Salina Staff
Salina Wild Adventures
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority & Kenya Association of Tour Operators(KATO)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $70 to $500 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
Email Louise | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Customer Care
I did a 9- day safari with Salina, visiting Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli, Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks.
I chose Salina after spending quite a bit of time researching on safaribookings.com.
From the beginning, Charles responded to me quickly and was very helpful, tailoring the safari to suit my needs.
The safari itself went well, although it was probably a little bit too long. I figured I was only going to do a safari in Kenya once in my life! My favourite parks were definitely those further East - Amboseli and the two Tsavos. Masai Mara was disappointing- very dusty, very busy, poor roads and a lack of infrastructure.
My only criticism relates to the accommodation. I stayed in five different places, and the quality varied a lot- it was very hit and miss. I think part of the challenge was that I travelled in high season, and despite booking 6 months in advance, some of the better places (within my budget) were apparently booked out. The cream of the crop are most definitely the Sentrim properties.
US
Email Dave | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari for the price, but budget level is quite basic.
First off, communication with Charles was excellent. He was responsive to all of my questions and helped with other travel arrangements.
We did a 7 day budget group tour to Massai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Hells Gate, and Amboseli. We usually had 6 people in our van and occasionally 7.
The wildlife viewing was simply incredible. The guides are constantly communicating to each other what they're finding. The parks are gorgeous, and it was interesting seeing the differences between each of them. Our guide was great about stopping for as long as we wanted at each viewing.
So much of your experience depends on the guide you get, which I don't think you'll know till the morning of your trip. Ours was great at finding the animals and answering our questions, but he didn't really offer information without us asking.
Things to be aware of:
This tour included a substantial amount of driving, and you're also in the van during all of the game drives except for Hell’s Gate.
This was a budget tour, and accommodations reflect that. We had broken mesh and zippers at one of our tents. Hot water was not consistently available. There was some construction until pretty late at night. Food was very functional. Not a lot of variety, but it'll keep you fueled.
Each of our accommodations had wifi sometimes, which was great for checking in with family.
Ask about how much drinking water you're allowed.
Game drives typically start very early to get the best opportunities to see what you're there to see....wildlife!
Overall, it was a very positive experience, but I wish Charles had explained a bit more what "budget" really meant.
FR
Email Elisa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good experience
We had a good first safari experience with Salina Wild Adventures.
Charles is very kind and avalaible.
During our 6 day safari, we had 3 different drivers-guide (so 3 cars and 3 different groups), which was ok for us but there was a little disorganization because of it. Nevertheless, Charles managed it and it was ok.
Our drivers were determined to find animals but we think they could have explained us more things while searching for animals. It is always better to learn things!
Accommodations and food were good.
DE
Email Katharina Senzenberger | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Complete Nightmare & worst tour operator in EAST AFRICA
This tour has been the worst tour of my life. The guide was aggressive and lying to us about park-openings, schedule etc. He turned up late 1 hour in the morning, so everyday we missed the best time of the safari. We were not briefed upon what was the schedule going to be. In the end our old car broke down and we were left without food or water in the heat. I strongly urge you to stay away from this operator. There are amazing safari companies in Kenya. This is not one of them.
Reply from Salina Wild Adventures
Posted on Feb 21, 2023Catharina was just manipulative and had no ear for anyone. I accompanied the driver to pick them from their Nairobi hotel on the first day of the tour and it is them that showed up 2 hours later. Her problems started immediately; she would google routes and force the driver to use particular routes. So even before they reached their destination she was already causing trouble. I was in constant communication with her but at no time did she complain about wildlife sighting, that was perfect. It's her manipulative tendencies that made the driver a puppet that couldn't be left to do his job professionally. Catharina would even use abusive language on the driver. Then she suggested that she wanted to have a bush lunch on the last day of the tour, something that wasn't included in the package. Upon enquiring from the hotel and telling her the cost of the same,she said we were trying to exploit her and we agreed that she buys directly from the hotel. In the end she was told the very same price and she refused to buy therefore her claims of being left without food was her own decision. She even forced the driver to do game drive on the last day past the normal time. On their way back to Nairobi the Land cruiser developed a mechanical problem. And because they were left alone in the park as all vehicles had gone to Nairobi, we had to organize for another vehicle to go for them in Emali and drop them in Naivasha. I even checked on her the following day to know she was ok but she neither picked my call nor answer my messages.
We did all that was possible make Catharina happy but she couldn't listen and take our advices. It was a nightmare working with Catharina but we did our best. The driver even gave her binoculars which she deliberately misplaced and insisted she left in the vehicle. The following it was found lying down in the park, broken. Catharina had no apologies to make and nobody asked her to pay/buy another one.