NZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great start to our safari, disappointing final day
My wife and I organized a 6-day safari from Nairobi to Mombasa with Aanika Karibu Safaris in July. 5 out of the 6 days were great, no complaints at all. We were able to see a lot of wildlife each day (no rhinos or leopards, but that’s fine).
Unfortunately there was a breakdown in communication regarding the final day. Initially, the company was supposed to organize train tickets for us from Voi to Mombasa, but this didn’t happen, and we weren’t told why. A different driver was then assigned to us to take us to Mombasa, but this was a complete disaster. Firstly, he was not a confident driver, and he drove at snail’s pace, meaning we arrived into the city hours later than what we were told. When we got to the outskirts of Mombasa, he didn’t know where he was going, and we had to try and navigate him through the chaotic streets with the use of Google Maps, which was very stressful. To make matters worse, we were stopped by police. The driver told us it was because he saw us foreigners in the car, and wanted some money. However, I don’t think this was true because the police asked for his driver’s license and eventually took him away somewhere. The police never asked us directly for money. After about 10 minutes, the driver returned and we were able to finally arrive at our destination. It was a really frustrating and stressful end to our safari.
Aanika Karibu should have communicated with us as to why they weren’t able to obtain the train tickets, and they should have been more responsible for our wellbeing on the final day.
Aanika Karibu, if you’re reading this, please work on your communication skills and make sure your customers get to their final destination safely. You are still responsible for them up until the final day.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Delivered on a safari, but with major logistical/communication issues
Overall, this operator delivered on a safari experience, although there were significant issues (chiefly around communication and logistics) that make it hard to recommend them given their high prices.
I went with a large group that booked a full-day safari in Nairobi for US$200 per person. ESA came to our hotel to collect payment, but gave different members of the group different times, resulting in some confusion. On the day of the safari, our group showed up on time but was delayed in leaving by well over an hour without explanation. Perhaps this is just due to cultural differences around punctuality, but it meant we later ran out of time to complete our itinerary.
The safari vehicle seemed similar to ones used by other operators (I'd recommend holding on during bumpy portions to avoid head injury). On the safari portion in Nairobi National Park, our driver, Tim, did a good job of finding animals for us to observe. He was able to identify them all, but often had little to say beyond "that's a [species name]". I would have appreciated more information about the history/ecology of the park and fun facts about the animals we saw.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre were included in our package. The former went smoothly, but at the latter, there was some issue with picking up our tickets. We had to wait around an hour before it was resolved and we were able to go in, and there was little communication either during or after to explain it. Between them, there was a stop at a gift shop that hadn't been on our itinerary where we rendezvoused with the other vehicle in our group.
We got to lunch, at Babette's Fine Dining Restaurant in the Karen Blixen Coffee, around 2pm. It was a very fancy meal, with a well-presented multi-course menu, a beautiful garden view, and amenities like hot towels. The water, which wasn't included, cost us around US$40.
Tickets to the Karen Blixen Museum were included in our tour, but by the time we finished lunch around 4:30pm, we had run out of time due to the earlier delays and therefore opted to go back to the hotel. We did not (to my knowledge) receive any follow-up communication about our experience.
I would advise ESA to improve their logistics operation to reduce the likelihood of delays, and to work on communication so that participants have clear expectations for the tour and so that, when issues do arise, they do not cause more disruption/confusion than they have to. Offering financial compensation for major issues, like we experienced, would also be reasonable.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Nice and polite guy
Tarangire-Safari was good, but unfortunatly a bit short. We ate and left the park pretty early because of the other guests in the car ( they had a plane to get).
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
As far as i can tell, good.
As far as I can tell, so far so good. I don't know what to sai about it because we had to to the review before i made the full trip.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guide/driver was excellent. The hotel arrangements and travel efficiency can be improved.
The guide was an expert on almost everything of the Safaris. His services and timeliness was excellent. Overall the day plans combined with hotel locations can be improved so more time can be allocated to game drives. Three of the five hotels are above average and two are below. Hotel services are all good.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Generally good, but the way they acted was not acceptable.
I booked and paid for a 6-night trip to Rwanda costing nearly $20,000 back in April (4 months before the trip).
Everything went smoothly until we discovered that one of the lodges we had specifically chosen had been changed without our knowledge.
The most frustrating part was not only that we were never informed, but that when we arrived at a lodge (that was clearly not the one we had booked) the agency put on a show pretending that we had been notified — claiming it was a known issue and even promising to show us an email where they had supposedly informed us (which, unsurprisingly, was never shown because it simply doesn’t exist).
At that point, there was no way to get a place at the original lodge we had chosen — and paid for in April! — and we had no option but to settle for a much lower-level lodge. You can't tell me there was no availability at the lodge when we made the reservation back in April!" Clearly, this seems to be a usual way of operating in order to sell trips.
Considering this was a 6-night trip, planned by me down to the smallest detail and costing almost $20,000, what happened is absolutely unacceptable.
We also had issues at another lodge: when we arrived, our room had been double-booked and assigned to other guests as well.
I can’t say whether this was the agency’s fault or the lodge’s, but in any case, we lost an hour trying to sort it out before finally getting our room.
Aside from these issues, the trip went well. The guides were kind and helpful. Rwanda is a beautiful country.
I’m truly very disappointed, but the way the agency handled things is unacceptable for such an expensive trip.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
50% trust, lack of clarity
If you book the 4-day tour (Masai Mara + Lake Nakuru), be sure to carefully review the detailed itinerary they send you. It may differ from the one originally advertised, and the changes aren’t always obvious.
On Day 3, the program mentions a possible boat tour depending on timing — but this never happens, even though you arrive around 14:00, which would allow enough time for an activity.
In fact, the driver confirmed to us that nothing was planned at all for that afternoon — he told us this first thing in the morning, clearly indicating that this was known in advance.
So, on Day 3, expect only a 4-hour drive and not activity. This does not depend on arrival time! It is a saving for them not offering an activity on the 3rd day!
The experienxe itself was great but there is clear a lack of clarity.
AE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Satisfactory
The quality of the tour and game drive experience really depends on the guide assigned. Our guide, Samuel Kariuki (Sammy), was experienced and knowledgeable, and we felt safe with his driving throughout the trip. However, our experience at Masai Mara was a bit disappointing. Despite spending hours driving through the park, we only saw 3 of the Big 5 animals, and much of the time felt like we were aimlessly driving without any animal sightings. Most other guides returned to the lodge for lunch, but Sammy opted for a bush lunch, which unfortunately didn’t add much to the experience given the lack of sightings afterward.
Additionally, for the Lake Naivasha tour, we were taken early in the morning when it was cold and foggy, which wasn’t ideal for sightseeing. A previous day afternoon would have offered better views and weather. While Sammy’s driving and professionalism were good, we felt the planning and timing of some parts of the tour could have been better thought out to improve the overall experience.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by Linda
It was a small park with so many vehicles, it felt like being in a safari zoo, rather than a park.
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was ok
We had a good time and our guide was very nice and knowledgeable. For that reason, we could recommend this company, however having a comparison with safari we did before with different company this one seemed a bit overpriced having in mind that we were also obliged (in a pretty ugly way according to us) to leave additional tip to the driver. We also paid for the full day, but we were heading back around 3 already. Our bad we didn't define with them what they understand by the full day. Again, we had already another experience with different company, so we kind of assumed it would be the same, but it wasn't.