20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well articulated and professional.
The tour was worth every penny. The tour guide was punctual, professional and very knowledgeable. I had a wonderful experience.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tour for Masai Mara
From the beginning, Steve was very communicative and responded quickly to every single question we had. The driver picked us up at our hotel just as planned and we joined a small safari and became close friends with the other travelers (we were 4 in total). We had two different drivers, the first day driver knew where to find the best animals but did not communicate any additional info to us about the habits of the animals, so we didn't really get any background info on what we were seeing. The second day driver was excellent. He was extremely passionate about what we were seeing and doing, had incredible eyesight (he spotted a rhino deep in the bush that took us all forever to finally see!), and brought the details of the animals to life. It's an incredibly valuable price for what it all entailed. We have no complaints, just be weary of the Masai Village, in our opinion. It is interesting and worthwhile, but they hassled us left and right to buy things, lying about selling us lions teeth (it was a zebra bone), and plant-hand-dyed cloths (they were from factories in India), tried to charge us double the fee for the village tour than what the driver had told us to expect, and generally grossly overcharged on all of the items that they sold (but that's common in Kenya). You can easily opt out of the village tour to avoid these hassles though. Bring your own water despite the confirmation that it will be provided. Our guide did not have any for us. The accommodations were in a spacious camp with amazing hospitality from the staff. We absolutely fell in love with Masai Mara and hope to come back again soon.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommended!
Having recently returned from an 8-day holiday/safari in Kenya... I hereby want to give an extended and honest review on Meektrails Safaris. As this was my 3rd time in Kenya (having previously travelled with Pollmans and Natural World Kenya Safaris) I’m in a good position to compare this safari with my previous experiences.
I came across Meektrails Safaris through SafariBookings.com... a site to find and compare safari operators. After having requested a quote through SafariBookings, Daniel Waruri (Meektrails its owner) was very very quick to respond to me. After some back and forth mailing and taking into account Daniel his tips and proposals, we came to an interesting itinerary. In total I requested quotes at +/- 10 different safari operators. In the end, although not being the cheapest, we settled with Meektrails Safaris. The reasons being, amongst others, the honesty of Daniel (not trying to upsell us like other companies), his long experience in the field, the quick and friendly replies, the regular updates on his social media canals (meaning his company was really active), his experience concerning photography and the fact the we wanted to support a relatively new operator during these covid times.
The itinerary we agreed on consisted of an 8-day/7-night safari consisting of 2 nights in Buffalo Springs National Reserve/Samburu (Ashnil Samburu Camp), 1 night in Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Sweetwaters Serena Camp), 1 night in Lake Nakuru National Park (Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge) and 3 nights in the Masai Mara (Zebra Plains Mara Camp).
Payment
Daniel was able to get me an extra Travel Industry discount at some of the camps/lodges as I’m active in the industry myself. We also agreed on only paying for the safari after we set foot on Kenyan soil (due to the uncertainties related to travel restrictions and a possible positive covid PCR test), meaning Daniel paid for the camps/lodges with his own savings. We highly appreciated this flexibility shown by him. In the end we decided to transfer 50% of the total sum once we had the result of our covid PCR test with the remaining 50% transferred when we were in Kenya. The covid PCR test in order to exit Kenya was arranged by Daniel and his staff meaning it was much cheaper than relying on a doctor visiting the camps in the Masai Mara.
Airport pickup
On our arrival in Kenya we were picked up at the airport by James. He would drive us to the hotel we booked ourselves in Nairobi (Best Western Plus Westlands) before starting the safari on the next day. Our flight got delayed a bit and it took a looooong time to pass the health check and immigration at Nairobi Intl. Airport... but James was still awaiting us when we finally exited the airport (the poor guy had waited almost 2 hours for us). Soon we were in the minivan on our way to the hotel. But then... we got unlucky. Just before leaving the airport perimeter the engine stopped and James was unable to restart the engine. With the help of a security agent, the van was pushed on the roadside. Miraculously the engine could then be restarted and off we were. However... after 1min on the highway the engine stopped working again with James being unable to restart it. We were thinking the worst as this van would also be our minivan for the safari. James stepped out, in the dark, in the middle of the highway to try to stop other traffic. Eventually a truck offered assistance and we were towed for 15min to a gas station. James filled some empty water bottles with petrol to fuel the minivan after which the engine could be restarted. While this “adventure” was initially a bit frustrating (after having already travelled more than 12 hours and just wanting a shower and a bed to sleep)... we soon saw the charm of this hiccup. I said to my wife... “if this airport transfer would be without issues you would have never remembered it... but now you’ll always remember our first day together in Kenya” ;-). And we’ve got a story to tell people. A big thumbs up to James. He didn’t give up and did everything in his power to find a solution. He was a bit afraid for his job due to this hiccup but I do hope he’s still with Meektrails as he showed he’s able to think out of the box to find solutions.
Safari minivan
We decided to do the safari with Meektrails black 4WD minivan. While many operators tried to upsell us and offer a 4WD jeep, Daniel was really insisting on using the minivan (even though he has the more expensive jeep option on offer as well). While the jeep looks “cooler” and more “impressive”... it doesn’t have any advantages. We encountered some thunderstorms during our game drives in the Masai Mara and the Meektrails minivan was as capable as the jeeps on the muddy and flooded roads. We got everywhere where the jeeps went and never got into trouble. Don’t expect a new or refurbished minivan though. The Meektrails minivan is a dusty and older van... but it is very very very capable when you consider the “offroad” and “bumpy” conditions in the safari parks. We couldn’t be happier with our “The A-team minivan” ;-)! The minivan lacks air conditioning (although a system seemed to be installed) and we were instructed to use the natural air conditioning during the transfers between the parks -> opening the sliding windows. This turned out to be more than sufficient. Inside the parks, air conditioning doesn’t make sense anyway as the roof will be open at all times.
The Safari itself
The proposed itinerary proved to be an interesting one. With each of the parks having its own attractions (the Samburu five in Buffalo Springs, the white and black rhinos in Ol Pejeta, the birds in Lake Nakuru and the big cats in the Masai Mara), the suspense was building up towards the end. The camps proposed can be found in the mid-to-luxury range comfort level. All of them were good value for the money paid.
The Safari guide
While we normally would have been guided by Daniel himself... medical issues meant we were given another guide very last minute. We were initially a bit disappointed by this as we would have loved to meet Daniel in real life and gain from his photography experience. Instead we were greeted and picked up by Peter who turned out to be a great guide. Peter had 17 years of experience in the field and always took initiative to tell us more about the different animals we saw, the landsights we crossed etc. He was very knowledgeable. While the attendance in the first 3 parks was rather low, Peter was always able to find us the special animals during game drives, not relying on radio information from other drivers/guides as there were none. During our game drives in the Masai Mara we were initially a bit disappointed when he parked the minivan a bit further away from the rare animals (leopards and cheetahs) and away from other vehicles. But it turned out he always made the right decision as the animals walked towards our minibus and passed at less than 1 meter. You might think... that’s just being lucky. Maybe... but it isn’t if it happens all the time. I would call it experience instead of luck. One time he put the minivan on the main road some 10m away from all the other vehicles. The 4 cheetahs walked in the bushes towards our van and sat down on the road just in front of us. You could feel the frustration of the people in the other minivans and jeeps as they all had to stay behind us while we enjoyed the very best views. It seems Peter really knew how to “read” the animals.
Would we recommend Meektrails Safari? I think, from the review above, it’s pretty clear we liked our experience with them. If you’re looking for a personal service, a good price/value safari with knowledgeable and responsible guides/drivers... don’t look further... and choose Meektrails. They are a young company trying to find their spot between the well established safari operators in Kenya. Contrary to others, they also do seem to be aware and put effort in their brand image (branded water bottles during the safari, every client gets his own “Meektrails” safari hat to take home, regular updates on facebook/instagram, ...)... and this helps to get a “feel at home”-experience. Daniel is also very open to communicate, before, during and after the trip... and is easily reachable through whatsapp and e-mail. One small remark/advice... update the minivan a bit. A lick of cool paint and branding on the exterior and some cleaning and new seat covering on the inside.
RECOMMENDED!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations!
A group of eight of us used Gorilla Link for a two week safari in Uganda. We all had a fantastic time, Uganda and Gorilla Link exceeded our expectations! I started the planning process in 2019 with Carol. Carol never missed an email, responded promptly and was always professional and helpful with my questions. Carol is extremely efficient and is simply the best at what she does. When covid hit in 2020 we had to postpone our trip. Naturally this was nerve racking, for we had already made deposits and we had no idea about the solvency of Gorilla Link or the conditions in Africa would be. Carol rebooked everything for us, stayed in close contact and reassured us everything would work out. We finally made it to Uganda in October 2021 and wow, what a fantastic trip! Everything from logistics, wildlife, food and lodging was perfect! Our guides Richard and Bob were the best, so friendly and personable, safe and really went the extra mile to make sure we were taken care of. We were always amazed how they could spot wildlife from far away. Carol’s Gorilla Link is simply the best and Uganda exceeded our expectations for friendly people, wildlife, birding, scenery and diversity and value. I would highly recommend Gorilla Link and visiting Uganda.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very helpful and reliable
From the first contact, they replied very quickly, resolving all our doubts. During our staying they were very punctual and reliable. All the logistics and coordination worked well. The safaris were great! We saw lot of animals! Additionally, we changed countries (Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia) and they helped us with the visas and took us to do the required PCR tests to cross borders. I highly recommend Africa Zim Travel / Tours.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Simply the Best!
We used Nziza for a gorilla trek and safari in Uganda. Bernard is simply the best and exceeded every expectation. His recommendations for activities and lodging were perfect in every way. He is a wonderful man and worked to ensure that every single part of the trip went off flawlessly. I couldn't recommend Nziza enough. Communication was perfect and the many changes we made to our flights and itinerary were handled beautifully.
HU
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
The best tour operators, proffessionals.
Travelled with kids and had gluten sensitive in our family.
They paid special attention to our " problems" or requests.
Thank you Bryson and Mtinangi!!
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top notch service; paradise in the wilderness
From our camp dining table we saw baboons, elephants, impalas, water bucks, greater kudus and other animals. The food was equisite. The entire staff was so kind and accessible. The rooms were large, modern and well furnished.
PL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good expierience.
We did 10 days safari in south Tanzania. Our guide, Fred show us Selous, Mikumi, Ruaha, Uluguru and Udzungwa. The program was adapted to our expectations. Accommodation and program implemented as planned. As a bonus, the Swahili course with our guide :)
I recommend Raja Tours and Fred as a guide.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very local good tour operator that will cater to you
Derek is wonderful. He really worked hard for me and my requests to come up with what we wanted in a safari. And I was tough. What’s best is that it’s a local company, not one run by a larger company. Therefore you pay reasonable prices and support a local company.