FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Kruger National Park by Nicolas
too many cars to enjoy the quietness we expect when observing animals
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience
Recently, I went to Kenya to take a vacation. The highlights are of course to see those wild animals in Africa.
I took a "6 days 5 nights Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli" with a company called "Africa Flash McTours & Travel". The manager, Mr. Peter Macharia, did a great job, looking after his customers, although there are circumstances that are a bit beyond his control.
A convincing example is that all the tour companies appear to have a system that tourists are told to hop on different buses at a set of places where they stop for lunch. This system initially confused me a lot as I thought that I would be always staying with one group, once a group has been arranged by a particular company prior to the beginning of your program. But, that was not the case. So, to me what Peter did most impressively was that one day, when he could not organize any other driver to pick me up from Nairobi to Amboseli, he sent in a car to just take me there. Of course, a single passenger would cost his company slightly more than letting his customers sharing with others. But, to me this is the convincing moment that his is a trustable manager.
I also want to mention is passing that a young driver in his own company, John, has done a great job! His English is excellent and he appeared to try to do his job properly, rather than trying to "cut corners".
Amazing Safari
Our safari arranged by Chris of Shadows of Africa was a wonderful experience. The accommodation was very comfortable and our guide Alex's knowledge was amazing. The weather was brilliant with warm days and cold nights. The only adverse comment I have would be the delay in getting our entry visas in Dar. It was chaotic as was leaving the country. In spite of this we enjoyed ourselves very much and consider it a memorable experience.
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First time in Kenya and first safari
To give some context to my review, I'm the type of person that usually likes to travel without anything scheduled and figure out what to do in the place. Since this was our first time in Africa, our first Safari and we were going to Kenya in the elections period, we've decided to at least book the Safari online. Finding a company was not an easy task (there are way too many agencies) and Simon was probably the person that better replied to all my questions and did it a timely manner (he was replying much faster than I was replying to his emails, sorry pal!).
When we got to Kenya, everything went smooth but we've figure out that the online companies are nothing more than agencies that deal with freelance drivers and include us in a 4x4 with people from other companies. This is not a bad thing, but for someone that travels on the cheap, you are more than ok to go to Kenya, find one driver and negotiate with him directly. For those of you who prefer to do it the "safer way", I clearly recommend Wildrace Safaris .
Kenya is without a doubt an amazing country to travel around and see a different scenario from anywhere we've been in the world. We had the opportunity to see the big 5 between Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. When in Amboseli, if you can see "Cloudymanjaro", please celebrate for me.
Our trip was lovely and Simon made sure we were always ok during the entire trip. We ad a few roadbumps along the Safari, but "This Is Africa". The important part is that we really enjoyed the country, the safari and everything we crossed paths with.
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing destination
Great wildlife and scenery. Our 5 day safari trip was very well organized by Viva Safari and our guides were people from the bush and they were really keen to share their experiences and knowledges. The bush walk is a must do !
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Greatest trip of our life thanks to Aardvark Expeditions
After many searches of local safari operators, we chose Aardvark Expeditions Limited because of the good reviews on the internet. Let me tell you that we have been able to verify this and that we are extremely satisfied with our choice.
Philemon has been a great help in organizing our tailor-made private safari. Thanks to our rare kindness guide Masewa, we had the pleasure of discovering the Tarangire, the Ngorongoro conservation area, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. We were able to admire at our own pace and with the precious advices of Masewa, landscapes, animals and people as wonderful as each other. The hotels and lodges chosen by Philemon were just perfect. The service? irreproachable. To sum up, we had the most beautiful trip of our life, thanks to Aardvark, which we highly recommend without hesitation.
BR
Joseph is the best tour guide one could have
We had a great time with the gorillas and Encounter. Joseph went out of his way to make sure me and the other 3 girls travelling together had the best experience one could have! All of our wishes came true. He is very kind and helpful, I'd recommend him to my entire family if I could!
IE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Experience at Maasai Mara
This is the best trip I ever have. It's amazing and unforgettable experience. Michael and Paul provided good service and gave information about itinerary and offered what I am looking for as well as answering all questions or concern I have. I got a good driver who is a knowledgeable guide at the same time. The driver is helpful and provided answer and information I was looking for. This is my first time for the safari trip, had a great time, met all big 5, wilderbeest crossing river, other wildlife. The 2 day and a half of game reserve was so exciting, not only enjoyable, but also learning about the circle of life. Ballloon trip was excellent (MUST DO). It's above Maasai Mara which gave me unique experience. Total of 6 days is my unforgettable experience. I also joined day tour in Nairobi. Paul helped me arrange and Alex and his brother are friendly and took me around. I would highly recommend to join this company.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We really have a unforgettable safari with Buymore Adventure
We enjoyed so much the safari experience with Buymore Adventure, they sent us a great guide and driver, named Titus, so friendly and responsible. The coordinator Ms Matara is so efficient responding our email. Of course she offered us an attractive price and the safari game drives ran so smoothly. We are really appreciated the efforts they made to make our trip safe and funny. If you are interested in our safari, you can check out our video: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=s7ps4yxHSG4
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 Day Joining Safari (Masai Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli)
Our trip itinerary included 6 days and covered Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli parks. First off, I want to say what a pleasure it was dealing with Peter, the manager. He not only responded promptly to all of my emails but was able to answer all of my questions and made me feel very secure in my decision to book with him. There are literally thousands of booking companies, many of which that will overcharge you for essentially the same things as budget safaris. Our $950/person budget safari came to about $160/day/person which is standard and fair when you factor in qualified drivers, 3 meals a day, and good accommodation. You can always stay somewhere nicer but I feel like the budget tented camps are all you need, you are on a safari after all!
Our guides were Peter (different gentleman than the manager) and John. We spent the first few days with Peter who was quite knowledgeable and the second part with John. What you may not realize about Group Joining Safaris is that you'll likely be with different people at different times of your trip, the booking companies do this to maximize the amount of people in the fewest cars, and like air traffic control, make sure everyone has a ride to the next part of their itinerary. Peter was able to make all of this happen seamlessly and even helped ferry people to different parks himself in his personal car. He really wants you to have a great time and it shows.
I won't comment on the different parks, just assume they are amazing because they are.
I only have two small critiques. First, on the Africa Flash MC website (which is one of the more organized websites I looked at), the explanation of which camps you would be staying in for which price was a little off. We thought that we would be spending our Amboseli nights at Kibu luxury camp as it was listed under the "budget" safari we chose. We were a little disappointed to find out that once we had paid and Peter sent us the itinerary that Kibu was not listed and another place was. However, halfway through the safari Peter called us to tell us that we were going to be "upgraded" to Kibu for our final two nights as a way to make our trip special, which was very nice of him because it really did. Whether this is a sales tactic for getting a good review or just an honest mistake on one of our parts really doesn't matter, although the website could be clearer Peter still made the experience memorable and magical. Perhaps they could update the site to be a bit clearer, or, just clarify your accommodation with Peter via email so you don't leave somewhere you want to stay up to chance. He'll get back to you right away.
The second critique were the vans. Most companies in Kenya seem to run these converted minivans with the standard safari car pop-top. These are different from the Toyota Landrovers you see more often in Tanzania. While you can still operate well enough in them they are cramped when full, especially when they have a three-seater row which some do. That makes it harder to stand because the aisle is occupied by an extra seat. The first van we were in had this and it was rough, especially because in Masai Mara you go off-road and it was VERY bumpy. That same van had a lot of sharp edges in it that tore at my clothes and left me wondering if I should put on my gloves to not cut my hands. Finally, as a 6'1" man this van's roof was too short for me to stand in, not so with other vans I have been in on safari. Bumped my head A LOT. The second van was much better, it didn't have the middle seat in the front row so there was more room to stand and the padding was better. No sharp edges, and a higher head clearance. And yet, not perfect, half of the windows were stuck closed. If I were Peter I would retire that first van or at least give it an interior overhaul.
That's it! A long winded way to say how much I enjoyed this safari with Peter. He's trustworthy, fair, honest, and very easy to work with. The company operates smoothly and he makes sure everyone gets to where they are going and has the best experience possible. Highly recommend, can't go wrong with Africa Flash MC.