PT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best costumer service ever
We were advised by a friend to choose Spirit of Kenya and we could not have made a better choice. Top 5 star service, spectacular guides Mike and Moses, 24/7 availability in our language with Francisco always, and I mean always available. Accommodations have lived up to expectations especially the Ziwa Lodge which has a special and unique atmosphere. In just 3 days of safari in Nakuru and Masaai Mara we saw all the animals we wanted except the elusive leopard. Kenya is a wonderful country with warm, friendly, and yet so cheerful people. A family adventure that we will never forget. In addition to organizing the safari in Kenya, Spirit still booked us the flight to Zanzibar and the hotel in Stone Town which we loved. Thank you for an unforgettable trip.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Abosolutely AMAZING!!!!
We traveled all the way from new york, USA for this trip and it was hands down an experience of a life time. From my initial inquiry, Hilary was very prompt in his responses and made sure he answered all of my questions. It was our first time camping and traveling to east Africa so I was very cautious when booking, but that feeling quickly vanished after the multiple email exchanges with Hilary. We booked a 3 day safari. Our chef and driver were absolutely amazing. There were very passionate/energetic throughout the 3 days. There was never a dull moment with them. Their energy was always at 100%. Food was amazing. I was amazed at how they were able to provide quality and tasty meals with limited resources. Very impressive! We saw 4/5 big five and a tons of wild life. Not only did I learn about the wild life, I learned about the culture in Tanzania. The staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating.
Its also worthy to note that Hilary who is a local Tanzanian owns the company. It felt great to support.
Great value and I would definitely recommend this company without hesitation.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best vacation ever!
My husband and I have just returned from a 15 day/14 night private safari tour in Kenya and Tanzania, which also included beach time on Zanzibar. Everything about this vacation was perfect, from beginning to end. We could not have been more pleased. Geophrey did an absolutely wonderful job of booking the safari for us. He was quick to respond to my emails, answered every question (I had many), and was very thorough with the many details of the trip. Geophrey met us upon our arrival in Nairobi and was there at each of our flights to greet us and/or see us off. Geophrey and/or our tour guides walked us through the process of customs and immigration at border crossings. When we found out that we were over our limit for the small plane that would take us to Zanzibar, we repacked our suitcases to comply with the weight limits and Geophrey was so very kind to take all the extra baggage and store it with him, while we spent 3 days on Zanzibar. Our tour guides, George, Joseph and James, were all excellent. Their ability to spot animals was outstanding! We saw all of the big 5 and so much more - literally thousands of animals! The guides were always patient and accommodating whenever we asked to stop and take many, many pictures. They went out of their way to get the jeep in just the right spot for photos. All 3 of the guides were very knowledgeable regarding the life-style and culture of the various animals and they shared their knowledge with us, which made viewing the animals so much more interesting. The knowledge of life-style and culture extended to the native people and locals, as well. It was fascinating to learn about these wonderful, warm, welcoming people. We are in awe of how much we learned from our 3 guides in our short time together! We stayed in a variety of lodges, from luxury to "glamping" tents to basic tent camps. All exceeded out expectations! Food, accommodations and service were amazing everywhere we stayed. My husband and I have traveled all around the world - and THIS trip has gone down as our best trip ever! I can not recommend Kenan Travel and Tours enough! Thank you, Geophrey, George, Joseph and James for making our trip to Kenya and Tanzania wonderful!
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari!
We bought a tourist package for a week during the great migration. 3nights in Masai Mara and 3nights (lake Nakuru, lake Baringo, lake Naivasha) Perfectly organized tour, very good driver and everything was ok
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Stellar company that will far exceed your expecations!!!
I run an adventure group within the U.S. and we decided to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. In celebration of this we decided we wanted to fly to Kenya and experience a 5 day Safari. We planned this a year out and Maggie was so patient with us and has excellent communication skills. Maggie always got back with me within 24 hours which I found very impressive. There was a total of 15 of us on this tour. During our tour we stayed at 3 different lodges and we were welcomed with so much enthusiasm at each place. The staff was very friendly and very accommodating. The food was always hot and fresh and plenty of it.
Now as far as the Safari itself. I can Not say enough about our guides James and Jack. The 2 are so knowledgeable and they were so informative during our 5 day adventure. The communication among all the outfitters were just outstanding. You can see they want to make sure everyone sees all the animals. This was my 7th safari and it was the first time I saw the male lion. Not only did I see one I actually saw 3 different males!!! So exciting. We saw the big 5 among so many other wildlife. This was truly hands down the Best Safari I have ever been on. I would highly recommend you add on the boat safari itself. We were so close to the Hippo's and our guy had a fish in the boat. He whistled to the Eagle and threw it out into the water and how majestic that Eagle flew down and captured it. So Beautiful. The whole island around the Cresent Moon Island was so beautiful.
We ended our tour with Hell's Gate and I Loved that place. The one thing I would have done differently is take the bike ride down instead of driving. We ended up asking James and Jack if we could walk for awhile and they allowed us. It was Fantastic as we got close to some giraffes and zebras. So cool. The hike to the Devil's Bedroom was incredible and so incredibly beautiful. It's a Must do.
James and Jack made our adventure so memorable and I will charish these memories for life. A huge Thank You to Maggie for putting this itinerary together for us. Trust Maggie as she knows what she is doing. I could have never imagined doing so much in such a short time. James and Jack even squeezed in for us to go to the Masia Village which too was very educational, insightful and so special.
I am so Grateful to Maggie and all of her expertise and knowledge of the business. I also appriciate James and Jack. This is not just a job for them. They were so sincere and genuine in wanting to get to know us and make sure we were having the best time of our lives.
Thank You to All of you just does Not seem like enough......
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
South Africa Luxe-Adventure of a Lifetime
In a time where we depend on technology so regularly to run our lives, it is important to remember that we are people. It is our experience with two very special people at Ker & Downey Africa that made this the best trip of our lives. Sarah Morris, our adventurist, and Zeena Ponto, our Customer Experience Coordinator, planned, designed, and arranged the most luxurious South African adventure to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.
After I made an inquiry to Ker & Downey about visiting South Africa, I was promptly contacted by Sarah. She gathered as much information from me to make this trip unique and special for my wife and me. Oh my goodness, did she and Zeena ever! Working with a travel agency has never been such a pleasure. The communication was always prompt and informative, whether through email exchanges or telephone conversations.
No detail was overlooked. Every airport transfer, hotel accommodation, South African airline booking, safari camp, restaurant reservation, and custom tour was perfect. It would not have been impossible for me to arrange such a wonderful adventure without Sarah and Zeena.
I want to especially thank Sarah and Zeena for selecting andBeyond Phinda Forest Lodge and Lion Sand Narina Lodge and Samsara Africa.
The two safari camps were spectacular and uniquely different, but both had fantastic game drives, luxurious accommodations, outstanding dining and the most exceptional staffs who cared for us in a way we never expected. They anticipated every need and exceeded every expectation.
Samsara Africa, specifically, Leonard McMillan, is a category unto itself. Leonard brought a new meaning to "personal custom tour". We spent two days with him touring the Winelands and the Cape. Our time with Leonard is reason enough to look forward to our return visit to South Africa.
Ker & Downey Africa will plan our next visit to Africa, and there definitely be a next visit!
GH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Mabamba swamp day visit
I was promptly met at the airport and taken off to Mabamba swamp.Moses, the guide, had an excellent knowledge of the area - nature, culture, traditions. The transport was safe and he was a good driver.
I enjoyed the trip very much and would like to return to do a longer visit.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excitement, amazing food and wonderful team
Our 10 day Botswana tenting safari was NOT glamping. Howeve, it was a real bush safari- fun, well organised, exciting with amazing animal experiences. Our guide KB had the uncanny ability to track and find stunning sightings of animals that we thought one could only experience on TV! The bush cook Dreams was a real dream! 3 course dinners, fresh bread and cake every day-wish he could have come home with us. The rest of the camp crew were friendly and always considerate of our needs. The early morning starts-5.30am- ensured that we were all tucked up at night in our camp beds nice and early, ready to listen to the night sounds of hippos, lions etc. Tge Safari trips were over rough, v bumpy tracks but again-we were on safari so this only added to the excitement. The camp sites themselves were sandy clearings, reflecting the bush surroundings so, again, you were not in manicured lawned, glamping type situations. However, the tents were already assembled for us, swept and beds made by the camp crew. Top this off with a welcoming refreshment after each drive and warm flannels to wipe away the dust before the evening drinks-perfect! We had a prior 7 day lodge safari experience in SA before beginning the tent safari and I can say that the latter had a higher level of excitement and authenticity.
US
50-65 years of age
An Amazing and Extraordinary adventure
Comments from my group...
“Everything was amazing. The safari was better than the last. Our guide and the staff were wonderful. “ Dianne L
I need to share this with you and your staff…. It was not just my work.
“Your unrelenting attention to detail and generous planning made this the trip of a lifetime. We are so very very very grateful for all that you did to pull off the extraordinary adventure. Thank you thank you.” Donielle and Tim S.
“This trip was amazing, we got to see the Big Five. It was incredible, just watching the leopard gracefully get up and make its way down the tree.” Joe L
Another one to share with you and your staff.. it was not just me.
“It was such an awesome trip, thank you for everything you did for us.” Thad P.
And from me…. To be honest, I have always dealt with Amex because I felt comfortable having them as a buffer in case anything went wrong and so going directly with The Luxury Safari was kind of scary. I would like to say thank you Rose, you did a fantastic job, you were able to work with our budget and our payment terms, you came through with everything you promised and I will be happy to give anyone who asks me about an African Safari your information!
Thanks again for everything and I am sorry for the delay in relaying everyone’s comments. Sharmini E
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very good
After several emails with George we decided to rely on him for our safari. George organized a large 5 day safari Lake Manyara-Serengeti-Ngorongoro. We have to thank John our prepared and professional driver / guide and with a perfect Italian he explained everything we asked and guided us in the savannah with great skill he showed us all the Big Five. Thanks John, you're the best we could have. We advise everyone to go on safari with this company.
