Guide Richard at Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge
Lenchada Safaris
- Located 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
US
Email Blair | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great budget safari
This is a great budget safari for those who want a no frills experience where you are immersed in the Masai Mara park and Masai culture. I emailed frequently with the owner Alex before I arrived and he was very helpful! I signed up by myself but was added to a group of 5 others and we had a nice time together. Also, I’m very glad I chose the jeep 4x4 versus the mini van, as we had to help a few vans along the way that got stuck on the treacherous roads!
We spent a LOT of time out on safari-I was pleasantly surprised! Our guide Isaac was very knowledgeable and also did a good job of navigating the awful roads around the park. Masai village tour was included and was wonderful!
Lenchada camp is very basic but fine since you are basically just there to sleep. As a single female traveler, I felt very safe at the camp. Food is nothing fancy but flavorful and plentiful!
Suggestions: don’t drink too much water when you are at the Mara since there are basically no bathrooms; bring cash to the camp to buy beer, water, sodas or snacks. A flashlight is helpful for getting around the camp at night. The animals are noisy-earplugs are helpful at night. Bring layers especially if doing a safari in the colder months of June and July.
A few comments: meal times should be more frequent or we should be told to bring snacks. Most days we would leave the camp at 6am and eat lunch around 2pm, which was too long to wait for most of us. We were all starving well before lunchtime each day. Also, I didn’t like that the camp doesn’t provide any drinking water. The safari vehicle did have water but I also had to purchase bottled water at the camp. That seemed a bit strange to not have water available at meals or in the rooms.
All in all, it was a great experience and first safari for me.
DE
Email Nadine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The driver adapted to our wishes but it had to be clearly formulated
We have learned little about animals and stories. The guide was very quiet it was often unclear what happened next
GR
Email Marianna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Things to be aware of | honest yet a little bit long review
We chose Lenchanda Safaris (or Jockey Tours) because its prices were lower than the other safari companies were offering, and we also read plenty of good reviews on the internet. Considering our possibilities, we chose the Budget 6-day trip for Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli, and a few days before our departure to Kenya we sent an email to confirm that everything was fine, to which we received positive feedback. Our first guide was Francis, and he took us to Masai Mara and then Lake Nakuru. The fourth day, moving from Nakuru to Amboseli (long distance to drive), passing through Nairobi, we learnt that we needed to change guide (Alex) though keeping the same jeep. If it is true that until that moment we had a great time, from that moment on we started having a few issues. While driving to Amboseli through the night we realized that the car didn't have proper lights to drive (Amboseli is 4-5 hours away from Nairobi), something that we didn't know, so the trip after a while got quite scary and dangerous, as a matter of fact we have been also stopped by the police. It goes without saying that driving very slow because of reduced visibility increased the amount of time to arrive, and in the way we found out that the Lodge we were supposed to stay was not available and we were moved to a different camp (this was never mentioned to us at any moment in the past 2 weeks, even when we asked if everything was ok before our departure
Beside the fact that Alex was driving very slow so to be able to see, we were surprised by the fact that multiple times he didn’t know where to go, and not had clear idea of the direction to take. After plenty of hours in the car (it was around 9 pm), we reached our new accommodation, where we learnt that they were fully booked. Alex, even though he was not giving us proper explanations, was trying to talk with the office to find a solution. At the end, at around 11 pm, we moved to another hotel for the night (thankfully it was a 5-star hotel). However, for the last day, we moved again to another one, which was a very bad option, and a quote dirty option we have to say. Unfortunately, this experience had a very strong and bad effect on the overall safari experience.
As for the guides, the first one, Francis, is a very energetic and knowledgeable person about safaris, with many years of experience, so he played a crucial role in the trip for the first 4 days. Alex, on our opinion, is not a safari guide, even though he was giving us interesting infos during the game drives. Multiple times he seemed to not have experienced Amboseli before, and for sure he did not help us to spot animals in Amboseli.
As a whole, the safari trip was affected significantly by all those events. Of course, we enjoyed it because the places are very beautiful and being able to see these animals from such a short distance is amazing, but driving safely and proper organization/communication are key aspects that were definitely missing!
DE
Email Vishnu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, well organised, good communication.
The safari was an incredible experience for us first timers. The game drives were quite well planned, and we got to see all the big, but also the small animals and plants! We did a total of 6 days, covering Masai mara, lake Nukuru, Naivasha and Amboseli.
I also have to give a special shout-out to our driver and guide - Gerald, aka, G-Man. If you are to go with lenchada, I highly recommend you request him. The man is not only incredibly knowledgeable but someone who is genuinely passionate about the job. He provided us with a lot of information about nature, culture, society, etc. He was a fantastic companion to have and always took special care of us and our requests.
I also want to give a special shout out to the boss, Mr. Alex, he not only checked on us throughout the trip, but always helped and communicated with us if we had any queries, and we highly appreciated the level of attention to his clients. He is someone who clearly cares about the welfare of the customer and this is the biggest asset to taking Lenchada.
Overall I would give the experience a 4.7/5!
If I had to put any areas of improvement, it would only be our first camp (Mara Lenchada Camp) in Masai Mara, which could be a bit better. There was a bit of mould on the floors and roofs of the camps and the toilets weren't functional. However, the remaining hotels and camps (Buraha and AA Lodge) camps were beyond incredible with excellent amenities and services, including the ability to wake up to a private view of the Kilimanjaro which was a stunning experience, WiFi, bar, room service, incredible buffet and more.
Can highly recommend their services and you will thoroughly enjoy your time.
IN
Email Nishad Tirur | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari with Professional Operators
Kenyan Safari
We planned 2 night in MasaiMara with stay at Lenchada camp, third day in Nakuru to see flamingos with stay at Buraha Zenoni and Finally Naivasha boat ride and Hells gate visit with stay at Dove Nest Resort. Assigned guide cum driver was Mr. Dickson
Positive experience: All staffs including our guide cum driver were professionals and helpful. We could spot all the top 5 animal right near without any issues, animal knowledge and MasaiMara place knowledge of Mr. Dickson was outstanding. Our team were well connected and nice. Mr. Dickson explained the plan every time we stopped and it was healthy.
Stay at Lenchada camp was good, clean and no mosquitoes or flies.
Nakuru visit was worth too with flamingoes, Rhinos etc. stay and good at Buraha was excellent too.
Naivasha was excellent with its boat ride with wide variety of birds, Hippos etc. Boat driver John was very friendly. Whereas Hells gate was not upto what they say, except if we could see steam coming out of ground in a nearby point and waterfall.
Areas of improvement : Mr. Dickson had lot of connections all across these places and getting incessant calls which was slightly annoying though he was asking us are you ok?
Some small changes in the plan was bit annoying too.
Dove Nest stay in Naivasha was terrible due to lack of cleanliness and I got food poison too.
Cost of souvenirs were extremely overpriced in the tourist locations whereas we found the same at 10% of its price in a best shop in Galleria Mall at Nairobi further low at Masai Market near diamond Plaza in Nairobi. Mr. Dickson informed the price would be around 50% of what they say but in reality less than 10%.
Email Rocky | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
professional and very corporative, many thanks Anto, the trip was amazing.
professional and very corporative, many thanks Anto, the trip was amazing.
AE
Email Rohit Dhanuka | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall Good Experience
I would recommend Lenchada as my overall experience was good. I have taken 3 days 2 nights group safari tour with them and enjoyed it . Our tour guide Evans is a fun loving person and also experience guy, he has a good knowledge about the park and we could see 4 out of Big 5 during the one full day trip. Would suggest to pay them on cash and not through the online link the agency send as it is not secured and will lead to fraud transaction which i experienced.
FR
Email Mathilde | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good camp and awesome safari! Our driver James was the perfect guide for us.
The camp have good tents and you have your own bathroom. Food was simple, but good. You'll be next to the Masai Mara, and close to a Masai village, that made the experience amazing. Our driver, James, was gifted to find animals into the park and allowed us to enjoy our safari in the best way. I recommend this camp and safari!
Email Pervez Ahmed sidiqi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was very nice trip with lenchada safari we were comfortable in every aspect gaming was excellent
Communication at the camping site was not so good there was no WiFi which I feel was very important . Security wise it was great the guide was upto mark
AR
Email Sandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very reliable, great experience and helpful with my questions
The booking was very good, very helpful in the process and all questions asked. The guide Moses was amazing! He's an excellent driver, who took us to the best spots even through mud and rain to get the best pictures, he knows a lot and gave us good information. He was also reliable, flexible with everyone's schedule but knowing the main timing needs, helped with everything needed, took us to local places and he's known and respected by local communities so this is always a green flag for me. He managed the weather amazingly well in rainy season and my experience was amazing thanks to him and John. Super nice people, friendly and professional.
The price was higher than with other agencies for the exact same package so I found that a bit discouraging when I found out but other than that every service was very good quality and no suprises: everything that was not included was clear since the start. Accommodation was great, food was good and overall I'm 100% satisfied and happy to have done it.