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
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
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.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris
We love the experience. Professional and dedicated staff, good driver, good accommodation, very good food.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
service is good but schedule needs to be improved to save some time on the way.
The driver is easy to communicate n experienced. The director of the Kenya Walking is helpful if any problems. But our schedule needs to be improved to save some time on the way.
US
Email Michael | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Value for your money for 21-day, 3 country safaris (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania)
Had done extensive research on Trip Advisor and Safari Bookings. Trip Advisor does a great job with reviews, but didn’t find it helpful for the tent camps we wanted for our experience in several countries. Would recommend using Safari Bookings since they have an easy search engine for your destinations. https://www.safaribookings.com/
20-Day Safari to Kenya Maasai Uganda Gorilla and Tanzania
Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Jinja (Town), Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Lake Naivasha, Lake Sonachi, Arusha (City), Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro, Tarangire NP, Zanzibar (Town & Beach), Nairobi (End) We took out beach portion and added Sambura at his recommendation which was the highlight of our 21 day trip.
Pros: KWSS had the flexibility to cater to our destinations for a reasonable price. Many places charge double what we paid for, but you do get tent camps out in the middle of nowhere a few times.
Drivers Marcus (Kenya), David, Richard (Uganda), and Michael (Tanzania) - all averaged about 15 years’ experience in travel guides. All showed above average knowledge and provided for above average gaming experience.
Cons: The hotels we did stay in cities were mostly concrete and noisy. Do not recommend Sky Hotel in Nairobi, Silver Springs Hotel in Kampala, or Sky Hotel in Lake Bunyoni area I believe. We awoke to noise in each of them. Silver Springs had 2 parties at 1:30 am in the morning. Also had call to prayer at 2 and 5 am from a distance at Octagon Lodge, but we were tired enough it didn’t matter much. Ask for other accommodations before you pay since we had early starts most mornings.
Forget the itinerary time tables – they were almost always off. Lunches and game drives were wrong in many cases even though they were cut out of their standard programs he used for our custom trip.
Road to Masai Mara was miserable, but they are paving a good part of it in 6 months or so. These African safaris are not for you if you can’t take a rough bumpy ride half the time.
Mr.O had promised 4x4’s the whole trip. We got stuck first day out and had our time taken up some and scary crossings due to sudden thunderstorm. Big .5 drop in ratings due to broken commitment. He attempted to make it up which is why it’s not a 1 point drop with extra activities on last day not scheduled.
What to bring:
Toilet paper always with you. Drivers try but many times we had to use squat toilets and no privacy for men urinals. Sometimes “bush” toilets were necessary. Driver usually has extra toilet paper. Not an issue for us, but can be a big surprise to many. Long lenses for cameras – standard lenses will not work in many areas where you cannot travel off the road. I purchased a new attachment for my Samsung 6 with no reviews on Amazon (look under telescopes – takes about a month to get and fits onto many phones with clasp over lenses – a bit of a risk, but fit my Samsung 6 – Ccloon Professional HD camera lens kit -$60 USA – does need refitting several times a day but competes with the thousand dollar lenses)
Flashlight for head is very handy for $15 dollars Energizer Vision HD LED from Amazon – one each. Portable chargers for phones since many tents shut down power after 10 or so.
Get your yellow fever shots a few weeks before going. They are out of stock currently and do check several sources for alternative shot. Nothing else was necessary according to OT. We purchased Deet and mosquito long sleeve shirts. We didn’t need them much in Oct./Nov.
Ponchos or rain gear for Uganda mostly.
Also bring an open mind for local cultures and lots of patience. We are 64 and 59 and in good shape (for Uganda jungle hikes).
FR
Email Edwige | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great driver to see many animals, basic accommodation and meals
Communication was good, except for the first lunch. We had a special departure from our city, not Nairobi, which leaded to sweet snacks and bread only to be bought for lunch. We would have preferred to prepare ourself a real picnic if we were warned before.
Safari was great, we saw so many animals thanks to the driver!
Accomodation was very basic, we had single beds even if we requested before double bed and the camp was almost empty. They were rushing us to eat a basic dinner with self service, in an area without enough light.
In summary, Great driver to see many animals, basic accommodation and meals
IT
Email Francis | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience, once in a lifetime
Excellent service with friendly staff. The tour guide really went out of his way to guarantee as many game sightings as possible. The camp was comfortable with hot water showers and the food was decent. Highly recommended! ps. avoid the Masai villages around the Maasai Mara Safari Park, proper tourist traps (entrance fees are not regulated and can be as high as 30$ pp)
US
Email 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.
Well organised trip, accompanied by qualified and very pleasant staff.
We booked a private safari (NP Nakuru/Naivasha/Hell's gate) trip of two daya, fully to our satifaction:
1. Nice programme;
2. Very pleasant staff (driver and cook);
3. Nice meals and basic but good accomodation;
4. Active driver, eager to get the most out of the trip for us;
5. Booking: accurate communication, except for not dsending the final programnmae as agreed upon...
Reply from Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd
Posted on Feb 23, 2015Hello Han,
Thank you very much for the review ,I want to reconfirm for you that we are very happy with your review and you where very happy with our quality services .
We would like to apologize for you where NOT able get the copy of the program as we agree which we send for you on mail,But we where happy you enjoy all the program as agreed,Kindly you may check your spam mail.
Thank you very much for the feedback/review we always take all clients feedback positive to improve any negative feedback.Thank you very much.