Kenya: reviews from our travellers

"Very well constructed itinerary which for most part ran smoothly.

We were disappointed with Malawi for the reasons mentioned and also for the costs associated with Lilongwe airport. The actual internal flight departure tax is $7 per person and the external departure tax is $35 per person. Visa charge is $75 per person.

Considering the country is regarded as 'poor' and want to encourage tourism the Tourism Board should consider requesting the Government to reduce the fees involved. Suppose the UK equivalent is Air Passenger Duty (APD) which is £13 per person for flights of less than 2000 miles." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"The initial reason for our trip to Nairobi at this time was business. So, we were looking for a short break which would not involve travelling significant distances in Kenya and which would be relatively budget friendly. Nairobi NP was therefore an obvious choice, especially when Richard Trillo pointed us towards The Emakoko.

However, with only three direct flights per week between Livingstone (where we are now based) and Nairobi we really wanted to tack on a couple of days somewhere else. Again, Richard's deep knowledge of Kenya came to the fore; and he was able to work some dates around Shompole and The Emakoko which fitted in with our other plans.

This was our 18th trip with EA in a few weeks over 10 years, which speaks volumes for the high quality of service Chris and his team consistently provide." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 5 on a Kenya safari

"Our trip was memorable on every level - Africa is my favourite place and I'll keep going there until I drop

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I have to say that the service and friendliness is outstanding and great value for money. Thank you big time" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Kenya safari

"Very enjoyable." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 1 on a Kenya safari

"Everything about our Kenyan holiday was fantastic from game viewing to relaxing at the coast.

Thanks to Richard Trillo for organising it all and for his suggestions of Laikipia Wilderness and Kinondo Kwetu both of which were outstanding." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"This trip was great and the camps a good mix.

Another time if going at Christmas ( we had requested Rekero) I might avoid Rekero simply for the Mara being so busy over Christmas but I would certainly highly recommend it for other times - it is a fabulous location.

On the last day we had a very long wait ( 12 noon to the planned 11pm flight out - delayed to 1.30am the next day) and it would have been nice to have had a place booked with a day room. We organised this ourselves in the end, or rather Darren of Kicheche Bush Camp organised it. However overall the trip worked perfectly and met our expectations.

All camp managers were simply splendid and the guides all knowledgeable - Andrew at Kicheche Laikipia and Charles at Kicheche Bush Camp were particularly good." Read full review: 40 nights in Africa; 9 on a Kenya safari

"Richard Trillo was very helpful in sorting out our requests: ground transport, safari flights, accommodation at Kicheche Valley Camp, paperwork, etc. We would have welcomed some more detail re our Camp - eg, that it was hosted.

From the point of view re health matters, it should be noted that doctors generally are reluctant, in the UK, to administer Yellow Fever vaccinations to anyone over the age of 60. After I had made an appointment in the UK, had paid a fee and then waited to see a nurse, it became apparent that I was not going to receive the vaccination - because of an increased risk of serious reactions. The medical practice refunded my payment, but I still had had to pay for taxi service to and from the practice, plus having most of an afternoon wasted. It might be wise for Expert Africa to include a bit of information re Yellow Fever & age.

There were a few delays when we requested more information re the booking process, which we felt could have been avoided or made more clear to us." Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 4 on a Kenya safari

"The trip was fantastic. There were still plenty of migrating wildebeest around and fabulous cat and rhino sightings. All the arrangements worked perfectly, all the staff we encountered were excellent and the camp was great." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"It exceeded my expectations in most respects and was put together by EA most efficiently at very short notice and suits me perfectly.

The only slightly amusing (when I discovered the reason for the problem) snag, was that I had been kindly provided in advance with the Bush Camp owner's personal mobile number, only to find that, when I later needed to speak to him/someone about a rearranged pick-up point, he was en route to or in the USA which did not make for easy communication. However, the ever responsive Bush Camp manageress picked me up within half an hour of finding out where I was.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep on doing what you do best!

Since my short, very satisfactory trip was put together within less than 6 hours of me first making contact with EA, it is difficult to find room for improvement!" Read full review: 2 nights in Africa; 2 on a Kenya safari

"We are huge Africa fans, and once you get away from their shambolic cities and airports, you get to see the best of the continent.
Our experiences at Nairobi airport, both with Coastal and Kenyan Airways/immigration sadly tainted a great trip.

I would probably not repeat the mobile camp stays, which in loo and shower terms were not satisfactory.
The quality/experience of guiding in Serengeti and Ngorongoro was not a patch on Selous Impala and Ruaha in Southern Tanzania, nor compared to Robin Pope camps in Zambia.
Our guide at the crater was lazy and not motivated - probably due to lower absolute level of tips from only two clients.
Lamai was a unique setting and well set up.

Pole Pole had a fantastic location, but was let down by poor maintenance of the showers - no hot water in that climate, and at that price is not good news. The staff were friendly, but not nearly as professional as at Kaya Mawa in Malawi. The Dive and watersports centre made our visit to Mafia memorable, in particular the fish BBQ on the sandbar after snorkelling at the reef." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari