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 Anna Rita | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible, don't book with this company
When we asked a quote we received different photos than where he accommodated us. When we arrived we were in shock for the location, we asked to be moved immediately and Mr. Mika told us to pay for the upgrade. For 2 days in Lenchada Camp we had the electricity just for 3h per day, was from 7pm to 10 pm, in the tend wasn’t plate for recharge the cell phone. We booked for 2 persons for 1.700 dollars for 5 days, full board, includes Breakfast/ Lunch/Dinner/Drinking water. Driver/Camp/Hotel/Safari/National Park.
We had to recharge in the fake restaurant (was a small a dirty tend, and the food was terrible, the chef wearing very dirty). No electricity, no water to drink in the camp. We never meet Mr. Mika, he staid away from us.
In the our tour for 5 day were with us others 5 persons. One paid 550 dollars for Lenchada Camp where Mr Mika accomodated us, and the others 4 paid 600 dollars each for a good location in Enrock Camp.
Thanks to the driver for our safari Mr. Andrew from other company we recovered the shock of the terrible first 2 days in Lenchada Camp.
We give the good reviews for the driver Mr. Andrew, and bad reviews for Akoa Africa Tour and Mr. Mika from this company.
Reply from Okoa Africa Tours
Posted on Mar 14, 2023Dear Annarita
We are glad to see your comments but on the camp honestly you know where you were going to stay because your request was 5 days budget camping safari and we sent you detailed itinerary with the names of the accommodations including Lenchada Camp and you agreed with it and booked it on the price our price for 5 days budget joining group safari by 4x4 jeep is 850 usd pp and that is what you paid as per our cost for this safari no one asked you for extra payment for safari and you did a game drive as per the safari program we sent you also you stayed at the accommodations we sent you in the program Nothing was changed in the program. On the electricity there was electricity problem in the area because there was power cut off in that area and we apologise for that. On your comment on Mika he did not see you on your first day of the safari because Mika was not in the city but the office representative by the name Johnson came to picked you at Ibis hotel and gave you the brefing on the safari before departure and then John drove you to the group where you met the group and departure to Masai Mara with Andrew the guide whom recommend well so this shows our commitment to safari as per request. On the drinking water the guides always carry enough water in the jeep so it could be you forgot to take the water from the jeep. Thank you so much for booking your safari with us
FR
Email Maude | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible experience, stay away!
I had an unacceptable experience with Okoa tour, don’t ever book with them!! They changed last minute our reservation (2 nights in the hotel planned instead of 2 and one in a new one not chosen) notifying us only at the airport when we reached. Then, Michael drop the agency started raising his voice and was so disrespectful talking to me. He tried to scam me giving me back my change after I paid (giving me less in local money). In the end, the hotel that wasn’t planned keekorok was not satisfying at all, the room was small, dirty it really affected our trip. This agency is not reliable at all please stay away!!!
Reply from Okoa Africa Tours
Posted on Feb 17, 2023Dear Maude
Thank so much for your review. But your review is not genuine considering that you didn't have any problems with safari after confirming to me Johnson that you had a great game drive with our Masai guide called Gideon and you saw the whole big five animals including Rhino which is rare to see in Masai with few days. You booked your safari with us about 40 days before you landed in Nairobi but never send any deposit to help us reserved the rooms at Ashnil camp However we managed to secure to 2nights for you at at Ashnil camp using our own resources and for the flight to Masai Mara. Despite several requests from Michael to send deposit for rooms reservations at Ashnil camp as per your request eventually we couldn't manage to get requested 3nights without deposit payment due to demand at that time for Valentines day. While Keekorok Lodge with the same rate and location inside the park were available to accommodate us for a night without more deposit wanted. And this information was shared with you before you started the safari and you agreed to take that option. But later after finishing safari you started threatening us to give you 200 usd so you will stop writing negative review. According to your threats on WhatsApp you said if we give you 200 usd you will keep quiet and we can share them here.
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.
IT
Email Francesco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good tour, but poor communication from the tour operator
5 stars to the experience, amazing landscapes and lots of animals
5 stars to Boniface who went to great lengths to show us the best
5 stars to the group, very nice and friendly people, it was a pleasure to stay with them
4 stars to the accomodations, considering the budget it was good
3 stars to the food, it was good, but always the same, and as vegetarian for lunch bag always boiled eggs
2 stars to Okoa, we had to pay 7% more because we paid by card, and no one had warned us that there were additional charges with the card, otherwise we would have paid in cash. The tour is the same with other tour operators, we were staying in the same van, same hotels, all the same, with people who had booked with other tour operators, but maybe with other tour operators we would have saved money.
Reply from Okoa Africa Tours
Posted on Aug 29, 2022Dear Francesco,
Thank you so much for your comment, we are glad to hearing back from you and is great you enjoyed your safari. The card charges its not ours but by bank and the charges is less than 5% NOT 7% YOU MENTIONED we believe maybe that was error you wrote
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.
ES
Email Cristina Clausin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
good quality price
all very correct. Mika very helpful, he helped us with a lost suitcase.
Martin the driver the best we could have. Fast, efficient and polite
The worst is the hotel where they book us up the first day (Embassy) and some of the meals, but that no longer depends on them
FR
Email Romain | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reactive and pro
The safari was amazing, our driver knew the reserve very well and we saw a lot of animals. He was very pro.
The accommodation was ok.
Legit tour! Affordable budget option
As a first timer, reading so many reviews and feedbacks from all agencies, this agency is really good and legit. Overall, i felt secured since then with Mika. He gives information a lot and answer promptly to my queries. I paid cash on their office at Nairobi.
Before the tour, he explained everything what shall we expect. And we feel happy about his service. Since day, the driver, Boniface, pick us up from our apartment and drop to his office. Then collecting all the passengers for the 1 van from different company. In the 1st 3 days, we were 8 but these 2 guys extended their Masai Mara for a day, so on the 4th day we are only 6 like the other van.
The food was ok, mostly was beef stew, lentil, egg(packed lunch), spinach, fried chx(packed lunc)h,etc. I had diarrhea and i dont know whats the reason. Just better bring ibuprofen with you. The food is bland and repeated for 7 days. Nothing much to be excited about it. Expect this food also in other budget tour even with other companies.
Always bring bug repellant with you even you stay in a hotel as there’s still mosquito.
Boniface is fine for me but other people with us cant understand him much when he was explaining and discussing about the animals and more.
Summary, the tour is worth the money you paid comparing to the other tours. It has cheaper price but you will get the same quality with other agencies.
BE
Email Norbert | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good communication, you Will get what you have booked for.
We appreciated the good communication. Immediate and clear response to all questions. Very helpful. Upon booking you Will receive a clear documentation file with details. So you Know what you can expect (what is in, what is out).
The travel agency collaborates with other small agencies, so in practice (for a budget safari), People of different agencies van be joined in one minivan. But in principle that should not be a problem as they all offer the same program... However, it may be the case that other travel agencies do not provide clear info on the details... And in case that these travellers are quite demanding, this may cause some problem. In that case, it is up to the driver to solve the problem...
Our driver/guide, Ken, did An excellent job trying to fullfill the demands of the persons from different agencies (which was not that easy...), But he managed!
We had a wonderful safari and we were Lucky to see the big five (quite some Lions!), the river crossing,.... The whole package! He did all the efforts to give us the best experience! Thank you Ken! Me and my family enjoyed it very much!
One last word on the program. We booked the 3-day safari, meaning one evening drive, one full day drive, morning drive before return to Nairobi.
Forget about the morning drive... Opt for the extended full day drive (6am-6pm), so you Will have more chance to get to the Mara river to see the crossing and all the other things. The morning drive is less of interest as you can not drive far into the park (that part you have been already, and the best you Will only see further away). The 3th day you can visit the Masai village instead. In principle you need to discuss/agree with your fellow travellers, And it costs extra... It is advisable to negotiate upfront.
In short: we recommend this Company, we recommend Our guide Ken!