Absolute Holiday Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- Ministry of Tourism Kenya & Kenya Tourism Federation.
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Content
My experience with Absolute Holiday Safaris was satisfactory. The safari itself, and the safari guide were amazing. The campsite however, was not anything described to us. When you first arrive in Nairobi you are taken to Absolute Holiday Safaris main office were a consultant explains the details of the trip and the camp to you. Unfortunately, main things he explained about the camp were completely wrong. I almost felt as if they had never been to the camp themselves, or lacked contact with the camp. Their was no free wifi as specified. When taken to see the Massa Mari tribe we were told a small donation of about $10 American was needed. This was not the case, as you have to paid 1000 shilling before the Massa Mari will let you into their tribe. Then they continue to push you to purchase jewelry and other goods from them. While it was a great experience, it was also a little uncomfortable. The food at the camp is mediocre. We had to demand our 'free water', and the water in our attached bathrooms did not work, and if it did for a moment was time was no were near warm.
I did overall enjoy my holiday, but would tell people not have the highest of expectations.
CA
Email Spencer | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tale of 2 countries. Stick to Kenya.
Our trip was a 13 day trip split between Kenya and Tanzania.
The first half spent in Kenya was amazing. Everything we could have asked for as the guides were friendly and knowledgeable and the accommodations were pleasant. The game drives were incredible as well, especially at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. After the first week, this trip was absolutely 5 stars.
However, the second half of the trip in Tanzania was a completely different story. The guides were unhelpful at best, there was constant mix ups, mismanagement, and miscommunications. And though they were advertised with similar descriptors, the accommodations were atrocious. Too much time was spent at the lesser parks that could have been used elsewhere.
As well, too much time was spent driving and it seems like a better planned schedule could have helped make it more enjoyable. Ngorongoro Crater is without a doubt a terrific destination, but only spending 24 hours there is not worth the rest of the week. Tanzania only gets 1 star.
The saving grace is that David and the Absolute Holiday Safaris Ltd team was willing to respond to complaints and the office in Kenya did their best to alleviate the Tanzanian mess.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good first time safari experience
We traveled to Lake Nokuru national park and the Masaimara reserve. Both the places were truly breathtaking, full of wildlife. We did have lots of fun. However, our accomodation at lake nokuru was inside the nokuru town - it would have been a much better experience had there been something close to or inside the park. The hotel facilities at nokuru were however excellent. Same cannot be however said for the Masaimara camp. The biggest downside was that power was available for only 4 hrs in the evening and there were no charging points in the tents.
IN
Email Himanshu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was an experience in itself, we really enjoyed. visit was worth every penny..........
i visited masaimara alongwith 3 of my colleagues, we enjoyed every bit of the trip. it was an experience in itself. iam planning to visit again next year with my family members.
Overall an excellent trip by safari bookings, well coordinated and well planned, worth every penny. a lifetime experience.
keep it up the good work .
DE
Email Manuela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Experience
We had the 6 day safari which included masai mara, lake nakuru and amboselli.
First of all David was a very nice person that cared much and answered all our questions. He helped us even during our time that we stayed in Nairobi.
The driver (Jackson) was okay. I think he had good and bad days.. Sometimes he didnt tell us anything about the animals without asking - but when we asked he always had a good answer. Sometimes he was driving to fast in the parks. But all in all he was a nice guy. We were most of the time only 3 people in the bus so that was really nice. We could make stopps and breaks whenever we wanted and had a lot of space in the van.
Also we had some difficulties with the shedule. We left "late" from Nairobi - but i guess thats just Afrika.. You are always late and you always need to wait!
But on the third day our driver changed the shedule without really asking us (he wanted to go to another park where we didnt want to go - of course we would have need to pay more) so we did have some difficulties there but i didnt care much and we only had to wait in the car until the other person was done with a boattour.
But we did see sooooo many animals! We saw almost everything we wanted and didnt expect to see that much. The parks are all diferent and i think a very good mix!
The camps and hotels were really good. Everything was new and the people in the camp were very caring. Food was also good just the lunchpaket was a bit small and always the same. So if you dont like meat (like i do) there was almost nothing. Breakfast and dinner was mostly in buffet so you could take what you want.
I think the price here is reasonable and we are really happy we did it! It was the best time that we had in Afrika because its just an really great experience.
I do think that with another driver it would have been perfect and i would give 5 stars. Our driver was fine but i would have wished that he talkes more (also about his life and the culture etc..)
But all in all i would defenetly do it again!!
IN
Email www.tickingthebucketlist.com | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Joining safari, with superb customisation!
We did a the three night four day joining safari to Nakuru, Naivasha and Masai Mara. We wanted to minimise costs and hence opted for the joining safari. However, we wanted comfortable places to stay And were in no mood to camp. David understood our requirements perfectly and customised our trip to ensure that we got the best at optimal costs. Our dates changed a few times and David accommodated all the changes, ensuring that we got to do all that we wanted to!
Our guide was called Animal. He knew so much about everything... History, geography, the Masai culture, bird, animals...Superb. Half the fun was having him around, sharing his knowledge with us. We had great sightings and saw the big five. Animal made us feel safe and knew where we could buy medical supplies, when we needed them!
Lastly, the team made sure that we were safely picked up and dropped to the airport
even though our flight schedule changed. Many thanks to the team for going beyond their call of duty to ensure that our safari vacation was truly five star!
Great experience
We had a great experiencie with absolute safari! We stayed in Kenya and Tanzania and we saw beautiful landscapes and all kind of animals, lions, zebras, leopards.... It was amazing!!!
David helped us in all and was very resolutive. Very happy with them.We hope to repeat it again soon,
BD
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A lifetime experience
This was my first safari. It was a 3 days safari at Masai Mara. It was really a great experience. everything was nicely planned. The guide was also very experienced. Specially Mr devid and his team was simply awesome. Their friendly attitude made the tour more memorable.
IN
Email Dipankar Barua | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Great African Safari!
1. “It seemed that we were at another planet – ourselves Aliens, and the vast wildlife and wilderness – its true inhabitants” – There is not an iota of exaggeration in what I say, to describe the Great African Safari at Maasai Mara. The “Absolute Holiday Safari Experience” started with the introduction to the one man Army – David. He methodically chalked out our schedule(of almost entire East Africa), painstakingly working out each detail to perfection. We were introduced to our group, which in addition to five of us, were three Germans – one of who symbolically termed us “The Lion Squad” :-) .
2. The journey, to the “God’s Own” Maasai Mara, started with our pick up from Nairobi, a short break at the view point of the Great Rift Valley, and on-wards to the National Park. The very sight of the camp rejuvenated us, seemed to bring us closer to nature, with the well laid out tented accommodation, amidst picturesque flora, neatly scooped out of the jungle.
3. Sooner we found ourselves entering the huge gates of the Maasai Mara National Park, against an overcast sky. This, coupled with the first appearance of the tall giraffes, popping their heads up and out of the trees, reminded me of an early scene of the famous ‘Jurassic Park’ movie, I watched as a kid. The next couple of days went in total awe, credit goes to our guide Mr Jackson – 11 years of experience in the field, no doubt why some of us believed he had instincts that of a Cheetah….literally! A scene which seemed to us of a lone vulture sitting atop a tree, presented an inference to Jackson about the presence of a “Cat” – just finished relinquishing his prey – and voila! “Cat” it was – there we saw a lion sitting smartly upright in magnanimity, as if reassuring his kingship! Few meters beside him lay the half eaten carcass of a zebra, which would have contributed to the up gradation of the gene pool of his herd, when the weakest of the lot, lagged behind and got discarded – law of nature! …..for survival of the fittest!
4. All credit goes to Jackson who made us spot the ‘Big Five(lion, elephant, African buffalo, rhino and leopard), apart from almost three dozen wild animal and birds. One could just close his eyes, think of an animal and the very next moment it was in front of you. We criss-crossed the entire Maasai Mara National Park, going as far as the Mara river, famous for the great migration which takes place across it, bordering Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.
5. The trip also gave us a peek into the lifestyle of the Maasai tribe, still unadulterated by the modern world. The evenings spent at the camp were equally interesting. Sipping into our favourite drinks(which one can either carry or buy from the small but well stocked bar counter), we indulged in topics ranging from the Indian Sub-continent to the European Union, and to the Aryan race with our German counterparts, not to mention, other tourists were at liberty to join up and free lance conversation. The food was excellent at all meals. The staff was very co-operative, and though we carried valuables, nothing went missing. In fact the only disheartening aspect was the fact that we had to return, and the two nights and three days spent at Maasai Mara, seemed over in a flash.
6. In a special way I would like to mention the unparalleled co-operation by our tour manager Mr David, of Absolute Holiday Safaris Ltd. I have seen many ‘contacts’ do business – but very few touch our hearts – David was beyond doubt, one of them. Also I would like to mention Cyrus, who guided us well around Nairobi. Thank you for your unflinching dedication. In the end I would like to conclude by saying :-
“There are two kinds of people on the Earth!
The ones who have been to Maasai Mara…..
And the ones who have not!”
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic trip in the world of the lion king.
I travelled on my owned to Kenya this summer and loved it. I was paired with people my age and who had similar interests. Young, fun, smart people from all over the world. Everything was awesome, guie, food, tours. Got to see the big 5 and so much more. Got to be close to all the animals roaming freely in the Masai Mara, meet people and stay in decent places.
Logistically, it wasn't perfect, but you can roll with the situations.
Loved it and David made it really simple and was very responsive.
Highly recommend them.