Absolute Holiday Safaris
- Located 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
DE
Email Jasmin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 day Safari
Communication: driver talk very little with us, didn't get information where we going, what we are doing, ...
Service: Which service???
living up to expectations: on the 3 day, moses (driver) told us we're going back by tomorrow. In my opinion he wanted to cheat us and steel one day from safari. We booked a 5 day safari and payed for it!
Safari tour itself: Very poor driving style on the road and the masai mara, driver didn't stop for other animals then the big five, didn' t respect the park rules (speed limits etc.) and sometimes didn't answer questions. Camp was in a very bad condition.
Reply from Absolute Holiday Safaris
Posted on Aug 19, 2015Hello Jasmin.
Hopeful all is well with you over there? Thank you so much for this review?We wish to find out if you booked your holiday with other please and from our data your email is not there and name not there?
Please who was your contact person please and when did you go on this trip please?Your clarification will be highly appreciated.Thank you.
US
Email Ben | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stick to Kenya and don't expect great customer service
We had combined 10 day safari in Kenya-Tanzania. Everything was great on the Kenya side. Driver was fine, would answer questions if you asked, but you did have to ask. Accommodations were better than expected with private bathrooms and actual beds in tents. They definitely work to find animals and make the most of the time in the parks.
Tanzania - nothing went right at all. We were supposed to be met by the director Abraham at the bus depot and he was not there. So very confusing getting us to our hotel in Arusha.
Day 2 the driver, George, brought us to Lake Manyara when our itinerary said to go to Serengeti NP. We were dropped off at camp around 430 near the lake, not in the Serengeti. He refused to t call anyone to check on the mix up for us. Basically that it was not his problem and we were stuck.
Day 3 We should have had a full day in Serengeti national park. We did not arrive until 2 or 3pm. George told us breakfast was at 730 and we would leave at 8. . We did not depart until 10am. No one could give us an update on when we would leave. They claimed the delay was due to the chefs. Who produced fried chicken so burnt we couldn’t eat it at lunch. We had our driver changed 3 times that morning. Though Etome ended up as a very good guide. The Serengeti camp ended up being far superior to where we stayed near Manyara
Day 4 The game drive was very good this day though it was only 6 hours not the full day we paid for. We had a brunch and dinner instead of 3 meals. No time on the trip were we given the chance to visit Olduvai gorge and the museum. Also no evening nature walk was offered at the Simba camp.
Day 5 The game drive this morning was very good. However we did not enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater as described. We were driven back to camp to have lunch which was not as scenic. David did meet at at the border for our transfer back to Nairobi airport and did not ask us for additional money when the police pulled over our car and asked for bribes to continue on.
However, he claimed that he would rectify the situation that had happened in Tanzania and we would hear within a week. When we contacted him a week later he said he was still working with his Directors and Abraham in TZ. 2.5 months later and we have never heard from him again. No refund or any other compensation for going to the wrong park and wrong lodging.
Kenya was great but avoid working with the TZ company. They will lie and not stick to the paid for itinerary. And once on the trip you have paid and are stuck going where they bring you. Very disappointing that David appears to communicate greatly until they have your money then they don't care what happened to you.
Email Valentine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stressful Safari
We went throught Absolute Holiday & Safari To book a 6 days safari going arounf Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli.
At first organisation seemed good, David our contact was very nice and answer all our questions (and we had lots of them). When arriving in Nairobi, we went to the office (discovering Absolute holiday & Safari and Big Time Safari are located in the extact same office) and David explained to us the schedule of the Safari in details.
For our first day, instead of leaving Nairobi befor 9am we were delayed until 10 am, going with the driver pick up food and oil....
We were 6 people in the van at that time: 2 coming from Absolute Safari, 2 coming from Big Time Safari and the other 2 coming from Savannah Jamboree Travel. The bus was managed by Big Time Safari but what I understood is that many budget companies work together in order to incease occupancy rates of the vans.
Then going to Masai Mara, we saw lots of animals as it was migration season, the schedule was nearly respected, we were all very happy.
After we were inroute for the Lake Nakuru park, stoping at Lake Naivasha our driver tell us he has to pick 2 people more, with no more explaination I call our contact David (we had local sim), he is not aware of such things and is not at the office, promising to contact me again, it is around 3pm at that time. 3 people come back with our driver, the mini van is now full and we are supposed to end our safari with them, 3 and half more days to go at that point.
Calling back David, he is very nice but does not give me any answer he has to deal with personal matters first and then will go back to me.....
We all go the Lake Nakuru for diner, throught our driver we call the transport manager of Big Time Safari (Alfred) and the president (John) to tell that was not the agreement, indeed in one of our email we ask David how muck people max will be in the safari, and his answer is very clear, 7 max. Big time safari does not want to hear anything, saying to us that if we are not happy a car will come pick us up and we will leave the safari without any refund, nice people!
Finally around 9pm David goes by the office, 6 hours after the first phone call... He says every thing fine and tomorrow we will have another mini van to do the game drive and respect previous engagement.
The day after, nothing is there, we do game drive with the 9 of us....
Going back to Nairobi (you have to go throught Nairobi in the itinerary), another minivan is expecting us, so we are all happy again.
If you want this company to respect their engagement it's very hard because once you began the safari you already paid the all amont so you don't have a lot to bargain with and somtimes the drivers completely refuse to call their office so if you don't have a local sim, your stuck. Also, the drivers are always trying to reduce the game drive schedule so you have to argue with them again and again for them to respect previous engagement.
I would defenitely not recommand this company if you are looking for zen holidays.
Be carreful when choosing your Safari, I'm now very sceptical of having good budget safari.
Reply from Absolute Holiday Safaris
Posted on Aug 18, 2015Hello Valentine
Hopeful you are doing really well and great over there? Thank you so much for a great review,we agree during your holiday there was some hiccups on day 3 and this come up for the rescue purpose and as it was a bit late we could not get a safari van at the same time.
Kindly to be honest on day 1 you started in a group of 6 pax while the other 3 safari van started with 7 pax.We listen to you and value you highly.Please being honest you know this bothered us as much as it bothered you and we finally made sure there was a car on standby for you.We once again apologize for the hiccup,we know we are not the best operators but we know we always deliver what we promise as we are always concerned with our clients...Thank you.
Email PJSM1956 | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tour operator is good. The fact that they subcontract out the driving/facilitators creates problems.
We got what we paid for, so the following is not a complaint, but information that you may wish to use to improve your experience. Please note: subcontactors/drivers are not usually directly employed by the tour company, so get phone numbers that you can use in each country, and use local SIM cards.
1. Communications can be improved significantly, as we did not have a local telephone number to call when we went from Kenya to Tanzania - the border crossing "facilitator" was hopeless and left us to stand in the sun waiting for a bus we did not personally have tickets for. A local was kind enough to ring the Kenya phone number we had, and the company then verbally kicked the "facilitator" into fixing the issue.
2. The 2WD small vehicles used in Kenya are very uncomfortable for tall people like me (195cm or so), and get bogged easily - pay for an upgrade to 4WD Landcruiser safari vehicle if it is offered at a fair price. 2WD is adequate, incidentally, but expect the driving to be faster on the rough roads than you would expect. There were only 4WD Landcruisers in the Tanzania part of the trip, and they are much nicer, with plenty of head-room when the pop-top roof is open for animal viewing and photographing.
3. Water is supposed to be supplied on safari - it often wasn't in Kenya. I got a dozen bottles of water for myself and my wife, and the other passengers were so thirsty that they nicked most of them. I do not blame the passengers, incidentally. Water in Kenya was a problem, not in Tanzania.
4. Hot water was not often available for showers.
5. "Eco" camps that we used TRIED to do well, and in Kenya were at lease moderately comfortable (with beds) - but did not care that the roof leaked water onto the bed during a storm. The ones in Tanzania were camps (i.e. tents that were not waterproof , sleeping bags that needed fixing and washing, no hot water for showers, oh, and no towels supplied if we decided to have cold shower). Pay for upgrade in Tanzania, please.
6. i.e. Kenya basic cars, adequate accommodation; Tanzania much better cars, terrible accommodation. Even in the Serengeti there are proper hotels near the camps - pay for an upgrade if you hate tents and boring food, trust me. The tour company can juggle just about any request.
7. Finally, some changes were made without our permission, such as the order we saw some parks, and where we were staying or camping. We did, however, go to each and every place we were supposed to see, just out of order a bit.
Overall, I have to say that the tour operators are extremely competent, offer good value for money, and can accommodate almost any changes within reason.
(It was not my first safari, but the camping issues and my age has made it my last, as I am not a kid anymore and I have now seen what I want to see in Africa - don't let this affect you, as I am just commenting. Also 2 fellow travellers were a pain in the arse, complaining again and again about everything from not seeing lions feeding (they mostly rest during the day), to not getting the photos up close that they wanted IMMEDIATELY, wanting to change drivers because he could not arrange for a pair of binoculars to be returned {left, by them, in another vehicle} IMMEDIATELY, and so on. Animals move, so opportunities change, they were carrying a 65x zoom camera so should not be bitching about the photos of animals being too far away. My Nikon and 200mm lens was more than enough, and sometimes we were so close to animals (especially lions) that I had to change to a 18-55mm lens. I got photos of everything from lions in trees, leopards, cheetah, spotted hyenas, all sorts of herbivores imaginable, flamingos (2 types, up close) and more. In fact I photographed even more variety of animals than I expected (and expectations were high), and was simply blown away by the Serengeti migration. The animal numbers are simply staggering over a vast area. Seeing Kilimanjaro is fantastic, as was the photographs of elephants with Kilimanjaro in the background. Good trip, recommended highly, and my comments are just for your information should you want to do a similar 2 week Kenya/Tanzania budget trip.
Email Eee | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
budget safari
We had combined safari Kenya-Tanzania. Everything was great at Kenya site, super driver/guide Stanley (I really recommend this guy!), accommodation, organisation - 100% satisfaction.
Tanzania - 100% disaster. Company which organised our safari - Arusha Center Inn Tourist total mess; the director Abraham - liar, conditions at camps horrible; we had paid for tents with beds and bedding - we got used sleeping bag and no beds; sanitation at the bathroom/shower - 100% bio-hazard, awful; driver/guide Freddie - avoid him, very slow not at all organised and with small knowledge about nature and animals - waste of time and money! Avoid this company!!!!!
So I really recommend safari in Kenya but I cannot recommend Tanzania - it was horrible 4 days.
US
Email Annika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience varies with drivers/itineraries
I booked with Absolute Holiday Safaris based on price and the superb, friendly communication with David prior to traveling. I was so happy that David really is as kind and genuine as he seems through email! I was very pleased to meet him in Nairobi.
I booked 8-day safari: Maasai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Amboseli. We began the trip with John AKA Animal for 3 days in Maasai Mara, and learned from other passengers that he is one of the best drivers. He was very knowledgeable about the animals, and very professional. Sadly, we only had him for 3 days and were bounced to 4 other drivers for the rest of the trip.
The other drivers were Sammy and Stanley. Neither of them was at the same level with Animal. They both sped in the parks, and Sammy actually almost hit 3 zebra (I was riding in the front seat and was horrified). There was also a small child in the back seat who was bouncing around and flying off the seat. Both Sammy and Stanley were on their radios talking and laughing (presumably not about animals, since we weren't really seeing much...) the whole day and it ruined the peace of the experience.
We were also abandoned one morning in Hell's Gate National Park. We were to be picked up at 10:30AM and were not picked until around 1PM due to miscommunications within the company. We luckily had David's business card on hand and the kind women working at the park let us call David several times until we were picked from the park. Other changes were: switching hotels in Nakuru with no notice, changing our itinerary around during the trip itself. We never got offered a boat ride at either Lake Nakuru or Lake Naivasha, and we missed one morning's game drive in Maasai Mara which was on the itinerary.
The overall experience was wonderful; I love Kenya and want to come back already! However, I would book with this company again only with guarantee of a great driver (Animal) for the entire trip. Now that I have more awareness of how things work I would try to lock things down a bit more.
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.
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.
BD
Email Adiba | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reassuring, friendly and quick at problem-solving
Had an amazing 7-day Safari tour with Absolute holidays. David was our contact point for the whole tour and when we arrived in Kenya and met him at his office in Nairobi we felt tremendously reassured. He helped us exchange currencies and arranged for one of my missed luggages from the Nairobi airport to be sent to Masaimara on the following day. We booked the 7-day tour package (amboseli, masaimara, nakuru) and saw all the magnificent animals in all its glory. Our tour guide Richard even took us to an additional place out of the itinerary --Lake Elementeita -- where we got amazing views of flamingoes. We spent a lot of time on the road but it hardly seemed tiring because the weather was fantastic as was the driving by Richard. All in all, an incredible experience that I will cherish for life.
