow indeed.
Gorgeous trip and our Guide and Trip Manager were very keen on we getting the best service. Cheers!
ES
Email Amaia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip with a perfect guide
We were doing a four days safari. It was a perfect trip. Really good organized the days. We could see the big five thanks to our guide who tried to show us the best parts of the Masai Mara national reserve. If you go to kenia don't doubt on doing it! And if you have the opportunity you can ask for Tom! 100% recommendable!!!
GR
Email Petros | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Properly organized safari, unforgettable experience !
4 DAYS LOW BUDGET SAFARI IN SERENGETI, NGORONGORO & TARANGIRE - solo traveller.
Based in Kenya and having a representative in Arusha, “Trip Advisor Africa Safaris” has extensive experience in Tanzanian parks and safaris. Vincent Seth, its director, is very friendly, responding always willingly to all e-mails and questions.
As usually, you end up in a car of a different agency but that’s not important...
The poor conditions of the campsite in Serengeti, the risk to sleep with a stranger in a small tent - which didn’t happen with difficulty - and my window of the vehicle which didn’t open - but we had an open car roof - they were nothing compared to the greatness of the 3 parks!
The price was affordable, time was always respected, the 6 pax group was fine, the driver and the cook were nicely professional, we were always busy and active, the number and diversity of animals were amazing, the weather perfect... I am happy! I could use their services again.
HK
Email Chris | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
12-day Kenya Tanzania Tour
General speaking, the tour is good and we see many animials although there is problem in the arrangement of accommodation in Tanzania. .
Email D Seifert | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent four-day safari in Masai Mara, Naivasha and Lake Nakuru
This was an excellent safari, and every part of it was very well organised. I saw more wild animals than I could have imagined, and our drivers were extremely good. The only small complication arose before the start of the trip, when I was charged an unusually large transaction fee on my initial payment. This aspect could perhaps be improved upon, but otherwise it was a very pleasant experience.
LT
Email Neringa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A bit chaotic but realiable
We wanted a simple, budget safari, so we chose to visit the Masai Mara and Nakuru in a short time.
As we wanted to avoid overpaying, we didn't really care about where to stay. The tented camp in the Maasai village did not disappoint. Citymax - a run-down, simple hotel, adequate. It is better not to have high expectations for this hotel. But it does its job.
The food was filling and good.
The safari programme was well thought out: one evening game drive, a full day in the Masai Mara, then a swim in Lake Naivashu, which I consider a good introduction to Nakuru. Once you know about the small creatures, you can go deeper. We enjoyed it all very much, although it actually takes half the time just to go from park to park.
The driver, Richard, was a great companion, a very nice, responsible, fatherly person. He maintained privacy (he was not one for joking and fraternizing) and we apreciated that. Richard had his own style of driving, approaching the lions first and adding knowledge to the tour. Be curious, it pays off!
About the organisation: we were happy with the route, although the organisation was a bit chaotic. We were communicated quickly, but had to keep revising the details (the prices were different, please update!), and when we left, it turned out that the itinerary we had received was the opposite (not Nakuru-Masai Mara, but Masai Mara-Nakuru - which is better by the way). There was a bit of a lack of live contact when paying, so we were a bit hesitant about whether everything would be OK. However, everything is reliable: we got our invoice, we were picked up from the hotel on time, and the programme and the guide service really exceeded expectations. So overall I rate the safari as good.
If you are looking for a great safari experience without demanding too much from the conditions, this is for you!
Email Sophia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value
It was a good tour (we went masaai mara, lake Nakuru and amboseli). We opted for budget and luxury on the last 2 nights which was great. Overall it was great value as you saw a lot at a good price. If you don’t have much time I recommend just the masaai mara as that was by far the best! I really recommend Geoffrey the driver if you have the choice - he is so experienced, very friendly and seems to know everyone!! We were in a mini van as it was cheaper and it was very comfortable and did not feel as though we needed to pay more for the car! I will warn... There is a huge amount of driving so be prepared (again maybe a reason to just do masaai mara) and at times it was a bit disorganised - having to drive into Nairobi at the end when we stayed outside meaning we had an extra 2 hours in the traffic. So perhaps try and make other arrangements in advance or if you can make plans for pick up and drop off to avoid this. Seth is friendly and trustworthy - just be clear on exactly what you want.
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Email Kyra | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They new what they were doing and everything went very smooth and successful.
The service was very good. They would always be there on time or even earlier to pick us up for our event. It has lived up to expectations and even more than I thought. The safari was very bumpy, but you got to see amazing things. The communications was all right but it could have been better. It was a lot of fun and I would do it again in the future.
