13 Aug 2022
This is a wonderful tour. The itinerary takes you to what you want to see and experience in Kenya at an excellent price. Accommodation and food were good (budget-style, nothing to complain about). I am very happy I had the chance to take this tour and would like to point out some things other travelers might want to be aware of.
The confirmed transfer from the airport wasn't there. I had to see how to get into town. A driver took me for free since he seemed to know the owner of the agency.
I was made pay 80€ more than the official price agreed on and stated on the homepage and on my confirmation mail due to some "different conversion rate", no discussions. Paying in advance and bringing a receipt might be a better option than paying cash at the office.
My 7-day itinerary was shortened to a 6-day itinerary. After many complicated discussions, the driver agreed to add day 3 of the 7-day itinerary after day 6 of the 6-day itinerary because the other people in the van had all booked the 6-day itinerary. Fine by me and probably the best solution for the group, but it invoked a 300-km detour (~5hrs).
We were stopped twice in one of the parks by park rangers for breaking the park rules (getting off road and getting too close to wildlife). The driver managed to pay a bribe and we could move on. Make up your mind if you want this.
The included mineral water was finished after day 6 and I had to get water for myself and the driver (this does not really incur costs), who also asked for money for gasoline and insisted on an additional tip (which I am happy to give, but it didn't feel voluntary). He was very friendly and flexible during the safari, but hardly offered any explanations about flora and fauna.
I would not discourage anyone from booking with Baboon Budget Safaris since it was still a wonderful experience at a great price. One should be aware that there might be surprises and some flexibility is certainly required.