50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
Recently got back from a 2 week holiday in Kenya . We travelled around 6 national parks on a safari trip with Meektrail safaris followed by 4 lazy days at The Swahili beach hotel on Diani beach . All of the national parks offered something different and we thoroughly enjoyed everyone however the Masai Mara , Amboselli and Lake Naivasha were my personal favourites and the ones I would highly recommend . We did a lot of travelling about by road and really enjoyed seeing a different way of life . We found the Kenyan people to be very friendly . Nice to have the lazy days by the beach at the end of our trip o the lovely Diani beach . The only slight negative I had about the entire trip were that the beach boys and beggars in Diani became a bit tiresome at times making a nice simple walk on the beach or into town feel like hard work .
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great
We booked an 8 days budget safari trip with Bencia to Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Navaisha, Amboseli and Tsavo West.
We traveled with our driver Joseph and our cook John.
The entire trip was great, just as we expected ; the itinerary was good and well respected, the accomodations were very decent, the food that John made was always very good, and we saw all the animals we wished for thanks to Joseph which is a great driver and very good for spoting animals.
They were both very nice and we had great holidays :)
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well-organized, Reliable service, Excellent dollar/value, Punctual, We felt very safe, Will return
Clarissa and Robert at BTA arranged for us, three woman, a two-week tour of Dar-es Salaam city, Zanzibar beach, spice tour, Serengeti-Arusha safari and Mount Meru trekking. Our guide Jackson took us in his open-top jeep to game drives at Tarangire, Rift Valley and Ngorongoro Crater; explained the wildlife, plants, birds, insects, geographical features, and the history.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safaris that could use a little more organization
My partner and I recently finished the 11-Day Mara Nakuru Amboseli Serengeti Ngorongoro Nairobi Safaris.
Kennedy, was very helpful in the planning process. There were a few times where I asked specific questions that went unanswered, but in general our back and forths were good.
Our time in the parks was great. We had many rare and fascinating animal sightings and our guide was great at positioning us for optimal viewing. I wish that our guide had been a little more forthcoming with information though. He would answer questions but not volunteer too much. Additionally, on the Kenya side, we were only provided 1L of water per day. This is not enough, especially in 30+ degree weather.
The accommodations and food were good. I would advise people to bring battery packs and take advantage wifi when it is available as both electricity and Internet will often not be.
The safaris had some issues with organization and professionalism. On our very first day, we sat at the office for an hour after being picked up. We were told that it was because other members of our group were late. Then, after discussing with those travellers, we discovered they were told they were kept waiting because we were late. It is ok to run late in the morning but it is very unprofessional to blame tourists to one another. Another issue we experienced was due to a typo in the itinerary that I was provided during the booking process. The date of September 13th was forgotten, so after the 12th, the itinerary was off by a day. This was a big issue as it forced us to spend an extra day and night in Arusha at the end of the tour. This was money we did not intend to spend. It also caused concern at the Kenya-Tanzania border because the date of entry on our visas was the 15th when we were actually crossing on the 14th. Lucky for us the border guards understood. Regarding the border crossing, this was not handled well by the company. Our guide dropped us off at the border without any information on what shuttle we were taking or when it was leaving. Instead, he told us to just trust his friend that was there. This friend had no association with the tour company and was obviously inebriated. If this wasn't stressful enough, once we arrived at the bus depot in Arusha, the representative from Seven Wonders (the company running the safaris on the Tanzanian side) failed to collect us so we had to take a cab. This was not a great day. The organization was also lacking in Tanzania. We were collected on day one by what turned out to be the wrong tour so we had to switch the next day. This was not a big deal but decisions on what tourists were going where and with which guide seemed to be made on fly each day.
Despite these hiccups, the safari did leave us with many great memories and positive feelings. It is good value as a budget safaris and earned the 4 Stars I awarded it. I would choose it again if I had the opportunity.
Recommendations: 1) While planning your safaris, make sure to scrutinize the schedule; 2) Be flexible. The itinerary will not be strictly adhered to; 3) If crossing the border, make sure your guide provides you with a shuttle number; 4) Buy water when you can (particularly in Kenya); 5) Take advantage of electricity/wifi when it is available
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall great experience
We had an overall great experience on our 7 days safari tour with Moses and Jackson. Although we booked a group tour it ended up being just the four of us. Both Moses and Jackson where very nice and accommodating. With more experience I believe a couple of things will run smoother e.g. communication during check-ins and day to day planning. They made sure we had an excellent time on the game drives and saw all big 5.
For our last two days our itinerary said that we were booked into the Aa Lodge Amboseli, however without explanation we were brought to the Discovery Camp near Amboseli national park. We did not mind but it would have been nice to get a heads up or explanation why the plans changed.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced tour operator, good guides, good accommodation.
A friend and I were on safari for 4 days. The guides were good to very good. They were very eager to show us many animals and explain a lot. The accommodation in the camp was very good. The cabins had everything you need and were very clean. Unfortunately, the pool was only half filled with unclean water. We didn't use it.
The price-performance ratio was right for me and we always felt safe in the camp thanks to the Maasai, even when one night the monkeys roared very loudly because a leopard was hunting.
We did the safari 3 times in the 4 days, the boat tour and the hike through the bush which was more of a 2 hour walk. But: we learned a lot about the Maasai.
The people at the reception were very friendly and helpful and in the restaurant and bar you immediately felt at home as everyone was so friendly. All in all a very good stay!
NZ
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Lay Chin Wan
Forest more dense so we saw less animals, it was our last stop
GR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operator was very helpful and eager to provide us a posivite safari experience.
We had a lovely and life-changing safari experience with Tanzania Pilgrimage Safaris. I felt like I was in a National Geographic documentary observing the animals in their natural habitat. Our guide and driver was eager to share his knowledge about the fauna and flora we were encountering. He made sure we would have a positive experience in collaboration with our safari consultant, with whom we were in contact anytime we needed anything.
A very positive fact that I would like to mention is that when I forgot a gift at one of the lodges of the park and when I realised it we were already heading out of the park, the managing team back at Arusha made every effort to find and transfer the gift back Arusha (where we were heading to) on time. This was a precious moment for me as I didn't lose the beautiful object I had bought as a souvenir and it is not a given that everyone could have done for me.
In general, the tour operator made sure that everything was rolling smoothly for us. Also, when an accommodation happened to be overbooked they managed to find us another lodge, which happpened to be super luxurious, which we were not expecting of course.
This was a shared safari with 4 more people apart from my friend and I, and it turned out very fun and comfortable.
I recommend the Tanzania Pilgrimage Safaris. Our guide and driver tried to take us everywhere and see all the animals possible. Final point is the selection of lodges within Serengeti park, which were an experience by themselves and really very nice and cute.
HK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All arranged but slow to respond.
We shortlisted FlashMc and another operator because they were the only two out of ten that reached us after the Gen Z protest. We chose FlashMc because it was flexible with our request of not staying in Nairobi. As other posts were saying, Peter is great in planning and replying to the customers, but once selected, the communication is gone.
Don't get me wrong, the trip was fantastic. Simon the guide was funny, knowledgeable and loves his job. The lodges arranged were great. But customers need the usual communication like what is the progress, when payment should be made, who would be picking up at the airport etc. Customers pay thousands of dollars and fly thousands of miles, and may have planned this trip for months. A bit of reassure from time to time would be nice.
There are a lot more than what cameras can capture. Seeing with your own eyes is more enjoyable than making your own Planet Earth channel.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well rounded budget safari
Went on four day Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru safari. Solo female traveler. Safari was awesome. Caleb was the driver for Masai Mara. He was friendly and appeared to be well experienced. He made sure to stop and show several animals and at a very close distance. Not a dull moment with him.
Mostly good communication with Alex but he was not reachable when the airport pick up driver suddenly decided to transfer me to another driver half way to Masai Mara. He demanded and made me pay the money enroute instead of when we reached the park as Alex said . This got me worried. Alex was not reachable to clarify. It worked out okay in the end. There were other times in this trip where the plan was not communicated at the start and I was transferred between vehicles, or driven a longer route to accommodate other travelers. It would be much better if this is informed to a traveler at least at the start of the day.
My flight got delayed upon arrival and Alex arranged for a special pick up for an extra cost but unfortunately never refunded me the cost of Masai Mara park entrance fee for the day I missed. I didn’t ask. Last day, airport drop off was part of the trip but the driver from Nakuru dropped me off in Nairobi downtown. Another driver asked for some money to take me to the airport. I paid.
Budget tents in Masai Mara I felt are a bit too cheap. No charging outlets, food is quite mediocre, no lights in the tent after a certain time, shower/toilet are bad. Someone I met at breakfast felt the same way. Go for a better lodging if you can afford. Lake Nakuru hotel room and food were pretty good however.
All in all , I am satisfied with the safari and most importantly felt safe as a solo female traveler.
Taking away one star for poor communication about transfers, lack of park entrance fee refund and charging extra airport drop off charge.
