US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall, I give you 3 stars as customer service wasn't the best. Our safari driver was very good!
Last month our travels in Kenya were to Masai Mara (2 days/2 nights), followed by a hotel resort stay in Diani Beach (2 day/2 nights). Leading up to this booking with Purity and Bienvenido, I researched several different companies, some of which were not on safaribookings.com, etc. One of these companies had great customer service, and I was nearly ready to commit and book, however, given the fact he didn't take credit card payments, I backed out of it completely. I explained this to Bienvenido and was looking for good service and more convenient payment options. Despite the fact I mentioned this, I found it difficult to book since I was 2 continents away (and there was a 9 hour time difference). I had higher expectations with Purity, and customer service is so very important to me, I found the process of things very strange and just different. We were asked to send different information and documents later on and it just wasn't as organized as it should've been. The service was kind and courteous all along, but there was too much of a delay in getting back to me about what we needed. Perhaps it's due to experience and it's a newer company, but I don't know why for sure. However, I did appreciate (eventually) having our transfers all set up, but again it was very last minute that we received the info. We would ask Purity for the details, but then sometimes there was no response. Delayed again. However, she would always get back to us, told us to relax and be patient. I'm not sure why if I paid in advance and was on top of things and diligent, why we had to wait sometimes days after she originally said she'd get back to us. This was my first safari, and the actual safari was spectacular. The wildlife was out of this world! The tent in Miti Mingi was just okay, with some electrical problems at times and there was NO hot water. That definitely lowered the score. On the flip side, what did raise the overall score was our safari driver, Boniface (I hope I have this correct)! He was such a great driver, very personable, patient, and went out of his way for us. It was excellent customer service. Good job!
The second leg of our travels took us to Diani Beach. However, before we got to the beach, we had to travel 5.5-6 hours from Masai to Nairobi. Due to the hard rains the evening before, we had to take a detour, so this ended up delaying us far too long. Some of the safari group members were forced to leave early with us instead of staying one more day (one group member was not too pleased). It made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I tried to ease the situation for him. Whether he complained to management or not, I do not know. He became a friend to me however. :) Great members on the trip made for a fun time also! Anyway, Boniface dropped all of us off, somewhere about 2 hours from Nairobi (where each person picked up their transfers). I was getting nervous and he reassured me you guys will make your flight to Ukunda (Diani Beach). It turned out everyone else in both safari vans had been picked up for their transfers before us. That left us all alone still waiting! We had a 3:20 flight and it was not until about 1pm I believe before our driver picked us up (with our luggage). Imagine that. Not what either of us wanted for sure. He drove like a madman and obviously knew he was under pressure and stress. It was like the Daytona 500 (which is today as I write this), and he somehow got us to the airport about 2:45. At this point we still had to go through security and pass through the other one after being dropped off. We raced to the gate, said we were in a hurry, and somehow...with all of this craziness and stress of thinking we would miss our flight for sure...I asked the woman behind the check in counter if the gate was still open...and she said, "Yes!" Amazing. It was way too close for comfort, but we made it. It was a miracle that we made it. However, this could have been avoided with much better planning on the company's part. That's why it is best to get to the airport 2-3 hours beforehand, esp. when you hire a company to plan everything for you. I think I'd go with another company next time, however, the trip as a whole was priceless. My first trip to Kenya was incredible! Thanks for reading. I hope you publish this, because Bienvenido Kenya Tours can learn a lot from our experience, as well as others. I am appreciative for some of your efforts, we were just disappointed in some of the service as a whole. I had higher expectations than what we received.
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great fun, coordination was a bit disappointing.
The tour was great fun.
However, a few things to note with regards to tour detail and coordination.
- Guests should be informed payment can't be made with credit card so we don't have to waste money on ATM fee
- Guests should not be forced to any "optional" activity at the lake
- Accommodation listed on the site was inaccurate, later it changed again from what we were informed by email
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfectly customizable with excellent service!
Nelson, Sammy, and James all worked together to provide us with an amazing trip! All the food and provided was great, and we saw everything expected! All of our guides and drivers extremely friendly and flexible to our needs. They let us change our itinerary when we decided to hike Mount Longonot instead of doing a game drive, and were just generally responsive to everything.
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical experience with great people
This was a magical experience! Kata ans Paul were amazing. Great food and excellent driving. Would definitely use the company again for future tours.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect Tour to Rwanda & Uganda
I reached out to Ronald of Kajie Safaris early 2019 to see if they would be able to set up a customized trip itinerary for me and my friend which would include multiple gorilla treks in various parks in both Rwanda & Uganda, chimp trekking and a couple safari days. We are both photographers and so our goals for a trip are very specific and require more planning than the average tourist.
From the start Ronald's communication was prompt, courteous and concise. He answered countless questions for the whole year leading up to our trip and was amazing at obtaining all necessary permits, booking accommodations and even domestic flights for us to reach Entebbe for our flight back to the US.
Kajie was one of the only companies I could find that was willing to tailor a package to guest requests and even during the trip several times Ronald went above and beyond to make last minute changes to our itinerary to make sure that our experience was the best one possible.
All of the local accommodations he chose were fabulous and the staff very friendly. He clearly had very good working relationships with these lodges and their staff and it made for a better stay for us. He also did a great job of navigating the selection process at the national parks when it came to assigning guests to gorilla groups and ensured that we were placed in appropriate hikes for our physical abilities and also that would allow us wonderful photographic opportunities.
The whole trip was wonderful and we enjoyed our time so much we are already looking forward to planning a return trip to Uganda with Kajie. Ronald was fabulous to work with and to be around for our 12 day tour and I would highly recommend him to anyone who is looking to explore more of East Africa.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Sensational
I spent four nights in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in January 2020, staying in Mbabane, the small capital. The country is roughly the same size as Wales. The roads are not as good as those in neighbouring South Africa: there are many potholes and speed bumps. I rented a car during my stay, which enabled me to get about. The highlights for me were the nearby Ezulwini Valley, the Malolotja Nature Reserve (in the north-west of the country) and the Hlane Royal National Park (in the north-east). All in all, I thought Eswatini was a great country to visit, with far fewer tourists than South Africa has.
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
it was stunnung , over what we expected
we stayed in intercontinental Nairobi first night which was good, then we started our journey and road trip through agent called Mufasa the tour guide ( Wilson ) was super professional and was very helpful for the 6 days with us , we stayed in Entim in Masai Mara the service was great and the place is amazing then we went to the cliff in Nakuru which was suppose to be a higher quality camp but the actually the service was so bad and staff there is rude, we went to Fairmont mount Kenya hotel it was very nice but the receptionist was also rude and un supportive I had to complain 3 times in one day about three different reasons. Mufasa was good agent except for one point we agreed that the cliff was all inclusive same as Entim and we paid for that but what we got was Meals only package and the agent told me it depends on the hotel they decide on arrival if we get AL or FB which makes no sense as I work in tourism and know how it works . please note we were honeymooners and didn't get the expected service from the cliff or Fairmont mount Kenya but in general Kenya is amazing and we will definitely come back but with a different agent
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wayfairer helped me to put together a self directed safari that was a trip of a lifetime!
Wayfairer did a great job helping put together a self directed safari that began in Windhoek, Namibia ending three weeks later in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It was a trip of a lifetime. At the outset we spent about a month batting ideas and potential itineraries back and forth until we were able to settle on an plan that fit my goals, budget, and time available for the trip. Over the next several months Wayfairer's concierge service was available to answer questions as they popped into mind as well as offering reminders as the trip approached, making sure I had the necessary immunizations and other similar details settled so that there would be no unwanted surprises when it came time to depart. And it was great having Wayfairer as a support team when my day of departure arrived and circumstances beyond my control made me miss my flight. I rearranged my flights while Wayfairer was able to reorganize accomodations and transportation in Windhoek last minute. I arrived a day later than planned, but I was greeted in Windhoek by Wayfairer's partners in country and they did a great job of adapting to my delayed arrival. On top of all of the delays, a checked bag got lost somewhere along the way. I thought I'd have to wait in Windhoek for the bag to arrive, but they assured me that I should start my safari and they'd see to it that the bag would catch up to me. Much to my surprise, the next day, hundreds of miles away at a lodge out in the middle of nowhere, my bag showed up no worse for wear. The 4x4 Toyota they arranged was perfect for the adventure, and the rental included the replacement of ruptured tires at no cost, border transfer paperwork, an ice chest for the trip, and a prepaid cell phone with every phone number you might need already programmed into the phone. Having all that in hand made the trip a lot less stressful, knowing that there was a support team a phone call away. I stayed at many lodges, ranging in size from just a few guests to maybe a hundred quests. I didn't have a bad experience at any of them and stayed at a few that I really hope to visit again and spend more time at the location. I met loads of fun and interesting people, accomplished all of my goals, and can't wait to put together another trip like this in the future. It truly was a trip of a lifetime and Wayfairer was great partner helping me to put this whole thing together. I'm an experienced traveler and don't generally look for help when planning a trip, but this trip required a lot of planning and organization, and the experienced folks at Wayfairer made the planning of this trip so much easier than it would have been if I'd try to do this on my own. I'm very happy with every aspect of this trip and would definitely recommend Wayfairer if you're looking for help putting together an amazing trip. Special thanks to Josh, Carmen, and Toon. Cheers! Matt
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
MOST PROFFESIONAL SAFARI
The way all our ideas and enthusiasm about safari in Africa were transformed to a perfect “six days major parks expeditions” package itinerary was quite remarkable. From the time we were communicating via the email everything worked quite smoothly. Their email replies were so quick and very informative. We arrived at JRO in late midnight and yet there was a representative who was friendly and took us to the hotel. Really enjoyed every moment we stayed in Tanzania. Stuffs were really committed to make sure they delivered the most professional service. Definitely must visit once again.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really budget infrastructure for a budget tour
The safari was good in overall. We saw a lot of animals missing just a male lion, leopard and crocodiles. However, we saw them because my husband was good in finding them and not our guide. He didn’t talk to us and didn’t explain us anything about animals and country, lost answered our questions sometimes. But he (the guide - Kobra) was friendly and helped us to get in the bus (the company got us very very bad bus that we had on the way back, instead of getting us the fast train). Our car was not suitable for safari (minibus) and we always got stuck in roads for hours sometimes and we had to push the car from mud, I guess it happens with everyone but much less when you have a suitable Jeep for safaris. The campings were okay but really wild - in our “cottage” there were holes in walls and holes in mosquito net so all the insects could come in. However, seeing a lot of animals was very pleasant that we forgot about many disappointments on the way.