Guide Richard at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge
Lenchada Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Arman | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience, great driver
We went on a 3 day 2 night tour of Masai Mara in Feb 2024.
Dixon, our driver was a fantastically skilled and extremely knowledgeable. He was able to navigate the park excellently as well a provide insights on all the wildlife we encountered.
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Email Kiran | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Charles was the most amazing tour guide. Not only knowledge but a great driver on the busy roads.
The most epic experiences of my life. This was a bucket list trip already but it far surpassed my expectations. We saw every animal even the ones like cheetahs who are always hidden. Our guide Charles knew every detail you could think of and could spot things from miles away. He would always get the best positions and allow us to take pictures that could be on national geographic, I would come back in a heartbeat. The food, the stay, the arrangements were so smooth. We even got to go on hot air balloon to Kilimanjaro! Will never forget this trip. Also made some great friends in the group!
IT
Email Ruggero | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very reilable,amazing experience.
We higly reccomend Lenchada Safaris for memorable experience.
Authentic campsite and professional drivers .
Our drivers Joseph and Albert made our experience unforgettable.
Thanks.
IN
Email Deepti | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari and wonderful service
I had the most amazing time on my trip to Masai Mara (4 days 3 nights) which was arranged by Alex on short notice of just 2 weeks. Our guide and driver was Raheem who was a warm and friendly person and very accommodating. We traveled in a Land Cruiser which was comfortable and had plenty fo water for us for the trip. We saw the big five and many other animals within 2 days of being on the Safari. We stayed at Keekrock Hotel which was perfect for us because of the many vegetarian options available in the buffet, their wonderful service, and its location right next to a pool full of hippos. Everything was very well organized and taken care of. I would highly recommend taking a safari with Lenchada Safari and asking for Raheem who had great spotting skills and patience and was a wonderful companion to us during our trip.
Overall, I found it to be a bit expensive but had a lovely time and would recommend it to other people.
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Email David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip of a lifetime
Kenya Africa with Lenchada Safari Tours What a truly amazing experience. Our six day safari from Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru Park to Amboseli Park was a time i will never forget. Full meals and accommodations were all provided without worries. It could not have been any smoother.
As for our guide Francis aka "Bush Man" this guy was truly exceptional. If you have the option make sure he goes to the top of your list for your guide. We saw the African big five by day four. He has many contacts inside the parks so you will not miss a thing. He always found a way to squeeze his vehicle into the group of trucks to get you a front row seat. From the ferocious lion to the beautiful butterfly he will not hesitate to stop for you to get your photos.
Thank you all for the trip of a lifetime.
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Email Ariel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket list!!!! 😍
Francis was such an amazing your guide! We saw all of the big 5 by day 4. What a dream come true! We feel so lucky to have seen such amazing things. Francis was a great tour guide. He was a good driver, which is extremely important when trying to get to the animals with so many other trucks fighting for views. He's also very knowledgeable and strategic. We saw all of the most famous animals of the savannah. Anyone reading, I highly recommend getting a camera with a very long lens. Perfect job! Thank you so much Francis.
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Email Carol | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic tour guide!
Post
Overall, my safari experience was a mix of highs and lows, sprinkled with valuable lessons for future travelers. Here's my detailed review:
Before delving into the adventure, a vital tip: When booking through TripAdvisor, be aware that there are both luxury and budget options available. I mistakenly chose the budget option without realizing there was another tier. For those seeking a more lavish experience, it's advisable to book directly through Lenchada.
Here's what I wish I knew beforehand:
* During the safari, you'll rarely leave the vehicle, so there's no need for specialized "safari" clothing or hiking shoes.
Day 1:
Positives:
* Promptly picked up from our hotel at 7:00 AM, we arrived at the Lenchada tented camp around 2:45 PM, making a single stop for sightseeing, souvenirs, and restroom use along the way.
* The evening game drive in Maasai Mara was a highlight, lasting about 2.5-3 hours and offering sightings of three of the "Big 5" animals.
* Despite the long drive, the abundance of wildlife and stunning photos made it worthwhile.
Negatives:
* The camp's electricity was only available from 5:30 - 7:00 AM & 6:30 - 10:00 PM in the dining hall via a generator, making charging inconvenient. No outlets in room and lights only work during generator operating hours.
* Hot water in the tent's bathroom was inconsistent, despite assurances of continuous availability.
Day 2:
Positives:
* Full-day safari in Maasai Mara, lasting about 10 hours.
* Unique a sighting of a pride of lions (17!)
Negatives:
* Woke up at 5:30 to charge camera/phones but generator had issues and didn’t work until 6:00 am when we had to leave for the day.
* Lunch consisted of unrefrigerated items (6+ hrs - lunch meat, yogurt & chicken), leading to concerns about food safety as a non local. Limited restroom availability also influenced the decision to not partake.
* Some periods of the safari felt slow, with minimal wildlife sightings as we hunted for specific game or travel from location to location; no one’s fault - nature provides and can’t be rushed.
Day 3:
Positives:
* We had the option to visit a Maasai Village before departing for a travel day ($20 per person), providing unique cultural insights and experiences.
* Interaction with the locals and participation in traditional activities added depth to the safari experience.
Negatives:
* The visit to the Maasai Village included high pressure sales tactics to purchase goods from villagers. Instead of enhancing the experience, I felt swindled and disheartened detracting from the positive aspects of the trip.
* Discomfort from flies and cow manure was unavoidable at the village site.
Day 4:
Positives:
* An early start at 6:30 AM took us to Lake Nakuru, where we completed the "Big 5" sightings with memorable encounters with rhinos, flamingos, and a RARE leopard sighting!
* Brief hippo boat ride allowed for unique photos not available in the previous parks visited.
Negatives:
* The shortage of meat during lunch due to multiple groups converging at the same time was disappointing, impacting the overall dining experience.
* The presence of mosquitoes at Chambai Safari Hotel posed a problem, affecting the comfort of our stay - leave windows closed if at all possible (no a/c in room).
* Staff advised dinner at 7pm at arrival but then woke us in our rooms at 5pm to get our order and advise that dinner would be at 8 pm - dinner did not arrive until roughly 8:30 while we sat and waited as the only diners.
Day 5:
Positives:
* We enjoyed a scenic walk in Hell’s Gate with sightings of zebras and giraffes along the way.
* Visited geothermal generation station which I found very interesting!
* A quick but satisfying lunch capped off our safari adventure before being dropped off at the hotel around 2:30 PM.
In conclusion, while the safari experience was fantastic and filled with unforgettable moments, there were notable drawbacks. Positives: Staff throughout all of our stays were kind and helpful. The vehicle was in fantastic condition, immaculate, and had one window for every person which was great (especially for those of us who get car sick). During the safari, there were no constraints to getting the perfect photo, I always felt like I was right in the action either by looking out the window or over the pop up top! Our guide did everything to get us into the position to see the best animals and was in constant communication with other guides via radio and cellphone to ensure the best experience for every group. The relationships between guides was impressive and enhanced the experience, we would have missed the pride of lions and leopard otherwise! As far as drawbacks, the food was repetitive and very limited in selection, accommodations (specifically the hotels) lacked basic amenities such as functional TVs. Additionally, better communication regarding restroom breaks, lunch times, drive times, arrival times, etc. would have made for a better experience but truly, I couldn’t have asked for a better guide to get us right into the action of it all!
Guide: 4.5/5
Animal Sightings: 10/5
Accommodations: 3/5
Food: 2/5
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Email Mariam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience!
Excellent experience with great hospitality.
We got to see everything very closely because of our expert guide, Charles. Highly recommended.
DE
Email Dominique | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour
I did the 3 day budget safari to Maasai Mara and had David as my guide. It was my first safari and an amazing experience. David was a great driver / guide who was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The only thing I would say that could be improved is communication- what the plan is for the day, when we will be eating etc.
The parks had an abundance of wildlife (saw many of the big 5 apart from a rhino and leopard). The vehicle was in good condition (Land Cruiser) and the accommodation was really comfortable - I wad expecting a lot worse for the budget option. The passengers of our car had been spread across 3 accommodations which where quite far apart. Due to the bad roads it took approx. 45 min. to pick up/drop off everyone. Thus, one thing I had wished for is that the people you are in an accommodation with are also the ones in your car - to avoid unnecessar in the morning and evening (loosing precious time to see the wildlife). Alternatively a meeting point just outside the national reserve could be introduced where passengers of the car could be swapped according to the tour operators/accomodations.
If you want a more detailed description, then you can read my travel blog entry for this safari: https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprint/65c92fec1d1a40-06088084
Email Nathan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreal!
Denis was our tour guide and did an amazing job of showing us all of the safari parks and driving us around. The experience was great value for money. Some of the facilities in the camp sites could have been better and the lunches were also a bit light. Also water was not provided throughout even at meal times, this was not ideal. There were some delays but overall the experience was amazing and we all had a great time.
Denis had a great knowledge of the animals and parks and shared this with us constantly. Would highly recommend this tour.