50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour organiser
I was picked up from Airport and thereafter taken care by Julia till I departed Nairobi. There services are nice and of international level. Sightseeing in and around Nairobi and then the 3 Day Masai Safari was truly a memorable experience. Its a life time Memory.
RO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jambo Jambo our friends of Kenya !!!
For an European, the dream to travel in Africa begins in the childhood, just after you learn how to read ! Jules Verne, Rudyard Kipling and other storywriters stay with us every evening before the sleep coming.
But we are growing up and the everyday routine put in a shadow the soul desires. But the dreams never die !!!
Finally, after so many years and so many trips around the world, we arrived to the roots of our modern life. The places where walked the first human being and the places described in very first books with our personal education begun: Africa !!!
As a greenhorn, it was difficult to choose between diferent countries and different places to visit. And, of course, the perpetual question: is it safe to travel there?
Fortunately for us, our romanian tourist agency named Atlantic, discovered on the Internet “Spirit of Kenya” and recommended us like a trusted company. After that, we begun to change messages with Tiago, a member of the team and his promptness and his personal involvement help us to gained the faith that we will be in good hands !!!
The trip to going there was not easy ! We arrived to Nairobi. From the first smile of the driver from the team “Spirit of Kenya” that took us to the hotel our fears went away and we begun to discover how friendly people can be and what an amazing country it is Kenya !!!
Everything was different from what we saw before: the plants, the trees, the animals ! Even the design of the Hilton Nairobi hotel was different from other Hiltons with a lot of traditional objects that reminded us of the first discovering trips in Africa.
Second day begun the Safari, with John, our guide who accompanied us all the days in our discovery of Masai Mara. He - sharp punctual, we - lazy tourists! Half of this beautiness of this trip was from the nature, but another half was because of John!! Our relationship begun as a profesional job and finished as a very good relationdship !!!
Ibsen said that a picture is worth thousands words, but John knowledge was worth more than thousands photos and a milion words together!! He knows everything about everything !! His speeches are always trusted. When there is something that he is not sure, he reads a book. He was patient with us (I know how annoying could be to stop the car every time when somebody wants to take a picture!) He helped us to discover not just the Mara beasts, but also to understand the ordinary life of Kenyans, very friendly people with a lot of joy despite sometimes hard conditions of living !!!
For our 11-year old son Bogdan, this trip was amazing, not only because of the geographical perspective, but also because of the interaction with warm people, extraordinary well prepared in everything they do !!!
Grace of the team of “ Spirit of Kenya” we left Kenya with just one wish: coming back soon !!!
There are a lot of things to see and to do here !! We want to visit the lakes with flamingos, we want to climb mount Kenya, we want to visit the seaside. And we want to see John , our guide of “Spirit of Kenya” again !!
We want to admire again how the wild animals coexist with the human peoples in a perfect symbiosis !!!
Africa is a fascinating continent, and Kenya an extraordinary country!!!
A big big thank you for all the help of “Spirit of Kenya” team !!!
Bogda, Codruta and Dan Iliescu from Romania
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari but not filling all expectations
We booked 3 days safari (2 days of travel and 1 in Mikumi park).
First, the travel is much longer than announced by the tour operator we used 8 hours to go from dar es salam and 8 hours to come back, there is many traffic and no room to be faster and safe. Our guide was very careful and safe on the road.
We slept at Bastian camp and it was very good, nice pool and people are kind, the room is spacious and clean.
The day of the safari we saw many animals (lions, girafe, hippo, crocodiles, elephants and many more) however we were expecting much more details from the guide on the savane life on how animals act. The time of the safari day was short (from 8am to 2:30 pm) we had flat tire two times in park…
Regarding our guide (Julius) he was very kind and flexible but not too talkative.
Conclusion is we had a good time, it is a very nice experience but there is room for improvement.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Beacon Safaris was excellent, from the beginning to the end
The experience with Beacon Safaris was perfect, from the moment I send the first email towards Robert. I asked a lot of (maybe even annoying) questions, but Robert was really patient and helpful. Everything was really clear, before the experience was even started. Because my girlfriend and I were going to Masai Mara later, we did not want to go there with a safari, so we were very pleased, that Beacon had a safari where we went to less famous parks and Masai Mara was not in the itinerary. With Meru National park, Buffalo Springs National Reserve and Ol Pejeta Conservancy we were really glad! When we arrived in Kenya, it was even going better. Our guide Patrick made our experience unbelievable. He was really kind and relaxed and he could spot animals! I am afraid we were not the easiest for him, but he was the best! He had 2 absolute qualities; He could spot leopards, like no one else and he always knew where he should put his car, when we were at a sighting, so we could see animals (mostly with cheetah, lion and rhino) perfectly. The tented camps that were picked out, were really good and different, which made it more interesting. Although we did not visit the Mara, Amboseli or Lake Nakuru we saw a lot of animals, including the Big Five, hyenas, cheeta, honey badger, many herbivores, birds, hippos, crocodiles and many more. It was the best. The drives between the reserves were not too long, the company was clear and helpful, the guide Patrick could not be better, the amount of animals was amazing (even without going to the more famous parks), the tented camps were perfect, the value for money was all worth it. I could not have a better experience than this one with Beacon.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect experience! Lifetime memories for a great deal!
Wow! We are up to this day so amazed by the quality of service we received from Nelson's team including Brison our personal and joyful driver and Prosper our best cook in town!
We were warmly welcomed from the airport, brought to take a drink at Nelson'a favorite cafe in town and greatly accomodated at a homefelt hostal where we ate the best local food in town prepared with heart by mama.
The 3 day safari into the serengeti and Ngorongoro was stunning, let the pictures talk for themselves.
This company provided us with top quality service and friendliness for the least price.
Asanteni Nelson na familia, success to your company kaka
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mr. Jimmy Karani, professional, kind, flexible and friendly
Mrs. Alice Wahinya of Westgate branch, Nairobi gave us the most amazing service. She is personable, kind,very patient, friendly, and knowledgeable. She checked on us throughout the vacay. Jimmy the tour Guide was excellent, humble, kind, professional and knowledgeable. He went above and beyond. Everything went according to plan. Thank you Bonfire!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun, professional and helpful.
We meet Joseph through a mutual friend and good him to drive us around Kampala after we arrived. He was invaluable in helping get our phone set up, finding permanent accommodations, finding good super marketers, and everything. He was so good that we hired him to take us to Murchison Falls. He asked us a bit about what our price range was and what kind of experience we wanted. Then he made all of the arrangements and we were very happy. We saw everything we wanted to see and more! His experience made the trip wonderful. I later hired him to take my mom and her friend on a safari. They loved him too.
I think of Joseph as a good friend in addition to being a great tour operator. I recommend him to everybody.
IL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional services and amazing experience!!
We booked a 8 day Kilimanjaro Climb through Lemosho route and followed by a 8 day Safari in Tanzania's National Parks. This is a fully organized trip, including the airport transfers, hotel accommodations, climb costs, safari costs, National Park fee... etc (excluding tips/gratuities where applicable)
From the beginning to the end, starting from answering the questions about their packages and trip details, and to the successful completion of Kilimanjaro trek, Great Lake Expedition team were amazing in supporting us and making sure we had best experience possible, and a successful summit. Starting with the trip planning process, Ezekiel was awesome in responding promptly to our questions, and providing all the details needed for us to plan the trip. Payment process was simple and the invoice was just as it should be - crystal clear, and no hidden charges.
Once arrived in the airport, we were chauffeured to the hotel in an AC car with Wifi, water bottles. Hotel was great, setup in a nice setting, with decent rooms.
Day before we start the trek, Great Lake Expedition staff (Ezekiel and Raphael) performed gear checks and helped plan additional gear we needed to take with us on the mountain. Like rain poncho, waterproof duffel bags, snow pants, winter gloves... etc were so critical to survive the rainy and super-cold days on the mountain. We were so glad we rented these extra gear from Great Lake Expedition. We also rented portable toilet, which was a life saver. Could not have done without it, and I highly recommend getting one.
The best part of the trek was the attentiveness and super-friendly and hyper-caring guides. We were lucky to have John as the lead guide and 7 other highly professional guides - all English speaking and very knowledgeable of the mountain and the routes. Without these fantastic guides, our Kili climbing experience would not have been the same. In fact, many of the climbers would not have made it to the top, if it was not for the guides, and the superman like strong porters. Man, the porters were so inspiring and humbling. How they carried 10 times the weight of what we carry, and how fast they up and down the mountain, and with such a basic and rudimentary clothing and gear. Porters dont just do their porter job, but they go above and beyond in supporting us. Particularly the summit porters. Without Summit porters helping us, many of the climbers' experience would be miserable.
Overall, Great Lake Expedition did fabulous in the trip planning and executing the trip for us, with every detail thought through and planned well.
Would I go on another trek with Great Lake Expedition. For sure!
Would I recommend Great Lake Expedition to friend and family? Heck yeah. You should go through Great Lake Expedition, if you want your experience to be flawless and 100% enjoyable. No kidding.
CZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari and Mount Kenya experience!
We booked 5-days safari trip (combination of Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha) and 5-days Mount Kenya trip (climbing with a guide, porters and cook) with Martha at Go East Africa Safari.
Everything was so amazing, we enjoyed this experience so much! If you have a option, I can fully recommend to travel in Kenya with Go East Africa!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very friendly staff and well organized
I went on a 3x day Masai Mara Safari with Estleon. The tour was amazing and we got to see many animals living in their natural habitat. Driver and guide Isaac was very knowledgeable and funny as well. Esther kept in touch constantly and organized the whole thing swiftly and smooth. It was a wonderful experience.