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
CA
Email James B | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Decent company and good safari (for budget)
We did the 4 day budget safari to Maasai Mara, and Nakuru and had David as our guide. It was our 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 all the big 5 apart from a leopard). The vehicle was in good condition (Land Cruiser) and the accommodation was really comfortable- we were expecting a lot worse considering we opted for the budget option. One thing to remember is the driving required to get to the places as we had a 4 day safari but in reality only did 1 full day and 2 half days of animal viewing.
Something to note is the vehicles essentially fill up with people from many different companies so if you’re booking a group tour, I would recommend just trying to get the best deal. We had done the research and chose this company due to good reviews however in our car of 7 people, there were people from 3 different companies. This was a bit disappointing. Also the communication with the owner wasn't great (we only got sent the pre safari info the night before (after having to ask for it to be sent) which didn't leave time to get any items we were missing.
Our guide David was nice and friendly. Once area for improvement would be communicating the plans a bit more (we would often drive for a few hours in the morning before being told what we were doing / when we would stop that day).
Also, I would recommend going in dry season as it is a lot easier to see animals (we struggled at times as it had rained a lot).
Email Ingrid | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Made my dream come true
What an awesome experience!!! I was travelling on a budget and this tour was everything i could have hoped for. They made it so easy for me - everything was included (besides the things they tell you about, and SOME activities if they are not on your itinerary but you can always do them on the day if you pay in cash - bring some cash with as it is also nice to tip your guides and staff). They fetched me from my hotel in Nairobi and dropped me off there too so there was no need to worry about getting to anywhere to meet them. Albert, our guide, was AWESOME. he drove us from place to place and was friendly, on time, and knowledgeable. And the BEST OFF ROAD DRIVER EVER! The parks roads are bad - so expect a bumpy ride - but Albert was an expert in the 4 x 4 vehicle. we saw all the game you can imagine. There are choices for 3 star, 4 or 5 star accommodation - I chose the budget and camping option and it was great! I highly recommend this to anyone - its a bucket list trip. I only wish I could have done longer.
PL
Email Pawel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, professional service
Safari with Lenchada was one of best experiences we have ever had.
Communication with Alex was very good, he amended safari itinerary as per my remarks and requests. He also assisted us with purchase of train tickets to Mombassa.
Our guide was Peter who made a lot of effort in order to provide us with the best animal spottings. These experiences will be with us for the rest of our lives. Absolutely epic.
We were travelling by a new 4x4 Landcruiser which had only 4 safaris before ours. No issues with the car. To the opposite actually because number of other drivers were jelous of Peter's Toyta model. Apparently it was some top notch version of safari Landcruiser.
Lenchada is definitely a company worth recommending. You will not regret chosing their services
DK
Email steen abildgaard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ali was an amazing guide
We did the 5 day safari and had a great time with Ali.
Email Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent value experience
Overall we were really pleased with our experience with Lenchada safaris and have had a fantastic time. We chose the 6 day private tour of Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, which came to around $1600 USD per person - definitely on the cheaper end of what was advertised online. This 3 location tour involves a lot of driving, but that’s unavoidable unless you pay for the safari planes and we felt it was worth it for the different experiences in the 3 parks.
Wilson, our guide, was absolutely brilliant: very knowledgeable about the parks, the animals, and the car (definitely came in handy with some of the roads!). He managed to show us everything we wanted to see, except the elusive Leopard, and found us spots to take some amazing photos. He was somehow able to put the car into the exact position that the animals would walk to every time!
It was also great to have the same person driving us for the whole tour. We felt like we got to know Wilson well over the 6 days and he became a friend as well as our guide. He looked after us really well and was very accommodating when I started the journey with a bad stomach (contracted before the safari tour).
Alex, in the booking office, was very responsive to emails and got us booked in for a pretty bespoke tour with all the accommodation we requested with about 2 weeks notice. Only required a $100 deposit.
A couple of things to note:
- if paying the full balance by card, Lenchada require a 5% surcharge. This wasn’t made clear until the night before our trip, when it was too late to pay by bank transfer (which takes 3 days to clear). This added an unexpected cost to our trip.
- the private tour vehicles are Toyota Landcruisers (which are definitely the best option for the park roads!). However ours was quite well-used. It also only had lap seatbelts. But it faired well and Wilson was an expert driver - we got around no problem.
- the accommodation matches the TripAdvisor/google reviews well. Everywhere felt clean and safe: hot water, charging points, mosquito nets and comfortable beds were always available. Amboseli Kibo camp was a particular highlight. We found things we enjoyed eating at all the stops, the picnic lunches were generous and the staff in all locations were outstanding.
Overall we had a fantastic time and couldn’t really believe that we found a 6-day, 3-location safari tour for just the two of us at that price point. Lechanda is not a super-luxury tour provider but has got all the important bits right. We felt safe, well looked-after and saw tonnes of incredible wildlife.
MX
Email Armando Estrada | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Richard spoiled us with the best sites to watch animals in a respectful, caring way. He is the best!
We had the best time!
Richard, our safari guide and driver is a very knowledgable professional who knows how to approach sites and animals to get the best pictures in a respectful, caring way with nature, which is very important to me.
He does "his magic" (to see many animals and sites) because he is a supportive friend connected to many other guides who continuously approach him. He has a deep sense of the parks and will always make his best to make a memorable journey.
The hotels, food and travels were always safe and according to planned, we had no last minute surprises or changes.
Richard is an easygoing, respectful and hardworking professional who always made the group feel safe and well taken cared of, he made sure continuously that we all were having a good time. This I think, that was especially important because in our group there were women traveling alone and they all felt really safe.
I got many inspiring notes to my journal based on Richard's perspective to life and nature. We even put together a very cool spotify playlist to remember the journey. I would definitely suggest approaching Lenchada Safaris and Richard for your plans to safari in Africa.
Email Beshoy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent! Guide was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The parks we visited were amazing.
Great safari! The guide was super friendly and highly knowledgeable. Thank you EVANS for making our Safari one to remember.
The parks we visited were comprehensive and the accommodation was great.
Highly Recommend it!!
IT
Email Simone | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience!!
Our tour included 2 days in Masai Mara, 1 in Nakuru and 2 in Amboseli.
All the trip was well organised in every services. 4 stars only because when we arrived at agency departur they changed our lodge without any previous advice. Despite this inconveniente the new camp/lodges were nice too.
Denis was the best driver that we could have. He’s kind and avaibale for everythings you need. With him we saw the big 5 and other more animals without any problems to the jeep.
I recommend him!!
IT
Email Lorenzo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience
Lenchada Safari is a reliable agency. Everything that was promised was fulfilled (except the last accommodation, but despite this we had an upgrade to another camp). the experience was magnificent, thanks also to our driver Dennis who proved to be very knowledgeable and helpful. I recommend this agency for anyone wanting to go on safari, the price is very good.
CZ
Email Michaela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
We did the 6-day-safari, so Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. We had a great experience with our driver Dickson!! He was communicative, funny, witty and so knowledgable about all the animals and the surroundings. He shared many amazing fun facts, highly recommended!
The camps do not have many reviews on Google and they seem not that great when you google them, but be sure they are always clean and well equipped. The food is very tasty and the staff was always helpful.