Africa Safari Classics
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, ASTA, NTA & FTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $250 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Ignacio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Simply Amazing! The best service one can wish for.
Incredible 10-day safari at Maasai Mara
This was our third trip with Africa Safari Classics, and as usual everything was excellent. Maurice helped us plan the trip on quite short notice, and his recommendations were just perfect. All the camps had incredible accommodation and service, lovely and kind staff and very well located for game drives.
Maurice was on top of everything, calling us on texting to ensure things were running smoothly as per plan. He even took the time to come to meet at the hotel before departing to the reserve. And this was on a Sunday!
I can’t recommend Africa Safari Classics enough. They have the knowledge, the experience and always strive for the best quality. And at affordable prices.
Special mentioned to our guide and driver, Peter. He was the best! Not only does he have an incredible knowledge of the wildlife but also, he is the most patience, respectful and understanding guide you can wish for. He was always willing to give us more time with the animals, share his knowledge, accommodate the day based on our preferences. Honestly, this trip would have not been so good without him! 5 stars also for Peter!
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Email Rahul | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was best trip ever!
We loved our trip. It was phenomenal experience going to Kenya and staying there for few days and it was perfectly planned by Maurice (Africa Safari Classics).
Overall the best service we had, camps were absolutely amazing with breathtaking views and good food. Hospitality and Customer Service was great. We loved drivers they covered lot of places to hit the BIG Five experiences.
Thanks a zillion to Africa Safari Classics.
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Email Max G | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible honeymoon safari to Kenya & Tanzania
Maurice prepared an action-packed 8 day safari of Kenya and Tanzania for our postponed-from-2020 honeymoon. Like many others, I had narrowed my search down to operators who could provide the joint Kenya/Tanzania itinerary we were looking for. As operators aren't able to provide tours across borders, this means finding a company with a strong ground operation in both countries through partnerships, of which Africa Safari Classics absolutely does. Our 8 days consisted of game drives in Amboseli, Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro; before departing for Zanzibar.
I can't speak highly enough of Maurice's professionalism and constant, but balanced communication. I strongly encourage others to go with Africa Safari Classics -- the personal touch you will get from dealing with a medium-sized company truly makes the difference once you're on the ground. While we had initially planned for the trip in the summer of 2020, due to the pandemic we postponed to 2021. Maurice was able to shift our entire trip to this year with ease. Once on the ground, Maurice made a point of coming to greet us on our day of arrival at our hotel and also to introduce us to our driver, John, for the Kenya portion of the trip. Given the additional logistics required due to Covid, he also researched and arranged our Covid tests needed to get us from Kenya to Tanzania. Only surprise from the Tanzania authorities (not published anywhere I could find) was that in addition to the PCR test we obtained, a $25 rapid test was required on the spot. Would just be prepared for those also planning similar cross-border safaris.
All our airport transfers (arrival into NBO, as well as to/from Wilson airport) were prearranged by Maurice and went seamlessly with no hiccups. Safari experiences with John in Kenya, and David in Tanzania were action packed. As my wife wasn't too keen on using the savannah as a bathroom, we had requested to John that we break up our day with bathroom breaks at the lodges. David was also accommodating on this request in Serengeti and Ngorongoro. As full-day game drives can be long (~10 hours), it helps to break up so much time in the Landcruiser. We got to get to know David quite well in Tanzania, as he was also our dinner companion at the camps. He has a great sense of humor and was just as excited as us to try and catch some of the harder-to-find animals in the park. We found Amboseli was a smart first stop as you can easily see abundant elephants, giraffes, zebras in a short amount of time (the game drives were also shorter here). Masai Mara had the most interesting landscape, but is quite a bit larger than Amboseli. The animal activity got more interesting there as well, with massive caravans of Wildebeest and Zebras as part of the Great Migration. Serengeti was where we finally hit our Big-5, after seeing two Leopards, and a Rhino (from a distance, they weren't out as much in the cooler weather). Finishing at Ngorongoro was perfect, as the landscape is unlike anything you'll see anywhere else in the world. Our accommodations also gave us a variety of experiences, from lux lodges in Amboseli, to "glamping" in Masai Mara and Ngorongoro, to the true bush camp experience in Serengeti.
All-in-all, Africa Safari Classics provided us an unforgettable experience that we are still fully processing. They should be the first choice for those looking for a tailored, full safari experience without breaking the bank.
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Email Jahaad | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing guide, that was very knowledgeable. He also had a great personality for the long drives.
This was the BEST trip I’ve ever been on. First, let me acknowledge Maurice for helping my boyfriend create the PERFECT itinerary. Each day it truly it truly got better and better. Our driver Kasimba was the absolute best! He made the trip so fun and adventurous. He had a great sense of humor and so kind to us. Our “kaka” forever. We thank you all for giving us the best experience in Kenya. -Bria & Jahaad
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Email Sam H.W. Sappington | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Two Amazing and Remarkable Safari Trips to East Africa with Africa Safari Classics!
I am nearly a year late in writing this review, but VERY Happy to do so! 2020 has been a very rough year for the safari travel business in Africa, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, international flights to Kenya have recently resumed and I hope my comments and observations here can help to generate renewed interest among potential safari-goers, as the industry slowly begins to recover.
We made our first safari adventure to Kenya back in November 2016, and booked our trip through Maurice Nzwii with Africa Safari Classics. We chose one of their 9-day itineraries ("Wildlife in Style"), which took us through 5 national parks and game reserves. It was an outstanding adventure, and we came home to Oregon (USA) determined to make a return trip as soon as possible. We came across some amazing airfares to Africa in the summer of 2019 (less than $650 RT from Seattle to Nairobi), and we booked our 2nd trip with Africa Safari Classics for November of last year. Once again, Maurice came through for us in remarkable ways, and gave us the single BEST travel adventure of our lives (followed closely by our first trip to Kenya in 2016)!
In planning a second trip to East Africa, we knew that we wanted to see more and stay longer. So, we extended this trip to two full weeks, and expanded our travels into Tanzania as well as spending our final three days relaxing at two beach resorts in Watamu (just north of Mombasa). We made a point of revisiting two of the parks we particularly enjoyed on our 2016 trip (Maasai Mara and Amboseli), both of which are true gems in the Kenyan National Park and Game Reserve system! We spent four days venturing in to Tanzania to visit the Serengeti National Park as well as the Ngorngoro Crater. We also made a point of visiting a couple new parks in SE Kenya (a private wildlife sanctuary in the Taita Hills and Tsavo East NP) as we made our way to the beach region along the shores of the Indian Ocean.
I cannot state this emphatically enough, but EVERY SINGLE aspect of this itinerary for our 2nd trip with ASC met or exceeded our expectations! First, I cannot find the words to convey how pleasant and satisfying it is to work with MAURICE NZWII from ASC in arranging all of our trip details. Travel costs in Africa had increased significantly between 2016 and 2019. Initial cost estimates for our two-week itinerary (excluding airfare) were nearly $6000 per person -- approaching double what we paid in 2016. However, after just a few rounds of email communications with Maurice, he was able to generate a revised and COMPLETELY satisfying alternative travel plan that was $1500 less, much more in line with what we were hoping for. Maurice is unlike ANY other travel agent I have ever worked with, and he is truly in a class of his own! He is totally dedicated to customer satisfaction, and he consistently communicates in a very friendly and timely fashion! He joined us for dinner on our first full day in Nairobi and he even met us at the Kenyatta Int'l Airport as we transferred for our return flight to Seattle. Maurice checks in with your driver EVERY DAY of your trip, just to ensure that everything is going well. You know you are in VERY GOOD HANDS when you set up a safari adventure through Maurice Nzwii! I cannot recommend him highly enough!
Let me say more about our driver as well, Boniface (a.k.a. Boni). We spent our entire 9-day trip in 2016 with Boni as our driver, and we had such a good time with him that we requested him once again for our return trip in 2019. And we got him! Boni has been a safari guide for 20 years, and he seems to know all the parks and game reserves like the back of his hand. He has remarkable vision and is able to spot all kinds of animals and sightings that the untrained eye would likely completely miss. Like his boss, Maurice, Boni is also completely dedicated to showing safari-goer's a great time! He will give you as much time as you wish to take photos or videos, or just to linger and enjoy what you are seeing. He also has a wonderful sense of humor, and every day brought multiple rounds of hearty laughter! We were SO Happy to travel with Boni once again and feel like we have become great friends! (It is worth noting that drivers cannot cross national borders, so our time in Tanzania was with another pleasant driver, Abdul. But Boni met us at the border once again for the remainder of our trip in SE Kenya.) We have become Facebook friends with both Boni and Maurice, and we continue to communicate with both of them that way, which is loads of fun!
I know this is getting to be a lengthy review, but let me also point out that we were completely satisfied with ALL the lodging accommodations that Maurice booked for us ranging from very nice hotels, to exotic tented safari camps, as well as relaxing beach resorts. They were all very nice facilities and we really enjoyed the variety! The service was consistently outstanding, the food was very tasty and satisfying (with no stomach issues at all across the entire two weeks). When Maurice brought down our travel costs by 25% from his initial estimates, we thought that might translate to staying at less appealing facilities, but that was not the case at all. We were not disappointed in the least with ANY of the 8 places we stayed at! Again, Maurice takes very good care of you!
Some final closing thoughts here. Our two trips to East Africa have been life-changing experiences for us, and have filled our hearts and minds with a treasure trove of wonderful memories! Both trips brought us to many different regions, covering large swaths of geography, and allowing us to see an impressive diversity of locales, landscapes, and local norms. It was interesting to note some of the differences between Kenya and Tanzania, something that only comes with international travel to new lands. We took both of our trips with Africa Safari Classics in the month of November, which we have found to be a very pleasant time of the year to travel. It is almost like a spring-time vacation during the light rains season, with all kinds of new greenery emerging, new water holes for the animals to enjoy, and the opportunity to see many newborn animals as well (oh, baby warthogs are SO cute!). It is outside the peak season, so there are far fewer safari-goer's. There were much heavier rains during our 2019 trip (and for the next few months in the region, we understand), but this did not create any inconveniences for us. It only added to the adventure, as we did have to contend with some low-level flooding in some regions. But Boni handled this like a real pro!! Boni did talk with us about his perceptions of the impacts from climate change in the region. Over the past 20 years, he reports seeing fewer trees from hotter, drier summers and a gradual decline in the numbers of animals as well. Our entire planet is being impacted by these changes, and it is not clear how many more years these kinds of travel adventures will even be feasible. If a safari is something you have ever dreamed of doing, we strongly encourage you to give this idea your utmost consideration!
We want to offer our full, heartfelt support to Maurice and his company, Africa Safari Classics, as they begin to bounce back from the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the safari travel industry. So many people in developing countries depend on the business generated by international travelers for their basic livelihood. You would not only be giving yourself a huge gift (and a possible adventure of a lifetime), but you would also be doing immeasurable good for the people of Kenya and Tanzania by taking the step of traveling to that part of the world! We cannot recommend this idea, and this company, highly enough!
Email Ignacio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Second Trip!
Once again, Africa Safari Classics exceed my expectations. We traveled with them to Kenya in 2017, and last December they organised our trip to Uganda. Maurice did a fantastic job from day one, tailoring the itinerary to our needs/request.
Whilst in Uganda, our guide was amazing, very knowledgeable and very patient with us so we could always get he best out of the day.
I would definitely recommend Africa Safari Classics, they team is supportive and responsive and they make sure you definitely get the best value for money!
Well done Maurice and thanks! Looking forward to our next African trip with you!
Email Daria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended operator
Highly recommended. We went to Kenya with Africa Safari Classics in 2017 and when we decided to visit Uganda recently no other options were even considered. Everything went as smoothly as the first time and I have since recommended the company to friends. The itinerary is tailor made so we were able to enjoy the activities we specifically asked for. Our guides were always super knowledgeable, fun, experienced, and above all patient, always making sure we got the best views and the best shots. The hotels and camps were amazing (in fact, some of the best I’ve even been to) and our special meal requests were always considered. Overall, the company is fantastic and I will continue going to Africa with them.
LU
Email Nicole | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Christmas in Kenya - Safari & Chale Island
During the 2019 Christmas holiday, our family of 4 (kids ages 8&9) spent 12 nights on a Kenya safari and Chale island holiday. We traveled with another family with kids similar ages. We all made memories to last a lifetime!
We stayed at 3 very different camps (Sweetwater's, Mbweha and Mara Safari Club) and ended our trip relaxing in the pools and beach on Chale Island. The Fairmont Mara Safari Club was our favorite camp. We saw ALL of the animals - leopard, cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, and so much more. I recommend the hot air balloon ride in Masai Mara!
Maurice helped with every detail of our trip. He met with us in Nairobi at the start of the holiday and stayed in touch to make sure everything was going well throughout the trip. He was always easy to reach by phone and quick to respond.
If you love animals and are up for an adventure, I recommend contacting Maurice to help plan your safari and beach holiday.
IT
Email Simone | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Experience!
We found Africa Safari Classic on safaribooking.com and, since one of the tours matched perfectly with what we had in mind, we decided to contact Maurice.
From the first moment to when we returned home everything was perfect and superbly organized.
Abdul, our guide, was extremely helpful and very kind throughout our trip, giving us lots of interesting information about what we saw and satisfying all our requests.
Shifts and lodges were truly incredible and we had the chance to stay in fantastic places surrounded by nature.
For all these reasons I can only recommend Africa Safari Classics because it will surely give you an extraordinary experience!
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Email Matt | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Honeymoon
We just returned from our honeymoon trip with Africa Safari Classics and we had an amazing experience.
When we first looked at going on a safari trip to Africa we quickly noticed how many operators and different options we had to choose from. It seemed like a very difficult task to decipher what was going to be the best option for us, but luckily we found Maurice at Africa Safari Classics.
Maurice is the most helpful person we have ever worked with in the travel industry. He helped us plan and customize the perfect honeymoon experience for us, and then once the trip started he made sure he checked-in with us several times to make sure that everything was going well. We were lucky enough to meet Maurice in person in Kenya at the beginning of the trip, and he also took time out of his day to meet us again at the end to make sure that we were happy with how things went.
Maurice set us up with Joseph who was the perfect safari guide for the type of animals and birds we wanted to see on our trip. Joseph was such a great resource in pointing out all of the various mammal and bird species, and he always made sure that we were safe and had plenty of time for photos.
The attention to detail and level of service that we experienced with Africa Safari Classics was amazing. After we confirmed our flight details we didn't have to lift a finger. The airport transfers, luggage handling, hotel/lodge reservations, transportation, park fees, etc. were all handled by Maurice and his staff, and everything was made extremely easy for us. Basically all we needed to know was what time we would start the game drives each morning!
We give Africa Safari Classics our highest recommendation, and whenever we decide to take our next trip to Africa we fully plan on contacting Maurice again!