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
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 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!
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.
Email Martin Schentke | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They deliver the goods.
It took us 3 years to arrange the safari due to covid and some other unforseen circumstances. Joseph from Parrot Safaris answered every single question we had to our satisfaction. And there were a lot of questions over the three years as we heavily customised our tour. These guys are super flexible and will do whatever it takes to give you what you really want. Joseph followed our progress as we went aroound Kenya and Tanzania and made sure we were safe (not that we ever felt unsafe except next to one or two BIG elephant and lion) and happy. The tour unfolded exactly as discussed and it was DEFINITELY a bucket list experience. Their prices are very competitive and Josephs service was impeccable. Our game guides were very knowledegable and did whatever they could to show us whatever Kenya and Tanzania had to offer. A good sense of humour also went a long way.
Literally the only complaint I had was the lack of a hot shower in some of the bush camps in Kenya. Its an issue for me as i suffer from muscle spasms and a cold shower doesn't help.
Other than that I highly recommend these guys. They are legit and committed to giving their clients a truly unforgettable African experience. I guarantee that you wont go home the same person that you arrived.
AE
Email Supeter | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good safari with good team
The safari was fantastic. Good for value. Joseph was helpful and friendly to make sure our trip was a success. There was a miscommunication and miscoordination though between the operator and the drivers due to a rare, unrelated incident with another traveler, which resulted in me having to wait in a lobby for half a day. Other than that, everything was brilliant.
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 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.
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.