US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gondwana Tours and Safaris understood our passions and developed a perfect custom itinerary for us!
This trip, put together by Steffi, who immediately understood our passions and expectations, was absolutely, positively the best travel experience of our life. I’d rate it higher than 5 stars, but I guess there is no such astronomical rating. But the trip and her advice and booking does certainly rate in that category.
Of special notation are several things . . .
1 — All the accommodations recommended were superb! The transports to and from were perfect, flights beautiful and convenient, always taking into account our wishes for as many game drive opportunities as possible, and various transfers and border crossings easy and without incident.
2 — The choice of Kwando for most of our trip was exactly right for us, because of their deep and intense focus on wildlife and all of the resultant knowledge, tracking and photo opportunities then available because of their staff’s expertise.
3 — The pristine wilderness of especially the Tau Pan (CKGR) and Kwara (Okavango Delta) areas was mindblowing! I took night sky photographs from our deck at Tau Pan, leaving the room’s door open for possible escape since there were lions roaring in the background!
4 — We experienced amazing wildlife at all locations, and I’ll take months and months to go through all of the photos. I’m certain I have some great shots, and several are good enough that I’m going to enter the Kwando Safaris photo contest — and, regardless of that result, we are sure to be back!
5 -- Due to the expertise and sensitive quality of the guiding, Cheryl often had the opportunity to sketch from the vehicle the scene in her journal, even those events involving wild painted dogs(!), cheetahs and leopards.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
FUNtastic Experience!
Such a fantastic experience I had at the Mara, Expedition Kenya Safari staff arranged everything for me and my friends, from a well laid-out itinerary to the best accommodation and a breathtaking game drive in the vast masai mara picking only the best locations where I could spot the lions I aspired to see. I cant wait for my next safari.
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
very reliable and flexible safari tour agent from Arusha
We (Swiss couple) made a 6 days/5 nights tour with Gosheni under arranging with Arnold Simon and with our excellent driver Zadock. We got a very good fair price, and were very satisfied with the whole service, Driver was punctual was flexible and tried to do fulfill all our needs, We went through Tarangire, Serengeti South, and central, Ngorongoro crater and Lake Manyara Np. The Hotels choosen Maramboi Lodge, Ndutu Kati Kati mobile camp and Rhinolodge were all very good, in all park we saw a lot of animals....more than ever expected.
Only bad Point were the lunchboxes...but even expensive tour agents do use that as well due to no other choice.. WE only can recommend Gosheni to other travellers.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Simply perfect
Gail did a great job. She answered to all of my requests in a timely and courteous way. Her recommendations for activities and accommodations were great. And she was always so nice!! Me and my daughter spent two weeks between South Africa and Victoria Falls and every single arrangement was perfect: Hotels and lodges, drivers and tours. I can't say a single negative thing about this experience. Highly recommended!!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip of a lifetime!
I've just returned home from what can only be described as the trip of a lifetime thanks to Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris! Myself and two friends were travelling to Nairobi for work and had a few days at the end of our trip to explore the country. When looking into safari options, we struggled to get a gauge of which tour operator to book with given the number of companies available - I have to say that our expectations were exceeded in the most wonderful way thanks for our friendly, knowledgeable tour guide Anthony and Mr Otieno's excellent coordination.
We were told this was a basic package (and our expectations were low due to the price) but as soon as Anthony and our chef, Sam picked us up from our hotel, we knew we were in safe hands. From the outset both Anthony and Sam were very welcoming and went above and beyond to ensure that our safari experience was a memorable and enjoyable one.
We went on a 4 day trip starting at Lake Naivasha for a boat ride where we saw hippos, various birds and even had the opportunity to see a bird or prey swoop down to feed on fish! From there we headed to Lake Nakuru for an evening game drive where we stayed in a comfortable lodge and was cooked our first hearty and nutritious meal by Sam. Anthony was fantastic company and we learnt a lot through our conversations with him about the wildlife and Kenya more broadly - he is very smart and engaging and I have to say, a lot of fun!
Anthony was disappointed that we hadn't spotted any rhinos on our first game drive so he tweaked our itinerary to add an additional early game drive on the morning of day two where miraculously we came across both black and white rhinos at close range. His commitment to ensuring that we experienced as many sightings of these rare animals as possible was impressive and endearing.
From there we drove down the Maasia Mara and had a second evening game drive where we saw two prides of lions, the second pride where literally metres from our van - an unforgettable experience to be sure! Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Anthony drove us to a spot where we were found ourselves directly beneath a leopard asleep in a tree!
On the third day, we went on a full day game drive where we spotted cheetahs, more hippos in the Mara river and a crocodile on the banks along with herds of elephants, zebras, buffalo and giraffes. We were simply stunned!
Each day we ate well thanks to Sam and his culinary skills and ended the day putting the world to rights with both Anthony and Sam over a cold Tusker beer!
If you are unsure about which tour operator to go with, I could not recommend this company highly enough! On our last day, we had quite a bit of time to kill before our flight home and Mr Otieno welcomed us to rest and relax in his office and where we felt extremely welcome and well catered for.
Kenya is a beautiful country and our experience could not be faulted thanks to this wonderful team!
I would definitely recommend this operator to my friends and already hope to start saving for another safari with them to Uganda!
Thank you KWSS.
Hannah
SK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect management from the beginning...
First of all I have to say it started with a good and fast communication with a manager of Sunset Africa - Godfrey. It was my first time in Africa so needed to know a lot of local infos, conditions ... and he explained me everything and tried to manage everything I asked for. When I started to be sure to decide for Sunset Africa (I asked more companies to make me an itinerary offer with a price) I found some feedbacks and as there was mentioned the name of the guy I did a conversation with it made me trust to send my money thousands km-s away :) Yes, all our stay was planned very well exactly as I correct it and Godfrey was the first in Arusha who I met and everything went easy and clean. Safari has been excellent after all we moved to Zanzibar (managed by SA as well) and there was a perfect location and program as well as all the stuff who did take care of us in all our stay in our almost 2 weeks in Africa. However everytime is some complications but definitely they want to help you as they can so thumb up for this company. Thanks again.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing adventure
What a trip! From start to finish I was in awe. The wildlife, the natural surroundings, the atmosphere on safari!
We took a 3 day trip to Masai Mara and the company was great taking care of our every need, staying in authentic accomodation-we even got the opportunity to visit a Masai Village. I would highly recommend and I will definitely be back!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic - couldn't fault a thing
Kenya is a beautiful country and it was made even more so by the expert knowledge and friendly disposition of our guide Anthony. With just a few days to spare following a business trip, we managed to squeeze in Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara - and none of the parks disappointed. Our lodge and campsite were comfortable and well-appointed, and the food - cooked fresh by our cook Sam who came along with us - far surpassed expectations. Within just two days we had already seen the Big Five up close - including black and white rhinos - along with cheetahs, leopards, hippos, crocodiles... the list goes on! Our guide Anthony had the eyes of a hawk - navigating bumpy roads with great skill while still spotting lions hiding in long grass. It was a trip of a lifetime and I can't recommend Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris enough (and make sure to ask if Anthony and Sam are free!)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari - the experience couldn't have been better!
My friends and I took a 4 day safari with Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd (KWSS) - visiting Lake Navaisha, Lake Nukuru and the Maasai Mara Nature Reserve - following a conference we were coordinating in Nairobi. From start to finish, I really couldn't flaw KWSS. Over email, before we began, they were extremely responsive (usually answering emails within a few minutes of sending them), thorough and helpful. They picked us up on time from our hotel in a comfortable and well-equipped van and we set off. Anthony (our driver and guide) and Sam (our chef) couldn't have been more friendly, welcoming or knowledgeable. The food (cooked using local ingredients) far surpassed our expectations - it was absolutely delicious and always consisted of several different dishes. Anthony bent over backwards to accommodate our every need and was able to answer every question about the local flora and fauna that we threw at him. We saw hippos, lions (at v close range!), rhinos, eagles, leopard, cheetahs, water buffalo, giraffe, zebras, elephants - the list goes on and on. Anthony had an excellent relationship with all the other guides in the park so was able to find the Big 5 with ease and his eagle eyes spotted animals that were just a speck on the horizon! The accommodation was basic but clean and very good value for the cost. All in all, I couldn't recommend this local company enough - the itinerary was exactly as described (with the added bonus of an extra game drive we hadn't expected!) and they even accommodated us in their office for several hours before we flew home to save us waiting at the airport on a Sunday night. The trip really was a once in a lifetime experience - we could not have had a better time or seen or done more in our 4 days. I would also definitely recommend going at low season - the weather was glorious and we could get so much closer to the animals with only a few other trucks around. Book your trip today!
Great service
Well organised, communication from start to finish was very well handled. The only thing they can improve on is having a credit card machine. Would recommend and certainly use again in the future.