Kenya: reviews from our travellers

"A very good trip.

Richard's recommendations of the Emakoko and Laikipia Wilderness were perfect for us, with real style. Saruni Samburu was spectacular but probably not quite our style, although I think some people would love it. Air Kenya is what it is, a magical mystery tour.

Very happy overall." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"A very enjoyable trip, especially seeing the wild dogs at Laikipia, Offbeat Mara was as good as usual with great guides and hosts, walking safari is a great asset to the camp." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"We had the most epic trip, and Richard was so very helpful in helping us decide where to go and plan the trip. We had zero issues when out in Kenya, which is testament to how well the holiday was organised by ExpertAfrica.

Having not been on safari or to Africa before, we were very grateful to receive such thorough advice from Richard and the EA website/catalogue. We would recommend EA to others and will certainly be making use of it in the future! Thank you." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari

"Our transfer from Olakari to Rekaro was very tedious with 2 flights and 2 35km road journeys quite apart from delay at Kenya immigration. The new EVisa was not fully understood by border control. The transfer from Wilson Airport to Jomo Kenyatta Airport was long and dusty but might have been even longer if routing through Nairobi itself. Kicheche camp location was a bit disappointing.

Our trip was amazing but even after planning nearly a year prior we were not able to experience our first choice camp in Naboisho especially as we only saw one vehicle with 2 people from Naboisho Assilia camp over 3 days when we were told that that camp was full." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Kenya safari

"We are seasoned travellers and have been on many safaris previously.

However, we had never seen the migrational activity. We were pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed Kenya (maybe not Nairobi though). The quality of the game viewing, big cats, river crossings and some rare encounters - serval cat, bat eared fox den etc made it a very special trip. The highlights would be the wildebeest crossing the river, the big cat population and Mara Plains camp, which is exceptional." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"Richard delivered again! After looking to book with various companies I am so glad we came back to Expert Africa. Richard's in-depth knowledge and enthusiasm for Kenya is a refreshing change from those companies whose 'expert' did a flying trip of a few camps but actually know nothing about the actual country. Keep up the research and the actual trips to Kenya Richard as your knowledge is invaluable.

My husband and I lived in Kenya previously and have visited regularly but this time I took my Canadian 24 year old nephew on a safari that he had been promised since he was a child. It could not have been a more successful nor enjoyable trip!

We stayed for 2 nights at Macushla House (Nairobi), 1 night Aero-Club (Nairobi), 2 nights Elephant Bedroom (Samburu), 3 nights Governors (Masai Mara), 2 nights Encounter Mara (Naibosho Conservancy - Mara).

Nairobi traffic jams are crazy and are only going to get worse. Choosing your hotel and what you want to do needs to take this into account. We wanted to visit the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage (please go there), the Giraffe Sanctuary (good fun) and Nairobi Game Park (much underrated) and a few shopping areas. Staying at Macushla House meant this was possible without having to deal with much traffic which suited us. We decided to use taxis for one day and then a driver for the second. In hindsight having a driver means you can really please yourselves and change your plans if you want to and I would do this in the future rather than taxis. If you want to go into the city and experience the restaurants and city life then possibly a more central hotel would suit you better.

We had a very early flight out the next morning so rather than chance the traffic and have a ridiculously early start we stayed at the Aero Club which is on Wilson Airport. This is a Nairobi institution and the bar (where we also ate our dinner) was welcoming and interesting and, best of all, was a 5 minute trip from the terminal. The accommodation is very basic but it worked for us. I do not think it would not suit most people.

Elephant Bedroom in Samburu was fantastic in every way. My only complaint is that we did not have time to spend 3 nights here as we usually do. It is one of my favorite Reserves and very different from other locations. This was my second stay at Elephant Bedroom and all of the tiny problems have been dealt with now and the welcoming and efficient staff were fantastic. The animals have the right of way through camp and that makes for wonderful experiences especially with elephants. My nephew's many questions were answered with accurate information delivered with enthusiasm from the guards through to James our guide. Because it is usually so dry you do not get the quantity of game here you get in the Mara but you get varieties of animals you can not see elsewhere and the elephant sightings are incredible. The scenery is also fantastic.

We mixed our time in the Mara between Governors (in the Reserve and a large camp) and Encounter Mara (in Naibosho Conservancy and a small camp). This was the best mixture and each offered us something different and special. If you want to see animals you can not beat the Mara and boy, did we see animals in both places. It should have been the end of the migration but there were still lots of wildebeast and we actually saw a crossing. Where there is food there are predators and we saw lots of them as well. The Mara was still busy so going to Encounter Mara meant we saw wonderful cat sightings with very few vehicles. Encounter Mara also allowed us walking safaris, night drives and a (non-commercial!) boma visit. With their lovely guides and staff we will go back there and I hope others do too as it deserves to do well.

I think the balance of Nairobi Game Park, Samburu Reserve and the two locations in the Masai Mara gave my nephew a varied glimpse of Kenyan wildlife and countryside. He has not stopped talking about it. He absolutely loved the trip but confessed that he did not realise that sitting in a vehicle and looking for animals could be so exhausting! As for me, Kenya has so much to offer that I will return again (and again and again)!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"Wonderful trip.

We are regular safari goers so have a very good idea of what we want and what to expect. We like clear sincere honest communication and like camps that are simple, warm with great guiding and wonderful locations. For most of the trip we got that from all the camps" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"Overall a wonderful trip.

Excellent first week. A bit of a shame that the third camp did not reach the standards of the first two" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"Our trip was incredible! Our first time in Africa and our first trip of this extent and we couldn't be happier. We had the perfect combination of safari, tent, beach, hotel and enjoyment.

We thought Tarangire National Park was the most amazing place for a game drive. The elephants were everywhere!! We particularly enjoyed the night game drive and the seclusion of our camp.

We weren't thrilled about Ngorongoro Crater or Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara seemed like a petting zoo compared to Tarangire and the crater had tons of animals but took so much time to get into and exit out. We didn't like the closed safari vehicles which you have to have in both places and the distance from the animals in both wasn't as fun.

The Serengeti is a MUST stop! We got to see the crossing about 4-5 times which was breathtaking. The camp was unreal and everybody should experience a mobile camp bucket shower :) The staff at both tented camps were out of this world.

We looked Asilia!! They were truly unbelievable. The staff was so reliable, intelligent and just fun to be around. We felt completely at home with them and safe. It was so great to work with them!

We loved visiting the Giraffe Centre and David Sheldrick's elephant orphanage. They were both unforgettable and moving experiences. We learned so much and have a huge appreciation for the work both places are doing for these animals. We also visited Mamba Village (crocodile place) and we were not fans of this at all. It was more like a zoo. Animals were captured and brought into this village to be looked at by guests. We saw injured ostriches and camels with mussels. Not a great experience.

After having such incredible experiences during safari, we were so exited to spend time in Seychelles relaxing. Although the islands are beautiful, they were too secluded for us. We found that the islands didn't have much to offer for activities or enjoyment. We left the hotel every night for dinner which was good, but the taxis were VERY expensive so that was disappointing. The highlight of Seychelles for us was scuba diving. We loved it so much we went 2 days in a row. We had a good time relaxing by the pool and taking in the breathtaking views of the beaches. I don't know if I think the amount of travel to get to Seychelles is necessarily worth it but it allowed us our layover visit in Kenya and we really enjoyed that.

Elizabeth is so great to work with, she made the planning promise seamless! I actually had fun picking out the destinations and accommodations. Ellie also was great in Elizabeth's absence. She helped us with our very minor issues while we were in the Seychelles. Both ladies were extremely responsive and helpful. Expert Africa is a superb travel agency, I hope to use again and I will recommend to all of my friends and family. Thank you for giving up the honeymoon of our dreams!!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"The amazing game viewing in Ruaha made this probably our best trip ever. In both Ruaha and Selous we saw more lion than we dared hope. The lack of elephant in Selous was disappointing and disturbing but more than made up for by the huge population in Ruaha.

Incorrect documents in our pack was a little concerning but quickly resolved." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari