Private Kenya Walking Safari: The World's Most Memorable Hand in Hand Journey

Rating this safari tour operator is a little difficult as I believe that a company is only as good as their travel agents and the people they contract with in Africa.  My travel agent was the only reason I chose this company. She made the trip and itinerary come alive for me and I was "sold" the very first time I spoke with her.  Unfortunately, I have heard she is leaving this company, therefore I would have some trepidation about recommending the company.  

The trip did not start out the best. When I arrived at Kilimanjaro there was no one to greet me!  Fortunately two gentlemen from another tour company assisted by calling the contract company in Africa's representative, Justin, for me.  Justin laughed and said he thought I was supposed to have arrived the day before, then had a taxi take me to my hotel in Arusha where he met me and minimized the issue with a brief apology.   Not a good way to start a journey!

Happily, the contract guide was fabulous.  He was with us the entire time we were in Tanzania and not only found game for us, but provided interesting history and facts about the animals and the country.  He was truly amazing and I would not hesitate to recommend him as a guide.  He made the time in Tanzania much more memorable. 

When we flew from the Serengeti to Kenya (several take-offs/landings) we arrived at Arusha where Justin met us and drove us to Kilimanjaro (Serengeti-Arusha-Kilimanjaro-Nairobi Wilson). A very harrowing experience through traffic and nearly hitting a man on a bicycle.  We found out later we could have flown directly to Kilimanjaro, but Justin wanted time to "chat" with us before we left Tanzania!  That does not show thoughtfulness toward the traveler.

Upon arrival at Nairobi Wilson we were met by Daniel, a 'stand in' for our scheduled guide Ken.  On the way to our camp we had a short game drive with very little input from Daniel.  After the experience with our terrific guide we were not impressed with this "welcome".  However, upon meeting Ken later in the evening our hopes brightened considerably - especially since he told us he was the best guide in the Maasai Mara.  He proved to be very good and made sure we had superb game viewing.

The accommodations were wonderful:  Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha was beautiful - with a large garden area in the back, gorgeous pool (although it was too cold for us to use), friendly & helpful staff, and I had the best Caesar salad ever!

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Tanzania) is a marvel.  How they got all the materials up there is a wonderment. We had quite a walk to our room (although some were farther than ours), but we managed.  The meals were all buffet and I would rate them only a "good", as I've had much better.  There was quite a variety, but there was just something missing. I'm sure others have rated their food higher - all depends on taste. The rooms were huge and hot water bottles were placed in our beds - a very nice touch since it was quite cold.  The best part of the lodge (in my opinion) was the view into the crater and watching the sunset.

Kati Kati Camp (Serengeti) was fabulous on all counts. Not luxurious, but that's not what we wanted, as we asked to be on the plains surrounded by the sounds of animals.  Our tent was large & clean with a sink, toilet and bucket shower.  Our dining tent was open and faced the plains.  It was staffed by wonderful men who looked after our every need and served the most delicious food - with a new soup each night: tomato, peanut, & cucumber - each one better than the previous.  Sitting around the campfire with our glass of wine watching the hyenas circling was something I will never forget, nor will I forget drinking coffee watching the sun rise on the Serengeti.

Sarova Mara Camp (Maasai Mara, Kenya) was like an oasis. Unless we looked at the sides of our 'room' we never would have believed we were in a tent - beautiful wood floors, marble bath and shower, mosquito netting around our beds (although it was not needed when we were there).  The grounds were beautifully kept and the facilities were exceptional. From the moment we entered the staff was there to assist and during our stay always greeted us by name no matter where we were.  The food here was also buffet and was very good - something different every night and I tried several new dishes. They had a pasta station at night and an omelet station for breakfast, along with salads, pastries, coffee and many kinds of tea.  I also had a wonderful massage the night before leaving - only $60/hour and well worth it after riding the bumpy roads in a Land Cruiser all day.  Sarova Mara would definitely be on my 'recommendation' list!

Maurice did a great job organizing our trip. Our itinerary was thoughtfully planned and the communication to prepare for our trip was superb. We landed in Nairobi and spent one night there before heading to the national parks. Our hotel room was specially decorated for our honeymoon, which we appreciated.

Our first safari was at Maasai Mara. The game drives were spectacular and our guides were very knowledgeable. We highly recommend the balloon safari; it was our most memorable experience. The camp was very nice and the staff extremely friendly. However, we were told the camp was equipped with WiFi, but upon arrival, we learned there was no WiFi there. We ended up paying for an international data plan for three days.

Our next stop was the Serengeti. The driver we were supposed to meet didn't show due to car trouble. Instead, another driver met us, but he was late and not familiar with our itinerary. We got lost while driving to our campground and it took us three hours to locate it. We were too tired to go on the half-day game drive. 

The next day, we had a full-day game drive and saw many animals, making the safari unforgettable. However, our car broke down on our way back to camp and we had to take a detour to a checkpoint to get it fixed. We highly recommend the Serengeti Camp. It was our best lodging experience and the staff were unbeatable.

Our last safari was at Ngorongoro Crater, which was another unforgettable experience. Although we wished we could have spent more than a couple of hours there. Zanzibar was a great way to end our trip and our hotel was a perfect spot for relaxation before heading home.

There were a couple of mishaps during our trip, some of which were uncontrollable and not a result of planning, but overall, we are very happy with the experience. Thanks to Maurice and our travel company for everything!

I came upon this safari travel company from Zicasso, whom I recall I noted from a Forbes article. After sending out a few generic emails regarding a possible Africa trip, I quickly decided upon this company. The reason at that time was they were super responsive to my vague requests. The owner and her lead person both were knowledgeable and in fact made suggestions that I generally followed.

Our trip morphed from wanting to go to Victoria Falls (and visit Africa for the first time ) to going to Ethiopia visiting  the local tribes Omo valley and Addis Ababa (sounded nice ) and then to a short Kenya visit to see some Animals on Safari. Something about water levels at Victoria Falls.

Our travel agency was very accommodating on my needs and timing. Indeed, I spent less time than recommended. I spent a total of 12 days from Addis arrival to departing Nairobi. My suggestion is to spend more time in OMO valley ( We spent a total of 6 days to/from Addis interacting and viewing   local tribes and people in nearby towns. The Omo valley visit is a bunch of somewhat rough roads, and backwards type places . Addis for parts of 1 day  coming - going is enough.. The Safari to Africa and Nairobi for a total of 3 days was fine for us. The Masai - Mari game reserve and Masai People are interesting , high class and cost  and easy to take. 

Conclusion. This is the first trip that I used and depended upon a travel agent to do trip suggestions and arrange details for me. Most definitely the trip went well, there were just no complications ( OK maybe a few things were not perfect - my partner just could not totally get over our tenting with a  real family - Where is the bathroom- Really? ) and all went as planned. All I had to do was get our butts to Addis and from Nairobi, and I easily handle this. Our travel company handled all little type details and sent us all sorts of documentation -daily guide information, numbers ,addresses , guides and all sots of emergency type information which we did not need to use.

So this company gets an outstanding from me and also a personal note of thanks that I did call tell  tell hem. Perry

You could not have planned the trip better. It was fantastic! Our safari driver from Rangers was great - again could not of been better. He pushed every day for us to see everything possible. Hes fun and incredibly knowledgeable and has a great command of the English language.You were right to schedule one day in Nairobi - so glad we did not change it to two days. We saw the last of the Big 5 - the black rhino in Kenya. We loved all of our accommodations and the people are so friendly, polite and helpful.We saw the Great Migration in Tanzania. We would not of changed one thing. People from other tour agencies were dissapointed that when they arrived in Kenya when we did as all of the Wildebeest had already migrated to Tanzania.What you scheduled for us was perfect. I do think that Tanzania is not well known but Kenya is to the average American like us. If it wasn't for you we would of never known about Tanzania. Tanzania has it all - except the black rhino at the Govenor's Camp- no need to even go to Kenya but I did want to go the the Elephant and Giraffe orphanages. We loved Capetown, the shark cage trip and the tour operator was wonderful. The 1/2 day Capetown trip was great. We went on the historic Capetown walking tour at 11:00 after we checked out. We added the Olduvai museum at the crater to our trip.  We had a wonderful time and saw so much in 17 days including traveling from the East Coast;  Arusha, Tarangire National park,  Ngorongoro crater, Central Serengeti - Turner Springs, Norther Serengeti - Kokatonde, Masai - Mara, Nairobi, Victoria Falls and Capetown. A trip of a lifetime.