Kenya: reviews from our travellers

"Everything we hoped for!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"Top marks" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 12 on a Seychelles holiday

"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Kenya and Richard at ExpertAfrica was instrumental in orchestrating the perfect trip for us. We had communicated our preferences to him in terms of wildlife, activities, budget and also the mix and sequence we were seeking to achieve and he was thoughtful, creative and flexible to put together a truly unique trip for us that exceeded our every expectation!

The highlight of our trip was our time at Samburu, where we enjoyed (perhaps with some luck) exceptional moments (lions stalking impala herd, lion stealing a leopard kill, leopards climbing trees, cheetah making a kill among others) and had the privilege of travelling with one of the best guides we've ever experienced in Francis at Saruni Samburu - a breathtaking setting for a lodge!

Our time at Meru at the start of our trip and just before getting to Samburu gave us an intimate and involved experience which was a perfect way to kick-off the Kenya experience. After Meru and Samburu we enjoyed the overwhelming abundance of the Mara. Our stay was initially in the Mara North Conservancy where we were able to enjoy more flexible activities like walking safaris and night drives and concluded in the main reserve with spectacular river crossings on our last day in Kenya!

Throughout our trip, we felt very safe and the locals were always welcoming, cheerful and always happy to help and went the extra mile to make us feel comfortable and at home. We also had a vegetarian dietary requirement which was perfectly catered for throughout our trip at all the lodges. Recent events have hurt the tourist business in Kenya which is a real shame as the country, its people and its wildlife have a lot to offer and a lot for the rest of us to learn from!

We would absolutely visit Kenya again and almost certainly call ExpertAfrica on our next African holiday! Thank you very much for helping us with this memorable Kenyan experience!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"We had an unforgettable trip to Africa for our honeymoon. Everything about it was fantastic.

In fact, we were already discussing plans to return before the trip was over. Kenya expert, Richard Trillo, and the rest of the Expert Africa team did a fantastic job. We are so grateful for the excellent recommendations and help planning this trip of a lifetime.

We will be using Expert Africa again to plan future trips.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No suggestions, everything was top notch!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Kenya safari

"It was a truly wonderful and memorable experience which exceeded expectations. Although we were disappointed when the trip had to be cancelled in 2014, it worked out for the better as we received a more personalised trip, tailored to exactly what we wanted and included the stay in Nairobi which was a highlight in itself. Your hotel recommendations were perfect for what we wanted.

We appreciate the honest descriptions on the website and in the brochure and for all the help from Expert Africa, in particular with your flexibility over the transferring of the deposit to the following year, for all the advice on the phone and for your help when we were delayed at Heathrow.

We would like to mention the wonderful service we received from Edward at Southern Cross. He was so much more than the "driver" we had anticipated. He acted as a guide and friend to us during our time in Nairobi, fitting in all the things we wanted to do, which included the Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum and two visits to the Elephant Orphanage, where he somehow got us the front of the queue at the 11am session. He didn't just drop us off, but came with us to help buy tickets and was very helpful when depositing and collecting left luggage at Wilson. We were delighted when he was there to meet us at Wilson airport on our last day. We really enjoyed our time with him.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We really can't think of anything that you could have done to make our trip better. Everything you organised for us was perfect.

In all my communications with Expert Africa, I always felt that I was dealing with experienced and knowledgeable people who I could trust and who genuinely wanted me to have an enjoyable holiday. Thank you." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"Really sensational trip !
Some of the best wildlife viewing I've ever had .
Lovely accommodation - would definitely go back to Rekero .
Feel a bit mean about comments I made regarding Little Governors , and I know it's very popular with many people , but
I just felt they are falling behind the competition somewhat. Particularly the food .
Many thanks to Richard Trillo for all his advice in the planning of this trip !
Will definitely use EA again

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Tell people that if they already have a visa when they arrive at Nairobi airport - do nand in the ""Visa"" line at immigration
Use the ""Other passports"" line
( go figure !)
Otherwise you will have to queue up twice!

Our transfer cars were absolutely great . Our driver Eddie said to say Hi to Richard Trillo.

We were told that the morning visit ( 11am - noon) to the David Sheldrick elephant orphanage was a bit of a bunfight and that as we had adopted two elephants and therefore qualified to visit at 5pm when they come home to bed ( by arrangement) - we should do that and not go at 11am.
The experience was great and there were only about 25 people there .
But the shop was closed at 5pm - and we had wanted to buy a hat that we had seen somebody else on our travels wearing.
So go early if you want to visit the shop too.

Nanyuki airport is really nice and has Wi-fi . Good restaurant and souvenir shop.

Nobody weighed our luggage anywhere except at Wilson airport - and even there they were not as strict as expected" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari

"A well planned and executed trip, with every detail and eventuality carefully considered and expressed by Richard Trillo.

A pleasure dealing with Richard and the team who care passionately about Africa and the experience they provide, helped by the enormity of knowledge and experience so invaluable when advising others.

Would have no doubts in recommending to our friends and family. So glad we were recommended to them in the first instance. A huge thanks from us for what was a very provocative trip." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"Kenya has left an imprint on our souls. 20 years ago I came to Kenya, and have been dreaming about returning ever since. Being able to return with my husband and children in tow, is truly a dream come true. Any and all expectations I had, or we had as a family, were shattered. We were amazed by the beauty, the wildlife, the people of Kenya, and we will never be the same. We are truly better for it. The education my children received on this adventure is beyond anything we could have provided in books, and they will never forget it.

Richard Trillo is fantastic, knowledgeable, and worked hard for us to build us an itinerary that would fit our young family and our budget, not to mention putting it all together very last minute. He also worked behind the scenes with my mom to surprise me on my birthday for a spectacular Champagne bush breakfast, and went out of his way to secure little things like car seats in Nairobi, and I am sure many other things I am unaware of. There was not a single hiccup with all of the flights, transfers, cabs, drivers, hotels, camps, etc. Everything ran smoothly, we felt extremely well taken care of, and never had to worry about a thing. I would definitely recommend Expert Africa, and Richard Trillo, to anyone wanting to plan something truly special.

Special Thanks to Sweetwaters Serena Camp, Offbeat Mara and Pinewood Beach Resort for being the lead roles in our trip of a lifetime.

My only regret is having to come home. You will fall in love with Kenya, your heart and soul changed forever. We only hope to be able to visit again, and not 20 years from now. We wish to inspire others to travel to Africa, Kenya in particular, thru our stories and our photos on our website www.diagnosiswanderlust.com. We met solo travelers, honeymooners, couples, and families and it is a wonderful destination for all of the above. If you have been dreaming of an experience like this, don't wait, make a plan, and just do it. You will never regret it.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I honestly cannot think of anything.

I promise to let you know if I think of anything. Everything was professional, complete, and fantastic." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari

"Selous should not be marketed as having meaningful elephant populations
everyone in the country seems to know it but it was not indicated to me
Lake Manze is overpriced by at least double
should be sold as a budget camp for families going to cheap beach hotels in Zanzibar
because we are very experienced travelers we don't let any single issue spoil a trip but--
We usually do our own bookings but made an exception for this trip due to the number of domestic flights
and our preferred tight flying schedule .Iwas impressed by the service from both Richard and initially, Clare and
the details such as flights,transfers hotels,time usage were well done
I have never paid the pricing of Lake Manze/Selous and received as little
I rate the camp and game experience below modestly priced South African Private reserves near Kruger
eg: Nkorho or Gomo Gomo which are 50% lower
Kwihala was an excellent recommendation and Kicheche was as advertised
I do not think the location of the camp can compare to Karen Blixen tents on the River
where i have stayed previously but they have a different manager from my last visit there
and Kicheche was very satisfying." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Expert Africa were very professional and managed to organise a magical trip to Kenya for 2 families.

One family had never been to Africa before - so seeing anything "wild" on safari was very exciting. The other family has spent numerous holidays in Africa - but that still does not take away the splendour of seeing it all again and having the chance to meet interesting like minded people from all around the world.

I would highly recommend using Expert Africa as they made the trip run very smoothly." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Kenya safari