Luxury African Safari tours in East Africa
Natural World Kenya Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, ASTA, KATO, MCTA & Ecotourism Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $310 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Casey | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible Business Practices
The Safari was great and the guide was amazing! I received a charge 2 months after the Safari was over and it was not recognized as Natural World. After not responding to the dispute, Robert with Natural World Safari has now reported me to the authorities in Kenya as a criminal for not paying!! Even though they were the one's which didn't respond to the multiple requests from AMEX for 8 weeks!!! I have now reversed my dispute and allowed the payment, but I am still a criminal there!!
I would NOT recommend Natural World Kenya Safaris due to their business practices, not their guides!
BE
Email Steven | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent and Unforgettable Safari
The safari we made with Natural World was excellent. We had a great time and we were lucky enough to see 4 out of the big 5 in the 4 days we stayed at the Masai Mara. We stayed in the Sarova Mara at the deluxe room and it was amazing: the food at this place is very good, variated, the whole facilities were complete! the tour at the safari was well organised and planned with our driver Evanson who was very friendly and he knows a lot so we learned about the animals and the area itself with him. We had a good time also because Evanson was very flexible on the schedule and the program we had for the 4 days of gameviewing.
Natural World is well prepared for the safaris, it is noticiable their experience and the best thing is that their cars are closed big jeeps whose top is open, giving you a sense of security, which is very convinient if its your first time for a safari and maybe you are scared or intimidated by the experience you are going to have. These jeeps are comfortable as well and equipped.
Lastly another good thing is that you can always pay half via transfer first and then the rest you can pay (as we did) in their offices in Nairobi on the day they pick you up so this provides a stronger security feeling.
I am reccomending this company for safaris to my friends who also showed interest in safari after my trip.
Greetings from Belgium
Steven and Fiory
RS
Email Aleksandra Grubin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service
Martha from Natural World Kenya Safaris provided me with excellent service. Answered all my questions and made my experience of Kenya wonderful.
My visit to Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary was memorable and the guide Ezekiel went above and beyond and I was able to see elephant mother and the calf. I was able to Ngonzini Primary School which was a highlight of my trip.
Also James that drove me from airport to Pazuri at Vipingo and later to Tiwi, was full with very useful information. Peter who drive me from Diani beach to airport was vary helpful too.
Thank you very much Natural World Kenya Safaris and see you next time!
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Email Laura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I would caution you not to book with this company
CAUTION - DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY!
Natural World Kenya Safaris, operated by Humphrey N. Ndara, could not be more of a scam and disappointment. This is a safari company that prioritizes taking your money upfront and providing disappointment on the back end. The customer service and pretend caring stop once they have your money. We learned the hard way that the company’s business practices are at best dishonest and possibly fraudulent. If your intent is to experience all that Kenyan’s National Parks can offer, to receive the services for which you paid; to follow the itinerary to which was agreed and paid for; to be treated with honesty, common courtesy and respect; and/or to enjoy equipment that works, then we strongly suggest that you ignore any positive reviews this company may have and research other safari companies. Their positive reviews might have been deserved once upon a time, but clearly that time is in the past. DO NOT fall into the same trap we did. Kenya and the Kenyan people are too special to mar your visit by using this company. For more details, read below.
None of the equipment, including the “Off-road 4x4 Land Cruiser Jeep”, was as advertised. The vehicle did NOT have working electricity meaning that none of our phones or cameras could be recharged. The vehicle’s advertised WiFi was nonexistent. The portable fridge was broken so there was no cold water providing needed refreshment while in the heat of the Kenyan sun. The advertised sandbags for stability while picture taking were also nonexistent. The vehicle itself was old, busted in various places, and had abnormally inferior shocks (even for a safari vehicle). The poor condition of the vehicle ultimately resulted in an injury to one of us.
Although extremely disappointing, the poor (or lack of) functioning equipment could have been overlooked had the company not continued to ruin its questionable reputation through its misleading and underhanded business dealings. Despite having paid for all of our lodgings prior arriving in Kenya, we learned that it is Mr. Ndara’s business practice not to pay the lodging owners until the very last possible moment, and in some cases, not at all. Upon arriving early in the day at one of our lodging sites, we were unable to check in as the hotel/camp staff informed us that our lodging had not yet been paid by Natural World (Mr. Ndara). The hotel/camp staff suggested that we go ahead and spend our day in the park on safari under the assumption that all would be resolved before coming back at the end of our day. Unfortunately, when we arrived back at our lodging at the end of the day nothing had been resolved. In fact, the hotel/camp staff had been unable to contact anyone at Natural World all day. After an additional several hours waiting at the check-in desk, we were advised that we should (re)pay out-of-pocket and attempt reimbursement later. Our driver confirmed that this predicament is not an uncommon happening where Mr. Ndara is concerned. He often uses customer prepayments for other purposes.
Adding insult to injury, our driver (Jeff) was rude and condescending throughout our 9-day safari. He ignored asked questions, rushed us every time we stopped to take pictures, and repeatedly dropped us off at our camp earlier than scheduled (and much earlier than other safari groups that were staying at the same camp) causing us to miss the dusk hours when animals are most active. He did this without any explanation and got angry when we questioned him why he was returning to camp so early. Multiple times he skipped destinations listed on the itinerary that was agreed to when we submitted our safari down payment. One of the better examples of our driver’s rudeness is when he told us, “Why bother telling you what these animals are called since you can’t seem to remember them?”
On our last day of the safari, Mr. Humphrey Ndara verbally promised his commitment to addressing our negative safari experience and poor treatment. Unfortunately, true to form and never responding to our emails, this was just one more false and broken promise and another item to be added to the long list of extreme disappointments we suffered at the hands of Natural World, Mr. Humphrey and our driver Jeff.
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Email Moneeb | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They are a dishonest company based on our experience
I used this company for a Kenya family safari in 2017 and we had a great experience. Based on this, we booked a new 5 day luxury Safari with them. I had every expectation that - based on my prior experience from 2017 - we could expect another great experience. This was not the case. Something has clearly happened and this company has gone totally downhill.
In summary - we were assured that our private Safari trip was completely lined up and on track. However the moment we paid them the money ($12k for a family of 5) - the problems immediately began. Firstly we were lied to about the hotel we had chosen somehow not having availability and we were rebooked into a different hotel of a much lower caliber (and told that the price was the same). I later confirmed that there was NO lack of availability at our originally selected lodge - rather the company had never made the reservation and had just pocketed the money. Secondly the company never paid the Safari park fees (despite us having paid them IN FULL prior to our arrival). We were left stranded at the park entrance for over an hour and were constantly being pressured to just pay the park entry fees in "cash" and told we would get refunded later. I refused.
This company ruined our family vacation. They took our money upfront and assured us our trip is all paid for. Then left us stranded in a foreign country and told us to just pay in "cash" to cover ongoing costs. Our attempts to get a refund are met with a combination of them ignoring emails/phone calls and them sending us generic emails.
The people we dealt with are Fred and Humphrey. I would advise you don't use them and do not make the mistake we did.
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Email Jeff | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They are broke…when you get cheated go KATO. They guarantee payment.
We loved the safari and driver on a Kenya safari that ended Jan 20. Natural World Safari’s is broke. We raised hell and got 7 days of our 11 paid…one day at a time. At the end we brought the Nairobi Tourist police and the operator was able to refund the last $4000 US by some shenanigans with a refund to our credit card. My guess is the best route for a refund of the safari cost (not your airfare and hassle) is through KATO, an organization that apparently guarantees operators nationally.
If you have the funds, my recommendation is you do the safari and pay yourself, as needed and then go to KATO.
If you haven’t booked with this company, I would advise don't.
LV
Email Maris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be ready for some unpleasant surprises
We chose Natural world Kenya Safari (NWKS) because of the good reviews, but it seems that the company is currently having some (financial?) problems, which also affects its customers. I booked a safari (5 DAYS, 4 NIGHTS: NAIROBI – MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE– AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK– KENYA BEACH) tour for my family (2 adults, 2 children) several months before the trip. Communication with the Nairobi office specialist Faith was very good - a detailed program was sent and all questions were answered.
As promised, we were met at Nairobi airport by our driver/guide David and we paid the remaining amount at the NWKS airport office. The first two days in Masai Mara were great - we were very kindly welcomed by Orng'atuny Mara King Camp, went on safari trips and also visited a Masai village. The problems started on the third day, when we arrived at Amboseli Park. At first, there was a strange hitch with the accommodation confirmation, but later it was received. The next day according to the program was scheduled for "Full Day Amboseli National park", description: "We’ll start the day off viewing the animals as they first awaken and come into the clearings, seeking their first meal of the day. Then, it’s our turn for breakfast. You can relax now or go on a mid-morning game drive. Or both. You set the pace for the day and we’ll adjust accordingly." Instead, we drove to the park gate around 8:30, waited there for more than an hour, and then returned to the campsite. The reason, as driver David explained to us, is that someone from the office did not send the any confirmation. All the other vehicles drove in without any problems, only we were left outside. We didn’t visit the safari that day at all. I wrote an email to Faith, but I didn’t get any response from her. She didn’t reply either later, when I asked for an explanation again after returning from the trip. Perhaps this is the communication style of Natural World Kenya Safaris - to respond only until all money is received, but not after that. David is a good driver and generally a nice person, but I was also disappointed in his inability to resolve the situation. He just repeated several times that it was not his fault. We spent the last day of the tour feeling a bit stressed, wondering if another unpleasant “surprise” awaited us or if we might be cheated again. Fortunately, this did not happen and we successfully reached Mombasa, but later Diani.
Although this tour also had a lot of positive emotions, I would not risk choosing this company's services again.
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Email Sean | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I recommend being cautious when booking with this company. Paid for service that we did not get
Sadly, like a bunch of others you can see on TripAdvisor, we lost thousands of dollars due to the actions of this tour company. This company operates under African Kenya Safaris as well as Natural World Kenya Safaris, so beware of both those names. We paid for our entire trip, in full, weeks before flying out to Kenya. When we arrived at our second hotel, they said our booking had been completely cancelled by this tour company one full week before we arrived.
Our next two hotel stays were still booked, but the company never paid. We spent 1.5 hours, each time, back-and-forth calling and messaging on WhatsApp in the hotel lobby with all our luggage. Neither were ever paid. It was late, dark, and we were tired and hungry, so we paid (again, since everything had been prepaid before we left home) with our credit card for the hotel - AFTER the tour company rep, Mary, agreed the company would reimburse us. She acted like this was an outlier, but we later discovered there are plenty of other victims.The hotel staff were shocked and felt so bad for us, and offered to comp our drinks at the restaurant. One guide said he had never heard of anything like this in over 18 years of being a guide. It has been weeks since they said they would refund us the money they owe, but now they will not reply to any messages. Beware of this tour company.
Email Tracy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware! Natural World Kenya Safaris was dishonest with us
I joined a 5-day safari tour in Kenya with Natural World Kenya Safaris, and it turned out to be a nightmare. Despite paying in full, the company failed to cover basic expenses like my safari tickets and hotel accommodations. Instead, they had the audacity to request that I pay for them myself, promising a refund.
That refund never came. I have followed up multiple times, only to be ignored. To make matters worse, the sales representative who initially handled my case left the company and revealed that many other customers have faced the same scam—damaging his own reputation in the process.
This company is completely untrustworthy, and I strongly warn everyone to stay away. Do not fall into their trap. They took our money and left us to deal with the consequences. I advise you avoid Natural World Kenya Safaris at all costs!
IE
Email KM | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Natural World Kenya Safaris took our deposit for a safari never taken& unethically not returning it.
I paid 12,328 USD to Natural World Kenya Safaris, for family holiday in April 2024 as they wanted 40% deposit.
It was a booking deposit for an upcoming trip this July, 2025. I had very little email communication after paying the deposit, and no response to our phone calls to them.
When I emailed the individual accommodations in Kenya we requested during our safari stay, I received emails back from them confirming Natural World Kenya did not reserve any accommodation for us.
I asked that our deposit be returned, well over the 150 days prior to trip and with in T& Cs.
After numerous emails/phone calls to Natural World Kenya Safaris, I did receive an email, from D****, that they would process a refund.
But we have not received our 12,328 USD from them. Nor any contact back from them.
I reached out to the KATO Ethics and Standard Sub committee, regarding non-delivery of services. Natural World Kenya Safaris has been suspended from KATO membership on account of violating the Code of Conduct for Members. And we have been referred to the Tourism Regulation Authority (TRA) and will pursue this legally against the company.
A very unethical company, one could ask is this fraud. A scam? Gangster like activity? if you book with them you will find out.
( Please note the date of "when do you go'' is date of deposit , not date we went on safari, as we never did go-full disclosure)