Reviews

Average User Rating
4.6/5

Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 75
  • 4 star 4
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 3

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 1-10 of 82 Reviews
Matthew O'Brien   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: November 2023 Reviewed: Jan 15, 2024

Email Matthew O'Brien  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Good people who really want to please their customers
5/5

TLDR: We had a fantastic honeymoon with African Sunset Safaris and would 100% do another safari with them. There were some slight changes to the itinerary, but for the most part they were upgrades, so didn't bother us at all. They try their very best to ensure you have the best possible time with them and they treat you like family.

We booked a 12 day Kenya safari and Uganda Gorilla trek for a very reasonable price. The initial itinerary that I inquired about had been changed so when I contacted African Sunset Safaris they sent me the updated itinerary, which seemed crammed full. Their communication via whatsapp was prompt and I was able to pay via credit card to book the trip. Our flight into Kenya had to reroute for a few hours due to bad weather at Kenya airport, so we arrived late and then discovered our airline hadn't put our luggage on the plane, but our driver, Paul, who was waiting for us very kindly helped to arrange the collection of our luggage when it arrived a few days later and bought a fried chicken meal for us to eat en route to Amboseli, so we could make it in time for an evening game drive. Within the first minute in Amboseli we saw a huge elephant right next to the road and then a lion. This was the start of an exceptional safari for every park in Kenya, as we saw the big 5 and more. Our accommodation at Amboseli Serena was fantastic (the pool was being refurbished, so we couldn't use that, but the view, service and food was great). The next day Paul ensured we had a perfect day looking at animals and getting great photographs, the highlight being a cheater no less than 3 meters from our vehicle.

The following day we got our luggage back and we transferred to a different vehicle and driver, Charles, who would take us for the rest of our time in Kenya. Charles's vehicle had a tire issue, so he bought us a drink in a cafe while it was quickly fixed and then we set off. Whether it was because of our delayed landing in Kenya, having to collect our luggage, or the tire issue, we never ended up going to Ol Pejeta to see the chimpanzees, which I was a bit gutted about, as I was looking forward to seeing them, but I suspect even if we had no delays it would be too long of a journey to get from Amboseli to Ol Pejeta and then to Lake Nakuru in one day, as google say it is an almost 11 hour drive. I have noticed that the itinerary for this package has altered slighty to stay in Ol Pejeta overnight before going to Lake Nakuru, so it may be that they have recognised it is a stretch to cover so much in such a short time. When we were travelling we discovered our accommodation had been changed from what was originally planned, but wow was it an upgrade! Room-wise, Serena Lake Elmenteita was definitely the most beautiful accommodation we we had in Kenya, it was a shame we were only there for one night and arrived just as the pool closed. Our first game drive with Charles in Lake Nakuru was excellent, we saw black and white rhinos, flamingos, monkeys and other animals. Then we headed to the Maasai mara, where again our accomodation was changed from what we initially had been booked. Again, however it was an upgrade in our opinion, as we had a glorious view from our window over the mara and the hotel pool also had a great view. Another 2 full days of wonderful safari drives followed with a picnic on the mara, a walk by the river where we saw crocodiles up close, and visited a tribe's village. Charles worked very hard to successfully find us a leopard too. Charles is an excellent safari guide and driver, he is very personable and chatty, which puts you at ease immediately and makes the long drives fly by. As it was our honeymoon, Haron had promised us a sundowner, which we asked about, because no one had mentioned anything about it since we booked the trip. No sundowners were available that night, but instead we had an evening bush meal, which was a nice experience (drinks not included). The itinerary originally said we were then to stay at giraffe manor overnight, but it was fully booked, so we stayed at the four seasons instead. I was highly skeptical that we would stay in giraffe manor anyway, as the rooms are VERY expensive and often booked up way in advance, so I didn't see how it would be possible to afford that room in addition to everything else and have the tour operator still make a profit with the low price we paid. Even so the tour still seemed great value for money, so we weren't too disheartened that we couldn't stay at the manor. What we didn't expect though was when we got to Nairobi, Charles took us to the Giraffe Centre (the nature park of Giraffe manor) where you can hand feed the giraffes. This was in my top 3 moments of the holiday, as you have several cheeky giraffe eating out of your hand! The next surprise was Charles took us to the African Sunset Safari office where a traditional homemade dinner was served to us with the African Sunset Safari team along with beers and bourbon and coke. This was so special, as we got to know the team a bit more and were welcomed and treated like family. You can really tell how much their customers mean to Haron in particular.

The next day we flew to Uganda where again we met our final driver, Abdul. We stayed at a different hotel to the one we were told, whilst this hotel was not necessarily an upgrade, the history of the hotel made it very special to stay there and am glad we did (the hotel was one that the film Hotel Rwanda is based on). We visited the genocide museum and learnt so much about the Rwandan genocide that I was ignorantly unaware of prior. Originally there was some confusion as to whether we would do the gorilla trek in Rwanda or Uganda. I thought it would be Uganda, as I believe the trekking fee is less there than Rwanda. I am glad it was Uganda, as the country is beautiful and that is the most famous place for gorilla trekking. The drive to Uganda was long, but felt a lot quicker, as the scenery was out of this world. We stopped and gave sweets and chocolate to local children in the villages and their happy faces made me wish I brought more to give to more children, so if you do go book a safari or trek make sure you bring lots of bags of sweets for the kids! The accommodation was a different lodge camp than advertised again, but yet again we did not care. This camp was a not-for-profit charity that helps build water storage wells for poor villages, so we were glad our money went towards a good cause rather than a business mans bank account. The balconies of the lodges also face west, so you get the most incredible sunsets every evening. We could have easily stayed there peacefully for a week. The drive back to Rwanda was again beautiful and we had a smooth journey back to Kenya where we continued our travels.

All in all we had a fantastic honeymoon and wouldn't change it. We highly recommend African Sunset Safaris to everyone who wants to do a safari or trek. The changes in accommodation weren't a problem for us, especially as they were mostly improvements, but I imagine for some people that might be a worry or if your families want to know where you will be for safety reasons it may cause concern. I would just advise the African Sunset Safari team inform the customers earlier/as soon as you know there is a problem, or need to change accommodation instead of on the day, or at the time of arrival. At the office meal they did say Haron wanted to make the trip extra special for us so they upgraded the accommodations and we can honestly say it was our most amazing holiday so far. Thank you very much African Sunset Safaris!

Charles Mbugua   –  
Kenya KE
Visited: September 2022 Reviewed: Nov 5, 2022

Email Charles Mbugua  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

7 days of fun in the wild
5/5

Every year we take a trip both me and my wife to celebrate our marriage anniversary and this year it was on of the best all thanks to African sunset safaris. We had hoped to do an east African tour but last minute changes meant we could only manage a 7 day Kenya trip. They picked us up from Karen the hub mall and got us back there in a timely, professional manner. We visited Lake Nakuru National Park, The Great Rift Valley and Masai Mara. Haron was our Driver/Wildlife Guide and was awesome, professional, knowledgeable and extraordinary. We were able to see the big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant & buffalo) at Masai Mara. Our greatest moment was when we witnessed three lionesses hunt early in the morning and a pride of more than 7 lions all came to feed. also we enjoyed watching a mother cheetah successfully hunt to feed her cubs, the chase was breath taking.
We recommend African sunset safaris to anyone interested in having a memorable tour.

Tiago   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: September 2022 Reviewed: Oct 2, 2022

Email Tiago  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Tiago and not that of SafariBookings.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY
1/5

Long story short we paid for a 5 Safari days.
On the day 4 we found out that the 5th day of the Safari was… going to the airport.
So the amount that we paid to this company, included the entrance in Tarangiri park 1 morning + the use of the Jeep for a morning safari and they just took us to the airport and kept that money to them. When I spoke with the person in charge he said that he wanted to make it right so he would do a refund of 318€. 10 days have passed and Haron is ignoring my emails. First he gave an excuse that he was in Nairobi and after then ignoring emails and phone calls… not happy at all.
Besides this incident, we also paid based on accommodation. On the 3rd night we paid for a Serena Hotel in Ngorongoro cratera and we found out, once we left the cratera, that we werent staying there….
Keep in mind that there are thousands of Safari companies who will definitely provide a better service. As an example, during lunch time, we always had a very basic lunch box (cold items) and we saw several companies coming with warm meal and providing a total different (and better) experience to the customer.

Reply from African Sunset Safaris
Reply from African Sunset Safaris
Posted on Oct 24, 2022

We had this trip in September, we arranged everything as we had indicated to them, we did offer them our best guide for the 5 days safari, he has done an excellent job in all our safaris and never had any complaints about him, and he did his best on this trip

It has been our tradition to always celebrate the occasion our clients are celebrating in a special way, We have always made arrangements for honeymooners on the last night and morning to have a surprise for them, which has always had special memories at the end of the tour, we made this arrangement for this couple, but they didn't want that, for this reason, we agreed to refund them for the morning game drive, ​​but they had the vehicle and they were dropped at the airport at around 2 pm from Tarangire, ​The refund is already done ​

We had the itinerary and shared the reservation with all hotels as we had indicated on the itinerary, Serena Ngorongoro had overbooked and some of the companies clients were to stay at Serena Manyara, I did request the hotel to work something out for them since they were staying in Serena Manyara and they did,

On the last issue to do with lunch boxes, this is strictly for the hotels to provide and not us since all hotels are booked on full board bases, having hot pots depends on which properties one is staying at, different hotels offer different lunch boxes,

Carole Troy   –  
Ireland IE
Visited: August 2022 Reviewed: Aug 28, 2022

Email Carole Troy  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Trip of a Lifetime
5/5

We had a 16 night safari in Kenya organised by African Sunset Safaris. Haron was excellent in suggesting possible itineraries and extremely patient every time I had to make changes. Our final itinerary gave us an amazing overview of this amazing country. We saw so much wildlife and had some wonderful experiences along the way. Haron and Charles were full of interesting facts and stories and my two teenagers especially enjoyed this. They both really ensured our holiday was a wonderful experience. All our accommodation which was selected by Haron was excellent and so comfortable. So great spots to see wildlife around watering holes. I would definitely recommend African Sunset Safaris and hopefully if we get to return I will not hesitate to use them.

Govindarajan Palaniswamy   –  
India IN
Visited: July 2022 Reviewed: Jul 17, 2022

Email Govindarajan Palaniswamy  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

A Very good tour operator whom you can totally trust.
5/5

Haron of African sunset safari is a wonderful guy. Starting from my enquiry and till finalizing with him, his response is immediate and to every query he has answered. He has taken all efforts to show the big 5 and all other in Mara park and other places like Lake Nakuru and Amboseli Park. He took good care of us . It was an awesome experience and you can trust him fully. Very composed man and not in a hurry to finish anything half way. Wish him all the best.

Aksh Lalith   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2022 Reviewed: Jun 29, 2022

Email Aksh Lalith  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Goes above and beyond to make your trip perfect!
5/5

The trip was everything we dreamed of and more. Haron really helped create a once in a lifetime adventure that me and my family will never forget!

Despite the time differences, i received a very prompt reply to my intial inquiry.
Haron communicated via Emails and sent me a detailed itinerary.

At African Sunset safari they go over board to adjust their itinerary to meet personal needs. Any upgrades or changes that we needed, we let them know, they respond very quickly to all our requests and helped "tweak" itineraries as needed. Bonus...reasonably priced as well

I really appreciated the attention to details, the recommendations for what to do in each place,and the arrangements made. Each and every hotel/lodge we stayed at was luxurious and incredible, food was amazing, world class service, game drives were fun, my family and I saw much more wildlife and live hunting actions than we had ever imagined.

It was all luxurious and perfect! I truthfully can't stop talking about coming back to Africa already!

Beth   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: March 2022 Reviewed: Apr 24, 2022

Email Beth  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Amazing time in Masai Mara
5/5

Our driver Aaron was amazing on our safari in Masai Mara. He picked us up from Nairobi and drove us to the park. The car was clean and spacious and the fridge for drinks was very useful. Our time in the park itself was short but because Aaron knew the park so well we managed to see all the animals! We saw Lions, Cheetahs, a Leopard even a Rhino.

Aaron stayed with us after our time in the park and drove us all around Kenya. He was always punctual and ready to take us wherever we wanted to go.

We would recommend African Sunset Safaris to anyone doing a Safari in Kenya

Andreea Lotak   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2022 Reviewed: Mar 17, 2022

Email Andreea Lotak  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Beautiful trip in Kenya and Tanzania with African Sunset Safaris
4/5

The rating would be 4.5 starts if I could select that. Aaron and the entire team were professional and reliable and we felt taken care of during the transfers from Kenya to Tanzania and back. We communicated the whole time via WhatsApp and the entire team was very responsive.

There were some hiccups with COVID testing and some coordination with the payment (issues with the $100 bills) and final transfer back to Kenya, but a lot of COVID planning is difficult to do with constantly changing regulations. Aaron did take care of us after all and helped us get all of our tests needed before returning to the US.

We had a great time on the safaris and saw more than we were expecting, including a serval. Both Aaron and Geoff were very good at communicating with other guides and taking us where all the action was. We all throughly enjoyed the accommodations we stayed at (especially the camp in Serengeti) and the wildlife we were so lucky to see. It was, overall, a truly memorable trip and we’re grateful to the African Sunset Safaris team for making it happen. Would recommend.

Ryan Patrick Killackey   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2022 Reviewed: Mar 8, 2022

Email Ryan Patrick Killackey  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Excellent experience in 4 nature reserves in 2 countries.
5/5

I’m a fairly seasoned visitor to Africa, and lead a trip for myself and 5 friends. We specifically wanted to go to Maasai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro for 6 people over 9 days.

When reaching out to different safari companies, we were told our trip couldn’t be done. We were always offered an alternative itinerary visiting places we didn’t want to see with a ridiculous price tag.

It appeared to me, many of these companies were operating out of the countries we wanted to visit, and were owned by foreigners. It was important to me to get the trip I asked for, and to support a local African company.

African Sunset Safaris offered a fair price for the exact trip I requested. Haron Gashao was extremely prompt to answer every question I had on WhatsApp, and his team of all local Kenyans and Tanzanians we great. The standout was our Tanzanian guide, Geoffrey Godwin, who guided us for most of our trip was most excellent.

Over the course of 9 days, we only experience a few minor hick-ups. All in all, everything ran smoothly, and the safari vehicles never let us down.

During our experience, we saw - 24 lions, 11 cheetah, 4 leopard and 1 serval cat. We also saw hundreds of elephants and other mammal, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

We were given several options for lodging, and chose the following lodges for our trip - Sarova Mara Lodge, Serengeti Safari Lodge, Bougainville Safari Lodge and Mille Salinero Lodge. The standout was Serengeti Safari lodge. At first sight the main lodge was rundown, but the wall tents were stunning, clean and had brilliant views. Additionally the lodge staff at Serengeti Safari Lodge were the best we experienced.

If you are clear with Haron about what you want, and are equally clear about your expectations, you will have an excellent trip with African Sunset Safaris

Justin Lotak   –  
United States US
Visited: February 2022 Reviewed: Feb 21, 2022

Email Justin Lotak  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Our tour operator was kind and enjoyable to be with
5/5

We had a great trip with African Sunset Safaris, and our guide Haron took care of our trip to ensure everything went smoothly (which was a difficult task with COVID changing so many rules so frequently). We saw more wildlife than we imagined we would - throughout Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro. Overall it will be a trip we remember for the rest of our lives. Thank you Haron and African Sunset Safaris!

Average User Rating
4.6/5
Rating Breakdown
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