Our Consultants in the office
Meektrails Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2020)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $2,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Mirko | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreliable
I went on a 10 day Safari with this company last July, unfortunately we did not like it.
Before booking they promise
Before departure they promise you whatever you want, but once there you don't get it. We asked to have a jeep instead of a “minibus”, we even paid money on top but we did not get it. It was told we will receive binoculars, so we did not bring ours and even those were not available. For the last we asked for a guide expert in birds since of the group is an experienced researcher in forestal ecology, as you can imagine the guide was not an expert in birds. So we felt like children, promised a lot but it was all a bunch of lies.
Other issues, the plan was changed without even informing us. We were supposed to spend 2 days in a park, but the company changed the plan and neither gave us an alternative, so we spent a day basically doing nothing.
As cherry on top, because of some departures issues, we arrived 2 days late. We kindly asked for a “discount” for the activities not done, and were told that was not possible cause everything was already booked, only later we discovered that the tickets of the parks are paid once only at the entry so our tickets were booked. When we pointed that out, it has been told to us that we will be reimbursed, and as you can get from this review, it has been more than a year I'm still waiting to be contacted.
Reply from Meektrails Safaris
Posted on Nov 13, 2024Meektrails safaris Limited (owner)
9 hours ago
Hello Marko,
Your trip was long ago. You raised a complaint and we compensated you despite having paid more for your hotels changing the whole itinerary despite being in the peak season. We did not charge you extra for the change of dates. Pushing you forward your dates in each place.
You have posted a review each year on a different platform. We refuse to be Blackmailed as our reviews on all platforms speak for us. Telling us to pay you money so you pull down the reviews is not within our ethics, as a culture and an honest company so we want everyone to see everything and judge for themselves.
Many thanks for sharing your experience.
CH
Email Marco | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
They may change plans unexpectedly and without informing the clients.
We booked a ten day safari. The original program was changed without informing us and without our consent. The vehicle was downgraded without informing us. They also decreased the number of safari day to 9, leaving us one day without activities. This is especially bad since they erased from the program one day in the Masai Mara. We found out about all of this during the trip, not before. Communication was virtually non-existent.
Reply from Meektrails Safaris
Posted on Jan 8, 2024Many thanks for sharing this with other travelers, we take every review in a positive approach to help us get better, some negative will assist us in knowing how we can do to make it better for clients travelling with us now and in the future.
In Kenya we have 2 vehicles for safaris, 4 X 4 safari minivan and 4 X 4 safari land cruiser, it is important to know which you are booked even by asking for photos for the safari vehicle. The price between the two vehicles is considerably different.
I do not understand what you mean by your tour being cut short yet we dropped you guys at the airport on the same day you were booked for your flight home, you almost did not meet me because of time since you were rushing to board the flight. The flight itinerary was not changed, how could you have missed a day?
I agree about missing a game 1st night in Maasai Mara, I personally asked you what we could do about this since our parks had changed from 24 hour packages to 12 hour packages. I have many clients who have had this issue but we advised them to do something different on this evening to avoid paying a full days ticket that is only used for an hour or so and most picked my advise, you also picked this as there was no need to pay an extra ticket. Had I known you had an issue believe me we would have paid that extra ticket for you to make sure you spoke positive of us and our our beautiful country.
ALL IN ALL THIS WILL HELP US IMPROVE AND THANKS FOR SHARING.
DE
Email Elizabeth | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not customer-oriented, only interested in own profits
Starting with the positives:
* Our driver exhibited exceptional friendliness and punctuality throughout the journey.
* We were consistently provided with excellent vantage points for capturing wildlife photographs.
* Despite encountering dangerous traffic conditions, our driver drove safely, though it's worth noting the necessity for functional safety belts within the vehicle.
However, handling of unforeseen circumstances by Meektrails Safari, particularly regarding our delayed arrival:
On the downside:
* Meektrails initially suggested omitting a day from our Masai Mara itinerary, a significant disappointment given its prominence in our plans and its associated cost, with no reimbursement offered.
* Contrary to their stated cancellation policy guaranteeing full refunds in such situations, we were informed that refunds were not feasible due to upfront payments for accommodations and entrance fees.
* During the safari we saw that these fees were typically paid upon arrival, contradicting Meektrails' explanation.
* Following considerable negotiation, Meektrails agreed to adjust our itinerary to two full days in Masai Mara, yet failed to compensate for the activities and accommodations we skipped.
* Additionally, the promised sightseeing activity in Nairobi on our final day was abruptly canceled without prior notice, leaving us feeling fooled
In conclusion, we recommend you to recognize the potential for abrupt changes in plans during such excursions. However, Meektrails' failure to stick to their refund policy and their apparent attempts to prioritize their interests leave a negative impression. Regrettably, we cannot recommend this agency.
Reply from Meektrails Safaris
Posted on Mar 26, 2024Many thanks for posting your safari experiences with all the people here looking for a good safari in our beautiful country Kenya. This is an eye opener.
I will point out what you did not mention, that your flight was delayed for over a day and it is busy season here.
Despite your flight being delayed for over a day we managed to rework your itinerary making sure you did not miss out on anything without charging you extra for changing some of the dates despite the hotels considering your booking as a last minute cancellation. We actually paid more for the change, some places 100% for the room.
The 100% refund is for us protecting our clients, in most cases we cover the losses as you well know the hotels have different policies, we look at it in a positive way that no one will book a holiday in Africa with the intensions to cancel last minute. We only do it to protect the clients, rarely do the cancellations occur.
This is the same thing that we did for you, just did not find it necessary to tell you we are paying some of the hotels afresh for the changes since yours was considered a last minute no show and we had to push every place a day ahead. Rarely do such cases occur.
I think honesty is very important everywhere as the only place that would not fit inn was a night in Lake Naivasha because of your Flight back home.
Many thanks for choosing our beautiful country Kenya for your holiday.
FR
Email Jenifer | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very beautiful
Overall, we had a very good stay. Everything was done to make the trip enjoyable. Here are, in my opinion, the positive and negative points.
Positive points:
- Beautiful parks, we were very lucky since we saw many animals including 4/5 of the big five
- The landscapes were beautiful in every way: savannah, Kilimanjaro...
- The hotels were perfect: view, restaurant, pool... everything was gathered to spend a pleasant stay
- The exchange with Pauline was great, she booked us a program adapted to our expectations
- Peter, the guide, was very kind and knew many things about animals
- The guide gave us a pleasant surprise: we had the chance to discover Masai Mara on foot in order to observe crocodiles and hippos
- The guide was a very good driver regardless of the terrain we used
- Peter took us to the typical Massai village, we could discover their customs and it was very enriching from a cultural point of view
Negative points:
- Peter was regularly late, and did not bother to warn us
- Transfer times entered in the program were not real, distances between locations are very long (sometimes double what was written)
- Peter was regularly tired, especially in the afternoon, which made the safari less enjoyable. We were afraid that he would fall asleep at the wheel and had to be vigilant.... We told him about this problem several times.
To conclude, we highly recommend this company which has many assets.
Thank you to the whole team for letting us discover your beautiful country.
IT
Email Alessandro | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Days Private tour 4x4 Minivan
We recently embarked on a remarkable 7-day private tour that took us from Nairobi to Ambroseli, Naivasha, Hell's Gate, Nakuru, and finally the renowned Masai Mara National Park before heading back to Nairobi. For our travels, we opted for a comfortable 4x4 minivan, which was perfect for the two of us. However, if you are traveling with a larger group, you may want to consider how everyone’s luggage will fit.
The roads connecting the parks primarily consist of one lane in each direction, often congested with truck traffic and occasionally in poor condition. As a result, expect a driving time of around 5 hours or more between parks.
Our accommodations were delightful. We particularly enjoyed the Sopa Lodge in Amboseli and Mara Kimana near Masai Mara, which stood out as top-notch options. The food served at the lodges was consistently delicious, except for the packed breakfasts and picnics. The Amboseli Sopa Lodge even features a restaurant within the park, offering meals that rival those at the lodge. It's worth noting that none of the lodges are located directly inside the parks, which necessitates a 20 to 30-minute drive to reach the park gates. This can slightly cut into your time for early morning game drives.
We scheduled our safari for the last week of October, just after the Great Migration had concluded, leaving only a few animals in the tail group heading towards the Serengeti. Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to witness a diverse array of wildlife, with the exception of leopards.
Regarding the organization of our trip, there were moments of miscommunication between the office, our guide, and ourselves concerning the itinerary, activities, and special requests. This did leave us with a sense of disappointment. However, our driver/guide, Philip, was knowledgeable about the wildlife and local culture. He was also accommodating to our needs, such as arranging early game drives offering us his personal binocular (the company told us there were going to be binoculars available for both) and adjusting activities that had been unexpectedly canceled.
One particular activity we experienced but probably avoidable was a walking safari with the Masai Warriors, which began in a traditional Masai village located along the main road to Masai Mara NP. Here, we were provided with insights into construction techniques, cultural practices, and the local way of life. While there were attempts to sell artisan crafts (including a stick and a piece of wood used for old fashioned way of starting the fire for just 20 USD), we found the experience somewhat lacking in terms of genuine information and wildlife encounters. The walking safari took us through an area behind the village where we primarily observed Masai cattle, a few rats, and wild chickens, along with brief lessons about two plant species and a chance to use a traditional Masai bow and arrow. If you’re hoping to see zebras or giraffes during this activity, you may want to manage your expectations.
Lastly, we spent only one full day in the Masai Mara. Our guide did offer us the option to extend our visit for an additional half day before returning to Nairobi, which would require a new entry fee of $200 USD each.
In conclusion, our safari experience was indeed wonderful. With this review, I aim to highlight a few key points for future travelers, ensuring they have a clearer understanding of what to expect when signing up for such an adventure.
BE
Email George | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good 7 days tour with Meektrails with some room for improvement
We are experienced travellers in Africa, and this is our fourth safari destination. We had a good time in Kenya with Meektrails as we visited Amboseli NP, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara. Overall, Meektrails did well, we had good communication before our trip, our contact Eliud was very quick to reply, we had an experienced guide (Joseph) and they were punctual and professional. However, there were some small issues, many of which apply to most safari tour operators in Kenya. None of these issues, however, got in the way of the overall good experience.
Firstly - the car. We decided to save a bit of money and we went for a 4x4 minivan instead of the classic safari vehicle - Toyota Land Cruiser. We had done that before in Uganda without any issues and we were assured by Meektrails that their vans are new and in good condition. Well, our van broke on the first day, just 5 km after we departed. While this of course can always happen and there is never a guarantee that issues would not arise with any car, it was quite obvious that the van was not in the best condition and our guide was quite careful in driving it for the rest of the trip. Its important to say that they reacted quickly and another car picked us up (with other tourists) and we shared the car for our first day. Even though we had booked a private tour, sharing for a day was not an issue.
An important piece of advice we can give to any traveller is to make sure you have a clear understanding of how many National Park passes you have and for which days. Park fees in Kenya are especially expensive and safari operators usually play around with passes to make budget trips possible and of course have a better margin. We had some small misunderstandings with Meektrails on this point (on one of the days our programme included a game drive, but in practice, it wasn't because of a pass that Meektrails did not pay for). Overall I think it was a matter of misunderstanding and did not take a way of our experience, since on this day we had a long trip in any case.
What was a disappointment, however, is that we specifically requested that on the last day we do a game drive in Maasai Mara and our flight was very late in the evening - 01.30 after midnight. So we specifically paid for the park passes - a total of 200 USD for two people. Yet, both our guide and Meektrails themselves, on multiple occasions, told us that there was not much time for a game drive since we needed to have enough time to get to Nairobi. We insisted that there was more than enough time to get to the airport, and even if it takes 6-7 hours (which usually takes 5, especially on a Sunday), we could have a half-day drive. They didn't agree and it felt like they just wanted the trip to finish earlier, so we did not feel like arguing and our drive was only until 9:30. This felt like wasting 200 USD on park fees for a short game drive. In the end, we arrived in Nairobi at 17:00 (with several very long stops - we just felt that there is a lot of time to spare), or more than 8 hours before our flight.
MY
Email Melvern | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fulfilling and satisfying, makes us feel warmth and welcomed
This was our first safari experience and we would love to express our sincere gratitude to Meektrails Safaris in planning our 8 days 7 nights Safari Journey. Peris/Micheal and our safari tour guide Lucas are especially funny and friendly towards us. Lucas also takes good care of us and did his best to meet our needs especially in taking good pictures of the Big 5. The great migration did not start when we were there and we missed the leopard out of the big 5 but hey that’s nature. We strongly recommend Lucas
Email Shane H | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly Outstanding Safari with meektrails!
This was our first trip to Kenya, and after considering many options, we’re so glad we chose Meektrails. From the outset, they stood out for their attention to detail, fast communication, and tailored approach. Our coordinator Charles was brilliant—always helpful, proactive, and in regular contact before and during the trip to ensure everything went perfectly.
We did a 13-night safari and beach combo: 7 nights on safari (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Amboseli), followed by 5 nights in Diani and a final night in Nairobi. Every detail, including all transfers, was handled seamlessly.
Our safari guide Peter was the heart of the trip. Incredibly knowledgeable and warm, he brought the journey to life—not just through amazing wildlife sightings but by sharing insights into Kenya’s culture and history. He seemed to have a sixth sense for animal behaviour and always positioned us perfectly for the best views. Thanks to him, we had unforgettable encounters with the Big Five (including a leopard), the “Ugly Five,” and much more. It felt like we were on safari with a friend rather than just a guide.
On our last day, Charles arranged a last-minute game drive in Nairobi National Park with another fantastic guide, Habil, where we were lucky enough to spot a black rhino—the perfect way to end the trip.
If you’re unsure who to book with—go with Meektrails. They genuinely go above and beyond. We couldn’t recommend them—or Peter—more highly.
MY
Email Yvonne N. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Kenya Safari with Meektrails & Jackson
Just came back from the most unforgettable safari in Kenya with Meektrails and our amazing driver guide Jackson — truly a trip of a lifetime!
Before the trip, Charles from Meektrails was nothing short of amazing. Super responsive (even picking up our call at 1am when our airport pickup failed!), always patient, and very detail-oriented. When our travel dates had to shift from October to June on short notice, Charles reworked the entire itinerary smoothly, suggesting great hotels based on what we needed—even Wi-Fi quality! When a hotel ran out of rooms due to our delay, he came back with a better option at the same price. He also included thoughtful touches like the Giraffe Centre and Carnivore Restaurant. Everything was covered in a single package (except tips), making the whole experience stress-free.
During the trip, we were in the excellent hands of Jackson, our driver guide. Always punctual, kind and attentive—especially to our elderly mum, helping her in and out of the jeep every day. He was constantly tuned in to the guide radio and chatted with other drivers to track animal sightings. We loved that he took quieter routes, letting us enjoy intimate moments with the animals without the crowd. Thanks to him, we saw 4 different lion prides, a cheetah enjoying a fresh topi kill, rare black rhinos, and completed both the Big 5 and Ugly 5! One of the highlights? He messaged us at 3.25PM to leave early due to possible rain—by the time we exited the hotel gate, a leopard was spotted and he rushed us there just in time! Jackson also had a great eye for photo angles, and kept checking on us (even though he had the tougher job driving long hours). His passion for wildlife and pride in Kenya really shone through.
From start to finish, Meektrails delivered a well-organised, heartwarming and adventure-filled trip. Highly recommend Charles and Jackson—you will be in the best hands! 🇰🇪🧡
SA
Email Raj Paramasivan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Meektrails offers seamless, personalized safaris with warm service and expert guides
We had an exceptional 7-day safari experience in Kenya with Meektrails, covering Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, and the Masai Mara. From start to finish, the communication was clear, timely, and professional. Peris, the main point of contact, was consistently helpful and responsive throughout the planning and trip.
On arrival, a personal welcome and thoughtful gift set the tone for the journey. The itinerary was well-organized, and the accommodations were comfortable—two of which were generously upgraded, adding a special touch. The guide, Julius, was knowledgeable, patient, and a pleasure to travel with.
Meektrails delivered outstanding value for money, with reliable logistics, personalized service, and genuine care for their guests' comfort. The experience was seamless and deeply memorable. Highly recommended for anyone seeking an authentic and well-curated Kenyan safari