The Team Behind Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris
Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2003)
- Member Of:
- Eco Tourism & Kenya Wildlife Services
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $64 to $490 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Francis | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience, once in a lifetime
Excellent service with friendly staff. The tour guide really went out of his way to guarantee as many game sightings as possible. The camp was comfortable with hot water showers and the food was decent. Highly recommended! ps. avoid the Masai villages around the Maasai Mara Safari Park, proper tourist traps (entrance fees are not regulated and can be as high as 30$ pp)
US
Email Mattie Simas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kenya Adventure
I started planning my trip to Kenya with KWSS in Oct. 2015. The tour operator was very accommodating and offered many suggestions to my itinerary. I started my visit with a 2 night stay in Nairobi, 3 nights in the Massai Mara, 5 nights in the Amboseli, and ended my amazing tour at the Lewa conservation in northern Kenya. The best part of my trip was my Amboseli stay and tour guide Anthony. Anthony was well suited guide for my tour and was a lot of fun to hangout with. Thanks Anthony for being such an incredible guide and driver!!
PK
Email Dr,Zahoor Khan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Samburu Masai mara
Excellent response to emails and good response to questions asked well organized, vehicles did not have airconditioning Roads to Masai mara vbad and dusty got very hot inside the vehicle got exhausted good guides good choice of booking camps
Great experience & Good Coordination
A 12 days trip to Kenya , Me and spouse alone . Private tour and the best part of the tour is our Guide /Driver Mr Shem, a Knowledgeable and very humble person . Mr OT was excellent in coordination . Met him at His office and from the next day the tour started . Tsavo _, Amboselli , Nakuru , Naivasha & Maara . Mr Shem was very cooperative and made us feel very comfortable . Everything was well organised . Baloon safari was awesome - a lifetime experience , pl do not miss it . Have patience in Massai Mara ,Natures Unfolds at its own course and our Guide was very patient and even suggested us to few locations where get to see Lions and Leopards very close . If it had been a 4X4 vehicle Mr Shem would have felt comfortable and he was at its best in driving with the Vehicle given to him . An wiressless Radio would have been a added advantage which was Missing.
We are planning our Next trip to Massai Maara very soon ..., of course with Kenya walking .., Mr OT - will meet you soon .., Keep it Up team.
US
Email Oddessey and Shad Beavers | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari Trip
Day 1: Arrived in Nairobi in the evening and our driver picked us up from the airport. We could not find our driver at first because there were so many people with signs picking up passengers. Due to the trouble we had finding our driver, I advise when looking for your driver to tell them you will be by the customer service area. I also suggest OT making a sign shaped like a number 1 so the sign will stand out. We checked in at the Hennessey hotel after a short ride from the airport. People were standing outside of the hotel but it is a gated. Hotel in my opinion is not a mid-range-luxury hotel (which is what we paid for). However it served its purpose for one night until our excursions started. If you stay at this hotel it is considered a 2 star when comparing hotels we are accustomed to in the USA. If you stay in this hotel make sure you are nowhere near the kitchen (room 108) because they start preparing breakfast at 4am. The breakfast was served buffet style. I didn't go for round 2 of getting another plate but it served its purpose as well. Also all restaurants make omelets so I took advantage of that after my first day. Beverages were served at room temperature. When our driver Sam dropped us off, he informed us he would pick us up at 8am and he was promptly on time.
Day 2: We drove to Massai Reserve the morning and arrived at the AA Lodge in time for lunch. Note road is bumpy but my main concern was our safety and we felt at ease. The hotel met our expectations and beyond. Very clean and even though there was limited internet access and no TV we didn't need it. Massai tribe came and entertained us with their ritual dances and chants.
Day 3: We took a hot air balloon ride and arrived to the site in time to see the sun rise. We had breakfast on the reserve and afterwards we had time for our second game drive. The service and food was grade A.
Day 4: Lake Narvasha was our destination today. We enjoyed the boat ride and had no complaints until it was time to check into Camp Carnelley. The room we requested was bandet 2 and was not the same room as described when booking the room. It had very old carpet with stains vs the hardwood as advertised. Comforters had stains and bathroom outhouse was not to our standards. The trailer was aluminum and it held the heat from outside which made it bearable to stay in the mobile home no more than for 5 minutes so we left the room quickly. We were told this was a campsite Lodge but it was a mobile home\trailer. We requested another room, preferably the one like the picture provided on their site as well as Walking Kenya site. They stated they were booked and the room was nonrefundable. Due to this we had our driver take us to the nearest lodge where we had to pay for our own room. We however were going to eat at Camp Carnelley since that is where our free meals would come from. After we checked into Fish Eagle Lodge that took 15 minutes max, we went back to eat dinner at Camp Carnelley. We could not eat at the lodge because they sold our room. Now we were out of a room that our driver was going to stay as well as food. We had to go back to our Lodge and purchase or meals from there. We did get a refund from OT of $160 but it was a month after our trip because they had to work it out with Camp Carnelly first.
Day 5 & 6: No complaints at all with Lake Narvasha and Kimojoro. Peaceful and serene setting.
Day 7: This is when things got tricky. Our next destination was Tanzania to go to Serengeti. As we arrived at the boarder we were not allowed because we had no proof of taking the yellow fever shot. We informed the officer the shot was taken but our yellow card was not signed properly. In addition we were told Americans didn't need to take the shot. I even confirmed with OT but we were given incorrect information. It seems if you are a USA citizen that steps foot in Kenya first that you WILL need the shot. If we came directly into Tanzania proof was not needed. We were told we had to pay additional funds to confirm USA has us on file for taking the shot. We declined and due to that we didn't go to Tanzania at all. I'm glad we waited to buy our Visa's for Tanzania and only purchased Kenya's visa at the time because we would have lost money from visa, game drive and hotel.
Day 8-11: We arranged with OT to book a flight and hotel to Mombasa for the rest of our trip and we stayed our remaining days there. We had no complaints with the exceptions of having to pay yet again for hotel and food.
Overall would I use Kenya Walking Survivors Safari again? YES!!! They were always professional, assisted with our needs and most importantly answered all of our questions. Some monies were lost but we gained an experience that was priceless!!!
Reply from Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd
Posted on Apr 11, 2016THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE FEEDBACK AND BELOW ARE ANSWERS OF YOUR FEEDBACK IN CAPITAL/BLOCK LETTERS.
Day 1: Arrived in Nairobi in the evening and our driver picked us up from the airport. We could not find our driver at first because there were so many people with signs picking up passengers. Due to the trouble we had finding our driver, I advise when looking for your driver to tell them you will be by the customer service area. I also suggest OT making a sign shaped like a number 1 so the sign will stand out. We checked in at the Hennessey hotel after a short ride from the airport. People were standing outside of the hotel but it is a gated. Hotel in my opinion is not a mid-range-luxury hotel (which is what we paid for). However it served its purpose for one night until our excursions started. If you stay at this hotel it is considered a 2 star when comparing hotels we are accustomed to in the USA. If you stay in this hotel make sure you are nowhere near the kitchen (room 108) because they start preparing breakfast at 4am. The breakfast was served buffet style. I didn't go for round 2 of getting another plate but it served its purpose as well. Also all restaurants make omelets so I took advantage of that after my first day. Beverages were served at room temperature. When our driver Sam dropped us off, he informed us he would pick us up at 8am and he was promptly on time.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION,AND I HAVE TALK TO THE HOTEL HENNESIS AND NEXT TIME MY CLIENTS WILL ALL BE BOOKED FAR AWAY FROM THE KITCHEN,SO THAT THEY CAN NOT HEAR THE NOISE FROM THE KITCHEN,
Day 2: We drove to Massai Reserve the morning and arrived at the AA Lodge in time for lunch. Note road is bumpy but my main concern was our safety and we felt at ease. The hotel met our expectations and beyond. Very clean and even though there was limited internet access and no TV we didn't need it. Massai tribe came and entertained us with their ritual dances and chants.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS CONFIRMATION THAT ALL WAS TO YOUR SATISFACTION
Day 3: We took a hot air balloon ride and arrived to the site in time to see the sun rise. We had breakfast on the reserve and afterwards we had time for our second game drive. The service and food was grade A.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HAPPY WITH THE SERVICES AND FOOD.
Day 4: Lake Narvasha was our destination today. We enjoyed the boat ride and had no complaints until it was time to check into Camp Carnelley. The room we requested was bandet 2 and was not the same room as described when booking the room. It had very old carpet with stains vs the hardwood as advertised. Comforters had stains and bathroom outhouse was not to our standards. The trailer was aluminum and it held the heat from outside which made it bearable to stay in the mobile home no more than for 5 minutes so we left the room quickly. We were told this was a campsite Lodge but it was a mobile home\trailer. We requested another room, preferably the one like the picture provided on their site as well as Walking Kenya site. They stated they were booked and the room was nonrefundable. Due to this we had our driver take us to the nearest lodge where we had to pay for our own room. We however were going to eat at Camp Carnelley since that is where our free meals would come from. After we checked into Fish Eagle Lodge that took 15 minutes max, we went back to eat dinner at Camp Carnelley. We could not eat at the lodge because they sold our room. Now we were out of a room that our driver was going to stay as well as food. We had to go back to our Lodge and purchase or meals from there. We did get a refund from OT of $160 but it was a month after our trip because they had to work it out with Camp Carnelly first.
Day 5 & 6: No complaints at all with Lake Narvasha and Kimojoro. Peaceful and serene setting.
YES,AS I TOLD YOU ,IM HAPPY YOU RECEIVED ALL THE REFUND AFTER 30 DAYS WHICH WAS VERY FASTER BECAUSE I HAD TO SOLVE THE ISSUE WITH THE HOTEL,I WANT TO CONFIRM THAT CARNELLEYS HAS GOT THREE DIFFERNT ROOMS
1.BUDGET CAMPING
2.TWIN ROOMS AND SHOWERS OUTSIDE
3.BANDAS WITH ALL TOILETS AND SHOWERS INSIDE
SO I WANT TO CONFIRM THAT THE PANDAS WHICH WAS ON THE PICTURE WAS THE ACCOMMODATIONS I DO OFFER MY QUEST,IM HAPPY THAT YOU ENJOY THE LAKE NAIVASHA AND THE KILIMANJARO.
Day 7: This is when things got tricky. Our next destination was Tanzania to go to Serengeti. As we arrived at the boarder we were not allowed because we had no proof of taking the yellow fever shot. We informed the officer the shot was taken but our yellow card was not signed properly. In addition we were told Americans didn't need to take the shot. I even confirmed with OT but we were given incorrect information. It seems if you are a USA citizen that steps foot in Kenya first that you WILL need the shot. If we came directly into Tanzania proof was not needed. We were told we had to pay additional funds to confirm USA has us on file for taking the shot. We declined and due to that we didn't go to Tanzania at all. I'm glad we waited to buy our Visa's for Tanzania and only purchased Kenya's visa at the time because we would have lost money from visa, game drive and hotel.
IM HAPPY TO CONFIRM THAT YOU CANCEL THE TANZANIA AFTER CONSULTING ME AND IT WAS YOUR RIGHT TO AMENDED YOUR PROGRAM TO MOMBASA.
THIS TO CONFIRM THAT EVERY CLIENTS HAS TO HAVE YELLOW FEVER FOR ANY EAST AFRICA VISIT THUS IS KENYA,UGANDA,TANZANIA,RWANDA ,SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE YELLOW FEVER WELL SIGN ,SO THAT WE AVOID THE MIGRATIONS MAKING ALOT OF QUESTIONS,
THE LAST ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD I.E DINNER WAS NOT INCLUDED ON YOUR PROGRAM SO THUS WHY YOU HAD TO PAY FOR THE LAST NIGHT,BUT ALL OTHERS WHERE INCLUDED,
Day 8-11: We arranged with OT to book a flight and hotel to Mombasa for the rest of our trip and we stayed our remaining days there. We had no complaints with the exceptions of having to pay yet again for hotel and food.
Overall would I use Kenya Walking Survivors Safari again? YES!!! They were always professional, assisted with our needs and most importantly answered all of our questions. Some monies were lost but we gained an experience that was priceless!!!
HOPE TO SERVE YOU AGAIN IN EAST AFRICA FOR THE GORILLA TREK AND THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
Owner really needs to improve after sales service....Else would have been an excellent experience
OT (the owner) was extremely responsive to our needs before I booked the trip. We went for a 10 days Safari covering Tsavo, Amboseli, Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha and Nakura. Due to flight delays, we had to make some changes in the itinerary and that is when the problem started. Although he tried to be flexible, he did not talk to us directly to understand if we were satisfied with the change. He was just not responsive. He did not remember the extras we booked, did not instruct the driver about the plan properly, gave a different hotel name to the one we were originally booked for to the driver in one occasion and so on. The trip was excellent but these things and the fact that for 2 days out of the 10 days trip he booked us in sub-standard hotels really spoilt our mood. On one occasion we had to wait for OT to give the driver the money for the park visit thereby delaying our visit.
The driver-guide (John) was excellent and did his best to cover up for these short comings. I think OT has a good team of people but due to mis-management he will start getting not so good reviews.
Email Joanna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great organisation that is as he says flexible. Do remember you are in Africa!
Booked this trip for my father and I and not having the time to do research I trusted Kenya Walking to do it all for me.
A couple of changes I would recommend - break up your trip don't do a 10 day safari - you'll get bored even if you love animals!
- Mara is by far the best though Amboselli and Tsavo East and West does have it's advantages.
.....Different terrain and animals
Overall quite good - there was a couple of issues that Otenio sorted. A couple of horrible situations that weren't fixed immediately though a rebate was sorted. (although it wasn't the cash we were after)
We overall had an great experience and although I was extremely hesitant even to the point I was worried no one would be there to pick us up and my deposit would go astray. They were professional and dealing with the team was amazing.
I wish I could give it excellent though there is a few things that did affect the trip on a short term basis. Including some of the accomodation. Very similar to the comments I read before going on this trip... A couple of things to sort out OT and you'll have a great trip
For Zanzi bar travellers - DO NOT STAY AT DHOW INN!!!!
They stole my dad's Prada perfume, some cash - a neighbours gold necklace and I still haven't had a rebate or anything of the sort - still waiting to hear back on this one from both Paco - the owner at Dhow Inn and OT if you can do anything?
Just ruined the last bit of our holiday.
Finally DO the Gorilla Trek I was worried it wasn't worth the cash... It was! Enjoy folk - So much more to do, though 3 weeks in Africa was amazing!
Reply from Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd
Posted on Nov 30, 2015Hey Joanna ,
Thank you very much for the feedback ,I confirm that all our clients feedback are taken seriously both positive and Negative.
Please im very happy that you enjoy your 20 days trip with us in East Africa countries(Kenya,Uganda ,Tanzania and Zanzibar Island,
Yes, i also acknowledge that you inform all tourist that this is Africa where nature and culture is great.
Thank you also for the suggestion that the Gorilla Trek was your lifetime experience.
I want to take this opportunity to inform you that im sorry for the lost of your perfume in the Island Hotel,
I confirm that you did NOT inform me that you lost somethings in Dhow Inn,I have taken the step to follow it up with Dhow inn and i wish to Confirm that they said they are contacting you on the same and will get back to you as soon as possible ,And they have admitted that they Did Not know any lost of your perfume,Otherwise im happy that it will be resolve to you as soon as possible,
Generally as you said all went well and Great for your 20 Days East Africa countries Holiday.
Again welcome again for another adventure.
Email Sue | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a life time
This was a trip of a lifetime. Mr OT's communication via email was fantastic from day one. He replied to all my questions and concerns. The driver was waiting for us at the airport even though our plane was over an hour late. All of the drivers were more than helpful. The accommodation was great. I would definitely book with them again for my next African safari.
AE
Email Marina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy, Efficient, Value for Money,
The communication with them was instant, without leaving any doubts in our mind. Their service too was good with excellent knowledge about Masai Mara and Amboseli with our driver Fred. The tour was conducted according to our expectations, accommodation at Kibo Amboseli was outstanding. Mara Sidai accommodation was okay, just basic. Our cook Jacob cooked up perfect meals for us.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy,Efficient,Well co-ordinated
We a couple booked a tour with Kenya Survivors. They definitely are efficient and well co-ordinated beginning with quick response from Mr. Otieno for all our queries. There was no question, unanswered by our driver,Fred. He was putting all efforts to show us the best., not forgetting our cook Jacob. Accomodation at Kibo Safari camp Amboseli was superb, once a lifetime experience, Mara Sidai camp accomodation could have been a little bettter. Overall, no complaints with Kenya Survivors.