The review below is the personal opinion of Sadik and not that of SafariBookings.
Budget friendly option for Kenya safari
Our safari experience in Kenya was unfortunately below expectations due to several issues we encountered along the way.
We started the journey with an old 4x4 Nissan vehicle, which had multiple mechanical problems. On more than one occasion, our driver had to stop to fix issues with the vehicle, costing us valuable safari time. At Masai Mara, the vehicle broke down and got stuck, resulting in a **2-hour delay**. We had to rely on another passing driver (luckily) to take us for the game drive, and our assigned vehicle only rejoined us later in the afternoon around 3:30 pm.
The driver also did not have a radio, which is a crucial tool for wildlife spotting in the reserve. This further limited our chances of maximizing the safari experience.
In terms of accommodation, we were not provided with the camp originally promised in our contract (which was of a higher standard). Although the organizers compensated with a boat ride at Lake Naivasha, it did not make up for the downgrade in accommodation quality.
Our accommodation at Lake Nakuru was really good.
Additionally, poor planning of travel time and multiple vehicle breakdowns (including another repair during the transfer to Lake Nakuru) meant that we lost several opportunities to better utilize our time and include extra activities.
Overall, while Kenya itself is beautiful and the wildlife unforgettable, the logistics, vehicle condition, and lack of proper planning from the safari provider made the trip frustrating and disappointing. Better maintenance of vehicles, honoring of accommodation commitments, and professional planning would have made this experience much more enjoyable.