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
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience in a life time!
We had an absolutely wonderful safari (9 day/8 night) and great service with KWSS in February. One of the crucial things we learned: your guide/driver matters very much. Go for an experienced one!
Before: Indeed, OT was always very prompt with his replies and I am glad we trusted the earlier reviews about KWSS on safaribookings.com. We were worried about carrying the balance in cash to Nairobi but there was no problem at all. We booked at least one night in Nairobi inclusive of the tour just in case any of our flight segments had been delayed. But we DID arrange with OT for an airport pickup and were able to meet him and finalize payment the following day. (Having SOMETHING pre-arranged for a ride from the airport was essential.
Guide/Driver: It turns out that a talented guide is SO important. The guide must be able to watch the road (constantly, all roads have terrible potholes), scan the horizon for animals or indicators of animals, understand where they are within each national park (without stopping and checking a map), frequently (safely) pass trucks on the roads between parks, and listen to the radio for animal spotting. We had Allan, and we were happy to spend 8-9 days with him. He was friendly and ethical; he was quiet when we were and talkative when we wanted to talk and ask questions. He could spot animals like nobody's business every time we were in the parks. He knew his way around, even in the Serengeti where there are many side roads with nothing posted. He drove so very patiently on the roads in between parks, passing safely when possible and always slowing down carefully for the speed bumps and the potholes. Allan genuinely wanted us to have a good experience, and had a real love for the animals. So he really WORKED at trying to figure day-by-day the best route or places to go within a park, and checked road conditions with all of his friends among the guides across all of the companies. We have no doubt that being with ALLAN was one of the most important reasons we enjoyed our safari so thoroughly.
We where three and the safari van 4x4 was seven saeter As other reviewers have noted, this permits us room to switch seats and to have luggage right in the back. BUT IN ADDITION, we think that the ride would have been even more smoother.
All the route OT choose was excellent and great. So I think you can trust OT (OTIENO)judgment in choosing where to stay and go
I am so incredibly glad we did it in this order.it was such an awesome introduction to Africa for me. I know that what you see varies, and that different safari reviews illustrate different experiences. We had plenty of lions, elephants, water buffalo - all up very close - and our best look at the shy warthogs, plus many different hooved animals and birds at ngorongoro crater. Also, great baboons. At Tsavo West, we picked up great leopard viewing - not just the leopard fed at Ngulia - especially one that walked along the vehicle! We also had fantastic elephant viewing. By Amboseli, ironically, we never had the close-up views of the elephants that we enjoyed
Based on OUR experience, I'd say that Maasai Mara are "can't miss". But I couldn't have skipped any of the other places - except Bogoria. The water levels are deepening at Nakuru and so it is now a free option to spend the morning driving up to Lake Bogoria to see the thousands of flamingos. We did this - and while the sight was really great and enjoyable, it did not offset the long, long drive and the tough sections of road. We'd have been better to have more time in either Nakuru park or Naivasha park - and seen the huge flamingo flock via National Geographic TV. The Mwangaza tented camp Mara is just inside a gate at Maasai Mara, rather than just outside, but also had a long, really punishing approach between deep within the Mara and the lodge. Again, the Sopa was probably worth it but next time we go to Maasai Mara I'll be tempted to to stay in a different area of the large park.
In summary, we strongly urge you to use OT (OTIENO)and KWSS (Kenya walking survivors safaris ltd. And try to get Allan .
Don’t forget they are pocket friendly
I really recommend KWSS to anybody
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My experience with Kenya Walking Survivors is certainly pleasant, but there's room for improvement.
To start, I just want to provide a little background about the trip so that it's easier to understand the pros and cons. It was a 16 days trip that includes Safari(8-9 days) in both Kenya and Tanzania and Trekking in Mt. Kilimanjaro(6 days).
I thought the pre-trip communications could have been more effective provided that it's a fairly lengthy trip and that a lot of preparation is needed for the climb. The company didn't clearly convey to us regarding what to prepare and what to expect. Nevertheless, the Safari part of the trip went very smoothly with no problems. The lodging was mostly delightful and the guide was very knowledgeable and patient in showing us all the wild lives.
For the Trekking in Mt. Kilimanjaro part of the trip, the services that were provided to us unfortunately didn't live up to our expectation. Kenya Walking Survivors seemed to have contracted with a Tanzania local travel agency called Africa Royals in handling the Mt. Kilimanjaro part. Therefore, we were handed over to the Africa Royals immediately following the completion of the Safari. Africa Royals is disorganized at best. As you probably know, staying dry is one of the most important factors that play into whether or not one would succeed in reaching the top. However, our clothes got wet the very first day of the climb and, as a result, we were suffering for the remaining of the climb. Another area that invites criticism is camp management. Every single day, we were the last group to start the climb and once we reached the next camp site, we often have to wait for an hour or two for the porter to arrive and set up the tent. My last complaint is the fact that the principal guide doesn't sufficiently communicate the time table of activities of the day to us and even if he does, he's usually the one who doesn't abide by it. For instance, on the night of reaching the peak we were told that we would start climbing at 1am. and that someone would wake us up prior to that time to get prepared. We woke up ourselves at 1:30 am and the guide was still sleeping in his tent. We would have missed the sunrise at the peak.
All in all, I think Kenya Walking Survivors provided decent service for the Safari part, but partnering with Africa Royals for providing services to customers on Mt Kilimanjaro is in desperate need for improvement.
CN
Email LangNiu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service with nice drivers
Everything is excellent with service and communications, all the people in that company are very nice. They always do all the stuff according to my time table. For the living, the camp is so good when we were in some park. Highly recommand to book with kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd.
CN
Email Bowen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
OT (the boss) is great!
I've never experienced a better service than OT provided us. Go with this company and you can't be wrong.
US
Email DLM | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari tour company in Kenya
I arranged a four-day safari with KWSS over the internet. I was traveling on business and I was impressed that they did not charge me a single supplement. The communication with their office was very fast. After establishing a departure date I provided the 50% deposit via Western Union without a problem. They picked me up exactly when they said they would. Because I was traveling alone, I had a private safari van and driver/guide. My driver/guide provided excellent information about the land and people. In the Maasai Mara, he got me as close to the animals as possible and let me spend as long or as short a time as I wanted in any one particular spot. He listened to the CB radio on which other drivers reporting sightings of hard-to-find animals and got me there quickly. A pride of lions walked directly in front of our car, which was spectacular. KWSS provided exactly what they described in the itinerary. I felt they were honest and treated me well. I would definitely recommend them to others.
This was an amazing trip and I recommend Kenya Walking Survivors without reservation to everyone!
Kenya Walking Survivors Safari put a trip together for us that was in our budget and surpassed our expectations. The director responded promptly to our questions, picked us up at the airport, at the border, and made us feel like family. Our guide and cook were great and we always felt taken care of. I have only positive things to say and hope everyone gets to experience this type of trip!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Welcoming the New Year in Kenya!
From the warm welcome at the airport in Nairobi, the Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris representatives have been amazing and very professional. The food was delicious, the camp fire was amazing.
The Masai Mara was amazing from the moment we arrive to the time we left. We saw a huge amount of wild life, including lions, cheetah, elephants, giraffe, hippo, and more. The wide open plains provided great opportunity to see the animals as well as the most brilliant sun rises and sun sets. Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris staff is a great company with reasonable price options and the staff was excellent and make the stay with them memorable, leaving you wanting to return in the future. The food was great. Our kids (3) enjoyed this unique experience. After all, it was worth the bumpy ride. We highly recommend this company.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and helpful safari company
From the moment we were picked up from the airport to the moment we were dropped off, Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris took great care of us! When planning our safari, all emails were answered quickly and they worked with us to make sure we saw everything we wanted while staying within our budget. The food prepared for us was delicious and all staff were friendly and personable.
I would recommend Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris to anyone thinking of a safari!
MN
Email Liz Every | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent and Very Accommodating Safari Company
Two friends and I went on a Safari with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd in December 2013 and we are very happy with their service. We only had a short time to see as much as possible and the company designed a tour specially to suit our budget and what we wanted to see. We toured through the Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, The Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in 6 days. A change of guide was needed with the change of country but we were able to keep our cook, which provided some continuity on the trip.
The guides were professional, friendly and adapted their guiding to our needs and interests. We only had small cameras so they worked hard to get us as close as possible to the animals. We were able to tell them what we wanted to see and they both focused on finding that for us.
Food was provided for most of the trip and the lunch stops as well as the food prepared for us was again adapted to our tastes and diets. It was also delicious.
Everyone involved with the company was polite, friendly and suitably relaxed with us. I would highly recommend the company to anyone with any budget.
Email Preeti Krishnan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing discovery
This safari was organised as part of an overland tour. The safari operator Oti had everything organised and made us feel extremely safe. We did a 3/4 day tour of Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. He was very well informed and spoke excellent english. We managed to get upclose to 4 of the big 5. Even though we were camping, we were still very comfortable. Meals were all provided.
Since that trip my friend has been back for another tour and I intend to do the same in the near future. All in all we had a fantastic time and can't recommend this tour enough!