Best Camping Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1986)
- Member Of:
- APTA & KATO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $225 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Cherie and Don Chantler | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
fun and excitement
We have been on a number of trips with Best Camping Tours and Safaris and really enjoy them. All staff are so helpful, professional and friendly, and eager to please. Nothing is too much for them. Accommodation is always clean and suitable, lodges and sites are excellent, meals are more than adequate and of very fine standards.
We always see plenty of game...often animals that others miss. It is never rushed and there is always plenty of time for photos and just looking.
All is so professional, yet friendly and relaxed. We certainly recommend this company to both seasoned safari goers and to novices
Well organised, saw everything
Arrived at Kilo Airport from Nairobi and met by local guide, David. To Lake Manyara and accommodation at the Serena Lodge with beautiful views over the Lake from the escarpment. Next morning toured the National Park with plenty of baboons, elephants, impala, hippos and pelicans with flamingos in the distance. In the afternoon off to the Serengeti with brief view of Ngorongoro Crater on way through. At Serengeti stayed at the Sopa Lodge. Next day saw lions very close up within metres, thanks to knowledge of our guide, seemed very good at spotting wildlife I would never have seen. Saw resident herds of zebras and elephants, although the main wildebeest migration had made it up to Masai Mara due to early rains this year. Saw a cheetah cross the road immediately in front of us, and a leopard in a tree about 50 metres off the road. After Serengeti we travelled back the next day to Ngorongoro to stay at the Sopa lodge there perched right on the rim of the crater. Saw rhino about 5 km away, unfortunately well off the road, and a male and female lion who had just decided to lie down and have a sleep right next to the road! The traffic jam of vehicles jockeying for the sight didn't phase them at all ! Amazing ! . Next morning early departure to make it to Arusha Airport by 12 pm.
Flew via Precision Air again in their ATR72 aircraft to Zanzibar where we stayed at the Tembo House Hotel in the heart of Stone Town. Once there spent 3 days doing the Spice Tour, and boat trip out to Prison island off Stone Town.
David a friendly guy, with good rapport with other guides, which led to sharing info on where to find the wildlife. Happy to recommend Best Camping Tours & safai to anyone wanting to visit the National Parks in both Kenya and Tanzania
US
Email Kim | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very, very good but wanted a bit more educational
The registration staff was helpful and considerate of our needs and always responded promptly to our email inquiries. They were accommodating and customized a tour to our specific needs. Extremely reasonable in price. Accommodations were very comfortable and above expectations for camping and price. All staff friendly and helpful and we were very pleased that it was Eco tourism and local people were employed. Also pleased our guide respected environment and rules...saw several other tours that damaged the grasslands all the time and crowded the wildlife, not ours. Food was made fresh and with attention to our preferences and was tasty and excellent. Accommodations were clean even though rustic. Locations of campgrounds less than 5 minutes from entrance to parks so no time wasted each day. Tour guide kept us safe, and was excellent at predicting where animals would be, go or do and we saw 23 lions including two cubs and a mating adult pair, 7cheetahs including two kittens, lots of herd animals, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, jackals, birds, tons of elephants (:-) and more and generally VERY close! A wonderful, beautiful week. The rainy afternoon weather was the only obstacle to seeing more. Especially impressed with night guards at campground in Masi Mara who watched over us all night. Van was clean and very comfortable for all day travel. Loved pop up roof for 360 degree viewing. Only wished for more educational information from guide about the animals, plants, country and people. It was not lacking but we would have been happy to learn more about this exquisite country. Small problem with radio not working on last day and 4wheel drive needing maintenance so only two for part of tour. Driver was skilled so not a problem, he navigated all terrain expertly but should be 100%. Food at restaurants was only average, food in campgrounds wonderful. Our guide protected us from hawkers when we did not want to shop and brought us to excellent places to do so when we did want souvenirs. Tour of Masai village very interesting and really glad for that part but watch out for selling at the end....set up to get you to buy a lot, which we were happy to do because tour was free and extensive, but be prepared to haggle down inflated prices at end there and in all locations...haggling is expected. Tour office kindly stored our unneeded luggage for the week. Driver willingly modified the days to maximize out tour time versus eating time, which was our preference. Wish there was a "very good" before excellent for rating. Website needs a LOT of improvement. Our driver's son will graduate with that skill and we feel strongly that he should be hired right away so the website can be improved. It was not easy to navigate and was not engaging or appealing. If we had not had a recommendation from a friend, we would've gone with another company with similar pricing but much better and informative website. Very grateful that driver shared his binoculars and recommend taking a pair or having camera with strong zoom...rhinos we saw were pretty far away. Happy the crocodiles were also far away! Other side of the river suited us fine as well as the soldier with the rifle escorting us! After watching video postings of "lion opens car door" would NOT recommend the other companies with open sides/no doors as well as locking your door (although ours only opened on one side and was a slider which they didn't seem to open) as the lions came right next to us! Our driver was so good at placing us in their path! Was an amazing experience we didn't think we could afford but thanks to this company we had an awesome, unforgettable, memories for a lifetime safari. Thank you!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Flexible, reliable and utterly professional - truly amazing safari experience
We had a brilliant experience with BCTS on a short trip to the Masai Mara and I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone travelling to Tanzania or Kenya. We have travelled with a couple of other operators in East Africa and our experience with BCTS was absolutely the best. We had quick responses to our emails and Imraan went to an unbelievable amount of effort to accommodate a last minute request from us to upgrade our accommodation from tents to lodges in peak season due to medical problem arising with one of our travellers. The entire operation is incredibly professional and reliable. We were collected from the airport on time and had a proper briefing at their offices. Our driver Ben was experienced, knowledgable and responsible and we had excellent game viewing. They are very competitively priced and we were thrilled with the high level of service we received. We will definitely rebook with this company again in the future!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best camping are just that! Simply the best in every way.
All excellent. Best Camping provide a reliable and safe service to some of Kenya's most outstanding sites, on time to collect you from and drop you back to the airport, friendly drivers and with excellent local knowledge of animals and birdlife. Excellent with children and prepared to be flexible to meet the needs of customers
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic few days safari. Would definitely recommend
We did 2 nights in the Masai Mara and loved it. Imraan and his team looked after us very well, the tents were small but comfy (and it's incredible to fall asleep to the sound of wildebeest and zebra), the food tasty and plentiful, and the staff were very friendly. We also saw a lot of fantastic game, including the migration which had started early.
If you're on a budget, this is definitely the company for you. We would highly recommend Best Camping. Thanks again
ES
Email Patricia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience ever with Best Camping Tours & Safaris
We had an amazing time while camping with BCTS. They were absolutely professional, from the airport complimentary pick-up to the end of our safari. Everything was perfectly organized and we felt super safe in every moment. All the staff were very kind and helpful, and the service they provide is superb!
The camping was so comfortable; the tents were spacious and had thick mattresses and blankets, the bathrooms had hot water showers, the dining room had light and plugs in order to charge the mobile phone or camera batteries. But the real highlight is that the camping is right at Talek gate which means that you can wake-up at 6:25 a.m. and being in the park spotting giraffes at 6:30 a.m. since it is really close to the gate in contrast to other low-cost safari companies that offers cheap safaris but being to far away from the gates (which means to lose so much time before entering the park). Another point to have in mind is that we had several safaris, specially at sunrise and sunset, which are the best hours to spot felines.
The food was absolutely delicious (thanks Steve!) and the camping was guarded by two Masais (John & Bill) that did not allow any animal to get close to the camping and were very nice and kind. Our driver Joseph had such a good eye when finding animals hidden in the bushes. He was trully professional and accomplish strictly the safari schedules.
To sum up, it is a great option to go on a quality and also budget safari, 5 out of 5!
NL
Email Jan Willem | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good and professional safari company with great staff
Everything was very well arranged, from the pickup at Nairobi Airport, hotel in Nairobi and a great safari experience. The camping facilities are good and the overnight hotel after Nakuru parks is very nice. Our guide Edward is not only very friendly, he really makes sure you have a great safari experience. The vehicles are comfortable and in good condition. The food is very good as well. Great value for money!
IT
Email Juri Diego | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect service
Best price , with best quality .
I booked a 7 days tour , perfect service , especially for dinner , we had a young and amazing chef . Best choice , we ' ll back with our baby ..
MY
Email Ewe & Wendy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip to Kenya
This is the first time we camp, and we did 3 nights in Masai Mara. The camp site located just nearby the Talek gate (~3 mins drive), and is besides Talek river. There are a lot of animals will wander into the camp. I noticed baboons try to "attack" the kitchen during day time.
Steve took care of us like our mum and the staff were friedly and helpful, make us feel like home. Steve's cooking was superb and the food was tasty. We always excited to know about our breakfast, lunch & dinner menu.
We had two Masai people, John and Johnathon, guarding us during night time. They help to chase away any approaching animals to our camp.
John, who speak very good English, was helpful and happily bring us to walk around. He also shared with us a lot of Masai story besides the camp fire.
Our guide ~ Joseph is professional and experienced. He helped us to spot many wildlife and gave us this unforgettable experience. The 2nd day in Masai Mara game drive, he was able to tell the weather changing and there might be an eclipse. With the immediate action, he was able to locate the sun location, and we seen eclipse for the first time, right here in the heart of Savannah.
And on our last drive, Joseph noticed two rhinoes with just a quick glimpse. We were glad to end our first ever safari experience with rare Mara black rhinoes.