Magical Mara

The service was amazing and efficient from start to finish. Charity was always on hand to answer all our questions at time of booking. David and Henry our guides made sure our huge family were well looked after and we saw every animal there was to be seen in the mara, including the elusive cheetah, leopard and rhino.

Incredible holiday - adventure and wildlife. Native Africa Trails organised a superb trip for us. After two years of covid restrictions we wanted something exciting but it was hard to choose a safari company. After reading a lot of reviews we picked Native Africa Trails because if a recommendation and we are very happy we did. David, our guide, accompanied us from landing at the airport to dropping us back there after our trip. We visited multiple sites and stayed in two lovely hotels, recommended by our guide. For me, the highlight was the for days we spent in the Masai Mara. The variety of birds was astonishing (I am a keen twitcher) and the chance to see so many wild animals in their natural habitat was truly special. David's local knowledge allowed him to find the best spots to find everything we expected to see: lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, Thompson's gazelles, impala, waterbuck, hartebeest, wildebeest, eland, giraffe, water buffaloes, zebra, serval cats, jackals, and most special of all, two white rhino. David took us off road quite often to drive across the plains to help find the cats and his jeep can safely cross some challenging terrain. It was a magical holiday because of David's organisation and flexibility - he built a unique bespoke experience for us. He speaks English, Spanish, Swahili and a local tribal language fluently, communicates clearly and responds rapidly to any questions. We felt completely safe and looked after at all times. Highly recommended for excellent, reliable service.

After a lot of research, we booked a fully guided, bespoke 9 day trip with Native Africa Trails from the UK for three generations of our family. Our guide, David, picked us up from Nairobi Airport and stayed with us throughout the trip, which we had planned together. We started our holiday at the Lake Naivasha Resort, a very comfortable hotel with great food and beautiful grounds leading to the lake, where we saw giraffes and hippos. From here, our guide David took us on a series of trips including a 7km cycle ride through Hell's Gate National Park, where we saw zebras, giraffes, many different species of antelopes and birds, as well as geothermal springs and a view of the gorge. We also took a boat trip across Lake Naivasha, getting close to the hippos, stalks, pelicans and fish eagles on our way to Crescent Island National Park where we were able to walk among the animals and get close to gazelles, wildebeest, zebras and giraffes. The next day we decided to accept the challenge of a hike up Mount Longonot National Park, a dormant volcano. The views across the Rift Valley and inside the crater are truly spectacular. There is an optional extension to walk around the rim, which we chose not to do. Our guide David then drove us to the Mara Serena Safari Lodge, a luxurious hotel cleverly hidden by trees and bushes on top of a small hill on the Masai Mara. Nothing could have prepared us for the incredible wildlife spectacle of the Masai Mara. David knows the area very well and understands where the different species are likely to be found. This meant sometimes going off road across quite challenging terrain. We spent 4 nights in the Mara, taking a morning and late afternoon game drive each day. David's knowledge and determination to seek out different species meant we encountered lions four times, including a mother and 4 cubs walking and a pride feeding on a carcass. David's ability to search out wildlife led to us finding three separate leopards, two serval cats, a herd of over 200 elephants, a trio of cheetahs, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, gazelles, antelopes, many giraffes and countless birds species including eagles, vultures and ostriches. Breakfast with the hippos on the banks of the river was a real treat. At the end if our trip, David took us back to Nairobi Airport. It was the trip of a lifetime and Native Africa Trails are highly recommended to give great service and deliver a personalised trip.