20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a good time in the jungle
We had great time in game watching some wild animals. The breakfast on the Zambezi was the perfect time for us
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good trip
We had a nice mixed group with other guest. Our tour guide was very friendly. Our chef did a great job. The meals taste very delicious.
We enjoyed the 4 days, we saw the big 5s.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible safari with the most helpful and personable people from Across the Wild
We did the 7 Day Top Luxury Tour. The Serena Hotel at Lake Elementaita was incredible. Beautiful location with a stunning bar / sitting area looking over the lake and the rooms furnished with colonial buffets. The service and food were excellent; I think we will return to Kenya to stay just at this hotel for a holiday. The following day we moved on to Naivasha Simba Lodge at Lake Naivasha - the hotel was a disappointment and the food was not good either. In retrospect, we should have (and I would suggest you do too) stay this night again at Lake Elementaita and Fina will arrange the safari drive at Hell's gate from here. Day 3 was a very long drive to Masai Mara but this is THE place for the safari to see all the animals, you will see everything here (except the flamingos) so if limited on time I would suggest travelling directly to Masai Mara. FINA was very personable and helpful, she arranged additional trips to the Giraffe sanctuary in Nairobi for us and booked other hotels for either end of our stay. She also had us picked up from the airport at 3.30am. She will be as flexible and helpful as possible, and we had her number so were able to call her directly throughout the safari. Our tour guide was DAVID - the nicest, friendliest gentleman and ever so knowledgeable. He was very conscientious in ensuring we had plenty of sightings of our favourite animals (hippos for me / lions for my husband) and he was fantastic with our 3 young sons. His knowledge of all the animals and birds is extensive, we learned so much from him and he kept it all very interesting.
The driving in Kenya can be erratic and dangerous, we were very thankful for David's considerate. smooth and safe driving throughout!
I would definitely recommend Across the Wild Tours and Safaris, mostly for the personal service you will receive from Fina that makes the trip hassle free and flexible. And if you're able to choose the guide, David was fantastic. He has 2 children whom haven't been on Safari with him, astounding given his experience and knowledge. If we had have known this we would have welcomed them on the safari with us, the company for our children would have been welcome also. Note that alcoholic drinks are not included in the price, nor bottled water at Masai Mara.
US
Anne was very responsive and attentive to our needs/wants during the safari
We were very pleased with the service we received from Mega Wild Safaris, Anne was very attentive to what we were wanting for our trip of a lifetime and was quick to respond to our emails/questions. We liked having someone local in Uganda because we think it made the price more reasonable and she had contacts in Uganda, our trip was booked for Uganda and Tanzania over the Christmas holidays.
Our driver in Uganda, Kassim, was the absolute best! Unfortunately, the airline lost our luggage for 6 days and finding medicine/necessities/clothing etc is not that easy but Kassim was very patient and we were able to get a few things so we could have the basics. Anne was instrumental in locating our luggage and was able to get it to the hotel where we were originally going to stay, because of the time and curfew it was a challenge getting it to us, but Kassim was able to get a couple of his friends to drive the 9 hours and we were able to have it before the Gorilla Trekking! We enjoyed the hotels in Uganda and Tanzania, in Uganda we stayed with the locals on holiday which was a wonderful experience and we met some of the nicest people we have ever encountered. We would definitely travel with Mega Wild Safaris again and would ask for Kassim as our guide/driver. Anne is very Professional, Calm and understanding to anything you may encounter along the journey which made us feel like we were always in good hands. Uganda is a beautiful place with beautiful people! Tanzania is better equipped for tourists and our guide in Tanzania was very good, Anwar, but it was definitely more of a professional feel as a opposed to a more personal experience we had in Uganda. Overall, it was an incredible experience and we look forward to returning!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good value for money
From a lot or research beforehand and our experience, I would recommend Bencia over other companies for a value-for-money budget safari, despite one con. The review is very long becuse it can be hard to find specific details about most tours which in the end is the difference between getting what is promised and getting tricked.
Pros
1. Accommodation at Lake Nakuru is inside the park (Wildlife Clubs of Kenya - Nakuru) which is a big advantage over other tour groups because it means we could do an afternoon and morning tour on the same 24hr ticket. A 24hr ticket for Lake Nakuru only allows for 1 entry and exit. Though other companies say they offer both morning and afternoon tours, when I actually enquired how this was possible when their accommodation was outside the park, they then stated it was either morning or afternoon, not both. Bencia was the only budget safari I found, from emailing many companies, who could actually offer what the website says.
2. Our guide was thoughtful about the welfare of the animals and didn't harass them, unlike other drivers we saw. He was also nice to chat with about wildlife and Kenya in general.
3. Great in-house chef who travelled with us and adapted well to a vegetarian menu. An example of our meals, though each chef may be different, was: breakfast (omlettes, toast, sweet potato, pancakes, fruits, instant coffee/tea), lunch ( tasty and fresh buffets on the road between locations, and a huge packed lunch for the full day safari including fruits, sandwich, juice and snacks) and dinner (rice, great mixed veges, beans, potatoes and fruits). We were always so full, no snacks are needed to complement the meals.
4. Accommodation was good for the price. Good enough mosquito protection. The accommodation in Lake Nakuru is particularly good as the animals are all around the camp gates.
5. The joining tour ran with even 2 people, as promised, which not all companies could promise us and seemed important for changing circumstances like Covid. It also meant by luck we had a private tour.
6. Really, really responsive emails from the office beforehand always getting back within minutes or just a few hours.
Con
1. We felt we our driving hours and timing was not quite what was agreed upon and we had to negotaite to remain close to our planned schedule which was a dampener. As noted below, a bit too little time for the MM afternoon (which could have simply been credited the next days but wasn't). Additionally, it was very important to us, and promised to us in emails, that we would do a morning tour day 3 in MM from 6:30-8:30am. When we were there we were told we could do 6am-5pm on day 2 instead of the morning drive on day 3. We said no because that is not what was promised. Strangely, the last day we entered quite late going from 7am-9am which was the same duration but not the hours we were promised or that we asked for the night before. It seemed strange they would offer to enter at 6am on the long day but not on the short morning. I know some companies do an afternoon drive day 1 and then a long day 2 so they save money on gate fees nut but charge you for 2 days on entry fees, despite what their website programme states. So I was pleased that they at least stuck to the promise of 3 days of driving and not 2.
Trip details:
The order of our trip changed and we ended up doing 4 days nd 3 nights with Lake Nakuru first, which in the end felt better going from a small park into the huge expanse of the Masai Mara.
There is a lot of unavoidable travel in between parks, though I think we spent too long between Nakuru and Masai Mara trying to arrange picking up some more passengers which cost us time that afternoon at Masai Mara and this was never made up later.
Rough timing; Nakuru to MM - 7 hours (should be much quicker), MM to Nairobi - 5hrs, Nairobi to LN 7am from hotel to 3pm arrival.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Serious company
It’s a serious company. Almost everything worked as planned. The owner, Bartho, replies very quickly, showing they are trustful. The guide, Mike, was very nice. He even managed very well when one of the clients asked for something the guy that booked the tour for her had promised. The cooker was fantastic also. I wasn't expecting much of the food on the road, but had some delicious dinners, better than others i had in restaurants. That said, remember that a budget safari does not have any luxury, even the most common ones. The lodge we stay in is very basic, with no AC. The structure on camping sites are very disappointing. One of the campings does not have hot water in the shower. The other one has just 2 or 3 showers and then there is a long line to use them. And the toilet is indian style.
A small thing they could improve is that they have beer and wine on the road, but the beer is hot, so it is hard to drink. And during the dinner in the lodge, the beer is not included as advertised, we had to pay for it. But i definitely recommend this company!
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6 amazing days
It was a really good safari. The cars is good, comfortable. We had and issue with our car broken and lost 5 hours waiting, this is really bad. But the guide and the lodges are incredible. And the guide found lots of animal, it was unbeliveble
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Memories certainly lives up to its name!
My sons and I traveled to Kenya where we were met at the Nairobi airport. In spite of travels being delayed, they were able to adapt to our changing itinerary. From the minute we were picked up until the moment we left, there was nothing for us to worry about. James M., our guide, took care of every last detail. If we needed something, he took care of it.
Our accommodations were great and the game drives were amazing. As we explored the country, James shared his knowledge of the country, the people, the environment, the animals, etc. We learned so much from him! If you need a guide, he is your man.
When we return to Africa, Amazing Memories will be the first call that I make.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Helpful in other ways besides the Safari
We had a great time on our Safari, which was Muchison Falls Big 5 plus Chimanzee tracking. It included a boat trip to the falls, which I highly recommend, the ranger guide on the boat was great. The guide at the Rhino Zoo was also great. Our driver from Frena was not a driver-guide and he did not talk much, but he got us there and back safely and knew where to find the lions. The Lodge we stayed at on the outside of the park had spactacular views and exceptionally nice staff. We left our doors open the second night, in order to be cooler and slept very good.
Frena advised us on things to do besides the Safari, in eastern Uganda (climb Tororo rock) which was great.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari trip!
Went on a safari trip (5 days) with this company. I enjoyed the trip a lot! The guides were nice and friendly and the chef was good. We saw the big five!
I got what I expected from a low-price company. Very familiar atmosphere. I can recommend the company.