Taking you to the exotic African wild!
Morning Star Tours & Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Member Of:
- IATA, KATO, AMREF & TOSK
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $134 to $806 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Tanja | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Transparent, reliable and customer oriented tour operator
We have had great time with our guide Alex on Safari organized by Morningstar. The whole communication process starting with booking half a year before went smoothly and transparently. Our tour operator answered very quickly, all the transfers were on time, we always have had all necessary information. We felt very secure and in good hands, thanks alot and it‘s my pleasure to recommend you further!
Email Jackie & Joe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Wonderful Experience & Very Accommodating
Joysharon was most helpful in arranging the specific highlights we wanted to see in the limited time we had available (do to the last minute cancelation of our primary reason for being on Kenya). I was excited about our itinerary and very happy I had found such an accommodating tour agency. Our driver was also fantastic throughout the 5 days we were together and even join us for dinner and took us to the airport on our last night in the country.
CA
Email Robert E | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience in Kenya
We had an excellent experience with Morningstar on our 5 day tour in Kenya. We visited Masai Mara Reserve, Lake Nakuru Reserve, and Lake Naivasha. We visited in early January 2026.
Our experience started before the tour, working with Winnie at their head office who contacted us directly after our initial inquiry and quote request. She was very helpful and proactive as we worked through the finer points of our itinerary, ensured all of the lodges and resorts had space for us on the dates we wanted, and suggested optimizations that balanced cost, schedule, and itinerary. She remained in contact just before and during the tour to ensure everything was ready, organized, communicated and to our satisfaction. Winnie was amazing to work with.
The lodges and resorts we stayed at were all great (Zebra Plains Collection in Masai Mara and the Sopa Lodge series of resorts at Nakuru and Naivasha). These organizations are all top notch. Despite being billed as mid-range to luxury, we felt like we lived in luxury at each place. The staff are friendly and attentive, the food was delicious and varied, and the accommodations were very comfortable. Each hotel matched and maximized the natural riches of each geographical area. Zebra Plains had an observation area to view the local hippo family in the adjacent river, Nakuru Sopa Lodge is built in a hilltop and had amazing views of the lake and surrounding area, and Naivasha Sopa Lodge has an extensive grounds teeming with gentle wildlife (zebras, giraffes, waterbuck, antelope, monkeys, and more). The Naivasha lodge was particularly special as one of our most memorable hotels ever as it's quite amazing to be sharing that space with the animals, watching zebras play in your back yard, saying goodnight to a giraffe grazing at your front door after dinner, and waking to a herd of waterbuck at your window in the morning. Very special.
The 4x4 truck used for the trip was very good. It looked basically the same as the vehicles used by most tour providers. Built for the rugged terrain it had no issues along the way. It wasn't always the most comfortable of rides but that's just the nature of the roads and being in the wild... if you're looking for a comfort ride, don't go on safari! The pop-top roof was great and we had a 360-degree view of everything.
Finally, and most importantly, our driver and tour guide, Alex, skillfully drove us between each location and through the parks on game drives. Alex is a true professional, he's friendly and punctual, knows each park intimately, and has an established network of relationships with hotel staff and other tour guides that allows him to quickly navigate each park to maximize what you see and do each day. While there's certainly a fair amount of luck associated with wild animals and local weather conditions, having a guide that understands each species, knows their habits, rhythms, cycles, and habitats, dramatically tips the scales of luck in your favor. After 5 days (which included about 3.5 days of safari touring and game drives) the number of animals and species we saw was everything we expected and more. Highlights included seeing lions feeding from a fresh kill, lion cubs (a rare sighting), watching a leopard emerge from a day-long nap to feed from a fresh kill it had stashed in a nearby tree (some pro photographers waited there the entire day while Alex strategically checked in through the day and had us on site within 30 minutes of the key action), sighting multiple black rhinos at Nakuru (also a rare find), and tracking a leopard through the village area of Masai Mara (something even Alex said he'd never seen before). Another example of Alex's knowledge paying off was tracking a cheetah at Masai Mara. We saw it walking through a field and it stopped to mark a tree. Alex knew its path and drove almoat 1km up the hill to another tree. Sure enough the cheetah walked right towards us over the next 10 min giving us some great approach photos and prime viewing as it marked the next tree. It then jumped up on a nearby ant hill to survey the plains and basically posed for a photo session, just amazing. Yes, some luck involved, but Alex placed is in the right spot at the right time. We felt safe in his care and got everything we wanted and more from our 5 days with him.
It's also no small feat to navigate the roads and highways between Nairobi and the various parks. Traffic and road conditions can be uncertain, the dirt roads and off-road paths are variable and ever-changing. While he's not a showman, Alex is everything you want in a guide and driver... professional, safe, efficient, friendly, knowledgeable, and well-connected. Big thanks to Alex for our time with him in Kenya.
The only bad thing I'll say is that I really dislike editing photos and I came back with so many animal and nature photos I'm going to be busy for weeks sorting through them all.
