hungryforcake
18 Feb 2023
We've just returned home from an incredible first visit to Kenya with Africa Kenya Safari.
We spent 3 nights in Mara, 2 nights in Nakuru and 1 night in Naivasha and they made all the arrangements for this, including lodge choices and the transfers to the Nairobi hotels we chose and the experience was brilliant.
My husband arranged the trip as a surprise and they helped him throw in extra surprises such as a delicious big birthday cake and happy birthday song from the staff at one of the lodges. They also helped with arrangements for the sunrise balloon ride over Mara and a visit to a traditional Maasai village , which was fascinating and we learned a lot during that visit. Peter also gave us some good tips before the village visit so we would know what to expect and what to be aware of.
Lodges they chose were clean, spacious, well equipped, beautiful views, all had pools and space to relax, so much nature at the lodges with beautiful birds and animals and with expansive buffets.
A wonderful and varied experience that included truck safaris, boat safari, walking safari, picnic lunch in Mara with a view of giraffes in the distance - magical! Most of our game drives were half day and easy to manage with one full day game drive, where we saw so many animals.
We didn't have to worry about a thing and Peter was with us throughout, from airport pick up to our final transfer. We wanted to fly into Mara from Nairobi, which they arranged for us with Peter meeting us there when we arrived.
He was punctuaal, helpful, professional and kind and he had an amazing eye for the animals. He spotted a cheetah in Mara from so far away just from seeing the ears and long before any other guides and pretty soon, all the other trucks turned up! With Peter, we saw in Mara, lions, cheetahs, elephants, hyenas, gazelles, mongoose, giraffes, zebras and so much more and in the other areas of the trip, we saw black and white rhinos.
The truck was equipped with seat belts and a cooler box full of water bottles that we could help ourselves to and they topped up for us and we could see the animals either from the open windows or from standing up and looking Iver the top and they also keep some top quality olympus binoculars, enough for both of us and Peter to have been able to use and we were able to use these when we went on the walking safari too.
Steve at the office was in regular contact with us to check all was going well for us and whether we were enjoying ourselves and our hotel and a couple of minor glitches that arose were very easily and quickly resolved.
Importantly, the prices they charged us were very reasonable compared to some of the hugely inflated prices being offered by some bigger international companies. We much prefer booking with local companies and their local knowledge and experience is invaluable so we were very glad to have booked with Africa Kenya for our trip.
Thanks so much Steve and Peter!
Professional, well organized, delivered as promised, knowledgeable and accommodating guide, good choice of accommodation and varied game spotting, comfortable vehicles and good value for money
This is my first review I've ever written; and this was my first time going on a Safari and first time in Kenya. I was unsure about how to even start planning the Trip. I got in touch with Africa Kenya Safaris after doing a bit of research, and got connected with Steve, who helped me plan everything. The process was very fluid, friendly and professional. Steve was able to be very flexible to match our flights and requirements.
Our Safari Guide in Masai Mara was Abu Bakhar Yahya, who was very friendly, knowledgeable and committed. He knew many of the other tour guides, so was able to get all the tips on where animals were spotted. He really went above and beyond to make sure we saw all the animals we wanted. On the last day we were on the early flight from Mara, so Yahya came really early that morning to make sure we managed to get another drive in before going to the air strip; and I'm glad he did because we managed to see a Leopard in a tree up close, which was amazing!!
I really enjoyed the trip and the process, everything was straightforward and I didn't have to worry about any admin, they took care of everything.
I also highly recommend booking the hot air balloon, a bit expensive but totally worth it!!