Kenya Lodge Safari, experience Meru National Park amongst other major Game parks in Kenya with a true feeling of nature at it's best and wildlife in higher concentration. Tribal culture an added bonus
Overall operator rating 9.4/10 from 16 trip reviews
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We loved our 8-day budget camping safari. Esther , who organized the safari, was excellent in all her communications and really took our needs into consideration. I was four and a half months pregnant when we went and she made sure I was reassured about the trip and comfortable.
Our driver, Paul, was also very considerate about my pregnancy: he drove very carefully and was very accommodating and knowledgeable. The food was great too - nice range, healthy, and delicious fresh fruit.
We started with the Masai Mara and had fantastic game drives for 3 days there. We also loved the campsite we stayed in there. We were less keen on the next day of our trip to Hell's Gate park, partly because it was overcast and partly because the guest house in the suburbs of Naivasha had no view and didn't really feel like a 'safari'. But we enjoyed spotting rhinos on our next day at Lake Nakuru. We finished the trip with a superb two nights in Samburu Lodge (we paid extra for this).
I've already recommended the tour operator to a couple of friends who have seen our pictures and want to go on safari now!
We found this safari extremely enjoyable and met our expectations or even exceeded them in some areas.
The driver/guide, Paul, was extremely warm, humorous, knowledgeable, informative and professional in all ways. He also has a very good understanding of the animals and the knack of getting into the right positions to view and photograph them. He also provided a lot of general information about Kenya. He really made the experience special.
The food prepared by our cooks, Justice and George, was also excellent and varied for this sort of tour.
The camps, particularly Camp Manyatta in Masai Mara, Stayed 1 night in Nakuru in a 1-star hotel which was clean and comfortable and the food was quite good.
Whilst we had a great safari in Kenya, the Tanzania safari was a disappointment
We could not recommend this operator for the Tanzania Lodge Safari. They themselves do not operate in Tanzania and operate through an Agent.
There were changes in the Itinerary and the lodges from what had been booked and paid for.
The driver/guide was incompetent as a guide. He was rude, uncommunicative and ill-prepared. His vehicle did not even have a radio. He could not even position himself properly when trying to look at and photograph game.
We never knew what we were doing from one moment to the next and he had the distressing/disgustingly annoying habit of ignoring any questions we asked or any requests we made.
Whatever the reasons for this he went a long way to really spoiling the total experience. If it wasn’t for the places and sights along the way, the wildlife, the people at the hotels and some of the other guides we talked to along the way, we would have had a hard time recommending anyone to Tanzania itself.
We would certainly have been better off booking the Tanzania safari through someone else.
Tour Operators Reply:
Thank you for your feedback, we sincerely apologise that the Tanzania safari did not meet your expectations and your complaint will help us strive to do better in the future which will help us to provide future clients with a better level of service
Changes do very occasionally occur with regards to transport and accommodation and this is often beyond our control. We did try and rectify the situation but it out of our hands.
We are very sorry to hear that the guide did not provide the level of service expected. I am surprised as this is the first complaint we have received about him, but we shall be taking the matter up with our agents in Tanzania.
We are pleased that you enjoyed your safari in Kenya and wish that your safari experience had not been marred by the events that occured in Tanzania, but thank you for taking the time to send through your feedback.
We were on safari from 19th - July 27th 2010 and had a fantastic experience!
From the beginning of our inquiries with them, Esther was very helpful and accommodating with all our requests from wanting to see the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara and suggesting the best time of the season to experience this to traveling to a variety of game parks. She was very flexible and accommodated late requests to add an extra day at Lake Naivasha and a bike trip through Hell's Gate Park.
Our driver and knowledgeable safari guide, Joseph, was excellent! He was very prompt with all appointments and delivered impeccable service to our family of 4 (parents and our daughter and son 21 y.o. and 18 y.o. respectively). We visited Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Samburu and Aberdare while staying at a mix of campsites and lodges. It was very enjoyable to have a pre arranged visit to a Masai village and also to be lucky enough to see all of the "Big 5" thanks to Joseph. He was untiring in his service to us even though there were some long driving days between game parks.
Overall, we had an excellent experienceand our family would definitely recommend a safari with them.
That was a marvelous adventure.Safari was perfectly prepared and conducted.
Our driver/tracker and cook were outstanding team with first always knowing the best places to watch and photograph animals and second taking perfect care for our health and well being. Although the price was located in between ridiculously low and real bargain and no luxuries were expected we were nicely surprised by the quality of the camps.
The tour operator has my highest recommendations and grades for their outstanding quality and proffesionalism.
The parcs that we visited were: - Ngorongoro Crater - Tanzania - Masai Mara - Kenya - Lake Nakuru - Kenya.
We traveled by car / bus (with driver) During our trip we stayed in Lodges.
We had a great time in Africa. We saw a lot of wild animals, had a good view of the beautiful countryside and had a very pleasant holliday.
The operator organised the trip very well. We were picked up at all the different places and everything was booked in advance. We will recommend them to everybody we know if they will plan a safari in these countries.
Thanks again for the wonderful time we had at the Nairobi Game Park. Esther and her crew were promptly waiting for our arrival at the airport.
They whisked us off to a safari where we saw lots of animals. Giraffes, warthogs, baboons, impalas, etc. to name a few.
We then headed over to the Carnivore Restaurant for dinner. Esther had made all the arrangements for our group of 23. We were able to reflect back on our day as the waiters at the restaurant met our every need.
It was a wonderful day and we thank the operator for making it be so great, especially Esther!
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Itinerary
I T I N E R A R Y
Day 01: Nairobi - Masai Mara After breakfast, we will pick you up from your Nairobi hotel and thereafter depart for Masai Mara Game Reserve via the viewpoint of the Great Rift Valley, lunch enroute. Arrive in time for an evening game drive in this pristine, unequalled ‘big game country’. Dinner and overnight at the Keekorok/Sopa Lodge.
Day 02: Masai Mara This will be a day of tracking game with your guide, after an early breakfast. The Mara’s landscape is scenic savannah grassland on rolling hills, which enables the reserve to attract sufficient rainfall to maintain and support a large population of herbivores, together with the predators that follow. Elephant, lion, buffalo can be seen with relative ease though luck is a necessary factor for spotting rhino and leopard that complete the big five as the two animals are very timid and sparsely numbered. Plains game like wildebeest, zebra and Masai giraffe abound as well as hippos and a wide variety of antelopes including impala, dik dik, hartebeest, Grant’s gazelle and Thompson’s gazelle among others. We will cater for a picnic lunch at the hippo pool. In the evening, return to the Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 03: Masai Mara After breakfast, another morning of tracking game with your guide in this reserve which borders Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and is the annual seasonal scene of the migration of close to 800,000 zebra and wildebeest that occurs between the two parks. Lunch at the Lodge. In the afternoon there is a choice between a game drive and a nature walk escorted by our armed Masai guides. At extra cost you may visit a local Masai village to see their nomadic lifestyle; the Masai are famous for their bravery, as they have co-existed with the animals over the years. All meals and overnight at the Lodge.
Day 04: Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru After breakfast, leave Masai Mara for Nakuru with a stop for lunch enroute, with scenic views of Lake Naivasha and Mt. Longonot, which are in the Great Rift from afar on the main highway. Dinner and overnight at the Lake Nakuru Lodge or Lion Hill Lodge.
Day 05: Lake Nakuru - Samburu After breakfast a morning game drive will follow in Lake Nakuru National Park, the abode of various water birds that breed in the lake’s salty water including flamingos, white pelicans and marabou stork; white rhino may be seen as well as the rare Rothschild’s giraffe, cape buffalo and other plains game in this park that is 188 square kilometres. Depart for Samburu Game Reserve for dinner and overnight at the Samburu lodge via the Thompson Falls, which are named after Joseph Thompson, one of the first European explorers who walked from Mombasa to Lake Victoria in the 1880’s. Lunch and game drive enroute. (If you prefer to stay at Larsens Camp, there is a supplement cost applicable).
Day 06: Samburu Morning and afternoon game-viewing sessions tracking the rare, drought resistant animals species which can only be seen north of the equator; these are: the reticulated giraffe, grevy’s zebra, the gerenuk or giraffe-gazelle, Beisa Oryx and the blue shanked Somali ostrich. The Ewaso Nyiro River traverses this park, it’s source being the Aberdare ranges. There are therefore very high chances of spotting crocodile in a natural environment though its water level varies seasonally. You will have a lunch and leisure break in the mid afternoon. Rest of meals and overnight at the lodge. (If you prefer to stay at Larsens Camp, there is a supplement cost applicable).
Day 07: Samburu - Meru After breakfast, depart Samburu for Meru National Park, with scenic views of Mt. Kenya’s peak if the weather permits. Very pleasant countryside with tea and coffee plantations will be by-passed enroute. Meru is located on the lowland plains east of Meru town, a complete contrast of Samburu where open bush is the norm. Abundant rainfall and numerous permanent water courses flowing down from the Mount Kenya massif support a luxuriant jungle of forest, bush, swamp and tall grasses which, in turn provide fodder and shelter to a wide variety of herbivores and their predators. Wildlife seen here is elephant, lions, antelopes, cheetah, lesser kudu,, eland, waterbuck, grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle and Oryx. Buffalo, reticulated giraffe, grevy’s zebra and impala are also commonly seen. Ura and Tana rivers on the southern boundary are most dramatic alongside watercourses are monkeys, crocodile and a plethora of bird species (including the palm nut vulture and Marshal eagle). Remember this is also historical with Joy and George Adamson having lived here where they raised and released orphaned lions and leopard cubs here. Lunch. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge.
Day 08: Meru-Nairobi Morning breakfast and picnic lunch with a final game drive in search of the predators and herbivores. You will return to Nairobi to arrive early evening. Transfer to Nairobi City Hotel for your own arrangements.
Package Includes: All game parks and National parks entrance fees All game drives Professional fluent English-speaking driver cum guide Comfortable transport in our safari vehicles with hatch-roofs fitted with VHF radio Three meals per day whilst on safari, (buffet/Ala-carte) Lodge Accommodation as detailed
Package Excludes International flights Visas and travel insurance Items of a personal nature Items not mentioned above
