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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:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $250 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
US
Email Billy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical
We used Apodiformes to organize our 4 night 5 day trip to Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Nakuru. From the moment planning began Silas was responsive, communicative, and worked tirelessly to make sure every detail was considered. This was our first trip to Kenya so it was understandably nice to have peace of mind! I could not recommend Silas and his team more. If you have the opportunity to request Peter as your driver, I could not suggest this more! He is wonderful and you will leave being part of his family!
ES
Email Raquel Dotes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best choice we could have made
I traveled to Kenya for 21 days in September 2022 with a friend from Spain, booking the 6 days/5 nights Safari (Masai-Mara 3, Nakuru 1, Amboselli 2) one month before the start of the trip.
From the beginning Silas explained everything to me, we agreed to pick up the Nairobi airport-hotel (on our own) and the next morning they would pick us up from the starting point of the adventure. He accompanied us to be able to exchange local currency and he took care of my lost luggage on the scale in Amsterdam when it appeared in Kenya) Because yes, they lost my checked luggage in Holland and the airport management was also great (helped by Silas).
Our drivers were Winston for the first 3 days, and then Boniface (coinciding with a passenger change). The van was completed with other "solo" travelers each with their respective Safari plan. Both were magnificent guides, they made an effort to make our game 100% productive, allowing us to see practically all the inhabitants of the parks. Without worrying about food, or water, or tickets to the parks, everything is included and very well managed.
They also gave us essential advice to continue our journey through Kenya, explaining first-hand part of the history and society of this beautiful and welcoming country.
Mention that my luggage was taken to the Amboselli park, all managed by Silas in a wonderful way and I suppose by all the people involved in the logistics.
I really do not know of other Safari companies first hand in Kenya (if in South Africa) but I can assure you that it is difficult to find another company that improves the value for money and the treatment and management by the entire team, so if I hope I can repeat the experience again, without a doubt I would repeat with them, in addition to openly recommending it.
(automatic translation from Spanish)
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.
DE
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Isaiah is very experienced, funny and knows exactly how to respond to the wishes of his guests.
This was our first safari ever so we were suitably excited when we landed in Nairobi in the middle of the night. Fortunately, Silas prepared everything so well that we could get in the car directly with our guide and the journey began! We spent a total of 11 days with Isaiah and we rightly claim that we could not have had a better companion on our journey. Isaiah was very experienced and knew a lot about the country, the people and especially the animals. Because we were alone with him, we were able to express our wishes without any problems and Isaiah always did his best to fulfill them. Even with the 100th elephant, he gave us the time to take the 1000th picture as well. He was always friendly and incredibly funny and made us feel like part of his family!
All we can say about our trip is that we saw everything that could have been seen (including rhinos and leopards).
The lodges booked were all great and can be highly recommended.
In our opinion, the price-performance ratio was great and we have already started recommending Apodiformes and Isaiah to our family and friends.
We would still do two things differently if we were to start our next safari:
1.) Do not buy overpriced things in the street shops where short breaks are taken (usually there are small shops in the lodges that offer the same products at a fair price)
2.) Do not take shampoo or towels with you
Thank you again for probably one of the greatest experiences we have ever had!
ES
Email Mireia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great and incredible holidays in Kenya and Zanzibar
We booked with Silas a trip of 6 days Safari in Kenya + 4 days in Zanzibar for our family of 4 people with 2 teens. All the arrangements and the final price were very good, so we chose to do it with them. Since we arrived we felt very Welcomed by Silas and the guide John "the lion King". John always cared a lot about us and gave us a lot of security. He was very concerned so that we could see all the animals, he took us to all the places we asked for and he became friends with the whole family, especially the little one with whom he created a great complicity. In the end, since we had not been able to see the rhinoceros and we had several hours left to catch the plane to Zanzibar, John spoke with Silas and they additionally paid us the entrance fee to Nairobi National Park so that we could see it and that's how it was. It was incredible. We also lost the binoculars and John and Silas brought them to us at the airport on our return from Zanzibar so we could recover them. In short, a very customer-oriented company, which offered us a lot of security and made us enjoy these incredible vacations a lot. 100% recommended
BG
Email Milena | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent customer service, excellent trip!
We just returned from an amazing safari in Kenya. Silas was exceptionally patient and answered all questions prior to the trip, and not only that - he fulfilled all of what was promised, everything went off without a hitch. We had a 9 day, 3 park safari - Samburu, Nakuru and Masai Mara. Make sure you do them in this order, Masai Mara is the cherry on top. Our driver was kind, very safe, and knowledgeable about the parks, animals, and was able to spot even notoriously difficult to find big cats.
Highly recommend the company and the safaris organized by Silas.
IL
Email Scott & Daria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a Lifetime…
We took a three-park package spread over 6 days —Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli — which we knew was adventurous. Silas told us as much during our organisation stage, but the fact that he answered all of our many, many questions openly and honestly made us feel that we had made the right choice.
Our driver, Dickson, was attentive, courteous and accommodating all while being un-intrusive. He worked extremely hard in all the parks to ensure we saw the widest possible range of animals resulting in the big five and the ugly five among the many, many others. The Sopa Lodge hotels were the perfect settings with great staff, excellent hospitality and everything to make our stay memorable. The lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge truly is a magical place and location — one that would be an Instagram dream.
We arrived in Kenya hoping for a Kenyan introduction but it was so much more. It wasn’t Europe; it wasn’t the USA or South East Asia, it was the cradle of life full of adventure supported by humble, caring and welcoming people.
Email Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience, delivered by an incredible tour provider!
Just back after a brilliant 9 day adventure with Apodiformes!
Silas (the owner) communication was spot on with really quick responses at any time of the day, helping to make me feel comfortable with such a big purchase remotely!
We were lucky enough to have Isiah as our guide! Hilarious, knowledgeable and experienced! He know when and where we should be to make sure got the most out of the experience!
He also went the extra mile by doing things like printing out our train tickets for us including the return leg, this is something that friends we made that were with a different tour provide had to do themselves. Little things like that helped to make our trip a once in a lifetime!
A couple of things to note/put you at ease when booking:
- The payment portal on the link that Silas sends you does look a little suspect, but it is real and works fine.
- Communication is mainly through WhatsApp which is fantastic for easy chatting
- There are a few additional trips/activities that you can do along the way, a boat ride round a lake Naivasha $80 per boat, a visit to a Masai mara camp $30 per person, these aren't mandatory, but worth knowing about before you go!
Overall I would highly recommend Apodiformes for any tour you might be considering!
MT
Email Claire | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lifetime experience, and would do it all over again
This was our third time in Kenya and our second trip to Mara NP, yet the safari experience exceeded our expectations.
Silas always promptly replied to the messages and kindly went back and forth with my requests. We finally settled for a 1 day Nakuru, 3 day Masai Mara private tour, upgraded our jeep and were assigned to Nelson, our king driver. I really appreciated that Silas checked in on us during our safari trip.
Nelson helped us with any luggages at all times. He is not a very talkative guide but very knowledgeable and you could still see all the effort he put into the 4 days we spent with him. My husband is also into photography so angles and light are very important. Nelson kindly and patiently waited and drove around as necessary and as best he could.
We saw all the big five, some of them, numerous times because Nelson really made sure to be in the right spots at the right time.
Asante sana. We will definitely recommend you to our family and friends.
SA
Email Narayan Prajapat | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best service provider , unforgettable hospitality, professional tour guides cum drivers
I found about Apodiformes adventures through Safari.com. Contacted Mr. Silas who is very kind, friendly and professional.
He communicated with me and finalized my itinerary as per my need and offered me a tour package in my budget.
All the Lodges and hotels he booked for me such as Tamrind tree hotel in Nairobi, Enkorok Mara camp in Masaimara, Nakuru Sopa lodge in Nakuru, Amboseli Sopa Lodge in Amboseli were superb. All located at great locations, having professional and friendly staff and provided great service.
Our driver cum guide Mr. Gibson, who was with us for 8 days, was very friendly person, having good communication skill in English and showed us all the places and showed us all the animals Kenya could offer.
I am so greatful to Silas, Gibson and Apodiformes adventures for this memorable trip.
Kenya is best place for wild safari, adventures and relax. Yellow fever is very rare so nothing to worry about that, even no need to get yellow fever vacation, Kenyan people are very nice, kind and tourist welcoming.
I highly recommend everyone to visit Kenya and get the service of Apodiformes adventures to make your Kenya vacation pleasant and unforgettable.
Thanks Silas.
Love you man. Keep the good work up.
I miss you Kenya, wanna come again.
Hope to see you..
