One of our experienced guide and staffs
Bienvenido Kenya Tours and Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1992)
- Member Of:
- American Society of Travel Agents
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $110 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Dusan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Don’t go please with them! SCAMMERS !
Please skip this agency!! SCAMMERS !
My worst experience. I booked 5 days Masai Mara with Amboseli, and when i arrive in Nairobi they pick me up then said that they don’t have that tour now ( day before they said that they have).. and they didn’t care about that mistake, I didn't even get an apology, so I was forced to agree to go to something I didn't book , different 5 days trip. When we finish that conversation i sat in the car to start that tour, on the way to safari, after 1 hour i got weird messages and calls on my kenyan number from local numbers and messages like “f*ck yourself, stupid” they called me next two days when i was on my safari trip, and i block them, and just people from this agency know my number! Because i bought my sim card on airport on same date, when i arrived in Kenya! I felt unsafe as a tourist, because you don’t know who to ask because the same Agency organize that to me! When we finish that tour after 5 days they were supposed to drive me back to my hotel/airport for free. When we arrive back to Nairobi the girl who told me that “i have included transport, because if i book 5,6,7 days safari i have included transport” and now when we arrived she told me “no its not included (with laughing)” i have screenshots of our chat if someone don’t believe me. So i was very angry and i went alone back to my hotel with some street taxi because i saw that this agency is playing with tourist. Also for example “Naivasha” its just transport to the place, you have to pay 35-50$ for boat tour or walking, without paying that you cannot enter. Aware that they made a big mistake at the beginning (because i paid expensive ticket to kenya and i didnt see Amboseli what i wanted) and instead of correcting it, in the end they turn out to be even bigger scammers until the end , and I didn’t get a single apology for all of that. I really like Kenya and it was my dream place to visit but this is very sad, if you want to enjoy in beautiful Kenya skip them and find a serious agency who respect their guests.
(Driver James was very nice and kind and i recommend him) but agency is horrible, they don’t deserve more tourists. I have a proof for all of that what i wrote. I booked with this “Bienvenido tours” and when i text the number from email they said “Purity” is name of agency, so they are maybe connected. Be careful.
Reply from Bienvenido Kenya Tours and Safaris
Posted on Mar 29, 2023Hi Dusan,
Thank you so much for your safari feedback and thanks again for choosing to travel with us.
We are very sorry to hear this from you and its very unfortunate. Our mission is always to offer a memorable safari to all our customers regardless of their budget. As we normally don't offer 5 days group safari covering Masai mara and Amboseli only (unless on a special request in which the safari will be customized to private) For 5 days group joining safari it covers Masai Mara Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha and this was the available option which we gave you, but you said your budget was too low or be offered the safari as complimentary which was not possible to us.
For the messages remember, you didn't share your local number with our team we only had your international telephone number, but you received the messages in your local number, kindly share the numbers which were sending you the messages for the further action.
We look forward to host you in future.
Email John | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They reduced program without warning
After we paid them, they told us they would not do the game drive in the morning of the last day, because 2 months ago the government increased the price of the park entrances. It feels like a scam.
ES
Email Spain | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DON’T BOOK WITH THEM
Purity was the operator that I was talking to by email. At the beginning she was answering quickly to my questions so I decided to book and pay the amount she told me. Once I paid I had to wait since 31st May to 29th June to have my confirmation. I had to send several emails (without answer) and that was feeling like a scam. After that, I had to write her a few days before to make sure everything was fine and that was when she told me the planning had changed “because the government increased the price of the entrance fee”, so we had 1 day of 5 without visit to any park. Even that happened and I was informed two days before arrival, the price stayed the same. When we arrived there hopefully we met the best driver ever, Ken, who was working for another company and took care of us with all his love. The last day he informed us that we were going to change into another car to arrive at Namanga border where we were supposed to take a bus that would bring us to our hotel in Arusha (final destination). We met that second driver at Amboseli’a date. He came driving his van very fast and shouting at us and at Ken. We couldn’t understand anything but finally he left us there without explanation and left driving unsafe. That was a nightmare for us, that were about to lose our shuttle bus and were scared. We had to change into a third van and arrived at Namanga border where we met Abbas, the man that was going to “help” us within there. He asked us the name of the hotel in Arusha and said Arusha wasn’t safe so they will going to bring us our hotel. Finally we took the bus but our destination changed again without explanation as he left us somewhere in Arusha. We had to take a taxi after being in the middle of 20-30 men trying to force us to go with them on their “taxis”, in a very unsafe area. When I reached Purity on WhatsApp she seemed surprised and worried but when I asked for the amount of the taxi she turned the same: no answer, no help, so I had to talk to my lawyer to start a process against the company. Sometimes you go for the cheapest and that turns into the most expensive experience. Think twice before booking…
Email Ron | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Money makers only profit oriented
These guys are just money makers. Did the one night safari trip and it was ridiculous. Arrived way too late at the park so we had only 2h game drive. Slept in a tent which doesn’t even has a light switch. You had to screw the bulb to switch on/off the light. Then morning game drive was also just 2h saying the driver needs to be on the road back to Nairobi by 9am. Maybe for unexperienced Tourists fun but I have lived in EA for more than 4 years and did many safari before. This was mos def the worst of all. They just make a lot of profit saving every shilling they can regarding service. Food was cheap local food (rice, beans, posho, goats meat) and all other services also ridiculous. The game drive was also only very semi professional. Anyway if you want local African experience, go for it but the price is definitely way to high for what you get.
DE
Email Eunice | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our tour was poorly organized,never again
We booked a 4days tour with Purity to Mara and Nakuru,before the payments communication was fast and good.Afterwards on day 3 when we ended up in Naivasha and had to pack for 4hrs with no clear information from our tour guide who also seemed stressed the whole tour and couldn’t answer our questions and had to confirm everytime from the management.We contacted Purity for clarification and promised to call us back which she never did and her phone was off for the rest of the day.The guide had to ask us where we were to sleep in Nakuru since he couldn’t get any information.In short a whole day wasted just driving.Day 4 was a mess but we didn’t expect anything better,all we wanted is to get back to Nairobi,we left at 6:30am went for the game drive till11am thereafter the other guests were to be dropped somewhere to join other groups as we proceed to Nairobi,the dropoff point was not clear and had to stop again in Naivasha for almost 2hrs though lunch was offered after we complained to the guide .We reached Nairobi after 5pm very tired.Book at your own risk,never again.
US
Email Juanita | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor service
I booked an 8 day Kenya/Tanzania safari for my 2 children and I. Purity was amazing to work with prior to leaving my home country. She was very responsive and even went to the embassy on my behalf when I was having problems with my visa. However, once on the safari things started to go wrong. We were picked up from Nairobi and took the long drive to Masai Mara, we did an evening game drive that first day and was brought to our tent camp for the night. Camp was very basic, only had working electricity in the main cafeteria area, so had only a few hours to charge devices. The 2nd day was a full day game drive and visit to Masai village which was wonderful. Day 3 (which was my birthday) is where the itinerary changed. We were supposed to visit Lake Nakuru for a safari boat tour, but that was canceled, there were no other plans for the day besides to drive back to Nairobi and go to a hotel, the next day the plans were to drive from Nairobi to Tanzania and check into hotel upon arrival. That was 2 days back to back filled with just driving. That was not fair to my kids or myself as that was not in the itenerary and I did not pay for 2 days of driving. I emailed purity as I was unsure of what to do and she apologized for the inconvenience. I decided to cancel and book with a different company as I really did not want to spend the entire next day driving. I asked to be dropped off at the airport and took a flight to Tanzania and was picked up from another tour company and had an exceptional experience. Essentially I paid more for the 3 days I was with this company than the 5 days with the second one. The food provided was very subpar, for lunch having boxed sandwiches with cucumber and tomato. Our tour guide was nice however not very helpful with telling us about the things we were seeing. It was a very frustrating experience to say the least, but I am glad it ended on a more positive note with a different company. Please do your research prior to booking. Research the lodges, the amount of driving that will be done and if possible request a specific tour guide. I was hoping for a very positive learning experience for my kids and that was not the case. I also requested a hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara and was told that would be available at an extra cost and was not available to us while there.
JP
Email Mizuho | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience Mud poured over our heads and clothes got dirty but no support
We faced a terrible experience during the tour. Mud and muddy water poured over our head and clothes got dirty but no support nor compensation from the guide.
The tour was held on a clowdy day with some rain and the ground was so muddy.
The car the guide used was a van, HIACE (not the land clouser or something) and the car hight was not enough to avoid splash mad or even to run the bad road.
So we closed the window and opened the roof to watch animals.
The case was happened when we crossed a big puddle. Even though the car is not tall enough to cross it and there was an alternative detour to avoid it, the driver plunged into it and after a few seconds , the car hit a pothole and mud (and water) heavily splashed and they poured into our heads and clothes from the opened roof.
Please let me echo that if it was of course
avoidable because 1) there was an alternative detour to avoid the puddle and 2) there were a few seconds for the driver to stop and turn back before hitting the pothole (the mud splash was kept happening).
After the incident, we asked to the support team to seek any compensation but they just said apologies.
We are very disappointed for the experience without professionalism.
CA
Email Matthew | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safaris that could use a little more organization
My partner and I recently finished the 11-Day Mara Nakuru Amboseli Serengeti Ngorongoro Nairobi Safaris.
Kennedy, was very helpful in the planning process. There were a few times where I asked specific questions that went unanswered, but in general our back and forths were good.
Our time in the parks was great. We had many rare and fascinating animal sightings and our guide was great at positioning us for optimal viewing. I wish that our guide had been a little more forthcoming with information though. He would answer questions but not volunteer too much. Additionally, on the Kenya side, we were only provided 1L of water per day. This is not enough, especially in 30+ degree weather.
The accommodations and food were good. I would advise people to bring battery packs and take advantage wifi when it is available as both electricity and Internet will often not be.
The safaris had some issues with organization and professionalism. On our very first day, we sat at the office for an hour after being picked up. We were told that it was because other members of our group were late. Then, after discussing with those travellers, we discovered they were told they were kept waiting because we were late. It is ok to run late in the morning but it is very unprofessional to blame tourists to one another. Another issue we experienced was due to a typo in the itinerary that I was provided during the booking process. The date of September 13th was forgotten, so after the 12th, the itinerary was off by a day. This was a big issue as it forced us to spend an extra day and night in Arusha at the end of the tour. This was money we did not intend to spend. It also caused concern at the Kenya-Tanzania border because the date of entry on our visas was the 15th when we were actually crossing on the 14th. Lucky for us the border guards understood. Regarding the border crossing, this was not handled well by the company. Our guide dropped us off at the border without any information on what shuttle we were taking or when it was leaving. Instead, he told us to just trust his friend that was there. This friend had no association with the tour company and was obviously inebriated. If this wasn't stressful enough, once we arrived at the bus depot in Arusha, the representative from Seven Wonders (the company running the safaris on the Tanzanian side) failed to collect us so we had to take a cab. This was not a great day. The organization was also lacking in Tanzania. We were collected on day one by what turned out to be the wrong tour so we had to switch the next day. This was not a big deal but decisions on what tourists were going where and with which guide seemed to be made on fly each day.
Despite these hiccups, the safari did leave us with many great memories and positive feelings. It is good value as a budget safaris and earned the 4 Stars I awarded it. I would choose it again if I had the opportunity.
Recommendations: 1) While planning your safaris, make sure to scrutinize the schedule; 2) Be flexible. The itinerary will not be strictly adhered to; 3) If crossing the border, make sure your guide provides you with a shuttle number; 4) Buy water when you can (particularly in Kenya); 5) Take advantage of electricity/wifi when it is available
Booked a 5day safari the night before and they nailed it
Our driven and guide Clinton was a stud 10/10 recommend. Pretty sure we saw the big 5 in one full day my dude knew what he was doing to say the least. He got us so close to the animals it was crazy. This man drove us into the middle of nowhere and all over the country for a week and never checked a gps once. Helped us book train tickets because we could not use mpesa and dropped us off safe. A trustworthy and reputable ambassador for the company
LV
Email Annija | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
4-day unforgettable experience!
We enjoyed 4-day safari trip from Nairobi through Abmoseli National park, Tsavo National Park and ended in Mombasa.
Our communication with the contact person Purity was very easy, quick and efficient - he gave useful advices and did it also in evenings and weekends!
Our driver Kitavi was really nice and pleasant person who did his job with full responsibility and took care that we really see as much as possible. He was also an exciting conversation companion so that we could get to know so much interesting about Kenya.
Those were unforgettable days and amazing experience!
Thank you very much "Bienvenido Kenya Tours and Safaris", you made our first experience in Kenya so great and wonderful!