Kenya Unspoilt : Lakes, Mt. Elgon, Tea Plantations
We visit the Great Rift Valley Lakes of Kenya famous for the bird life. Take a nature walk in Mt Elgon area and relax on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria. This is basically the unspoilt Kenya at best.
Overall operator rating 9.4/10 from 16 trip reviews
Our unique relationship with our tour operators ensures only people who have participated in a trip after making an enquiry for it at The Africa Guide can leave a review.
The email we send you when you make an enquiry has full instructions for registering a booking and leaving a review - both are free services.
Feel free to read through the reviews for any trip you like the look of.
Trips with no reviews are usually new to the The Africa Guide but are normally operated by a tour operator who is established here. Most tour operators listing here will usually have gained reviews about other trips they have listed here.
Thanks for visiting, happy travels and don't forget to send us your reviews...
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!
12Next
Itinerary
I T I N E R A R Y
Day 01: Nairobi - Lake Baringo After breakfast, pick up from your hotel and proceed to Lake Baringo with a brief stop over at the Great Rift Valley view point. Along the highway Mt Longonot, which is of volcanic origin and Lakes Naivasha, and Elementaita can be seen. Arrive Lake Baringo in time for lunch. After lunch proceed on a 1 hour boat ride on the island to view birds and the hippos in these waters. A visit to a local njemps village or a local snake farm can be arranged at an extra cost. Dinner and overnight at Campsite on the shores of Lake Baringo. Day 2: Lake Bogoria - Mt Elgon Early breakfast followed by visit to Lake Bogoria, which is adorned with natures rare gifts, thermal springs and geysers, thousands of flamingos, different species of water fowls but fishless. Visitors boil eggs at natures cost while they sit under the hardy acacia trees listening to the singing weaverbirds, buzzing bees and sometimes the cough of an agitated baboon. With lunch en-route proceed to Mt. Elgon National Park followed by afternoon drive to the elephant caves where you will be able to walk and explore with an English speaking experienced guide on hand to explain the caves history. Dinner and overnight in the campsite.
Day 3: Mt. Elgon After breakfast embark on a nature walk. With a chance of seeing animal and plant species and also finding an ideal site for a picnic lunch. Mt. Elgon is the 4th highest in East Africa after Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya and the Ruwenzoris. The park shares its borders with Uganda. The vegetation ranges from wet forests to alpine moor land and support Colubus Monkeys, Elephant, Buffalo and several species of Antelope, which are prey for the secretive leopard. Dinner and overnight at the campsite.
Day 4: Mt. Elgon - Kakamega forest Early breakfast and depart for Kakamega where your drive takes you over the Tugen hills, through the beautiful Kerio valley and Sirikwa plateau into the Kakamega forest reserve which is a superb slab of virgin tropical rainforest in the heart of an intensively cultivated agricultural area. This forest is a home to a huge variety of birds and animals and is well worth the minimal effort required to get to it. Some parts of the forest are very dense and for a greater appreciation of the flora and fauna a guide with an extensive knowledge of the fauna, flora and birds accompany you to guide you around. Binoculars and wet-weather gear are essential as it usually rains heavily every afternoon for a couple of hours. Dinner and overnight in the campsite.
Day 5: Kakamega forest - Kisumu Depart Kakamega forest for Kisumu on the shores of Lake Victoria. This is the 2nd largest city in Kenya. On arrival proceed to the impala sanctuary and to dunga known as the hippo point. It’s also worth visiting the Kisumu museum whose displays are well presented and wide ranging in their variety. There’s a very good collection of everyday items from the various peoples of the area including agricultural implements, birds and insect traps (including a white ant trap), food utensils, clothing, furniture, weapons, musical instruments, and a fair collection of stuffed birds and animals, including an amazing centre piece of a lion riding on a wildebeest. Outside there is a traditional Luo homestead consisting of the husband’ mud and thatch house and separate houses for each wife. Also visit the bird sanctuary before exploring the big magnificent market in Kisumu town. Dinner and overnight at campsite.
Day 6: Kisumu - Rusinga Island After breakfast, drive via Ahero to Katito with picnic lunch en-route. Proceed on via Sondu, Oyugis and on to Kisii with a brief stop to watch the Kisii soapstone carvers at work. Via Rongo, Homa bay, Mbita and across the causeway to Rusinga island on Lake Victoria. Your stay in Kenya is only complete with a visit to this paradise island located within the second highest fresh water Lake in the world and the source of the river Nile. The Lake borders Kenya and Uganda. Dinner and overnight at the Campsite.
Day 7: Rusinga Island After breakfast you spend a full day having fun and exploring, try your hand at fishing at Takawiri, or take a boat ride on the lake. For bird lovers enjoy the sight of fish eagles perch atop trees like sentries then suddenly swoop down for fish on the lakes surface, a fantastic “bird action” photo-to opportunity. Dinner and overnight at the Campsite.
Day 8: Rusinga Island - Kericho After breakfast, drive via Kisii to Kericho Tea hotel with picnic lunch en-route and stop-over to buy soapstone souvenir carvings. Arrive at Tea Hotel in the afternoon and relax in the hotel's lush gardens taking in the magnificent view of Tea farms stretching for miles all around you. Dinner and Overnight at the Campsite.
Day 9: Kericho – Lake Nakuru After breakfast, depart for Lake Nakuru National Park arriving in time for lunch. Proceed on an afternoon game drive in this park that has a fantastic array of bird life including thousands of flamingos, white pelicans and the marabou stork, all water birds that breed in the lakes alkaline waters. You may spot white rhino that has 5 horns instead of the usual three and the rare Rothschild’s giraffe. A visit to the baboon cliff offers a scenic panorama of the lake below, surrounded by a vast tract of euphorbia and acacia forest. Makalia falls within the park are an additional attraction. Dinner and overnight at the Campsite.
Day 10: Nakuru - Nairobi After breakfast, proceed on a morning game drive and after depart the park for Nairobi through the floor of the Great Rift Valley and with stops to View Lake Elementaita, Lake Naivasha, Mt. Longonot and also a stop at the rift valley viewpoint. Arrival Nairobi by mid afternoon.
Includes: National parks entrance fees All game drives in the various parks accompanied Services of professional fluent english-speaking driver cum guide Comfortable transport in our safari vehicles with hatch-roofs fitted with VHF radio All campsite fees in all the above mentioned parks All camping equipment (except sleeping bags, which we have available for hire in Nairobi) Two man mosquito-netted canvas tents Africa Jungle comfortable seats Comfortable foam mattresses 2-4 inches and ground sheets in the tents. Three sumptuous meals whilst on safari
