Smooth Operator!
Great service from booking & throughout our safari.
Good value.
Amazing locations & lodges
Highly recommended
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hyrax Safari a solid choice ( Mount Kenya & 5 days Safari)
I wrote several safari operators before travelling to Kenya. I was keen to fix the departure dates for the hike and safari so I made a reservation well in advance (2 months). In retrospect I could have easily made a suitable booking 2-3 weeks before the trip.
I chose Hyrax as Emma was answering my questions via whatsapp and email quite quickly. The price was within my budget and other operators offered similar trips at similar prices. My guess is if you want better accommodation & transport you increase your budget, the experience on safari and hiking is more or less the same. A lot depends on your specific guide, but this is impossible to know beforehand.
About the trips:
5 days mount Kenya:
Daniel picked me up on the first day in Nairobi at the office in Nairobi centre. We took a matatu to chogoria (4-5h drive). There he gathered his crew of 5-6 porters while I was having lunch. Then we went drove to the national park gate and further to the first camp (Bandas) including a short hike on the road.
The highlight of the trip was definitely the hike in the early morning to watch sunrise at Point Lenana around 6 am, Daniel was a reliable tour guide and all the porters (Simon,Daniel, Douglas,Kim, Daniel) were friendly and cooked more than enough dishes (the food was good, the portions were more than enough).
Apart from the fourth day the hikes took around 3-5h, so the afternoons and evenings I spent camping in a tent, talking with the crew and a second hiking group of New Zealanders and South Africans.
After the hike I'd say 4-5 days is a good time to hike to the summit. For me 5 days were a bit too long, but there is not so much room for shorter hikes (even though the hiking itself is quite easy for experienced people) as the altitude sicknesses poses the highest risk. Therefore taking it it slowly is the right approach ("pole-pole") going up that mountain. I recommend also to hike via chogoria as that sight of the mountains offers a nicer panorama than the ascend from the west (Nanyuki/Sirimon).
What I did not like was the fact that I did not now until the first day who my guide was, how we would get to mount kenya (you are going with a Matatu; that's absolutely fine once you get used to it, I just did not know), the last evening we camped next to Old Moses camp instead of being accommodated in Old moses (as the description would have implied) and the fact that I went alone to Nairobi and someone should have picked me up from the bus station, but that person wasn't there when I returned to Nairobi (with a working phone during the day it was easy to find my way back home myself). Furthermore I had to pay 5% extra as I did not have the money in cash (it was mentioned in the word description of the tour somewhere, but I did not notice)
However those are minor points, I would have wished more transparent communication beforehand. Also I guess similar issues might have occured at a different provider. I had luck with the weather and enjoyed really nice,easy short hikes, everyone was very polite, maybe not always completely open.
The 5 days safari
I was in a group consisting of 3 Germans, 2 Italians, 1 English, 1 Chinese and me. Our guide was Robert, he was an excellent guide, good sense of humour, trying to show us as much as possible during the days in Mara, telling us a lot about the wild life.
Personally, I recommend everyone to add Nakuru to the safari trip. Masai Mara is certainly the most impressive one, but also the most popular.
The accommodation was really good for its budget. Slightly outside the mara National park accommodated the first two days, we would then stay in nakuru in a nice hotel. Certainly you get better accommodation, but for that you need to pay roughly double to have camps closer to European standards and within the national park.
The game drives are for everyone the same, it probably depends very much on the guide and more importantly on the season. We had great luck to have Robert to show us all the animals!
One minor detail that I did not like about the safari was the departure on the last day. As our group was slightly mixed in the last two days (our group booked via different safari operators partly different long safaris 5 days, 6 days, 7 days) we lost time waiting for at least 2h overall. Not unusual in Kenya, but if you plan to return to Nairobi until late afternoon and visit Hell's Gate in the morning the same day, 2 hours matter. Here, from my understanding, the different operators failed to coordinate the different schedules of the participants. The guides/drivers of at least 3 different groups not knowing whom to pick up from the other group when caused confusion that let us make wait that last day.
Here again more transparency would have been fair. Apart from this incident the safari was amazing!
Long story short - Hyrax is a solid choice (among others), but don't have expectations of a perfectionist. Otherwise you start bothering about the little things that did not go as planned.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience.
Tanzania was great! We had organized a safari with Safari Soles before we arrived. Our 10 day safari tour was mind blowing, We did not expect the variety of animals and the accommodations and food were fantastic. Each park had its highlights. We enjoyed the northern park areas more as the southern parks were much busier with tourist traffic. We had fantastic weather and enjoyed being guided by a Massi to some waterfalls and to Natron lake.
Next we flew to Zanzibar for 10 days. The Nungwi beach was beautiful. In Stone Town we enjoyed watching the beach activities, walking through town, the tasty food and the markets. Overall Tanzanians are very welcoming. We never felt unsafe; however the majority of vendors were uncomfortably pushy. Be sure to negotiate prices of tours and items.
The scenery was beautiful and varied throughout Tanzania. We enjoyed a day trip to the foothills of Kilimanjaro where we learned how coffee was grown and the locals had us participate in making a good cup. They also cooked us a delicious lunch.
We really enjoyed our holiday!
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Splendid least to say!
From the moment I arrived in Kenya, it was evident that HorizonHuesAdventures was dedicated to making our safari a memorable one. Their quick response to our inquiries and requests was truly remarkable. Any questions or concerns I had were addressed promptly, making me feel well-cared for and at ease before the safari even began. This level of responsiveness set a positive tone for the entire journey. The safari guide, who possessed a wealth of knowledge about the wildlife, landscapes, and local culture, played a pivotal role in making this experience exceptional. One of the most significant highlights of the safari was the sheer diversity of wildlife we encountered. His knowledge and keen eye allowed me to spot elusive creatures like leopards and cheetahs in their natural habitats. His ability to provide detailed information about each animal we encountered enriched our safari experience, turning each sighting into a meaningful learning opportunity. The accommodations during the safari were comfortable and well-located, ensuring we had a restful and enjoyable experience after long days of exploration. Meals were delicious, often featuring local cuisine, adding a flavorful dimension to the adventure. I highly recommend that you consider Horizon Hues for your safari.
FR
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderfull safari despite a few hiccups
We had an extraordinary guide who made our safari enchantingdespite a few hiccops whith hotels reservation.
the director is a charming man. the price for this trip is correct.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun trip, great people, beautiful country, ride bodas at your own risk!
Peak Cruise Safaris was able to schedule my safari at late notice and did and excellent job.
Jen picked me up from the airport and Abdul was there early the next morning to begin the journey.
Abdul with Peak Cruise Safaris did an excellent job guiding the tour through Murchison Falls. In two short days we saw plenty of elephants and giraffe, and even spotted some hyena and a leopard. He also found some great spots to eat and get coffee on the way there and back. Try the offal!
Abdul has been doing this for over twenty years, and is very good at what he does, but be prepared for fast driving including through pedestrian areas. Winding through swarms of boda-bodas can be a shock for anyone not used to driving in congested cities in developing countries.
If you choose to ride the bodas they are fun and affordable but certainly a risky endeavor. Wild Coffee in Kampala is a fun place and apparently does slam poetry on Mondays. The zoo in Entebbe is a great spot to get up close to any animals you may have missed on Safari. (They even have tigers so you can tell people you saw a tiger in Africa).
Overall, Uganda and Peak Cruise Safaris is Highly recommended.
ES
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Everything went well and as planned
The tour was well organized. I consider it was value for money
HR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good Pilanesberg day tour
Booked a day tour from Johannesburg to Pilanesberg couple of days before over Tripadvisor, received the confirmation of the time of pickup over Whatsapp the evening before the tour.
Pickup was on time, and it took another hour to pick up all the other people around the city as I was the first on the way. So for me it was about 4 hours drive to Pilanesberg instead of the 2.5 hours indicated on the Itinerary, just keep that in mind.
Trip to Pilanesberg was simple, one stop halfway there.
Game drives at 09:30 and 13:30 were quite nice, we didn't see that many animals but it was just too hot so no surprises there. We did get to see a leopard chasing a rabbit so that is a very rare sighting right there. Overall I was happy with the drives, although the ones at 06:00 offer much more, naturally.
Launch at the park was OK, beef or chicken burger and a drink, nothing fancy, but not bad.
And then the drive back with one short stop just outside Pilanesberg. I was picked up at 5:30, dropped off at 19:00 at Eastgate.
It was a nice experience, the only complaint I have it that in the morning after picking me up, the driver was driving quite fast and at one point hit a pothole which had me flying for a couple of seconds. Did not like the landing...
If you don't have the option of driving or wanting to stay the night before somewhere near Pilanesberg, this tour is definitely a very good option.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Affordable and amazing
I did the six day tour, Maasai Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli. It was an amazing experience, beautiful parks, and I saw the big 5. Thanks to our great tour guide Peter an Moses. Accommodations were basis, at least in Maasai Mara, but along the trip they got better. But for that price, it was very good.
I recommend to change a little bit in the program, because the one night in Nakuru, makes it a long day from Nakuru to Amboseli. You spend almost 12 hours in the jeep.
But thanks Peter and Moses for the great experience, the amazing driving and your great eyesight. You guys see everything. Communicating with other tour guides in the park makes that you most likely see all of the big five.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
Safari was wonderful, natural, beautiful people, friendly: we feel good - we will come again