IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Could be Better if.....
We booked our Safari through Karibu Safari here is my frank opinion of the overall tour...
1) Vehicle.... I am 6ft 2 in tall, and the only place I could fit in was the center seat in the last row. We were told we would be a total of 6 people, and we were happy. Anything more, the vehicle is very cramped with no place to keep our backpacks/napsacks. But then, on the first day, we were only 2 of us to Naivasha, the next day, we had to wait for 2 hours 30 minutes for 4 more to Join in, the 3rd and 4th day we were 8, and on the last day 8 till someplace midway for Lunch, and from there to Nairobi 1 hour we were 3.... so for the most important part that is the massai, and on very bad roads, we were cramped with 8 of us + driver + an assistant.... it was absolutely uncomfortable
2)The Driver - Raymond... doesnt talk much, but an Excellent Driver, even though he was driving at great speed and sometimes on very bad roads, there was literally NO roads for almost 100kms and inside the masai reserve too, we felt very safe with him. Good Guy !
3) The Airport Pick up was on time, friendly driver, waited with a placard, easy to Indentify, and I hope the driver for our drop would be on time too.
4) Our Tour - We did a walking tour on the 5th Feb, good guide, and absolutely worth it for USD 10 per person.
5) Our Hotels on the Karibu tour....
Taphe Guest House - Naivasha - Wish, hope and Pray Karibu safaris would choose another property. In the middle of no where, no tv, no sockets working, tiny rooms, changed rooms twice, the second room was big, but nothing in there worked, no tv, no socket, the bathroom was large ( room 204), but if you sit on the potty, the thing shook, the bathtub hand shover leaked, the main shower only pelted out boiling hot water. The sink - if the geyser was on gave only hot water, no cold water came out, asked for a bucket and mug but got a bucket and a large plastic Jar, funny they never used mugs... Food was set and very average, you had no options to choose, no mugs in room, only one chair, and No free water, you have to pay for everything including water. Please, find another property, this one badly sucks !
The Lenchada Resort - Masai Mara - We were told we would be given the Mara Springs Elephant Camp, but instead got the Lenchada. It was Ok. The best part was the Toilet - spacious, good shower and hot water from 6.30pm - 10pm and from 5.30 am- 7 am. Food too was limited but good. The bed however was very very low, and the matress curved in. Uncomfortable but we were so tired, we managed. The room could do with a small side table and two glasses, but there was nothing. Everything had to be on the floor. Only thing in the room was the bed and mosquito net. Not even a chair and table to sit outside. Went to the restaurant and got a couple of chairs which we placed outside our tent to sit. We cant be sleeping on the bed all the time. The Lenchada would do if it had a wooden table to place our luggage, a small side table with a pair of glasses to drink our water or have a drink in, and outside a couple of chairs. Otherwise, its OK for a budget property.
The City Max Hotel - Lake Nakuru..... Well, we were given the 3rd floor rooms... dont know why. Someone took our luggage up, but we had to bring it down ourselves... 3 floors down ! Room had a twin bed and a single bed.... It was stuffy, no fan. We had to open the windows to get in some air but along with it came the mosquitos and spoiled our sleep. If we put down the mosquito nets the place would be suffocating. The TV worked, the internet worked, The Bathroom had a hand shower with NO force at all and the water just trickled. The tap however worked fine but with no bucket and mug to collect water, we had to wait a long time for the water to do its job.... Overall, a fan in the room, a bucket and mug in the bathroom and some more pressure in the handshower would have made the place worthwhile... Food was set, but tasty, just your plate of food, no water, no dessert, no fruits. Breakfast was much better..... But Put a fan in the rooms please....
About My hotel in Nairobi - I booked the Best Western Meridian Plus hotel and cannot be happier. Lovely room, great rain shower, fabulous breakfast, in the heart of the center surrounded by shopping, supermarkets and even a wine shop behind the hotel which is truly a blessing. The food in the Hotel is very very expensive but lots of cheap shopping and eating options around. You will never regret stay here !
and finally.....
About Robert..... I have never heard of Karibu Safaris..... it was Roberts prompt replies that made Karibu earn its trust. Well done Robert. If it wasnt for Robert's prompt replies to over 2 dozen or more mails of mine, I would NEVER have chosen Karibu Safaris. Thank you Robert and keep up the good work !
Will I recommend Karibu Safaris? Ofcourse I would, but Please change the Hotel in Lake Naivasha !
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great people, value for money, need to be organized
Overall great, well informed. Intra-destination travel was too much as compared to the safari because of organization.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Murchison Falls National Park by Kyle
Wonderful park. The waterfall hike was amazing and loved the river camp.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Kyle
Great mountain environment. Had to walkthrough village and farms before reaching the park. Only saw the gorilla there and was a bit underwhelming.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great for Rainforest. Not as great for typical safari.
The tour was fantastic.! Not as good as other east Africa countries but still a wonderful place to visit
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The safari was good, good accommodations, good driver.
Our experience with KT & Safari was very good. We booked a three day safari in Amboseli and Tsavo East. Kindly we were able to change the route so that we could start in Nairobi (with a short train ride for which Dicky for tickets had organized us). Normally, start and end would be in Mombasa
The organization and communication went great and we are very satisfied! The safari is great, we could see many animals and felt comfortable. Many thanks to Dicky and KT & Safari, for the nice experience.
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Small company with a very dedicated owner
Paul, the owner of the company, really puts a LOT of effort into planning your safari and make the best out of your stay. The safari itself was amazing and the accommodations fully met/exceeded our expectations. Our driver was very knowledgable, however, he made it very clear that he would rather be with his family (it was around Christmas time). We of course understand this but this put us in a very uncomfortable situation. He only answered our questions but did not tell us a lot by himself. We also booked a beach vacation on Zanzibar with Tanzania Roadside Expedition after our safari. This part we wouldn't book again with them as we had a very unpleasant experience in the hotel booked for us (but Paul was again VERY helpful).
All in all we absolutely loved our experience and think it is very rare that someone puts as much effort into client servicing as Paul does. It was not "perfect" due to some things as listed below but your value for money is great and you sure will have a great vacation if you book with Tanzania Roadside Expeditions.
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Amboseli National Park by Povl B Eskildsen
There was a lot of grass in the whole area, the animals spread, a lot of elephants and flamingoes and a beautiful view to Kilmanjaro
NO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good and professional service.
We have had a long process choosing our favourite vacation in Africa. Marhaba Holidays provided excellent service all the way. They helped us find the best locations, prices and local flights. Lot's of good advice, great flexibilty and a friendly tone all the way. Malingu Felix did a very good job for us, thank you very much!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
8 nights Kenya and Tanzania Safari
We are 3 friends from Spain Who booked a Safari for 8 nights to Kenya and Tanzania the last January. We booked It from Spain, 2 months before going.It was really good. Good experience. This company was much cheaper than others, so that was one reason why we booked with them.
Jimmy was the person Who organised the trip for us and he is really attentive. Every time we wrote him, he answered rapidly.
We were all the Safari with an other company but the organiser of the Safari was swahilli paradise.
The cons:The planning was not as we expected. We were told that in Masai Mara we would do 3 safaris (1 afternoon Drive, 1 all day, and 1morning Game Drive) but the last one we did not do. Moreover, We were not picked up in The airport as they have told us. We were a lot of time travelling from one point to another. The rest was good, and Happy time there. Good lodges and meals included.
Then in Tanzania: the car was much better. I do not know why but we had to stay in the entrance of all the parks like 2 hours to enter because something happened with the money of the company. In Tanzania we slept in tents.The water entered in the tent during 2 nights and our luggages became wet during the travel from Manyara to Serengeti.The rest was good, beautiful landscapes, and we had a lot of time for visiting the parks.
All in all, we had very good time, good drivers, no problem with the car.The price was good, cheaper than others companies. So I think is worth It. The price and the kind of trip is more than good. So I would recommed this company.
