US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely fantastic once-in-a-lifetime safari experience
Our safari was an amazing experience and Awaken to Africa played a big role in this. I spoke to Grace exhaustively while in the planning phases of the trip, not knowing anything about safaris or having any experience in it whatsoever, and she answered every question promptly and extensively, displaying an impressive wealth of knowledge in any subject we asked about. She was able to suggest an itinerary for us that worked with what we wanted, after many back and forths and changing our minds multiple times about many things (initially the trip was to include climbing Kili also). All the communications were top-notch.
The information package she provided for us prior to the trip was very helpful also. We followed it pretty closely and I didn't feel that anything was left out or that we were ill-prepared. If anything, we overdid it a bit on the electronics (brought extra batteries, even a solar charger thinking there might not be places to charge the equipment -- although it's good to be prepared).
David, our guide, was magnificent -- had extensive knowledge of everything from animals to culture and was a pleasure to be around. I maintain that he was the best wildlife spotter on the trail -- he saw things that no one else found and often we were the first on the scene. One of the things he mentioned that I really liked was that the animal is never "just there" -- they are always there for a reason, doing something. There is a story behind everything you see. One afternoon I offhandedly suggested that we might try to go find the black rhino that was supposed to be about -- and lo and behold, about 90 minutes later we actually found it! I don't know if we were just extremely lucky or what but we saw two black rhinos, so many lions, leopards, cheetah -- even a serval hunting! Absolutely amazing.
All the camps Grace suggested for us were top notch, clean, providing great service, and had excellent food. I highly recommend the tented camps where you can hear the animals outside your tent in the night. We stayed with several Asilia properties (Olivers, Dunia, and Sayari, all of which were amazing), the Ang'ata camp on the rim of the crater, which was a excellent suggestion as it enabled us to get down into the crater at sunrise, before everyone else, and Kisimi Ngeda, which had an excellent location and just was a lovely place all around.
I highly recommend Awaken to Africa for your safari needs.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Easy-going, laid back, relaxed and knowledgable
The actual experience was better than my expectations.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible 1st time safari and honeymoon all in one!
From booking to actually arriving in South Africa, Darren was always accessible, helpful and accommodating. All of the tour guides in Cape Town, Kruger Park, and Johannesburg were amazing and knew their stuff! Every hotel/lodge was very welcoming and comfortable. Food was great, and we met a lot of awesome people along the way! We got to see the Big 5 at Kruger Park all in day 1! It was fantastic. This was definitely the best honeymoon ever! The best trip in lifetime, my husband and I will definitely be coming back!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
Amazing 4 day safari with the African Bush lovers team. There were very kind with us and willing to do their best to make our trip very special and unforgettable. Thank you very much for making our dream come true :)
CH
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Explore the animals at Mana Pools from a different perspective and always feel safe!
We had a warm welcome with a great team (staff and guides) and always felt very comfortable. The guides (Mark and Manu) were very experienced, they had humor too and we learned a lot about nature and animals. Sometimes we were lucky spotting the animals, sometimes we just enjoyed nature with hidden animals. It was a great pleasure to walk around and be face to face with the animals!
Of course the living was different than in other lodges, but more wild life!
Thanks a lot and see you again!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
1st class service from start to finish !
Never visiting Kenya before or been on Safari , we had huge expectations for this special trip .On speaking with Rose she" got us" straight away and advised on which lodges would suit us for luxury and great viewing ..... each one was different in landscapes , the game we saw and service .All were equally stunning but for different reasons .
We then finished at a beach resort near Diani , just for sheer relaxation . Rose couldn't have chose better for us .Best holiday ever !
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Value for money and the best safari company in Kenya
I would highly recommend Karibu safaris. They were very professional in organizing the safaris. Everything was perfect and much more than the expectations.
It's value for money and one of the cheapest and the best safaris company in Kenya. They were punctual in timings. Trip advisor Robert was always active in replying the mails and picked me up from hotel on my first day.
I have opted for 7 days budget safaris and Karibu Safaris made it memorable for me. Drivers/guides Edward and Sammy were good and experienced. Speaks good English and very professional. Accommodation was good and comfortable. Food was nice in all the camps. Game drives were best experience but unfortunately we couldn't spot Leopard during our safaris.
Overall I was happy to choose Karibu safaris which is the best and within the budget.
Tips.
According to me Sammy was a good driver and guide. He is very professional and good is spotting the animals.
Keep additional water with you since it's expensive at campsite and they provide only 1 litr water a day.
Best place to sit in minivan is middle seat. Since I changed two vehicle. One vehicle is not comfortable to stand at front seat and view unless if your height is less than 5.5'.
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not book with Ancient Wild Safaris
What was meant to be an amazing experience was tainted by our experience with Ancient Wild Safaris.
Fortunately we didn’t let the complete lack of management ruin our trip however it added an immense amount of stress to what was meant to be a relaxing break from work.
There was not a day that went by that I wasn’t worried about the next part of the journey and spent my time trying to get in contact with you or information from you.
I had started to get concerned before we left when I had to continually chase up the details and request copies of tickets and bookings. We were assured everything was in place and that a file of the printouts would be provided in Nairobi. It wasn’t.
1. Our 1st driver thought he was taking us back to Nairobi and it wasn’t until he asked how many days we were staying in Nairobi after Amboseli that he called and was made aware he was driving us to Lake Nakuru
2. After chasing and chasing on the booking receipts we needed one of your team met us before we flew to Mara and promised that we would get a copy of the remaining documents we needed at Neptune. I made it clear at this time that I was not happy and that you should be making sure I had them emailed to me
3. Our 2nd driver who was meant to pick us up from the airstrip didn’t show up - he had been sent to a different airstrip
4. The Masai village experience was terrible. We paid the 100 USD each and then they tried to charge us 450 USD for souvenirs. They then also asked for money for their school. All in all it was a 600 USD excursion and not worth it one bit.
5. Our 3rd driver was not aware of when we were flying out to Zanzibar and neither were we as we still didn’t have any flight details
6. I called and emailed a number of times once we reach Ngorongoro as again there were not details as to our flight the next day
7. Your manager on the ground in Tanzania said he would meet us before we got to the airport. He didn’t. He then asked us to come to the office. He then called and said he would send someone to the airport. 20 mins later still no one. The driver called again and he then said he would send ticket numbers through. Another 20 mins and no ticket numbers. The driver then called back again and was told to take us inside even though we had no tickets to show the security.
8. We then arrive in Zanzibar and there is no driver - we have to pay 60 USD on top of what we had paid you for the transfer and arrange a driver ourselves
9. We then get to the hotel and they ask for our booking voucher which we didn’t have as we still had not been provided any details in paper or email form
10. The new contact in Zanizbar, Kondo, then called and was at that time the 1st person who had actually apologised for any of this - there had been no apology from Mike and his team at Ancient Wild Safaris only excuses and blame pointed to the Tanzania operations
11. Kondo again apologised as he was not able to get us the VIP seats that should have been booked for us on the Ferry on the way back - if this had been organised properly and booked when we paid our deposit then we would have had the VIP seats we wanted
12. Thank fully there was a man with a sign to meet us in Dar es Salam which was a relief……this was no thanks to Ancient Wild Safaris but to Kondo and his company who had taken over managing the last part of our trip.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent tour.
I had a wonderful Experience with Allan. We exchanged emails regularly and he made sure that all my requests and questions were taken care of. It was a hassle-free trip and he also got me a good tour guide who made sure we get to see all the animals and he was very knowlegeable of the area. It was an amazing African experience and i higly recommend Allan to anyone who wants a budget friendly yet still amazing Africa safari.
IN
The experience with karibu has exceeded all my expectations , God bless you.
Firstly, i was quite worried about the trip as i booked it online only after speaking to Roberts on Whatsapp whom i felt to be reliable. However, on arrival Roberts received us and from that very moment the next few days of my tour went seamless. The guide/driver Arun was an amazing person, always on time, caring, happy and never tired of answearing our questions. The safari was excellent. The lodging and foodings were best in its budget. I will recommend Karibu to all my friends and collegues.