Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris Limited Staff Photo
Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
Taiwan
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Eco Tourism Kenya & KTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $60 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NO
Email Siri | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful holiday arranged by Twinkle Star Tours
We had a wonderful holiday arranged by James in Twinkle star tours December 27th to January 8th. We started with safari in Masai Mara, followed by Lake Naivasha, Amboseli and Tsavo west and east, before we headed for the beach in Malindi. Twinkle star gave us the idea to safari the way down instead of spending more days in fewer parks and fly down. This way, we got to experience different parks which all had their own characteristics.
Our driver Abdul was an experienced safari guide, and knew how to give us an unforgettable experience where we got to see all the big five in addition to everything else. He also helped us out several times in Malindi with scuba diving and other stuff we needed. The lodges were the standard we expected to a reasonable prize, and James did a excellent job to find out what we wanted and put together a trip that was perfect for us. I would definitely use Twinkle Star Tours again if the opportunity comes by.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Jan 18, 2022Jambo Siri,
Thank you for choosing Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd as your Tour Organizer for the 13 Days Kenya Private Safari Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Tsavo West, Tsavo East and beach Malindi. Thank you for recommending our great services to you and acknowledging Abdul your guide during the safari.
Hopefully, this shall not be your last Kenya Safari with us. We look forward to hosting you and your friend and family in the near future.
Asante Sana!
James Oketch
US
Email Evelyn | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour operator was amazing and super knowledgeable
I booked the Tour from Miami. I Received a Quote. I agreed and made payment for down-payment. I had a few inconveniences as my flight was delayed and James was super helpful with accommodating our safari. We arrived in Arusha, and was greeted by the Driver Ruben. Ruben was on time and off we went to the start of our Lake Manyara, Ngorogoro and Serengeti tour. It was an absolutely perfect Experience and definitely would chose Twinkle Stars again. The Driver Ruben was amazing and super accommodating to our schedule and had an unbelievable knowledge of the serengeti.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Nov 1, 2021Jambo Evelyn,
Thank you for choosing Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd as your Tour Organizer during your 4 Days Luxury Tanzania Safari Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. We appreciate for commending James who made your tour package alterations go as smoothly as possible, and Reuben your super incredible tour driver guide who drove you during your great safari.
Thank you for your recommendation!
We look forward to your next safari with us!
Asante sana Evelyn.
US
Email Irmgard Christine | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely awesome 5 stars all the way
I booked the Tour from the USA. Received a Quote. I agreed and wired the down-payment from my Bank to their Bank in Kenya. I arrived in Kenya, was greeted by one of the Employees, sign the Contract and the next Day, Simon, the Driver was on time at 7.30AM and off we went to the Masai Mara. It was an absolutely perfect Experience and definitely would chose Twinkle Stars again. The Driver Simon had an unbelievable knowledge of the Masai Mara.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Aug 31, 2021Jambo Christine,
Thank you very much for choosing Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd for your 4 Days/ 3 Nights Masai Mara Safari. We appreciate a lot for sharing your experience and rating our services. Thank you for acknowledging Simon your 4 days safari guide who demonstrated a lot of skills and knowledge during your safari. We welcome you again in the future with your friends. Asante.
Best Regards,
James Oketch
SV
Email MANUELA | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
WONDERFULL SPERIENCE 15 DAYS KENYA AN TANZANIA-GREAT MIGRATION
I have been traveling through the great natural settings of Africa for more than 30 years. I love all of its great national parks. I was in Kenya and Tanzania some time ago and this year I decided that it would be a good time to go back and make my trip coincide with the Great Migration that takes place between Serengeti and Masai Mara. I planned a 15-day trip the first half of August and wrote to several tour operators to prepare an itinerary and a budget for two people. TWINKLE STAR TOURS responded to me immediately and with a much better budget than other tour operators. During the preparation James, his contact, responded efficiently and quickly to my requests and, finally, I opted for TWINKLE STAR TOURS on this trip to Kenya and Tanzania which has been wonderful. One of the reasons why I chose TWINKLE STAR TOURS was that most of the safaris were full day so the possibility of seeing the national park and its animals better was greater. On the other hand, the chosen accommodations had good recommendations and the final price was very good.
The scheduled tour was as follows: SAMBURU (Kenya), LAKE NAKURU (Kenya), MASAI MARA (Kenya), SERENGUETI (Tanzania), NGORONGORO (Tanzania), LAKE MANYARA (Tanzania), TARANGIRE (Tanzania), AMBOSELI (Kenya).
During the tour we had two driver-guides: Willie in Kenya and Hoza in Tanzania. We did the part of Kenya with Willie in a convertible vanette which, for two people, is sufficient since most of the parks in Kenya do not require a Land Cruiser and that, logically, makes the trip cheaper. Willie was an excellent driver-guide. He was always aware that we had the best service, the best room, the best position to see and photograph wildlife and he showed great solvency in solving situations that, without his action, could have turned into big problems. Thanks to his recommendation, we were able to see the Great Migration from the sky, as Katlen Blixen would say ... "With the eyes of God". On the third day of our stay in the Masai Mara, we took a balloon ride to admire this magnificent spectacle from the air. It really is an overwhelming natural spectacle. A 10 for Willie. He is also tremendously friendly and funny. We did the Tanzania part with Hoza, also an excellent driver-guide. He was always aware of locating fauna and placing us in the best position for photographing him. He gave us excellent knowledge about the national parks and their fauna and also about his country, Tanzania. With him we use a Land Cruiser since in Tanzania if necessary to move around its national parks.
The accommodations chosen by TWINKLE STAR TOURS were very nice and of good value for money.
In short, everything was wonderful, from the first contact with TWINKLE STAR TOURS until we said goodbye to their services at the airport. If I decide to return to Kenya and Tanzania again, which I do not rule out soon, or someone asks me for a recommendation, I would not hesitate to advise you to contact TWINKLE STAR TOURS. They are excellent professionals. And, without a doubt, I would return with Willie and Hoza as guide-drivers. They made the trip very easy, enjoyable, and instructive. And, it goes without saying, that Kenya and Tanzania are wonderful destinations to always visit and especially in this time of COVID, when the safest and most fabulous vacations are in nature, on safari.
Thank you very much TWINKLE STAR TOURS, Willie and Hoza for this magnificent experience and see you soon.
Gloria and Manuela
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Aug 23, 2021Jambo Manuela,
Thank you for traveling with us on our 15 days private safari in Kenya and Tanzania and taking your time to provide good feedback about your safari experience.
We appreciate the positive feedback of your experience on, the organization and planning of the safari handled by James and your Safari guides Willie and Hoza who were very knowledgeable, accommodating, and also great at spotting animals in the parks.
Hopefully, this shall not be your last Kenya-Tanzania holiday safari with us. We look forward to hosting you and your friend and family in the near future.
Best Regards
James Oketch
US
Email Marlene | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best
I highly recommend Twinkle Star Tour. We started planning in 2019 for 2020. We had sent our payment in and the pandemic hit. Everything closed. James kept in touch with me and assured my the Safari would take place when I was ready. Our dreams came true this July 16th. They were there to pick us up at the airport and through the entire 10 days. We love Abu our driver. James was very detailed kept making the changes I requested. He came to meet us an say goodbye. Brought gift to my husband and I. It was the most wonderful experience. The resorts were all beautiful and everyone was super attentive to our needs. We couldn’t have asked for more. We will definitely return and bring our family. They were the most honest people you can meet.
We love you James and Abu.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Aug 23, 2021Jambo Marlene,
Thank you for traveling with us on our 10 days private safari in Kenya and Tanzania and taking your time to provide good feedback about your safari experience.
We appreciate the positive feedback of your experience on, the organization and planning of the safari handled by James and your Safari guide Abu who was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and also great at spotting animals in the parks.
Hopefully, this shall not be your last Kenya-Tanzania holiday safari with us. We look forward to hosting you and your friend and family in the near future.
Best Regards
James Oketch
US
Email Sharon Moore | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely more than I could have expected
I just returned from a 16-day safari through Kenya and Tanzania with
Twinkle Star Safaris. I was supposed to travel last year but COVID
postponed it until this year. Let me say that from the very beginning
James was quick to respond to emails and was able to work on planning
the safari that I wanted. My tour was through Kenya and Tanzania. I was
met at the Nairobi airport by my guide, Patrick. My flight was late but
Patrick was patiently waiting on me. For the first week, we visited
Samburu, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. My personal favorite was Masai
Mara. I joked with Patrick and told him that riding with him was like
being with Mr. National Geographic. Any question that I had, he had an
answer for. So knowledgeable on not just the animals and parks, but also
all the small towns that we traveled in between. If you use Twinkle
Star, make sure you ask for PATRICK!! He will not disappoint you.
Another word of advice, pay the extra money and upgrade to the Land
Cruiser. It will allow you access to more areas in the park. Thank you
Patrick for showing me the Big 5!! The leopard was hard to find but he
didn't give up. Also thank you James for making my dream vacation
happen, you did not disappoint. I know that this trip is a big
investment for anyone but you will not regret it. I appreciate that
James takes such interest in his customers. He met me at the hotel in
Nairobi before my safari started and walked me to a nearby shopping area
and bank at my request. In addition, at the conclusion of the safari, he
met me to make sure that my safari was just what I wanted. Customer
satisfaction is truly a top priority for him.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Jul 21, 2021Jambo Sharon,
Thank you for traveling with us on our 16 days private safari in Kenya and Tanzania and taking your time to provide good feedback about your safari experience.
We appreciate the positive feedback of your experience on, the organization and planning of the safari handled by James and your Safari guide Patrick who was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and also great at spotting animals in the parks.
Hopefully, this shall not be your last Kenya-Tanzania holiday safari with us. We look forward to hosting you and your friend and family in the near future.
Best Regards
James Oketch
US
Email Danielle Funk | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 17 day private Bush & Beach tour - Kenya & Tanzania
We recently returned from a 17 day bush and beach tour organized by James Oketch from Twinkle Star Tours, and we had an AMAZING trip!
After searching around and not really knowing where to begin, we decided to book this trip through Twinkle Star Tours as James was very responsive to our questions right from the beginning. We started planning this trip during the end of 2019, and as 2020 - and COVID - arrived our plans were, of course, up in the air with Kenya being closed to visitors. James was in touch with us the entire time and was willing to allow us to change the trip to 2021 with no fees, but when Kenya opened up we decided to go this year.
Our trip began with our arrival in Nairobi, we then spent time in Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Zanzibar, and Amboseli before returning to Nairobi.
Due to COVID, our trip details had to be changed a number of times. Many of the places were were scheduled to stay in were still not open, so James had to rebook our lodgings. He was always very communicative in this and in most cases we were actually upgraded to nicer lodgings! We also had to move our trip to Zanzibar to the middle of the trip instead of the end due to Tanzania not allowing flights from Kenya, and James handled all of this rebooking for us as well. Having him handle all of these changes was so relieving.
James met us at our hotel on our first morning and confirmed all of our trip details. We had three guides on our trip - one in Kenya (Peter), one in Tanzania (Hozza), and one while in Zanzibar (Abdullah). All of our guides were GREAT. I cannot say enough about how friendly, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and accommodating they all were. On safari you spend a lot of time in the car with your guide, and there wasn't a moment that we didn't feel safe or taken care of with our guides. Peter and Hozza were able to find all of the animals that we wanted to see - including the big five - and taught us so much about the animals, the land, and their beautiful countries. And Abdullah was very helpful and informative while we toured Zanzibar. James set us up with several tours while in Zanzibar, so we were able to go to Stone Town, tour a spice farm, and swim with dolphins!
I have read on here about the road conditions and driving, and I wanted to say first that you will be on some bumpy roads, but that is all part of the fun! The parks all have a maximum speed limit but those roads are not paved (for the animal's sake) so you should prepare yourself for a bit of bouncing around while you explore. We opted for the Land Cruiser instead of the minivan, and I believe that not only are they more comfortable, but they are able to get to some parts of the park that the vans would not have been able to reach. Also, as to the speed on roadways between parks - many of the company vehicles in Kenya have a speed limiter, so they absolutely cannot go more than 80kph or else the power cuts out.
The only stressful part of our trip was crossing the Kenya/Tanzania border at the land crossings two times. This had nothing to do with our tour and only had to do with the bureaucracy that is involved in crossing a border. That being said, our guides helped us navigate these crossings, including all of the extra precautions necessary due to COVID, and made the transition way smoother than had we been left to figure it out ourselves.
During our trip, we were scheduled to fly from Arusha to Zanzibar. At the last moment (after Hozza got us to the airport) we found out that the flight was moved to Kilimanjaro airport, about an hour away. Though this was frustrating news from the airline, it was great to have our guide with us to explain what was going on and to pack our suitcases back into the Land Cruiser and bring us to the correct airport.
At the end of our trip, our flight back to JFK left Nairobi late at night, so James actually set us up with a (comped) hotel in Nairobi for a couple of hours so that we could shower and change before flying home. He also met us at the hotel and brought his family along to introduce us.
Throughout the entire trip, our guides let us know that James had called to check on how it was going and to ensure that all was proceeding smoothly. James always answered my emails promptly, even when the time difference meant that he was replying after midnight his time.
I have no problem recommending James Oketch and Twinkle Star Tours, along with all of our guides, and would give him more than a 5 star rating if I could. This was a life-changing trip and was made better knowing that we had this company there to assist us with anything that could arise.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Oct 12, 202017 Days Bush and Beach Safari in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.
Jambo Danielle Morris & Curtis Funk,
Thank you for Joining Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris on a 17 Days Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar Safari and also making time to provide this wonderful safari experience.
We are glad you found your Tour Planner, James very communicative, responsive, and helpful from the beginning until you finished your safari.
Thank you for appreciating the services offered by all our three guides in Kenya (Peter), one in Tanzania (Hozza), and one while in Zanzibar (Abdullah) and also finding them very friendly, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and accommodating
Thank you for recommending the nicer lodges and tented camps booked for you.
We are happy for your recommendation and 5* review. We welcome you again to Kenya
Regards,
James Oketch
TW
Email Sharon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic 3 days Masai Mara Safari
We had a Great time on our 3days days migration safari at Masai Mara. Benson on the company organized our safari very professional and ensured our safety during the Safari and also in the camp we were booked in. Michael, our guide was very patient and answered all our questions in a polite manner. He took us to Mara river during the full day to witness Wildebeest migration as this was main purpose to visit Masai mara, we saw thousands of wildebeest crossing the River. We also saw the four of the big five; Lions, Buffaloes Leopard and elephants. Wildlife and nature of masai mara Wasa amazing. We recommend twinkle star tours for any visitor to Kenya as they organize and offer amazing experience professional. Many thanks to Benson and Michael.
NZ
Email Lee & Larry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn’t ask for more....Over and above all expectations!
We were booked for a 12 day private Safari of Kenya and Tanzania, we had 4 absolutely amazing days of at the start of our tour, then unfortunately we had to call it quits as the world went mad with Covid 19.
Those 4 days though were absolutely faultless and everything we had ever dreamed of, we saw so much wildlife, with the best guide ever....Willie...Aka Double Whiskey (not what you think)...which made it easy for us to have to make our decision to cut short our safari when we did.
We were met in Nairobi and drove to Lake Nakuru, where we saw our first encounter with Zebras, Baboons, Rihno, Water Buffalo, Pelicans, Flamingos, Giraffe, Warthogs....and then a pride of Lionesses and their cubs... as it was late afternoon/sunset we were the only party left when the Lions decided it was time to go on a hunt....walking down the middle of the road.... we could not believe our luck - we followed them (just us) and watched them frolic for a good 30-40 mins.
The next day we had another game drive on the way out of the park, where we again encountered all that we had seen the previous day....including the pride of lions again - this time with the King of the Jungle there too.
Overnighted at Lake Naivasha the 2nd night, where cheeky monkeys came down and stole food off our table whilst we were eating....too quick for the staff that were on “Monkey duty”.
Our 3rd and 4th day were at the Masai Mara National Reserve. Before entering the National park, we visited a Masai Mara village, danced with the warriors, went inside their home, made fire and observed their way of life. Once inside the national park we had close up encounters with elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hippos, wilder-beast, ostriches and numerous types of gazelles, vultures and at night in bed we heard the hyenas.
Wille our Guide was absolutely fantastic. We at all times felt safe with him. He went above and beyond our expectations. When we came across wildlife, he would stop the vehicle and we would sit there; as would other tour operators, but after 5 mins or so, they would leave....but we stayed...for as long as it took...and it was once everyone else had gone, that we often saw things that other tours would have missed. I have an amazing video of a lioness growling at something that she was unhappy with approaching. Willie would park us so close to the side of the road to see the wildlife that often you felt like you could just reach out and touch them.
When we were booking our tour, we had reservations about travelling to Kenya and Tanzania in March - but now having been - in our opinion it was a great time to go....it was still hot and there was still other tour operators around, and often we commented how hot and how crowded it must get in the peak times. We certainly did not miss out on seeing anything by visiting in March. We also thought when we were booking our tour, that we would prefer to have other people on safari with us - but again it just being the two of us, meant we could stay, go, when and how long we wanted to.
Twinkle Star Tours were very professional in all their communications. It was a pleasure to deal with both James and Benson. And when we had to make the hard decision to cut short our safari, they did nothing but support us in our decision, and went out of their way to help us with rebooking flights, hotels, and have offered to keep the remaining 8 days of our trip available to us when it once again safe to travel the world.
We would absolutely and completely recommend Twinkle Star Tours, do not hesitate to book a any safari with them - you will be well looked after!
Thank you James, Benson and Willie, we look forward to seeing you all again, and will be recommending you to all our family and friends.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Apr 16, 2020Jambo Lee and Larry,
Thank you for reviewing your safari experience with us.
Thank you acknowledging our driver guide Willie who made sure you have seen all the big five within a short period of time. We also thank you for appreciating James and Benson for in time communication and proper planing of your safari.
We regret and really apologize as you you did not complete your 12 days Kenya and Tanzania Safari due to Corona Virus pandemic. The management of Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris, has kept your file open and we hope this pandemic will end soon to welcome you again to complete the remaining part of 12 days Kenya and Tanzania Safari.
We appreciate for recommending Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris to future visitors in East Africa. As our Word is our Bond, Our customers comes first.
...We Care for you...
#Wash your hands#Sanitize your hands#Keep social distance#Stay Home#
Karibu Tena
Regards,
Benson
SE
Email Susanna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari to a competitive price and with flexible team
The short version: We had a fantastic time, and we both agree it's the best safari we have been on in terms of animal encounters, camps, and nature!
The long version: After some offers from different operators, we finally went for Twinkle Star, since the package offered was most in line with what we were looking for, and that to a competitive price and nice and attentive service. James at Twinkle Star was fast and good in his communication over mail upon setting the itinerary. We asked for loads of different extra options and modifications and ended up getting about 5 different itineraries from James who patiently replied to all our different requests. In the end, we changed one camp and added one extra night at Pumzika in Serengeti, on top of the original itinerary.
In the end, we stayed one night in Lake Manyara NP at Tortillis Camp, 2 nights at Pumzika in Serengeti and one night at Tortillis in Ngoronogoro. The Tortillis camps were absolutely wonderful in every sense (and identical)! Pumzika was nice too with lovely interior design, but more basic (shower water only on request, without mosquito net and the need to ask the staff to help chase away two spiders from the tent, but hey, it's a tent in the grasslands, so it's still fantastic!).
Our driver Eremes was great at finding animals! He really seemed engaged in finding us different animals, and did manage to bring us close to the big 5 many times over (except from rhino that we only saw once :-) ). He knew a lot, although we had to ask questions for him to explain about the different things we saw - we would have loved for him to tell us more facts spontaneously, as we sometimes didn't know what to ask... He was young and quite a daredevil, in a good way - he went mud-racing to take us to the more inaccessible parts of Serengeti, where we got to see a leopard from 5 m, a cheetha with cubs, etc. Not a drive for the faint-hearted or those who fear mud, but super fun otherwise (and I think he adjusted the speed to fit our personalities)!
We loved the combination of the different parks with their different flora and fauna. We are really glad we added one extra night in Serengeti so that we had the time to get deeper into the huge park, which otherwise would have been impossible to manage time-wise because of the risk of getting stuck in the mud (which many other cars did - Eremes though was a splendid driver).
Some general advice:
- If you don't love animals and animal spotting the way we do, 5 days in a car on bumpy roads may be too long. We wouldn't have wanted to change a thing, though!
- it rained every night, so the roads were suuuuper muddy. Also, the grass was high at this time of year, so animals were quite hard to spot (that's one of the reasons you need an experienced guide)
- It's good to be aware of the long distances: a lot of the time was spent in transfer (most of the time in beautiful nature although few animals).
- Although Tortillis Ngorongoro was heaven on earth, it's good to be aware of that the fact that it's located about 90 min from the gate to the crater.
- For Lake Manyara, make sure to book a camp inside the park. Most seem to be located outside.
So to the few and small downsides:
- the communication ended after the itinerary was set and the bank transfer was made. We got a bit nervous as we didn't hear anything as the trip came closer, but after sending a WhatsApp message to check if everything was in order two days before the safari, we got confirmation immediately. As one is used to get automated email reminders about almost everything nowadays, it would have been nice to get a confirming mail a few days before the start.
- After reading reviews about Twinkle Star, we were prepared on getting another tour operator to actually carry out the safari - something that wasn't communicated until the actual pick up. It would have been nice to get the notification about the affiliate operator in Tanzania before the pick-up, as to avoid the confusion at the parking lot when we in vain searched for a Twinkle Star driver. Apparently, our guide Eremes was booked only the day before.
- We had some minor issues as the first camp didn't book us a double but a twin room (but quickly changed to another room), I sometimes didn't get a vegetarian lunch box.
Finally:
Should we recomend it? YES!
What would we do differently next time, now that we've been there? Stay at Tortillis in Serengeti, too, because Tortillis was heaven!
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Mar 16, 20205 DAYS LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK, SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK, AND NGORONGORO CRATER.
Jambo Susanna,
We are glad you had a wonderful and fantastic safari in your 5 Days Tanzania Private Safari.
Thank you for acknowledging your Tour Planner James and appreciating the services offered by our guide Eremes.
We have taken down your recommendations and we assure you to improve on that.
We really appreciate a lot for a 5* review and we want to welcome you again for another safari.
Asante Sana.