YES WE ARE RELIABLE TOUR OPERATOR
Okoa Africa Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Tourism Federation, Museum of Kenya under Nature-Kenya & TRA under Ministry of Tourism in Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $559 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Martina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Maasai Mara + Lake Nakuru
The communication by email was very good. They came to pick us up at the hotel 45 minutes late without notifying us, but fortunately they arrived. The Safari was wonderful. Our driver Jackson was really good and very helpful. The eco camp had basic services, but we knew it.
AE
Email Kakhramon G | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very helpful and very quick to respond to your messages.
Overall a great experience. they were professional and quick to respond to our messages.
AE
Email Aloysius Rosario | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The customer service provided by okao Africa tours was really good and were always quick in response
Our tour guides mike and Amos both were very helpful and very fluent in explaining the tour.
Amazing experience.they gave us the chance of having an excellent adventure.
Okoa tours has covered my expectations in general.good communicatios,excellent service.Mark,our assistant in Nairobi was very helpful and nice,very worry about our needs.we could watch many animals thanks to our guide max...good driver in those difficult roads.good quality/price in general.thank very much...this has been one of the best trips in my life.
FR
Email Eloise | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice safari but dishonest company
We had a very nice 3 days 2 nights safari in the Masai mara. Our guide Richard was the best driver and we managed to see a lot of animals. But Okoa asked me to pay enormous Bank fees and when I arrived they still asked for more money even though I paid more than what I was supposed to. I wanted to go so I paid but I really feel cheated.
Email Monica | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Attended their 4 day tour to Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru and saw all the BIG FIVE!
As a solo traveller I was impressed by the personal greeting service offered by Okoa. When I arrived at 4am in Nairobi I had a guide meeting me at the coach station. Likewise the guide dropped me off at the coach station in Nakuru so I could take the return coach to Kakamega where I worked as an NGO volunteer.
The accommodation in Masai Mara was basic and they did not cater well for vegetarians. However, the hotel Waterbuck in Nakuru did - indeed well beyond my expectations after my experience in the Masai Masa.
The safaris themselves were excellent! The guide friendly and approachable. We saw all the big fives in Masai Mara and he even took us our an early morning ride, which was not part of the tour!
Lake Nakuru was a little bit disappointing as many birds were gone but part of the countryside was stunning and the hotel great. Overall I great 4 day tour and I would recommend the touring company to my friends!
US
Email Richae | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Massai Mara
Wonderful experience. The guides were very helpful.
Email Ben | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Average company lacking transparency
Please note that Okora safaris is part of Big Time Safaris and is simply one of around 12 separate agencies all operating under Big Time Safaris.
We booked a 7 day budget sharing safari in Kenya. What we didn’t realise, and weren’t told, until we turned up at the office on the first day, was that this meant different members of the group are doing different itinerary’s. So for us we had a group of 7, 3 doing 3 days, 2 doing 5 days and the two of us doing 7.
We had assumed “sharing safari” meant we were joining a group of others all on the same trip rather than a private trip for the two of us.
The different schedules therefore resulted in swapping drivers at various points and wasted time dropping people off at inconvenient times and places. For example of day 3, on the way back from Massi Mara, rather than arranging a pick up point for three of the group In Narok, we ended up spending an extra 3 hours in the car as we drove most of the way back to Nairobi rather than going straight from the Masi Mara to Lake Nakuru via the road in Narok.
In Amboseli we were a group of 8 people in the mini van making it very tight for the game drive and with all of the bags. Please note all of the group had been told different things about maximum group size, some were told a max of 4 people some 6 people so 8 wasn’t acceptable to anyone.
The organisation and communication on the whole was poor and whilst everyone in the group appreciated we are in Africa and not Europe, the trip simply did not run as scheduled with all the car journeys taking hours longer than had been indicated.
Our guide was very knowledgeable but wouldn’t volunteer information unless asked and seemed content with doing the minimum required. For example On Day 3 in the Masai Mara, the guides view was that we had a good day on day 2 and saw lots of animals therefore the sunrise game drive that was scheduled for Day 3 was not required. After some awkward conversations he eventually agreed that the sunrise game drive could go ahead on Day 3…not the attitude you are looking for in a guide…He was also late on 2 occasions by over 45 minute late each time meaning we lost valuable sunrise game time in both the Masai Mara and Amboseli.
What was also disappointing was that we confirmed that we could pay by card, accepting a 2.5% charge for doing so. Our quote for the trip was priced in USD. However when arriving at the office the agency said this needed to be converted into Kenyan shillings at the rate that they would then need to convert Kenyan shillings back into dollars. In effect paying two conversation rates on the same payment. We challenged this and the “quoted exchange rate” was reduced albeit this seems completely unreasonable and unnecessary and still cost us almost $100 when compared to the market rate USD to Kenyan shillings rate on the date of transaction. It is my opinion that this is simply a scam so the agency can pocket some extra cash. Having booked other tours with other Kenyan companies priced in USD these “double exchange rate” payment did not exist.
All that being said the beauty of the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli is amazing it’s just a shame that the tour company were not transparent about what to expect on the trip and that our guide was context with doing the minimum required rather than trying to maximise the time available in these locations to give the best experience possible.
Reply from Okoa Africa Tours
Posted on Aug 29, 2022Dear Ben
Thank you so much for your comment and we are glad you have done your safari with us safely. The itinerary you requested before booking your safari with us was and is joining group safari and the amount you pay is and was budget joining group safari and NOT private safari we can't afford to operate your safari private if you pay for joining group safari this is because joining safari is affordable than private which is costly and this is why you chose to shared the cost with other travelers. Okoa Africa Tours is NOT Big Time Safaris but Okoa Africa Tours share operation office with other 5 companies and Big Time Safaris is one of them. Is expensive to have office in Nairobi city so Okoa Africa Tours and other companies work at one offfice to help us shared the cost just like you booking joining group Safaris to help you get affordable safari. On the rate of exchange this issue really give us challeges with travellers who don't prefer paying the safari in Cash or online paymeny by card 7 weeks before safari, And prefer paying by card in the office at the office the card payment machine is in Kenya Shllings and if you were to pay by card in the office your dollars payment we will receive it in Kenya shillings because of that card machine at the office is Kenya Shilling account and because of this we will convert your dollar payment with the currect bank rate which is not in our hand but BANKS which KEEP CHANGING SELLING DOLLAR RATE and online selling dollar rate is always lower compare to local bank rate. And atually we always gave you option to pay in cash in dollars to avoid giving banks adavatage of getting extra ksh or pay in dollars by online card payment 7 days before your arrival day
DE
Email Olivia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The tour itself is very nice but be careful with the payment
Basically, the tour is quite well organised and planned and everything worked out. We saw a lot of the country and even more animals. It was really nice.
But be careful with the payment. The organisation tries to take money out of your pockets wherever possible. It starts with a very bad exchange rate and allegedly high bank fees that you have to pay additionally to the tour operator and then again afterwards to the bank. In addition, you often have to pay for two days' admission to the park, even though you only spent one day in the park. However, you do not get the money back.
In addition, they are very uncooperative and unfriendly when you ask them questions about this, put you under a lot of pressure and immediately threaten you with the police if you try to defend yourself.
The tour itself is highly recommended, as long as you pay attention to the payment.
Reply from Okoa Africa Tours
Posted on Jun 14, 2022Dear Olivia,
Thank you so much for your review and we as Okoa Africa Tours glad to heard you had a great Safari and you saw a lot of animals due to your luck during game drive. But what you mentioned on payment is NOT true because we explained to you before you pay that when you pay via card the local bank will convert the payment because the account is in Kenya shillings and meaning we received the payment in Kenya shillings then again we buy dollars for operations and what we gave you was bank rates which is in the control of bank not us and your friend who paid for safari and you were OK with it because you had option to pay in cash to avoid local bank exchange rate.
Don’t select, we were left stranded twice with independent drivers that did not know our itinerary.
We are experienced travelers who generally don’t mind small hiccups or slight plan changes. However, we experienced many issues on this safari that were unacceptable. No matter what tour agency you select, you will see the animals and the landscapes. If you don’t want those memories clouded by stress, uncertainty, and worry, pick a more reputable tour agency. This is not a professional outfit.
We were dropped off at multiple locations that didn’t match our provided itinerary with no Wi-Fi / service to contact the agency. In one instance, the next driver showed up 15 hours late. There was a lack of information and transparency that left us feeling unsafe, vulnerable, and stranded. We paid extra for a 4x4 Jeep but spent half of our time in various small sedans. We were not able to drive to one of the parks due to this.
A flat tire is reasonable and common. However, setting off on a three-day safari in the Serengeti with a damaged, leaking radiator is negligent and unsafe. We were stranded for two hours because the engine overheated and had to make several other stops to check on the vehicle throughout the tour.
Despite paying for an all-inclusive (planned) safari, we had independent or sub-contracted drivers who were not aware of our itinerary —including what parks we were to visit, where we were staying and the logistics of our next (unexpected) hand-offs. These drivers also didn’t have our information and we were forced to trust they were somehow affiliated with the company.
In one specific incident, a driver had no idea what our final destination was or where we were staying. This driver attempted to pick up friends along the way until we demanded to be taken to our accommodation. He didn’t know this accommodation, so we told him to take us to the accommodation we stayed in before we departed for the park where we knew we would have access to Wi-Fi to call for help. We then had to go to the new accommodation that was not on our provided itinerary.
Other issues we experienced:
1. Our accommodations didn’t match those listed on our itinerary and we were never provided with an updated version.
2. None of the jeeps were affiliated with Okoa Tours or the Tanzanian counterpart called Seven Wonders, despite other legitimate companies having branded vehicles.
3. All jeeps’ were older than the pictures provided and the charging outlets did not work as described.
After the tour we reached out to Okoa and they responded “But as far as the Kenya side nothing went wrong” because we arrived at the 3 listed parks.
Reply from Okoa Africa Tours
Posted on Oct 4, 2022Dear Nick we are glad to received your comment about your safari which you booked through Okoa Africa Tours and we are glad to hear your opinion about the safari and where we should improve our services especially with our working partner in Tanzania. Although it seems like your comment has some typo error on 15hrs waiting it must be an error you wrote because your safari it was a total of 9 days safari joining group budget camping safari and in Kenya you went and cover bother Masai Mara and Lake Naivasha as per the itinerary and the Tanzania side you went and visited Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro and all these parks you did a game drive as per the itinerary NO park was skipped. So this is why we believe that your comment about 15hrs is an error because if you could have waited for 15hrs you could NOT manage to cover all these parks and since you did visited all these parks in Tanzania side then you could have needed 1 day extra to complete your tour itinerary and since you did not add any extra day and your safari ended exactly on day 9th it is obvious that your comment about 15hrs is error typo on your side. Well during your safari its true you encounter some challenges because of the lack of communication between our Tanzania partner and his driver guides because you started safari with the driver who has the information about your accommodation on the last day in Arusha but due to the group joining safari some were remaining and you were to be drove back to Arusha and you were transfer to another car with another driver who did not have the information about your hotel in Arusha and i really appreciated how you communicated to us about it and we called our partner in Arusha and our partner in Tanzania followed with his driver guide to informed him where they booked for you in Arusha and that was solved within 15minutes after our Tanzania partner communicated with their driver and that the WAITED WE ARE AWARE OF BECAUSE YOU COMMUNICATED TO US ABOUT IT. Another challenge which came and you communicated to us about it and was solved immediately was at the hotel in Arusha for first night when the hotel thought that your room was only booked for bed & breakfast without dinner but again this was communicated by us to correct it and your room was later confirmed to you that is full board meaning included, bed dinner, breakfast. All the misunderstanding which came during your safari you communicated with us and was corrected immediately. On the issue of Wifi THIS WAS BUDGET CAMPING SAFARI AND AT CAMPSITE THERE IS NO WIFI YOU CAN ONLY GET WIFI AT MID RANGE AND LUXURY CAMP OR LODGES AND IF ITS HAPPENS YOU GET WIFI AT A BUDGET HOTEL LIKE YOU DID IN LAKE NAIVASHA THAT IS A CITY HOTEL NOT AT THE PARK. Thank you so much for your comment and advise and we are going to work on the things you recommend we improve on and next time when are you are booking your safari with Okoa Africa Tours you will not have a repeat of such challenges. Thank you so much and we are looking forward see you on your next trip to East Africa in the future.