MA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best choice ever !
We were at first really scared because picking a good agency with high quality service and affordable prices only from the internet can be quite tricky. But Lenchada safaris exceeded our expectations. We can guarantee you for anyone whos looking for à safari to stop looking because Lenchada offers the best service in town. Special thanks to Alex from the administration for his careness and Alex our guide (the best!) for 3 perfect days in Masai Mara.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
14-day safari for three: the MOST AMAZING adventure ever!
Overall: Best Memories did not disappoint. We had the best driver EVER, Patrick. He got us up close and personal to everything, was extremely professional and courteous, and had a wealth of knowledge about all things nature, culture, or otherwise Kenya. We could not have had a better guide in Patrick! As others have mentioned, Best Memories is a small organization and it does feel risky to transfer money overseas to a small operator. However, I believe we had much more personalization and it feels right to invest in a small, local business. We had no problems whatsoever and Isaac was a joy to plan things with and was very accommodating of our interests and schedule. Isaac planned all the accommodations, transfers, domestic flight, and tours, which we were delighted to not have to figure out ourselves. I feel we got a better value than we would have with some of the other larger, commercial operations.
Below are reviews for each location, on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being best for Accommodation and Food. Note that for most locations, it is standard to have guards to protect guests from wild animals (which we found were actually needed as we were awoken many nights by lions, elephants, or hippos!). It is also the case that guests are not allowed out of the vehicle in most park locations for safety reasons, so it is nice to find accommodations that have some protected grounds (usually with electric fences) to walk in for birding and other casual wildlife viewing in one’s free time. Also, note that a tented camp (hung canvas tents under a roof on a platform) does not mean less luxurious - the nicest and most comfortable place we stayed was at Voyager Ziwani, and was a tented camp.
Nairobi/Eka Hotel one night
Accommodation - 3 - The hotel was convenient and somewhat upscale, but the beds were not as comfortable as elsewhere. Not really in a location for wandering much. The staff was excellent.
Food - 4 - there were many delicious choices at the buffet and the coffee was exceptional
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - we went to the giraffe center and were able to feed them - this was a wonderful experience and our first stop in Kenya. We also went to the Karen Blixen Museum, which was historically interesting and there is a lovely nature trail where we saw some birds and Hyrax.
Nakuru/Lake Nakuru Lodge one night
Accommodation - 4 - Lodge was very comfortable and we had the end unit, where we had a great view of the valley and a pride of lions!
Food - 4 - buffet had local foods and choices and the most delicious passionfruit mousse dessert
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - spectacular - flamingos by the thousands and likely the best and most likely spot to see rhinos in Kenya. Also up and close giraffe watching. Lodge was terrific for wandering the grounds for birds.
Masaii Mara/ Enkorok Mara camp - two nights
Accommodation - 4 - the tented camp is just outside the park and has lovely grounds for birdwatching (no fence, be careful for elephants). The staff were very helpful and protective.
Food - 2 - As a new accommodation, I think they were still working out menus; some things were good but much less choice and not as well prepared as other locations.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - Far and away the absolute best of all the parks. We saw a crocodile eat a zebra (gulp), lions having sex, a cheetah on a wildebeest kill close up, a leopard in a tree with a gazelle, many thousands of wildebeests, warthogs, rollers, secretary bird, ostrich, jackals, hyenas, and so much more.
Lake Naivasha / Naivasha country club - one night
Accommodation - 5 - the country club is ye old time colonial style and upscale. The rooms are comfortable. A very relaxing place to stay, with tables on the lawn and lovely cocktails.
Food - 5 - food was exceptional with very many gourmet choices and local foods of top quality. Great chef.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - We went on an hour boat ride to birdwatch and were not disappointed with many specialty waterbird species. The grounds are good for birdwatching but not extensive and very much “garden” rather than wild. A guard will walk you to your room to protect from hippos, which are numerous.
Ambeseli / Kibo Safari Camp - two nights
Accommodation - 5 - the camp is extremely well run and the tents are luxuriously comfortable and lovely. The grounds are protected with an electric fence and are natural and good for bird walks. In close proximity to a Masaii village, which we visited and got to learn about the culture. It was one of our favorite accommodations.
Food - 4 - buffet had many well-cooked local and international foods and choices, the cocktails at the bar were some of the best. Great soups and breads. The service was excellent.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - one of the best camps and one of the best parks. You could see Kilamanjaro, and we got up and close with elephants, hippos, and many many bird species.
Ziwani Voyager Wildlife Sanctuary / Voyager Ziwani Camp - one night
Accommodation - 5 - our favorite of all the accommodations. The tents were luxuriously comfortable, and the manicured grounds are protected with an electric fence. On a damned creek with hippos and crocodiles for easy viewing. Very relaxing.
Food - 5 - The best culinarily of all the locations. Amazing multi-course meals and delicious cocktails.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - one of the few places we had a guided walk - this was very interesting and we were safely able to avoid the elephants and saw a variety of birds. Manicured grounds good for birdwatching. The night drive wasn’t as productive as hoped (we were looking for aardvarks and honey badgers!) but was really interesting and we did see hyenas eating a stillbirth and Nubian nightjars.
Tsavo West / Taita Hills Sanctuary / Saltlick Safari Lodge - one night
Accommodation - 3 - our least favorite location, albeit scenic and interesting in terms of construction and location. It felt a bit like being on a cruise ship, in that you cannot leave the accommodation (no grounds). That said, the close-up elephant, zebra, and cape buffalo watching at the watering hole was pretty amazing. Good for young children, but less exciting for the slightly more adventurous.
Food - 3 - tasty but not as delicious or interesting as other locations, catering more to international travelers and children.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - beautiful park, but less wildlife in numbers and diversity than other locations. We did see some specialty species (bustards and multiple species of hornbills including the special ground hornbill) and the largest number of cape buffalo as huge herds on the landscape, as well as lions up close.
Tsavo East/ Ashnil Aruba Lodge - one night
Accommodation - 4 - very comfortable rooms with back patio for wildlife viewing just across the electric fence (where there were elephants and a lion!). Some of the best grounds for wandering bird walks.
Food - 4 - The food was quite good with local and some international foods, especially nice desserts. Lovely patio for drinks.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - a drier location with some different species than elsewhere. Really interesting giraffe watching- two young males fighting by banging their necks against each other. Great elephant viewing and some new species of antelopes not seen much elsewhere (dikdiks up close, Oryx, lesser Kudu, and the interesting Gerenuk) and birds (Vulturine guineafowl, Shelly’s Starling, and Eastern chanting goshawk).
Diani Beach/Royal Villas - three nights
Accommodation - 5 - a very quiet and non-touristy upscale location with extremely comfortable rooms. They put our 18yr old in a separate room rather than add a bed; I’m sure this added to the cost, but was a mixed blessing :-). Unfortunately not on the beach, though it isn’t a far walk. ATM and grocery nearby. Grounds small and gardened, and not really any birdwatching. There was a snake, that was promptly removed. Exclusive and quiet location with a nice pool, good for honeymooners. I probably would have preferred one less day, but our flight home required an extra day stay (also we are not beach people, sun-phobes).
Food - 5 - very good food served multi-course. Service is impeccable and friendly.
Park/wildlife/birdwatching - None on the grounds. We went to the Colobus monkey conservation center one day, this had also a lovely nature walk and was the real deal and not touristy. A walk on the beach led us to “the chill spot,” a local restaurant on the beach that we loved and hung out at for a few hours. The next day we took a trip to Kasite marine park and Wasini Island for snorkeling. The snorkeling was terrific, but the highlight was the locally prepared seafood meal (octopus, prawns were the best EVER, rabbit fish, lobster, and crab) with sea grass cooked in coconut, and the walk around the village. This was the best meal we had on our visit to Kenya and is not to be missed!
In summary, I would give Best Memories Safaris and our tour driver Patrick the highest endorsement! It truly was the best memory of a lifetime.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible service
I booked my trip, which included a gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park, a 2-day safari in Akagera and a Kigali city tour, in 2019 for June 2020. 2 Years of COVID craziness (especially as I was living in Hong Kong, which has the most stringent and chaotic travel restrictions in the world), led to constant changes and re-bookings on my part. Throughout Frank was incredibly helpful and patient...I felt so bad about all of the chaos, but he always accommodated me.
The trip itself went perfectly - not a complaint. The accommodations and food Frank selected were terrific, and he actually provided me with more than I was expecting. My guide and driver, Claude, was also extremely knowledgeable, a great driver and a lot of fun. Both Frank and Claude were open and gave a lot of personal insight into Rwanda's sad recent history.
As a bonus, the vehicle was comfortable, and we saw everything there was to see on the safari in Akagera. I had such an amazing time that I'm planning on returning with some of my family members and would gladly use Golden Rwanda Safaris again, without hesitation.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
I had a wonderful experience with Osprey Safaris Kenya. Everything was done in a professional way and I got value for money. We learnt a lot from John Kago who was our guide as he is well informed.
I made memories with my team that will last a life time.
Thank you Osprey Safaris Kenya.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
You really felt that the guides and all other staff did their best to make your safari the best.
Did a 1-day safari from Zanzibar to Selous and back, took off in the sunrise and returned late in the afternoon. Did get to see a lot of animals including elephants, Hippos, giraffes,monkeys, crocodiles, and a few different antilopes and a few more. As soon as we where in the greener areas, animals where litterly around every corner
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Magical and wouldnt be the same without Nickson
This was my first land safari and did not know what to expect. I was blown away at the logistics and organization of the entire operation. Very impressed and satisfied; would 100% rebook with these guys without hesitation. Our driver Nickson was phenomenal. Very knowledgeable, kind, funny, and personable. Couldn't imagine it with somebody else.
We saw the big 5 which was awesome. The cheetahs were hands down the best. All the food was plentiful and tasty with options for vegetarians as well. Wine provided each night.
Quality Tents provided with a sleeping mat, pillow, and sleeping bag. Never got cold but I run hot.
Vehicle holds 6/7 people with pop up roof and opening side windows.
Hot lunches provided each day even on picnics.
The locals and businesses seem to really like this operator as well because they are good to them which is a bonus.
We had bathrooms and showers each night of various quality. Some water was hot others was cold. Not always a physical sit on toilet but the flushable squat down type. Bring your own paper/wipes and soap as more places do not have them. Also bring your own towel.
The first camp last camp near Lake Maynara in Mto Wa Mbu has a small market in front of it with various drinks, alcohol, and toiletries for purchase. This is a gated area with lights, bar, and a pool.
Serengeti camp was primitive with bathrooms and showers although water pressure was low. This was the most exposed camp but there were guards up at night.
The nogorogoro camp had a restaurant and bar with shower and toilets as well. Very cold on the crater rim with fog and possible light rain so plan accordingly. Animals may wander into camp but there are armed guards. We had an elephant in ours but they peacefully deterred it.
Make sure to tip your driver and cook as they work very hard nonstop.
There was also a walking tour to a local village with native tribes and the Maconde carpenters, painters, banana and rice farms, and a banana beer/winebrewery.. I recommend this even if just to learn about the culture. Very cool
You will not go hungry or be disappointed with these guys. Ask for Nickson and Musa (spelling?) the cook
PL
Proffesional service, friendly and experienced guides, flexibility and decent portfolio
We got professional service from Criss Cross, stuff remained flexible, ready to adjust our trip as per our needs.
We decided to go for self-designed tour through Namibia - we chose the path, Criss Cross helped us with planning the best itinerary for the time we had, booking accommodation on the way, and provided professional guides. Guides were highly experienced and very friendly. Lodges chosen for the trip were good.
Criss Cross has big portfolio of tours: self-driving (they will help you with setting up itinerary, car and lodges booking (in high season you have to do it well in advance, if you've never been to Namibia it's better to check what car is suitable for the path you chose)), guided tours tailored for the customer (you choose the path, duration, and if you want to go for a 3 or 5 star trip), pre-defined tours to choose from the list.
I have already some plans for next trips in Namibia and neighbouring countries, next time I will also reach out to Criss Cross, because we had good experience and I have a feeling that I may rely on their advice.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Slick, high-quality, and efficient service at a very reasonable price
We first started looking at Uganda because we wanted to see the mountain gorillas, and found Achieve through a Google search. Our enquiries were responded to quickly and thoroughly by Doreen, and she showed a lot of flexibility in moving things around. We eventually decided to spend a few extra days in Uganda and go to Murchison Falls too, and Doreen added these on for us with no issues. We could not believe how reasonable their prices were in comparison to the competition. The service itself was phenomenal when we got there too. We were looked after well by Herbert in Bwindi, he was kind and friendly and made sure we saw the biggest family of gorillas! Eddie did a phenomenal job of being our driver and guide as we looked around Murchison Falls National Park, making sure we saw all four of the available big 5 in the park and then taking us to the rhino sanctuary to close it out. He was knowledgeable and clinical in the way he managed our expectations and consistently over-delivered. We stayed at Haven Lodge in Buhoma which was simply magnificent, and Paraa Safari Lodge in Murchison Falls which was good but did not feel as well-run as Haven.
We will definitely be going back to Uganda, and will not choose anyone other than Achieve to plan our next trip. They were fantastic.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lenny was amazing at organizing and planning the trip for us
We did a 3 day safari including Ngorongoro, Manyara and Tarangire. It was excellent. Very well organised by Lenny. The accommodations were amazing (location, rooms and food) and Lenny took special efforts to take care of every detail. He was very patient and prompt in replying to help plan the trip
Great team and very friendly. Manase, our guide who drove us through the safari was lovely and gave us a lot of information about all the animals and birds.
Highly recommended
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They deliver the goods.
It took us 3 years to arrange the safari due to covid and some other unforseen circumstances. Joseph from Parrot Safaris answered every single question we had to our satisfaction. And there were a lot of questions over the three years as we heavily customised our tour. These guys are super flexible and will do whatever it takes to give you what you really want. Joseph followed our progress as we went aroound Kenya and Tanzania and made sure we were safe (not that we ever felt unsafe except next to one or two BIG elephant and lion) and happy. The tour unfolded exactly as discussed and it was DEFINITELY a bucket list experience. Their prices are very competitive and Josephs service was impeccable. Our game guides were very knowledegable and did whatever they could to show us whatever Kenya and Tanzania had to offer. A good sense of humour also went a long way.
Literally the only complaint I had was the lack of a hot shower in some of the bush camps in Kenya. Its an issue for me as i suffer from muscle spasms and a cold shower doesn't help.
Other than that I highly recommend these guys. They are legit and committed to giving their clients a truly unforgettable African experience. I guarantee that you wont go home the same person that you arrived.