20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible birthday trip
After a previous incredible birthday safari trip to Tanzania, we had high standards and Spirit of Kenya did not disappoint. From planning to execution, it was clear everyone we spoke to was committed to ensuring we had a great time. We spent months planning with Vanessa who responded to all emails promptly and then met Moses when we landed late (and missing a bag) in Kenya. Moses not only did his best to cheer me up about my missing luggage, but also went back to the airport the next day to pick it up, and met us the day after so I didn't have to keep wearing the same 2 outfits the whole week. He was my hero! Our safari guide Mike was also amazing. He was clearly knowledgable about the parks and the animals, but was also very attentive to all of our needs, both while we were out on safari and in the camps. We definitely enjoyed his company and his humor and would 100% go on a tour with him again. Overall, we can't say enough good things about our experience. The staff was great, the logistics were perfect and the recommended accommodations were beautiful. If you've been thinking about booking a safari trip, do it and use Spirit of Kenya!
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Dedicated , thoughtful and professional
Afro Dawn safaris was recommended to us by friends . We found them to be very reliable , quick to respond to a query and they really worked hard at getting us good deals .
We had a fantastic experience both at Chobe as well as the Okavango Delta all thanks to the dedicated team of Afro Dawn Safaris who ensured a seamless experience for our group
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent ! Perfect team !
Exceptional stay! Do not hesitate !
Chalema is a small, human-sized agency that made our safari unforgettable! They are used to bringing French people so know our expectations.
Joel (agency manager) is very responsive and gives good advice, which greatly facilitated the organization of the stay.
Praygod is an incredible guide who knew how to adapt perfectly to what we were looking for: to take us to quiet places. We were able to spend unforgettable moments alone with the animals.
Éric accompanied us for the cooking. there too we particularly appreciated his kindness and his culinary talent.
Nice team we recommend 100% !!
(automatic translation from French)
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Safari!
We had a great 3 days on safari. Our guide Ezekiel went out of his way to find the best spots to take photos. We had a great group and lots of fun - another highlight was being upgraded to Suricata Boma Lodge near Manyara Lakes. The lodge is brand new and really charming.
(automatic translation from German)
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Safari was a wonderful expierience
The Safari has been a wonderful experience. We were always picked up from the hotel on time and are drove to Ngorogo Crater on the first day, to Tarangiri on the second day and to Lake Manjara on the last day. Especially in the Ngorogo crater there were a lot of great animals to see. The most exciting moment was when a pair of lions came right next to our safari car. Our accommodation was the Suricata Boma Lodge (we were delighted to have been upgraded). Special praise must be given to our driver Ezekiel. He brought us safely to our destinations for three days, showed us the best spots to take photos and entertained us with his charming sense of humour. Also the food was great (full board) Suricata is really recommended.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised and brilliant guides
Everything went as planned no worries at all, very friendly and knowledgeable staff, dream Bandas also arranged a Kenya safari for me whilst in Uganda which also went as planned, highly recommend this company and would use again on any trip to Africa.
Thanks again
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Highly organised
From pick-up at the hotel to arrival at the campsite, the organisation was well managed. The gamer trackers arrived on time. We were able to see 4 of the big five. We were delighted with our guide, who was very friendly and patient. Thank you MoAfrika for making our dream come true.
We'll probably be back next year, but this time in the Kruger Park.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unfortunately, Can’t Recommend
This review is long but explains why we would not recommend GoodEarth after two weeks and two excursions with them. We were on back to back safaris with GoodEarth; we did the Kilimanjaro Machame Route Hike and Serengeti to Masai Mara safari from June 25-July 10. We really REALLY wanted this company to work out for us as we spent collectively nearly $12k (USD) on everything and it seemed promising. However once the tour was handed over to the Arusha based team - things quickly fell apart.
It started at the airport for pickup. We landed 4:30pm on a Sunday and were told we’d be greeted by our driver with our names on a sign. We waited and waited and reached out to all the WhatsApp numbers we were given multiple times before we were informed the hotel driver had the wrong name on the name plate. So we waited for nothing. That was our first impression.
We had sent an email to the Arusha office a week prior to landing about renting gear for Kilimanjaro but they weren’t prepared at all. We had to scramble at 9pm Sunday for our Monday morning climb. The morning of the climb - our tour guide, Fredy, forgot to bring some of the gear with him. On our way to the trailhead he asked US to purchase the gear he forgot to pack. We gave him a stern “No”, then he went and found the cheapest gear possible and it leaked our entire climb. Fredy was nice enough, but an EXTREMELY lazy guide. He needed to make frequent stops, was always late, and didn’t want to do anything for himself. At every meal he would call a porter from across the camp to come serve him food that was right in front of him. The entire time on the mountain we listened to him whining and ordering the porters around. It was deplorable, honestly. The last straw for me was when we missed our highly requested and once-in-a-lifetime sunrise on summit day by an hour because Fredy “didn’t want to be cold”. Luckily, Nestory was the assistant guide and respected our time on the mountain. Most of our hike up and the entire hike down was led by Nestory, as Fredy was too tired, too late, or too slow to meet our needs. We were so grateful Nestory was there and we should’ve insisted on him being lead guide on summit day to make the sunrise. The porters were great, especially Reuben and Ola. And Paul, the chef, was amazing - he even went out of his way to make us local food when we requested it. We were extremely grateful to reach the summit and for the rest of the climbing team.
As an apology, the company paid for our laundry and gave us free hats, which was really nice, but the time and opportunity lost (and money spent) were gone forever.
On our safari we ran into issues with the office apparently not paying the park entrance gate fee, causing an hour delay on our game drive at Serengeti. (Luckily the ranger in the gate office eventually had mercy on us and let us in.) At another gate, GoodEarth somehow didn’t realize the gate didn’t accept cash. So I had to use my personal credit card to pay our entrance. ($320 USD.) We were also delayed at that gate for an hour.
We did send our issues to Ndashy (the manager), but he only referred us back to Rose in the office. Rose was incredibly sweet but perhaps was overworked, hence the disorganization and mistakes.
No matter which company you choose, the type of guide you get is the luck of the draw. Your guide makes or breaks your experience… During our Serengeti safari we had Elias, who checked in with us frequently and made sure we were ok. He wasn’t quite as charismatic as other guides we’ve had, but he’s good. If you’re the quiet type, he could be a nice fit. Elias also helped me surprise my husband with the hot air balloon ride I had secretly booked to celebrate our anniversary. He was so clever in helping me convince my husband we were going for an late night/early morning game drive and I’m forever grateful to him for that! My husband had no idea and the surprise was priceless. We can’t recommend our Masai Mara guide - I’ll leave it there.
Maybe we were just very unlucky with GoodEarth. But it was significant enough for us to not choose them again or recommend them to loved ones. Beside that, obviously the animals and nature were absolutely unforgettable and we hope to visit Serengeti again…
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic day trip
We started the tour visiting the Materuni Waterfalls, coffee tour. It was cool and really nice for a morning hike. Our guide Frank knows everything about the culture, the place and the history. He literally knows every passerby. He also takes great photos. We enjoyed this amazing tour very much.
CZ
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect organization, very good driver - guide Ken
We have spent one week in Kenya on the safaris organized by Beacon Safaris. Everything went very well. We visited Mt. Kenya national park, Ol Pejeta Conservation, Lake Namuru, Masai Mara and Lake Naivasha. We have seen a lot of animals including lions mainly due to our driver Ken. His driving skills in sometimes difficult conditions were the object of our admiration. Always helpful and friendly. Thank you very much for the exiting exerience.
