I an my work mate in office
Parrot Safari
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $360 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
ES
Email Felisa sanchez | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
From the first momento an unbeatable tretment,always attentive yo anythint we needed everything was very essy with them a safari router with masai mara amboseli lale nankuru with a guide and driver with a lot ofexperience.after the safari ehey kept calling us to know how we were going and assist us with them pick Up from the aeroport to the hotel without worrying about anything,puntual and friendly,l Will recommend thus local company to everyone without hesutation reliable ,quality price without copentition adapts ti any safari ,accommodation and days and cómplices with what was hired was a wonderful trip due to its great professionalis.thank you.
US
Email Jeremy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Parrot Safari was great, always available, and able to help with non-traditional safari needs.
Finally writing about our trip in July of 2021, near the end of COVID. Joseph in the office was always available through WhatsApp and hooked us up with a private driver for around the city after the safari much cheaper than we got quoted on our own.
We had an excellent time and really enjoyed getting to know our safari driver Max. He had a great eye for animals and wasn't afraid to step on the gas to get us into position for great viewing. We watched a cheetah disappear into the tall grass as Max drove us over to a heard of gazelles where we waited for the cheetah. Max was right! Cheetah kill 20 yards from our van.
We were on the budget safari, and it was expected. We saw other groups with better accommodations, food, vehicles, etc. but it didn't bother us. Food was a little repetative. Different safari budgets attract different kinds of people, and we quite enjoyed a younger group on a budget.
Last important thing to know, there are sometimes "transfers," meaning you join another group or others join you... or someone new drives you to the hotel, the border, etc. It takes a little trust, but there was always someone there to help us get where we needed to go.
Kenya, like many places, you will find plenty of people trying to make an extra buck off tourist who don't know what things should cost.
DE
Email Lin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and fast responding operator
We (2 people) booked a 7-Days private Lodge Safari containing Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha (Hells Gate Park) and Amboseli. Josef Muneeni from Parrot Safaris organized all well, and answered immediately if questions arose. Special requests were also taken into account. Overall communication was good. In the design of the course of the safari, the communication could have been improved at some points. For example, we were not aware that we could have switched the Morning Drive of Day 7 to Day 6 and then taken the early train to Mombasa from Emali on Day 7 saving us 5 hours of driving.
Joseph kept contact with us via WhatsApp all the time during the safari and checked whether everything is going well and I am feeling comfortable. Accommodation in Kenya was in very comfortable lodges with good facilities. Especially the lodge in Naivasha was amazing. All lodges hat nice pools and served a varity of good food.
Our guide and driver Martin was a great game spotter and explained all about the animals. He was supportive, funny, punctual and always organized our meals and schedules for best chances to see as much animals as possible. Additionally, he was a very good driver and knows bis car by heart. We can definitely recommend Martin.
DE
Email Johanna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 10day Kenya Tanzania safari!
When we requested the safari, Joseph responded directly. Also the days before the safari and during the tour Jospeh was always available for questions.
When we arrived in Kenya, we were picked up at Nairobi airport directly, drove to the office and payed the rest of the price. After that we started our first part of the tour in Kenya with our awesome guide Maxwell. Everything was well organized, we saw a loooot of animals and were very satisfied. During the tour different people joint our car.
After 6 days safari in Kenya (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli) Maxwell dropped us at the border to Tanzania. For this change of the guides the communication could have been better because we didn't really know what the plan was from now on. Also, we could not reach Joseph because we didn't have a SIM card. It turned out that we drove in a bus to our hotel in Arusha and that we from now on belonged to another safari operater named 7wonders.
The next day in Arusha we were picked up by our second driver Ennesto (also a great guide who told us a lot about the animals). In Tanzania we went to the serengeti park and the Ngorongoro Krater. Here we slept two nights in a tent which was a super exciting experience because during the night lions were outside of the tents making noises.
We can highly recommend parrot safaris as the value for the money is unbeatable. It was super nice to see different parts of both countries and different parcs. They are all so different that we cannot decide which one we liked most.
DE
Email Nadja | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari! Highly recommend Parrot Safaris!
I booked a group sharing budget tour as single person. 10 days combined Kenia & Tanzania containing Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha, Amboseli and Ngorongoro crater & Serengeti. Hence I joined two different international groups, one for the Kenyan part and the other in Tanzania. Josef Muneeni from Parrot Safaris organized all perfectly well, I felt always in best hands. Special requests were also taken into account. He kept contact with me via WhatsApp all the time during the safari and checked whether everything is going well and I am feeling comfortable. Accommodation in Kenya was in comfortable tented camps with stationary tents (almost houses) or in middle range hotels.
For Kenia we had guide and driver Clinton, who was a great game spotter and explained all about the animals. He also organized our meals and schedules for best chances to see as much as possible. Despite of heavy rain on one day, he managed for us to go for the boat ride on Lake Naivasha on one of the next days. He was very well in contact with other safari cars in the parks by radio communication and so we did not miss any interesting scene. We were able to see the Big Five including rare black rhino and leopard and so many other interesting animals. He took always care about safety while driving. Even on crowded roads I felt save with Clinton because he did overtake carefully and kept space. Only complaint (as for most cars in Kenia), one should invest some money in seat belts. Most of the seats in the Kenyan minivan had no or not functional seat belts.
After amazing impressions in Kenia, me and another person of the first group were brought to the Tanzanian border. After crossing we were put in a bus to Arusha and brought to different very nice hotels. I very much enjoyed Charity Conference Hotel with a nice green garden and comfortable air-conditioned rooms. In the morning an individual taxi service took me to Lake Manyara, where I joined the other group (6 persons) for the Tanzanian part (Ngorongoro & Serengeti). In this part our group went with guides and drivers Prosper and Bato on an all-terrain vehicle. Prosper was a good driver and very good in spotting animals as well. He also knew a lot about the interesting birds and the small game. Bato cooked very delicious for our group and carefully obeyed the food restrictions of some group members. Accommodation in the parks in Tanzania were tents on simple campgrounds as expected. And as previously announced, one night I had to share a tent with another nice lady due to the lack of one tent (the car was really full). All other nights I had individual accommodation. After Ngorongoro & Serengeti adventure I was brought back to Arusha and next day to Nairobi (different drivers and bus service). All connections were very well organized and I arrived safely back in Nairobi as scheduled.
I really recommend this kind of tour especially for single travelers with narrow budget and not excessive demands on luxury. You meet interesting people from Kenia and Tanzania as well as from many different countries of the world. You get the chance to experience wonderful landscapes with amazing wildlife. It was the best travel decision, I was fully satisfied with Parrot Safari and I would always do it again.
DE
Email Julia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lovely Safari Experience
I chose to book with Parrot Safaris because communications were super quick and helpful at all times. Joseph's attention to his clients is just perfect. This expectation I had also for the whole tour. Above all, that the driver, who is with us for 5 days, is explaining the dayli routine, or gives advices regarding what to bring (eg bring a warm jacket, take care on the food in the car --> monkeys, etc.); that was missing. We furthermore had to please every day for our bottle of water. We also did the Tansania part (with the partner 7 Wonders) and can compare. There, the guides explained the day routine every day, the bottle of water was already on the seat and whenever we stopped, they gave us information on route about cultur and natur. For me, the most important with such a travel is the group and the driver...
Accomondations were all good, with one Exception --> Jambo Mara Lodge in Maasai Mara. Food is not good and it is to far away from the animals due to the dry Maasai Mara. The car in Kenya was very old, slowly and very loud. And you sit a very long time in the car. :-) Communication about the Gorge in Hells gate should be improved (Gorge is closed and you have to pay extra for a short walk to a view point and hot springs - but don't miss it!). My favourite was Nakuru NP, Mount Longonot hike and for sure the Balloon Ride within Maasai Mara, Serengeti NP and Ngorongo Crater. Wonderful Experience!
BG
Email Sylvana | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lovely experience with Parrot Safari
We booked a package for a combined 11-day toir in Kenya and Tanzania from Parrot Safari. Our tour agent, Jose, was very responsive and available 24 - hour a day even duribg his days off. Everything was perfectly smooth and well-organized at any place we visited. Our guide and driver, Maxwell, catered about all of us for everything and sorted out timely any unpredictable issue on the way. We can recommend highly this tour operatir in Kenya.
CZ
Email Ondrej | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very reliable and caring
We made several inquiries to different providers for our planned honeymoon trip to KE and TZ and the response from Parrot Safaris was the best of all from the beginning. Clearly and precisely answering all of our questions and providing all necessary and related information. Anything wasn't a problem and they also offered us a variable and additional services fitted for our needs. We decided to go budget private tour, since the price was still very acceptable in comparison to high competition on the market. All times and schedules were strictly abode and small changes to the plan were applied reasonably and/or only after our mutual agreement. First day in Nairobi, right after we arrived, we met our first private driver Mr. Jacob. Very nice young man. At the end of the day we decided to invite him for a dinner because of our satisfaction.
For Kenyan part of the safari (6 days), we got Mr. Gibson as our driver and a guide. At first, he had an impression of big and angry looking man, but quickly we figured that he is a gold. Kind, smart, informative and always eager to get us the best views and spots for the game drives. He is not only a great guide but also excellent driver. Off-roading was not a problem for him and and on-road he drives safely. Because of a lot of contacts among other guides he always knew, where is something interesting and how to get there as soon as possible. Safari vehicle had it's best behind and especially on less friendly (aka "free massage") roads we were surprised it didn't fall apart, however even with my 196 cm (6'4") everything worked well. I'm glad we decided to go for private though, as it wouldn't be very comfortable to squeeze there in group of 6. Accommodation was above our expectations and very sufficient for a budget option. Nicely placed and built camps with electricity, acceptable washrooms everywhere and showers with warm water at least. Only small complaint we could have had was the food. With enough water for each day it was OK, but rations was a bit simple and repetitive - vegetable sandwich and chicken with rice almost every day for every meal. But the biggest concern was the freshness, especially for the meat. Almost everyone we met had some digestion related issues of any degree. But since it was supposed to be an adventurous and authentic African experience, we didn't bother that much. We can recommend all places we visited in Kenya - Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Masai Mara was the best for spotting wild animals, boat ride at Nakuru was nice change of the routine and Amboseli was very nice with beautiful morning view to mount Kilimanjaro but a little sad at the same time, because of the drought and a lot of dead animals. If you want to visit any of the Masai villages, we encourage you to do so, just be prepared for the fact, that they all are great businessmen, so think and keep your reason when buying stuff from them, or they will cost you a fortune. :) Time had come to the point where we arrived at the border with TZ and with a heavy heart we had to say goodbye to Mr. Gibson. Parrot Safaris unfortunately doesn't hold a license to operate in TZ, so we had to be transferred under a different partner company 7 Wonders Safari. But first we had to be transferred to Arusha city somehow. After complicated, unnecessarily long and sometimes illogical border check, we was supposed to get on the bus to Arusha. Event though everything was managed well, the informativeness and general awareness was very vague at this point. We definitely recommend to buy a data-enabled sim card, since GSM signal is almost everywhere (yes even in camps and parks) and it helps you a lot to be able to communicate with your responsible company in case of feeling lost. After a few hours of small jitters we finally arrived to Arusha's hotel.
We were a bit worried about the change of a guide. Mainly because a lot of people were complaining about them in TZ. I don't know if it was due to private safari choice, or just out of pure luck, but again we got a great guide - Mr. Nestory. Maybe he was slightly less diligent than his predecessor, but he compensated it with his great eyesight and a very good sense for spotting even the smallest animals, which we were also aiming for. He had prepared a lot of interesting commentary of surroundings too. This time we were traveling with our private chef Isaac, which was nice, because if Tanzania topped Kenya in anything, it was food. He cooked for us every day local specialties and it was very good. This time accommodation was quite really in budget and adventurous style, since we slept in campsites with simple tents without any fence around. But it was even more interesting because of wild animals crawling next to us both at night and during the day. We were able to spot hyenas, zebras, giraffes, lions and even an elephant while standing in the open nature unguarded. A little scary but fun for the most time. Just remember to bring powerful flashlight. We strongly recommend to abide your guide, if he gives you an option to start game drive early in the morning. It is worth it as some animals are most active and even go hunting at sunrise. We were first car in Ngorongoro Creater and saw spectacular things while others were still sleeping. After another 3 days spent in TZ, we headed back to Nairobi for our flight home. Again everything was covered and smooth. But again, rather get a sim card, the communication is much better. Parrot Safaris even offered us to wait at their office before driving us to the airport, so we don´t have to sit doing nothing at the airport too early. Some people decided yet to go to the Zanzibar, but for us, we were pretty much exhausted and saturated, and were looking forward to be back home.
So "asante sana" Parrot Safaris for great honeymoon and experience in general, we would love to use your services again some day in the future.
BE
Email Bence | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great for Kenya, do not take them for Tanzania
Joseph at Parrot Safaris is a tour organiser that matches passengers to drivers, locations and experiences, and he is quite efficient at it in Kenya. He sent a pick-up for me at the airport, explained the Kenyan part of the trip in his office, and then sent me off with the great driver, Stanley on an excellent six-day safari in Kenya, that was supposed to be followed by a similarly excellent safari in Tanzania.
Unfortunately, Joseph doesn't seem to have a good network in Tanzania and relies on a local partner, Seven Wonders Safaris, with whom the information exchange is not great and who clearly have capacity and organisational issues. Starting on the first day when the shuttle from the border (2.5 hours late) left me at the bus station at Arusha where there was no transportation to my hotel (the Tanzanians blamed the Kenyans for not getting my arrival information, and they did not bother to ask for it), and the company representative was not waiting for me at my hotel as they were supposed to. From there the trip got a bit improvisational as things were organised with about a 12-hour forward look with freelancers doing the pre-arranged itinerary somewhat in reverse and mixing up many of the camp sites. I got a driver for the first day, who then made me get up at 6:30 to say goodbye and wait until 10 for the next driver (scheduled to arrive at 9 or even before) who was supposed to take me on a full-day game drive in Lake Manyara. Well we got about half a day, which I got to enjoy from the navigator's seat as the car was overfilled, and we had to come back at around 3pm to drop of two passengers on their way to the airport and to go back to camp to take my luggage to another camp (as the drivers did not know in the morning that I would be changing camps by the evening) - I got a feeling that the animals were hiding in the hot mid-day period and we effectively missed most of what could be seen. From the third day on the group staid together, but instead of a branded 7 Wonders car we got a freelancer with a broken radio, broken binocular and broken charging outlets (which was a pity given that this part of the trip was in camps without electricity for the next 2 nights). On the last day, we dropped a couple off in a camp, but again the driver could not tell them who would pick them up the next day and at what time... Finally, on my way home, I was supposed to be taken by a shuttle to Nairobi, but instead it was a private car, that waited 2,5 hours after my pick-up for other passengers and luggage. In all this, Joseph had no useful information on what was going on and he could get nothing out of his Tanzanian partners either. While in the end I was never in any danger (apart from being scammed by a taxi driver on the first day) and the elements of the itinerary were mostly ticked off, as Joseph's role is a facilitator of worry-free smooth experiences, I would not recommend his services for Tanzania. Indeed, in general, it might be a better idea to book the two different country safaris with local operators in each country to avoid these communication issues.
As regards the safari, the best experiences are where one can get close to nature and thus bycicling among animals in Hell's Gate in Kenya, and sleeping among zebras with visiting elephants and lions in Serengeti and Ngorongo in Tanzania were definite highlights.
In conclusion, Joseph was a good communicator and organiser for the Kenya part and his information was mostly accurate (he did claim that I would stay in the same group for the whole trip, and he did miss out in listing a number of optional paid activities, or that there would be cook expecting tips in Tanzania on top of the driver/guide that is expected). The driver for Kenya, Stanley was also excellent and while not given the best equipment, our third driver in Tanzania, Godfrey was also very good.
ES
Email Ivan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent safari days with Parrot Safari!!!
Our experience was amazing. We did a safari itinerary very complete to visit main national parks in Kenya (Masai, Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha) and in Tanzania (Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara).
During these 13 days we had very good safari drivers, accommodations and food.
We were able to spot the Big 5 and also many other animals many times. The drivers are very experts to spot wildlife and memorable natural scenes, so we could see cheetah and lions chasing preys, hippos fighting, leopards on the trees, thousands of wildebeests and zebras near River Mara and rare animals such as caracal.
I very recommend Parrot Safari and when I do a safari again, they will be my first option.