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Apodiformes Adventures
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority, AFRICA TOURISM ASSOCIATION & FRIENDS OF NAIROBI NATIONAL WILDILIFE CONSERVATION
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $750 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
ES
Email Fabio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good price and good experience overall in Kenya, but not a professional and kind service
In general, I give Apodiformes a 3/5 because the trip through Kenya as a whole has been a spectacular experience, and all the hotels included in the package and the drivers and guides were very professional, friendly, punctual and helpful.
Also, I found the total price for the package to be very good, beating many competitors' offerings, so if you want to save money, Apodiformes might be worth it.
But I have to reduce the score because all the interactions with Silas -responsible for Apodiformes- during the trip were rather a disaster, showing little professionalism and little kindness at all times. Although he was always very efficient before the trip, answering quickly via WhatsApp and adapting the schedule to our different requests, everything changed as soon as we arrived in Kenya:
Things already started badly with our arrival at Nairobi International Airport at 4:00 am, when there was no one to pick us up at the arrivals gate. Silas did not answer the phone, so after half an hour of waiting in the cold and with a 3 year old we had to take a taxi on our own to the booked hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, where we were very well received, we were finally able to contact him and he arrived minutes later. There were no apologies, just bad excuses that he was waiting “at the wrong terminal” (so why was his phone turned off?).
The next day we were going on safari. We had agreed with Silas to have a guide who spoke Spanish, but when we met the assigned guide he barely knew a few words. In the end it wasn't a problem because we were able to communicate well in English (and the guide -Leroy- was otherwise a fantastic person and a very professional and concerned guide that took very good care of us), but this lack of compliance with what was committed in the case of a client who didn't speak English would have been a big problem.
On the other hand, we had requested a child seat in the car that we would use to travel to Nakuru and Masai Mara and carry out the safari. The child seat was there, but it couldn't be attached to the car seat belts. We solved the ballot by buying a rope in a shopping center and tying the child seat with it. A messy solution that of course made us travel through the dangerous roads in Kenia feeling constantly anxious for the safety of our three-year-old.
In addition, that same day Silas told us he had unilaterally changed our accommodation on the Naivasha stage (from Sopa Naivasha Lodge to Simba) because at the Sopa lodge "there had been complaints of food poisoning". In the end it was not a problem because the Simba turned out to be very good but it seemed unprofessional to inform us of this at the last moment and base the change on a reason that sounded like an invention (no one else mentioned these problems in the hotel's opinions on Internet) .
At the end of the Safari, when we had scheduled a visit to a Maasai village, they wanted to charge us again for the visit even though the agreed program specified that it was included. We had to advance the payment and then claim the refund from Silas.
At the end of the Safari and going to the beach, we arrived at the Baobab Resort hotel, finding a standard room booked, although a superior room was specified in the agreed plan. We had to speak with Silas to demand that he negotiate with the hotel for an upgrade as agreed in plan.
On our return from Diani Beach to Nairobi, despite our flight being late, we had to wait almost an hour in the Wilson airport exit car park for Silas to show up to pick us up. It seems there was "traffic" but no other drivers who came to pick up the dozens of people who arrived on that flight had any trouble getting there on time.
Anyway, despite all these messes the thing could be forgiven if there had been sincere apologies and explanations in each case, but Silas did not consider to apologize for any of these inconveniences even once. He even did not ask us how the safari and other experiences had gone at any time, nor did he write to us to ask how the return home was, being unfriendly and showing total disinterest. A pity that our main contact and organizer of the trip was the least kind and considerate person that we have encountered in our trip to Kenya, otherwise fantastic.
PL
Email Piotr | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you want to see the whole BIG 9 then only with Apodiformes
We were on safari with Apodiformes beginning from Nakuru and Masai Mara in Kenya, then Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tsvangirai in Tansania and then Amboseli in Kenya. We can only advise doing safari, specially require Tom if you want to animals from close distance. You will have to wake up early but morning is the best to spot the animals. We had excellent communication with Silas (the owner), quick and proper. We have chosen Apodiformes from top 10 companies on safaribooking.com and can only recommend. Everything was on time and on schedule, suggested lodges (Serena and Sarova) were totally ok, good food and comfortable accomodation.
JP
Email Ryu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are the one who you need. Communication, hospitality was excellent!!
We went to the 6 days Kenya group tour (Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli).
Both the communication before the tour between SILAS and the safari experience led by our driver STANLEY was amazing.
If you are looking for a budget tour, they are the one who you should choose. Price is good, the safari experience is amazing and the staff are professional.
SILAS who seems to be the representative of the company responded our inquiries really quickly via WhatsApp. If you send him a message in a Nairobi working hours, you will most likely get a reply in a few minutes. His company is young, but he seems to have adequate experience in this industry. He picked up us at Nairobi Airport and sent us to our hotel on the first day. He sent us a driver the next morning, and the driver took us to a meeting point where we met our driver and our fellow travellers. SILAS was there too. We met him again on the last day of the visit when he took us to the airport.
STANLEY, who was our driver was a real professional. He woke up very early every day to inspect the safari environment, communicate with other guides and get information and to clean the van. It seemed that he was really wanting us to satisfy. He used radio as other guides and guides cooperate to find big animals, like lions and cheetas. We could see all of the BIG FIVES. We could also see two cheetahs eating an antelope which was really amazing. He was knowledgeable about the animals and explained to us how to distinguish them. He has good eyes and could find the animals from far where we could barely see even when we were told it was there.
Suggestion for the budget tour.
- Accommodations were okay. But don't expect a clean place like a hotel. It is a tent with a bed where you sleep and a hot shower is not that hot. Bugs may come in. It may black-out at midnight. I enjoyed it.
- On a budget tour, we will move by a van (e.g. Nissan URVAN). Sometimes more than 7 hours. Seats were okay but not comfortable like sedan cars. If you don't want to do this, you need to fly with a Cessna from Wilson Airport to the Park.
- Food was okay. But not what you expect in your country.
- Flying into the clean hotels/lodges near the Park may triple the price.
- You can't choose who you will be with on a group tour. We were really lucky to have great people with us. We talked over a beer every day after dinner.
- No place to wash your clothes. I washed my clothes on the first day but it didn't dry.
- I bought a Safaricom SIM card at the airport. We got an internet connection at the campsite with this SIM. No WiFi at the campsite.
- Don't forget to tip the driver.
Bring:
- Portable charger for the phone
- Fleece or a windbreaker. It is quite cold, especially in the rainy seasons.
- Flip flops. Something you can wear at the accommodations.
- If you want to take a close photo, lense no less than 200mm. Sometimes 300mm is not even enough.
- Shampoo and body shower. There is none in the accommodations.
- A compact hairdryer. It is quite cold in the evenings and you might want to dry your hair. You also might want to dry your shoes, especially in the rainy seasons.
- Tissues and wet wipes.
- Binoculars (at least 10*30)
- If you have enough space, I would bring an extra pair of shoes.
All in all, the safari experience provided by Apodiformes Adventure, SILAS and STANLEY was really amazing. I will recommend them to my friends.
HU
Email Lucía | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor Service, Unprofessional guide, and lies about compensation
I would like to share my experience with the 5-day Kenyan safari my husband and I went on. Unfortunately, we were both extremely disappointed with the services, and I feel it’s important to share this feedback so others can avoid similar issues.
0. Lies all around: First of all, I shared my review in September. After writing this review on September 1st, we reached an agreement with the agency for compensation. They claimed to have sent the money, but it never arrived, and they continued to give us excuses for almost another month. This only deepened our disappointment and frustration, and we find the entire situation outrageous.
1. Guide: The driver-guide we had throughout the safari did not meet our expectations at all. He acted mostly as a driver, which was disappointing given the price we paid for this trip. He barely provided any information, and when he did, it was limited to just naming animals. We didn’t receive any insights into their behavior, reproduction, or diet, nor did we learn anything about Kenya’s cultural or natural highlights. At one point, we resorted to using Google and ChatGPT for information. I asked many questions, but the guide often couldn’t answer, and sometimes he didn’t even understand due to his poor English skills. We were also left in the dark regarding the itinerary and how to prepare for the next day.
On the first day, the guide arrived 20 minutes late, and the vehicle had an empty fuel tank, so we had to stop for gas and even had to pick up water for the tour. These could have been arranged beforehand, and it felt unprofessional to have our experience delayed this way.
The guide also wasn’t familiar with the locations, which resulted in us getting lost in the Maasai Mara on the first day, causing us to arrive more than two hours late at the hotel. His inexperience was further evident in his driving—he didn’t open the door for us, spent too much time on his phone without a headset, and even made dangerous maneuvers, like cutting through a crowded market.
2. Ignoring Dietary Requests: Both my husband and I are vegan, and I also follow a gluten-free diet. I informed Silas multiple times via WhatsApp about our dietary needs, and he assured me there would be no issues. However, neither the guide nor the hotel staff were aware of these requests. We had to explain our preferences at every meal, catching them off guard. For three days, we had to spend hours looking for vegan options in shopping malls for our "picnic" lunch, only to end up eating in the car. On the last day, we were given ham sandwiches, eggs, and milk, which the driver later replaced with supermarket food costing only $3 per person. This was far below what we expected for a "luxury" trip.
3. Ignoring Anniversary Dinner Request: I had informed Silas several times that our wedding anniversary would take place during the trip, and we wanted a special dinner at the lodge. Silas assured us it would be arranged, but when we arrived, the lodge knew nothing about it. We ended up organizing a bush dinner ourselves, which cost $180.
4. Payment Issue: We initially planned to pay the balance of the trip by card, but Silas informed us of a 4% card fee, which was not mentioned or charged when we paid the deposit. This hidden fee only became apparent when we had no other option, and we felt this was unfair. Instead, we opted for a bank transfer, but this situation further eroded our trust in the agency.
5. Lack of Pre-Trip Information: We received no information or briefing about the country, what to pack, or other important details before the trip. While this might not seem like a major issue on its own, given all the other problems we encountered, it reflected the overall lack of care from the agency.
There are many other small details I could mention, but what was most disappointing was that these issues were evident from the very first day. I immediately informed Silas and requested a different guide. Unfortunately, his response was minimal—he simply stated that the guide was familiar with the national park and that breakfast is typically not provided on the first day (so why was it included in the itinerary?).
Overall, we are incredibly disappointed with the service. It is the agency’s responsibility to provide a competent guide and at the very least communicate special dietary needs to the accommodations, especially when these have been promised in advance. I strongly recommend that others avoid this agency and find a more reliable and established travel company.
The "cherry on top" is the we were scammed about receiving a compensation which never happened.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Nov 5, 2024Dear Lucia,
Apologies for the hiccups during your trip. The challenge you had with our guide Nicholas is quite unfortunate. Nicholas has been a tour guide for 8 years now and we are surprised he could not even trace the correct routes in Masai Mara. I can confirm to you that we have already initiated internal investigations into his conduct. Meanwhile he remains suspended from work.
The only issue I would want to clarify is regarding your special Anniversary dinner which you feel you were overcharged by the camp - Amani Mara Camp.
From the onset I informed you that a special anniversary dinner and a sundowner are never part of the package we sell to clients - and that we can only include that in the cost upon request. These are extras meaning that they can only be arranged upon the client's request. I initially made you aware of all this important information and that is why I requested to have it booked by us on your behalf.
Now I have reached Amani Mara Camp (the camp where you stayed) and they have informed me they not only arranged for you a special bush dinner but combined it with a sundowner where special drinks (wines etc) and meals were served. For this you were charged 180$. The Hotel (Amani Mara Camp) have categorically stated that you were charged 45$ per person for the bush dinner and another 45$ per person for the sundowner.
I am sorry. We take your review seriously and will work on the issues raised for a prosperous future.
Apodiformes Adventures Team
IT
Email Giangi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good operator, Terrific guide!
This was my third safari, the first just me and my 12 ys old son for 12 days
I should divide my review, one for for the support on booking/ organisation of the trip and another one the trip itself.
On the one hand, dealing with Apodiformes was always very easy; since the beginning, they has tried to find the best combination to adapt my request to my budget.
During the trip there were some issues regarding booking and organisation, but Apodiformes has been able to fix always them.
On the other hand, the safari guide Francis was a nightmare and made the whole trip quite painful!
Examples?
- the land rover was almost missing shoking absorber .. and this is crucial when you spend 10 hours per day on streets full of bumps and holes; the door opened during the trip
- the guide was very Often on the phone texting with who-knows instead of been focused on the drive
- often the tend of the land cruise didnt' close completely ... and at 6 am it's very cold
- lack understanding of the trip schedule ... it was me to tell where we had to sleep every day
- he skipped almost 1/3 of the game drives ... everytime with a different excuse
In each game, he was always far from the animal (we have always been on the back of all the other land cruise), no single explenation about parks, animals, ...never asked if we were taking good pictures/spots and if he could leave or if he had to stop.
One day he asked me to pay 200 US a ranger because of some problems with park tickets .. of course I called apodiformes and they fixed it
in few words ... 1 star is even too much.
To sum up, read the review about the best guide and ask to have some of them.
AE
Email Peter Rubai | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!!! 5 stars ⭐️ “ Apodiform”
Honestly the trip was outstanding. We came from Dubai for our honeymoon , Frederick our coordinator did a great job for us, he is super honest , everything he promised us it happened , and honestly it was over our expectations, big big 5 stars ⭐️ for you fred , also i want to thank Kim our beat guide ever , he was sooo nice and he knows everything about wild life and animals , he was so flexible and helpful , his english is super good , he was enjoying with us as well .
GUYS! Honestly from our heart , Apodiforme is the best , big 5 stars ⭐️
CN
Email Sunnie Wang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
an unforgettable 9-day safari trip with excellent service and unforgettable suprises
Our 9-day, 8-night safari trip was a very enjoyable and unforgettable journey. When booking the trip, Fredrick responded quickly and warmly, adjusting and communicating promptly based on our needs and questions. Our guide was Sebastian, and I have to say, he was the key to our perfect experience. His driving skills were superb, fast, and steady throughout. Communication with him was comfortable, and he had a great personality. Each day’s itinerary was comfortable and personalized. On the first morning of our safari in Tsavo, we saw many lions, which was especially thrilling. Whenever we received information, the immediate rush to the spot was exciting. On the morning of the hot air balloon safari, Sebastian picked us up directly at the bush breakfast location, which was very thoughtful and saved a lot of time. This travel experience was perfect, and we were reluctant to part ways. Looking forward to meeting again next time!
CA
Email April | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall an excellent experience!
There are 2 ppl we like to thank for this tour: Gibson (our driver during our 8 day adventure) and Silas ( for helping us arrange this tour).
If this is your first African safari and you want safety, knowledgeable, professionalism, ask for Gibson! It's not easy being a driver for safari, especially when the landcan sometimes be bumpy and we experienced a hailstorm during one of our game drives. Gibson acted very calmly under unpredictable circumstances and made my husband and I feel very safe during this process.
As for Silas, I am very impressed with his communication abilities and how he was able to accommodate everything we asked for on our trip. Something tells me this won't be the last time we work with this company.
CN
Email Bianca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very experienced and professional, patient and friendly
we all very enjoyed the tour,our guide is really experienced, we like Michael very much, I will introduce your company to all of my friends,when they come here will contact you.welcome to china,see you next time
CN
Email Sharon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent trip.I would definitely recommend this agency to my friends.
The first impression was the consultant was so passionate that he replied to my emails very quick even on weekends.Also,Fredrick took every single requirement I told him when making the tailor-made itinerary.That was why I chose this company among all other agencies.During the safari,our guide Tom also did a wonderful job,giving us surprises consistently.I will no doubt refer them to my friends who'd like to travel here.
