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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Tom & Lisa from Plymouth

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

1

Countries visited

1

Lodges stayed in

4

Excursions taken

6

My Jan 2024 trip

Kenya between 13 Jan 2024 and 29 Jan 2024

Trip rating: Excellent
"I highly recommend working with Expert Africa to organize an African safari.

Richard was extremely knowledgable about Kenya, all the possible camps, and was there from start to finish with good advice.

This was the second trip my family has taken with Expert Africa. My wife and daughter went to Namibia in Feb. 2022, when Covid restrictions were easing, and had an excellent self-drive safari.

If we go back, we would happily consult with Expert Africa again (though I am disappointed that they don't offer safaris in northern South Africa, including the Kruger area, since we may well want to bring our grandchildren someday and perhaps would like to be able to mix a Kruger conservancy with Zambia's South Luangwa area, or try the malaria-free Marakele area)."

Arranged By Richard Trillo


The Emakoko

The Emakoko

"The Emakoko: Excellent intro to Kenya"

2 nights Arrived 15 Jan 2024
"The Emakoko was an excellent place to start a Kenyan safari. We arrived after a game drive through Nairobi Nat. Park, greeted by a troop of baboons along the road. Anton and his staff greeted us on arrival, pointing out the python just below the entrance bridge.

Our room was extremely comfortable, open, attractive with a very nice deck. The food, with new menus being introduced by a visiting chef, was terrific and the service was warm, friendly and fun.

Every one on the staff was excellent, particularly June, who took care of our room and really helped out when a group of monkeys invaded our room, stealing my medicine and scattering all kinds of things.

Our guide, Peter, was responsive and well-informed but a little too soft-spoken and at times hard to understand."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Safari in Nairobi National Park

Safari in Nairobi National Park

"Safari in Nairobi National Park review"

15 Jan 2024 • All-day excursion

We enjoyed the game drives in the park, but it was more limited than our other experiences in Laikipia and Masai Mara.

Our one lion encounter was with a somewhat underfed group of three males.

We did manage to see a genet and a bush baby, which was fun, and we had a nice sundowner on the edge of a small lake with hippos and crocs.
Nairobi Giraffe Centre visit

Nairobi Giraffe Centre visit

"Nairobi Giraffe Centre visit review"

16 Jan 2024 • Morning excursion

This was the better of our two visits to animal centers in Nairobi, but neither was among the highlights of our visit.

I think for experienced safari goers, it would be easy to skip this experience and especially the elephant orphans center. But the giraffe center had some positives, particularly the opportunity to pet a giraffe's neck and to feed it some kibble and pet the fascinating tongue.
Nairobi Elephant Orphanage visit

Nairobi Elephant Orphanage visit

"Nairobi Elephant Orphanage visit review"

16 Jan 2024 • Morning excursion

I was not a fan of the Elephant center. The whole atmosphere was more like a circus than anything else. I'm glad to know that the orphans were saved and I guess one way they pay for maintaining the operation is to encourage visitors. But it was crowded, unruly and the presentation was labored.

More broadly, we think both the Giraffe center and the Elephant visit would have been better arranged as part of our arrival day, ideally visiting them first and then driving through the national park later in the afternoon, after a late lunch near one of the centers.
Kicheche Laikipia

Kicheche Laikipia

"Kicheche Laikipia review"

3 nights Arrived 17 Jan 2024
"Kicheche Laikipia is a first rate tented camp, at a lovely setting on the edge of a pond that attracts plenty of elephants to its opposite shore, well within view.

Our guide, Dickson, was fun, responsive, well-informed, helpful in arranging good photo opportunities, and knowledgable about birds, a particular interest of one of our group. The staff was excellent, especially Vivienne in her native dress and her eagerness to become a guide in the future.

Besides the main animals, listed below, we also saw a couple bat-eared foxes, along with jackals and rabbits. And our experience with a cheetah was right after a kill of an eland, so we spent almost an hour watching her devour her dinner and roll over on her enlarged belly"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Northern White Rhinos visit

Northern White Rhinos visit

"Northern White Rhinos visit review"

18 Jan 2024 • Morning excursion

I didn't go on this visit, since my foot was bothering me and my walking was limited.

The reaction from my companions was quite positive, though.
Image alt

Fly-camping at Kicheche Laikipia

"Fly-camping at Kicheche Laikipia review"

18 Jan 2024 • All-day excursion

The only downside was that it rained pretty hard on our fly camping evening, but despite it all, the staff managed to pull it off despite the terrible weather. Our tents stayed dry, the dinner was excellent under a large tarp, and the fire was very welcome. We truly enjoyed sharing the dinner with Dickson and George, who told us fascinating stories about their lives, both growing up and in the present day. The next morning offered a terrific two hour walk as the sky cleared.
Excellent
Kicheche Bush Camp

Kicheche Bush Camp

"Kicheche Bush Camp review"

4 nights Arrived 20 Jan 2024
"Kicheche Bush offered spectacular hospitality under the management of Anne and Dido. We liked how the different meal arrangements allowed us to mingle with other guests at time while enjoying dinner at our table. We appreciated that the managers joined the group for shared meals.

There was a real attention to detail and everyone did a very good job coping with the unexpected rain, including flooding that limited some travel and required the camp to host people temporarily who were unable to get to their own destinations. They were excellent in responding to guest needs, managing water bottle, dealing with dietary needs, and arranging for terrific bush breakfasts and sundowners in addition to the regular buffet lunch and sitdown dinners at camp.

Our guide Benja was first rate, somewhat reserved but extremely capable, easy to understand, responsive to our interests, an excellent driver who had to cope with some pretty bad conditions, including becoming stuck in the mud at one point and having to arrange a tow from another vehicle sent out from the camp.

Benja was creative in finding ways to follow a family of cheetah that were having trouble finding a prey, finally succeeding on our last day. Thanks to Benja, we also had several encounters with a large group of lions, with a number of playful cubs. We saw a very wide variety of birds, a couple spring hares, and several different kinds of antelopes."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Balloon flight over the Mara

Balloon flight over the Mara

"Balloon flight over the Mara review"

21 Jan 2024 • Morning excursion

This experience was disappointing. The balloon ride was very well organized from start to finish, including an excellent breakfast in the bush, but with only a minimal number of animals visible from the air, the landscape alone, on a somewhat dismal morning, was not enough to make it a memorable time.

I can imagine that doing a balloon ride during the migration, with thousands of animals, would be a really exciting experience, but in general I would not recommend a balloon ride in the Mara at other times.
Excellent
Loldia House

Loldia House

"Loldia House review"

4 nights Arrived 24 Jan 2024
"Loldia House was a great place to relax at the end of our safari. It's not in as exciting a location as the tented camps, and the rooms were a little smaller and less inviting. But what we really appreciated was the chance to slow down, skip game drives at times, and just enjoy a less scheduled experience.

We went out on a boat in the lake twice, both times very enjoyable. We took two night drives, which were both eye-opening and enjoyable in part because they were shorter (at two hours) than a standard game drive. After several days spending long hours in vehicles, it was great to be able to walk the grounds, to swim, to sit in chairs on the lawn.

Our server, Constant, was a constant (and welcome) presence, eager to help in any way, especially for me, since by this point my swollen foot limited my ability to walk very far. We had lovely breakfast and lunches on the lawn, surrounded by a garden, and enjoying the frequent presense of monkeys in the trees and hippos in the lake and grazing on the grass just outside the fence. Dinner was a little more formal and the food, while good, was not at the quality level of our other lodges/camps.

Some of our group had a day trip to nearby Crescent island, which they enjoyed and highly recommended for the chance to walk among animals in their habitat and view a large number and variety of birds.

Despite my caveats, I would highly recommend this place for a two (perhaps three) night stop at the end of any safari.

Unlike our previous locations, the manager was not much of a presence. By contrast, Anne, Lisa's masseuse and on the staff elsewhere, was warm and welcoming."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent

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