Reviews of safaris to Meru National Park

"I had visited the wildlife areas of both countries previously and chose parks that were on the whole less visited

I was very satisfied and thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Amboseli and Meru in Kenya, and Nyerere and Ruaha in Tanzania

Amboseli exceeded expectations and is much more than a relative haven for elephants in view of Kilimanjaro - in particular there were multiple cheetah sightings, including one where a group of 5 sub-adults were seen, whilst their mother was away, presumably hunting. They were approached by a coalition of 3 males who tried to drive them away, presumably to bring the mother back into oestrus. The sub-adults initially retreated, but then held their ground, and the coalition moved on.

There was also a rare sighting of a pair of mating puff adders

Meru was very good, but could not quite compete with the nearby Samburu, which I had previously visited, in terms of wildlife sightings and the beauty of the environment

The rhino sanctuary was excellent

The trips on The Rufiji River in Nyerere came up to my very high expectations, with excellent close encounters with hippo, crocodiles, different species of kingfishers, bee-eaters, herons and baboons, although the sightings in the park itself were not as good as the other parks visited, and the roads were the worst that I have encountered in Africa

Ruaha was excellent in terms of both the wildlife, especially multiple leopard and lion sightings

Also the scenery and topography was unique and beautiful, with vast numbers of baobabs , giant euphorbias, palms and tamarind trees" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"A wonderful trip.

Very experienced advice regarding venues, travel etc. Logistics all smooth, lodges, hotels and staff all excellent.

Wildlife experience outstanding.

I would recommend Expert Africa very highly to family and friends." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"It was a fantastic trip overall and the itinerary for birding was amazing - we saw so many species.

We had great guiding, especially at Kifaru and Tortillis and were lucky enough to get a private vehicle at both. At Elsa’s we shared a vehicle with 2 charming like-minded people so that was great too. All of our dietary needs and other preferences had clearly been communicated and management everywhere could not have done more to accommodate us. Really impressed with Elewana and would recommend them to anyone. All of the transfers were seamless except going from Air Kenya to Safarilink at Wilson.

Not sure if I had to do it again whether I would drive from Amboseli through East Tsavo with a one night stop. It was a long, hot, uncomfortable drive on a container route for the most part, we didn’t see much of Tsavo, and from Satao to the coast was full of day-trippers and their crazy drivers. However, I did get some great birds so…

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really…everything was great. I love your website and refer people to it all the time." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 17 on a Kenya safari

"We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and thought that Lyndsey did a really good job suggesting locations and putting a complex itinerary together.

The whole trip went exactly as per the itinerary." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Kenya safari

"Our trip wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable without Richard’s efforts and collaboration. He truly made everything come together seamlessly.

When we embarked on this journey, we reached out to several outfitters with written questions. Richard stood out as the only one who replied in writing, addressing each of our queries. We appreciated that, as it showed he was willing to take the time to provide thorough answers instead of opting for a quick phone call. Through our exchange of preferences, we eventually set up a phone call to finalize the country and initial park selections. It was clear that Richard was truly listening when he suggested swapping Amboseli for Samburu to enhance our animal encounters. His recommendation, based on the unique features of each park, convinced us that the switch was the right choice. Additionally, we decided to include another park and lodge based on our combined ideas.

As our travel date approached, we both felt a bit anxious, being detail-oriented individuals who thrive on precision. Richard managed to provide some additional details, but he urged us to trust him with the finer points. He assured us that from the moment we landed in Nairobi until our return flight home, we would be well taken care of. Although this level of trust was outside our comfort zone, we agreed. Now that we're back, we can confidently say Richard was right—every detail was meticulously handled. Wahoo! Everywhere we went, people were expecting us, from the pilots to the lodges and guides, seamlessly coordinating our journey at each transfer point.

Our trip as a whole met our expectations and went way beyond. We have done nothing but rave about it since we returned home. We have told everyone we have talked to about the trip what a great experience it was and how great it was to work with Richard. Given the opportunity to plan another trip like this, we would certainly be comfortable working with Richard and would highly recommend him and Expert Africa to friends.


Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
On our trip, we experienced both communal and solitary dining. We thoroughly enjoyed the communal meals with the General Manager, Assistant General Manager, and other lodge guests. These gatherings offered us a valuable opportunity to learn about each person's culture and experiences. We believe that offering a communal dining option could enhance the overall experience, making it more enriching and engaging." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 15 on a Kenya safari

"Amazing." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"This trip was designed to satisfy my desire to return to northern kenya.


I wanted to see Meru again (last visited in 1978!)
I was very keen to see the Rhino Sanctuary .

Inspired by the book 'Flowers for Elephants' by Peter Martell
I also wanted to see how a northern conservancy and how it is embracing tourism & conservation issues

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really. I have used Expert Africa several times, all have been excellent." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"It was a great mix of different parks and conservancies.

We had plenty of time at each camp to see the best of the local wildlife.

The final stop at Emakoko was worth every penny." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari

"Before visiting Kenya, we have been to four countries in Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) five times, and each one of those trips were highly enjoyable.

Nonetheless, we figured it was time to check out East Africa for a change. To be honest, we were a little apprehensive about this trip, because many guidebooks or websites tell you that in both Kenya and Tanzania visitor numbers are much higher than in the South of Africa. As the New York Times wrote earlier this year, they witnessed a cheetah hunting and making a kill in the Maasai Mara, and in no time, the poor animal was surrounded by 50 vehicles. Well, even though the number of cars per sighting was, on average, higher than in Southern Africa, we experienced none of such extremes. I guess, we were lucky with the choice of camps and/or locations.

For instance, we took great care in picking camps that are using open vehicles with a maximum of six passengers and not vehicles with pop-up roofs, let alone minibuses. For a serious photographer, such conditions would seriously limit your freedom to move, and in the case of pop-up roofs you would have to stand up and, often, you would look down on animals. In other words, it would be a nightmare ruining my trip. I realize that the camps we picked are significantly more expensive, but this goes hand in hand with providing better guides, better amenities and facilities, and better service. The good news is that in our experience, the camps in Kenya are not quite as pricey as Botswana accommodations.

One more comment about the number of cars per sighting: The official rules in the Maasai Mara clearly state that the maximum number of vehicles per scene is limited to five (per animal, not animals!). Taken literally, a pride of 8 lions could be visited by 40 cars, and we have witnessed scenes with up to 20 cars. On other occasions, for instance when observing cheetahs or leopards, we have noticed that local wildlife rangers do in fact make sure that there are no more than 5 cars on the scene. Throughout the entire trip, we were blessed with guides that showed great patience and perseverance to stay at a scene for longer. Quite often we were also lucky enough to be the only two guests in the vehicle. The only camp where there were six passengers in a car was Lewa Safari Camp.

As in previous years, I enjoyed recording our wildlife sightings. Overall, we saw more animals here than in any other place in Africa. And our encounters with the big cats were especially noteworthy, because often they were full of drama. I should point out though that we did not see any wild dogs anywhere. Of the four areas visited, the Maasai Mara was, thanks to our guides, and despite the higher number of vehicles, a photographer’s paradise.

What we also appreciated in all five camps was that they allowed each party to have their own tables at mealtimes.

To summarize, this trip was so good that we are almost certain to return to Kenya in the near future." Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 20 on a Kenya safari

"On the whole it was an excellent and well organised trip to some vastly different parks. Amazing numbers of lions seen (70).

With hindsight we would have flown from Sand River to Elephant Pepper.

All the staff at the lodges were extremely welcoming and helpful." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Kenya safari