Shanjoy Tours Team
Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $250 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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Email Divya Dhanas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Masai Maara Safari - Shanjoy Tours
Pros:
- People within the Tours are reachable
- Excellent stay provided
- Safe driving
Cons:
- No Game Drive provided on the last day (while it was promised on the quotation). Basically, your last day of Safari is only transfer to Nairobi without any Game drive (even if promised)
- Full day Game drive ends super early. During our Day 2 of game drive, it started at 7am but ended by 4pm (while the park is open till 6pm and the sun would still be up till 6.30pm). Was disappointed to miss out the last 2 hours of Game Drive
- Was able to see only 3 out of 5 (Big5) while other Tour operators promises to shown all Big5
Reply from Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
Posted on Jul 16, 2024Thanks, Divya for your review. I appreciate you booking with us.
Typically, for a three-day, two-night safari, we do a full-day safari from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving our clients time to relax in the lodge, but this depends on how they want the game drive to go. You could have told your guide about this, as I had told you you would be able to arrange your timings as you are on a private safari.
For the morning game drive, I am sure you drove back through the park; the new rules prohibit doing a game drive after the ticket has expired after 12 hours. On the final day of the safari, there is no game drive; you spot anything on the way out. Martin, your consultant, specifically informed you that to do a morning game drive on the 3rd day, you would need to pay park fees. You hand only paid for 2 days' park fees, and all those game drives were delivered as promised.
It is important to appreciate that the wild is unpredictable, and the animals present themselves at will. This means that game drives can be rewarded differently. As such, we do not guarantee our clients specific sightings, especially of the Big 5. If another company had promised you this, we do not take responsibility for that.
We encourage our clients to visit at least two or more parks when they are looking to see all the Big Five to increase their chances. Additionally, express your expectations and inform the guide of what you are truly looking for. We try to deliver rewarding game drives, but it is important to note that in the wild, no sightings are guaranteed.
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Email Amy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worst experience ever, zero competent, zero respect to me, just for the money and tips
One star is for the animals! Don’t book with them, the worst tour guide ever!! The good reviews here are very short, most just says they are nice people, that’s not competent for a guide, you need an experienced guide to know where animals are. OMG where do I even start:
1> the tour guide Joseph, worst guide ever, he’s not even a descent human being. He’s constantly on the phone, talking to others, others calling him, and when we stop I take pictures of animals, he takes out his notebook, either writing down something or on the phone. First I thought he’s talking to others to know where animals are, so I asked him. He said no, he’s clearly doing something else on this side.
2> his knowledge for animal is just non-exist! He doesn’t know what the big 5s are, doesn’t know where cheetah is, he drives to the same area everyday. And you would expect a tour guide tell you a little history about the park, different animals, etc. NOPE, absolutely nothing, he drives quietly and when we see animals he stops, let me take pictures, go.
3> we would spend hours in the car just Joseph and I and there’s no talking at all! Can you believe it! And it’s becoming very awkward so one time I tried to make a conversation, so I asked him “hey what brand of phone people use here in Kenya?”, he goes, “oh you Americans use iPhone! You are rich!”, I was like errr no everyone uses iPhone it’s very common there, carriers give deals, you can get a 24 months contract for a phone. Do you know what he said, he goes "you should sign up for a new contract and give me your phone!" wow wordless… unbelievable. Another time, I told him I want to see cheetah, he goes “cheetah are hard to see, I want $100 tips if we see cheetah.” WOW after that I gave up, i dont want to talk to him at all.
4> and on the last day, his car broke. smoke came out of the engine, we wasted half day staying in a lodge fixing his car
4 days I spent in Kenya, didnt see much at all. last day, we finally found 2 cheetah, this guy refuse to stay longer because he wants to stay under the shade. and he doesnt want to move closer because he wants to stay under the shade.
I can go on, and on. this company and this tourguide ruined my Kenya experience. Please stay away! i will post the same review on other Safari platforms. I hope more people can see it. It’s not a cheap trip, please choose wisely!!
Reply from Shanjoy Tours and Safaris
Posted on Jun 24, 2024I do confirm that Amy booked a safari with us and I personally took her to the Mara and handed her to Joseph, one of our senior guides. We had a lot of communication before she came about her safari and choice of hotels, and since she was a solo traveller using high-end hotels that were very expensive, her safari cost was higher than normal.
Joseph spoke on the phone a lot; he admitted it, but some calls were necessary since her radio call was not working well.
Amy saw many animals, including a group of over 15 lions and two leopards, eating alone with no other vehicles nearby. This one is not mentioned anywhere. The reason she says Joseph was not going near Cheetah is because we have a 5-vehicle rule in Mara Triangle, and so the first vehicle had to leave and will go back when others have seen the animals. Joseph was going away to give others a chance, but she wanted to stay and not move.
It is normal to have car breakdowns or get stuck while on safari, and this is what happened. The car was fixed, but not for the half-day she mentioned.
She could tell me to change hotels for her, which was not possible at the time, saying there were no animals or saying she saw the same thing. She gave the two guides a difficult time during game drives, which was not good. We do game drives without expecting anything, as the wild does not guarantee sightings.
It is regrettable she felt that we ruined her safari. However, we must appreciate that the wild does not guarantee any animals to be sighted, and hotels cannot be changed at a minute's notice. Once an itinerary has been booked and the hotels paid, any changes come with additional costs, which the client must be prepared to incur. Amy did not want to incur the cost of changing the hotel, despite having recommended the hotel which we booked.
This is my first client to ever complain about us and I regret it. I wish to ensure that all our clients get the best from their safari.
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Email Mr Ashutosh Godbole | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Patrick, our tour guide was very proactive, professional, full of information and fun to be with
We had a wonderful Kenya and Tanzania customised safari experience. We visited Amboseli, Masai Mara and Serengeti national park. Patrick, our tour guide and the owner of Shanjoy Tours and Safaris, was very responsive right from the beginning. He was always accessible via email and WhatsApp. He sent us a detailed itinerary as a reply to my enquiry, and patiently changed it multiple times, because of the changes that I kept requesting. In the end, we had a great safari experience. Patrick organised the whole trip very well. He is also an excellent safari guide himself and gave us a lot of information about birds and animals in Amboseli. We also had a great experience at Masai Mara and Serengeti. A big thank you to Patrick, Beth, Joseph and the entire team. We highly recommend Shanjoy Tours and Safaris for your next safari experience in Kenya and Tanzania.
Email Moche | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional tour guide with a knowledge on wildlife
If i was to travel again and again i will just choose shanjoy tours , excellent and professional tour guide
Email Simon Mungai | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
My experience and trip was spectacular
It was my first time to plan a trip to Kereita forest, someone recommended Shanjoy tours and Safari,it was the best advice ever.My day trip from the pick up point the fun filled, memorable day at The Forest at Kereita was simply splendid.Everything was well thought out in advance including the activities to engage in and paid in advance ensured my trip didn't have any hiccups.Their tour vans were clean and well maintained.Snacks and refreshments were provided to my surprise.Despite the heavy rains, Shanjoy tours personnel ensured our day ended with great memories.Kudos Shanjoy tours and Safari.I have used the tour firm twice this year.They have not disappointed.
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Email Lynne R | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Shanjoy Tours went beyond expectations to make our first safari better than our wildest dreams!
I spent a lot of time researching several tour companies, locations and details in order to make sure our vacation was exactly what we wanted it to be. Shanjoy Tours, and especially, Rodah, ensured our trip was perfect, despite hiccups that were beyond control. Additionally, they came in lowest priced for the quality of trip. Once I began to understand what a safari entailed, I knew we wanted to stay at a conservancy and Rodah set us up at Royal Mara (also excellent) in Mara North Conservancy. Rodah and Martin met us at the airport early in the morning after arriving two days late due to flight issues, took us to the store for a change of clothes, and they picked our luggage up late that evening once we realized the luggage didn't make it on our flight. Patrick, the owner, escorted us to our flight to the conservancy and made sure we were all squared away. I was able to contact Rodah any time I needed anything and/or we wanted to make changes to our plans while in Kenya, which happened a lot, and she was always pleasant and cheerful. Their recommendation of Mara North and Royal Mara was spot on, and they even contacted the property asking that they prioritize spotting cheetahs (my daughter's dream) and we saw one within an hour of arriving at the conservancy. It was important to me to use a Kenyan owned tour company both because the money then gets returned to Kenya and because I believe their knowledge exceeds those booking a vacation from outside the country and I am so glad we did. When we return to Kenya, I will 100% use Shanjoy Tours again to book our vacation! Thank you, Rodah, Martin, Patrick and team!
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Email DJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good itinerary, but needs better guides
We really appreciated the itinerary options and help leading up to our safari by the company. We didn’t love the accommodation provided in Maasai Mara for 3 nights, but the rest were really nice. We saw amazing wildlife and enjoyed how beautiful the countries were, which is the reason for the 3 stars. But our guides/drivers were not good in either Tanzania or Kenya. They seemed moody and overworked. They actually mentioned how tired they were and one guide worried us with how they were acting. For the price, we wouldn’t recommend this company based on the guides they used.
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Email Devon Grant | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Accommodating
We had a great time on our 3 day safari in the Masai Mara with Shanjoy Tours. Beth was very helpful in putting our tour together and answering all of our questions. Patrick was very accommodating when we arrived and showed us gems around the city of Nairobi. In addition, our safari tour guide Rio was very informative on the Masai culture and the Masai Mara wild life.
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Email Richard | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Service with a smile
Patrick reacted very efficiently to a very last minute booking request. He couldn’t have been more pleasant and worked overtime to make my trip easy
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Email Chelsea | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Driven
I recently had the pleasure of booking a safari trip with Shanjoy Safaris, and it was truly an experience of a lifetime! From start to finish, everything was exceptional, thanks to Patrick, the owner, and his incredible team.
Patrick's organization and attention to detail ensured that every aspect of the trip ran smoothly. He was accommodating, professional, and genuinely passionate about creating unforgettable experiences for his guests.
A special shout-out to David and Tony, our drivers, who were nothing short of amazing. Their expert knowledge of the parks and keen eyes for spotting wildlife made every game drive an adventure. Not only were they excellent drivers navigating even the roughest terrain, but they also shared interesting facts about the animals and their habitats, making the experience even more enriching.
Throughout the trip, I felt safe, well-cared for, and constantly in awe of the stunning landscapes and incredible wildlife we encountered. Shanjoy Safaris truly goes above and beyond to deliver an authentic and memorable safari experience.
If you're looking for a safari company that combines professionalism, passion, and genuine care for their guests, Shanjoy Safaris is the one to choose.
