US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Kenya safari, great value, excellent communication
My husband and I had a great experience with Wildebeest Safaris. I was a little wary of booking online with a Kenya company, especially with Covid making so much about travel uncertain in these times. I dealt directly with Noah Kuti from the beginning and he was super about staying in touch and always responded very quickly to my WhatsApp texts. We flew to Kenya from Paris and were flying out to Cape Town. When Kenya Airways canceled our departure flight a couple of weeks prior, Noah didn't hesitate to move our booking up a day to accommodate the necessary rescheduling. He never pressured us at all for the final payment, and in fact, I had to ask for final instructions a couple of days before we were to start our safari.
Our driver, Dennis, was terrific. Cheerful, friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely interested in making sure we got what we wanted out of our safari. He didn't flinch we when decided to do one last, very early morning game drive in Masai Mara instead of making a more leisurely departure back to Nairobi. This paid off with my ideal leopard sighting: close, and in a tree (then stretching and hopping down to give us a lot more great photos) with only one other truck around. Dennis seemed as excited as we were. The safari land cruiser we were in was in good shape, very clean, and much nicer than some of the roll-side and open air vehicles we saw (not to mention the minivans). Moreover, many of the safaris I considered before choosing Wildebeest wanted ridiculously high extra charges for vehicles just like what we had. The electric ice chest in the back was nice, too. The only negatives were a tied-together seatbelt on my seat and an a/c that was either not functioning or not used. This meant long drives on the highway with the windows down. Seems to be a norm in Kenya, so be prepared. This also meant we and our luggage were ludicrously dusty at the end of some drives, especially Ambesoli. Oh well. Kenya is beautiful and the number of animals we saw awe-inspiring.
We were also very happy with the length of the safari. 4 nights/5 days might seem short, but we did so much, saw all we hoped for and then some, were pleasantly tired, and we would have been repeating ourselves if we'd kept on. We congratulated ourselves on our choice of stay length.
With regards to lodges: We stayed at Ambesoli Serena Safari Lodge which was nice, but not extravagant. Our favorite lodge by far was Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge at Lake Nakuru. This was an upgrade that we chose due to wanting a lodge inside the park. We were put in the endmost suite which turned out to be elegant and enormous (including a living area with a dining table, two sofas, a large chair and a fireplace and a huge front porch over looking the lake in the distance). With no neighbor on one side, we had views on 3 sides. Unfortunately, Lake Nakuru park wasn't as exciting after Ambesoli (which we loved!) as it's much smaller and so more crowded. Still, this is where we saw rhinos (very close) and it was lovely. Finally, Noah texted me a day or two before we left Paris for Kenya with an offered "upgrade" to Azure Mara Haven at Masai Mara from Mara Leisure Camp which he said was due to client complaints. When I asked questions, he assumed I agreed and I didn't argue. This turned out to be a bit of a disappointment because Azure is not actually in the park and we were in an upgraded cottage rather than a true tent, which I had wanted to experience. Azure is close, but being out of the park meant no lions roaring at night and a 20 minute or so drive on either end of game drives. Still, the Masai who work at Azure were excellent hosts and we had a pleasant stay in our riverfront cottage. Note: power goes out early every night at Azure. There is a Sarova lodge inside the park and, given how much we liked Lion Hill at Lake Nakuru, I wish we'd looked into that. Still, this is was a minor issue and I highly recommend Wildebeest Safaris.
Food at all the lodges was good and plentiful. Covid precautions were taken seriously by all.
An added concern in these pandemic times was the need for a PCR test to fly from Kenya to South Africa. I found a company offering these at Masai Mara and Noah agreed to be sure we got to the testing site. In the end, he actually arranged for the doctor to come to our lodge at the price of an on-site test. This was great until the expected results didn't come in within the 24 hours agreed. I started to worry as we neared 48 hours with a very early flight imminent. Noah never complained about my frequent texts and always responded quickly and reassuringly. He promised he'd get the results for me from the lab since I was having connectivity issues, and he did.
(Also: Yellow fever vaccine is smart for Kenya and required for entry to South Africa from Kenya. We also took malaria medicine. Research what is needed and allow time as you need at least 10 days between getting the yellow fever vaccine and travel to a yellow fever zone.)
One last note: I wanted to visit the optional Masai village, but was braced for a cheesy touristy experience. In reality, my husband and I were the only tourists there as things are still slow due to the pandemic. The Masai did have a tourist-ready presentation, but then we had a lot of one-on-one time to talk, visit a home, and walk around with the chief. My husband is tall and several of the men challenged him to a jumping contest. Everyone got a kick out of that. The Masai really do need the income and were grateful for our visit. Do be braced for a run through table after table of similar goods for sale at the end. Still, it was a fun experience and well worth the stop.
SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient budget solution
We took a 7 day Kenya Safari, which was overall a good value. Camping in Amboseli and numerous animals were a highlight of our trip to Kenya. We added a hike to Mt Longonot to our safari, which was a good decision. Nontheless we have a couple of critics. Castro, our guide, was ok, his driving a little too much for us, specially on the main roads. His knowledge of animals would need a little upgrade. For a visit of the final park we were transfered to another group, which brought us another guide, Jackson. We have only compliments for him, really great and experienced guide. Critics for Karibu Safaris is that they promised on webpage water for the whole week, when on the 5th day Castro said there is no more water. Also the change in the program wasn't communicated with us, so we did the big hike to Mt Longonot directly when arriving to Kenya, without any sleep, unlike on the agreed 3rd day. Nontheless safari in Kenya was one of the most fulfilling experiences ever and a must if you are there!
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It is a fantastic and reliable organization!
If you want to go to Tanzania for a beach or a safari or a combination of what we have done, book with this fantastic company, reliable and if something is not right it is arranged in no time. What a top service and what a top holiday we have had. I will definitely go back and will definitely book through this company again. This trip has exceeded all our expectations and that is certainly thanks to this fantastic club of people. We were there 17 days first Zanzibar, then 6 days safari through northern Tanzania, and then relax again on the beautiful island of Zanzibar, Fantastic tents during the safari, good beds, private shower and toilet, great food, and we did not feel unsafe for a moment . The whole trip was arranged through Paradise and Wilderness, everything was possible with many thanks to Melanie what a winner that is. And service is certainly a top priority at this club. Even with a delay during the return journey, a taxi was also on standby and a room was available if we were not flying that day. The trip to Zanzibar and back was booked by ourselves at KLM so even then the service was still top notch, Bert what a top company you have and what top staff!!! A sante sana!!!!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Incredible wildlife experience,
We had such amazing time and we saw everything we hoped to and so much more.
We highly recommend African Adventure Specialist they were exceptionally friendly, helpful & welcoming
Thanks to the entire team for giving us so many wonderful memories
Buukhaba, Steve
CZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely perfect
We went with Meektrails Safaris on a 4-day safari trip to Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara national reserve. Owner of the company, Daniel, was very helpful during our whole stay in Kenya and prepared a great trip for us. We went on the safari with guide Peter, who was absolutely fantastic and thanks to him and his long-time experiences we managed to make memories for a lifetime.
I do highly recommend to get a tour with Meektrails Safaris!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
He was kind, patient, professional and extremely pleasant to be with. He’s driving was fantastic too
The communication was excellent from start to finish. The car they provided for me and my family was very clean and comfortable. The guide was a really nice guy. We thoroughly enjoyed our safari. Thank you Ganyana Safaris.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A dream come true..
me and my girlfriend did a 4 day safari tour at the Serengeti National Park with Cross to Africa Safaris. This was one of the most memorable experiences in our life. Visiting the Serengeti was a dream for us and going with Cross to Africa Safaris was the best choice.
Anthony was super professional and did not only care about our comfort, but he knew exactly where to go and at what point. We were happy to see all big 5, and take home experiences that will last forever.
I can totally recommend this company and I can't imagine a more special experience. Thank you very much!!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
a magical experience way beyond our expectations
My girlfriend and I took a "big five" safari tour with Africa Kenya Safaris and the experience was simply magical. Our guide Chris took care of us so well. He is not only an amazing guide with great knowledge about biodiversity, but also very professional handling his clients. We felt super comfortable and the whole company was very flexible working on our tastes and desires for this safari. This is definitely an experience we will remember for the rest of our lifes and we can't recommend more the great work this company did.
We go now back home with lots of memories to tell to our families.
And yes... we saw thousands of wildebeest crossing to Tanzania..
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A well organized tour operator who knows the tour destinations very well
My friend who booked a trip with them introduced me to this tour operator and shared their contacts with me, I called the number to inquire about a safari for 5 of us and a lady gave me several options. I was interested in the 3 days one(Tsavo East and west, we agreed on the rates), they sent me an invoice with their account details including Mpesa paybill number, at first I was a bit worried but I went a head and paid anyway. We were picked up at 7am as agreed and it turned to be the best safari I have ever had
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent services,very high quality customer support
The best quality customer service so far ,Very reliable and trustworthy and very affordable