The team
Aanika Karibu Safaris In Kenya
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1986)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Tourism Regulatory Authority & Eco Toursm Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,384 to $4,844 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
ES
Email Marta | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was a good experience.
This was just what they proposed. The communication was easy and fast. The driver (Edward) was attentive and we could see many animals!
NG
Email Olugbenga (Gbenga for short) Olatunji | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A memorable prep into the wild beasts of the maasai mara
My wife and I had a wonderful outing into the maasai anchored by Karibu Safari. We're picked up very early in the morning from our accommodation.
We also had a nice drive to the maasai (safe for the part of the road that is very bad-- this is government responsibility though). We got to the maasai a bit late on the first day because Sammy, our great driver, had to fix something in the bus while we ate lunch.
Regarding our game experience, Sammy was no doubt a very experienced driver and tour guide. Because we got there late on day 1, we could only see very few animals. However, his experience as a tour person and wildlife 'hunter' came to fore on the second day. We saw many of the important animals: lion, buffalo, leopard, elephants, hyena, antelope, zebras, and several others. My wife and I really enjoyed the search for animals and the whole maasai mara experience.
Lunch and dinner are great. It's a buffet arrangement where you have to serve yourself (except for the lunch on the second day which is packed because we have to eat inside the reserve).
Accommodation is also acceptable and represent a good value for money paid. Light is on from around 6-6.30pm and goes off by 10pm. It is on again in the morning around 5-5.30am and off around 7am. This is not so bad for us. The only reservation I had is that the link sent to me by the Karibu Safari indicated that we'd be staying at MaraSpring safari camp. Information on the link also stated that there would be solar-powered 24 hours electricity. See http://www.mountainrockkenya.com/marasprings/ But like I said, this did not in any way reduce the fun that we had. The organisers can be more specific in the future though.
Going forward, Karibu Safari's organisers should provide adequate information and advice in certain areas before the commencement of the trip. Two areas affected my wife and I. First, we didn't have sufficient advice about exchanging money. One of the reviews I read about KS on tripadvisor is that if you're paying in dollars and you don't have the exact change, you might be made to pay more than necessary. This was the reason I asked the KS organisers of I could pay in Kenyan shillings. For the sake of next time, kindly advise your clients that money exchanging facility will be available at the park before driving to the destination. In order to pay the exact amount, I exchanged the money with me at one of the malls. However, I was told that I was given a lower exchange rate at that mall (ksh 98/$1 instead of ksh 100. Even though, the exchange rate by the time we went elsewhere was ksh 99.3 to $1). So, I had to pay more than necessary. A clear information that exchange facility will be available at the take off point will guide against this.
Secondly, since we're picked up from our accommodation on Monday, I was thinking we'd also be dropped off at our accommodation. Unfortunately, no one said anything about this. I was going to Langata area but I was eventually dropped off around the city centre. It took us over 2 hours to return to Langata. For future trips, kindly advise clients/tourists on return transportation to their destination. My expectation was that the driver would ask us for our destinations so that he could drop us off at the closest points. This was not done. I didn't know the right place to come down. It turned out eventually that we had already passed somewhere very close to Langata before going to the city centre. We practically had to take a cab back to where the bus already took us through. Please, try to avoid this in the future.
Overall, we had a nice experience on this safari. Thank to Sammy and thank you KS.
RU
Email Nataliya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exciting adventure in Kenya
I took part in 7 days trip: Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Amboseli. National parks were excellent. There weren't too many animals cause of low season (especially in Amboseli). But anyway i managed to watch big 5 and super 7. In Amboseli almost absence of animals was compensated by Kilimanjaro view and an incredible Milky way at night. Accommodations in Masai Mara and Amboseli were rather modest but i knew where i was going so for me it was ok. Meal all the time was ok too. I had 2 drivers during the trip. And I want to thank Edward (driver in Amboseli) for his attentiveness and reliability. Things to improve: it's better to write cost of optional acitivites on the site and to mention about special permission for floral farms access in Naivasha also.
DE
Email Berta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The safari was great!
Everything was perfect besides two small details... during the safari we had two drivers. The first one drove us during the time we were in Masai Mara. Althought our package said that water was included he didn't provide us any. Also the last day we were supposed to have an early game drive in Masai Mara but instead he told us we were driving directly away from the park.
The second driver was great, and the overall experience really good!
SE
Email Mikaela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good value for money!
We did a 6 day budget safari with Karibu safaris. We Went to Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Amazing safaris! Prepare for long days in the car though, Kenya is a vast country and traffic is slow.
We chose Karibu safaris due to the reviews on safaribooking.com and everything went according to plan. Our guide was very keen on showing us everything important and we saw so many amazing things! A trip of a lifetime!
As we were travelling on a budget the accomodation was budget and the bathrooms of low standard, not always warm water, toilet that might not flush etc etc. But it was fine for five nights.
The food was plenty but not always super tasty according to our nordic palate. Bring a few bags of crisps and you'll do fine.
I would reccomend that you get a written contract that specifies what's included in your trip and bring it on your tour. We didn't have a problem but other guests (maybe other tour operators, not sure) had discussions about transfers to the airport etc.
Over all I would highly reccomend this safari if you're on a tight budget but want to see as much as possible and don't mind low standard accomodation.
ES
Email Felix | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best quality-to-price ratio.
A fantastic safari for a reduced price. Only would improve the food in the camp.
BR
Email Carol | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Helpful
Good but could have more communication with clients about what’s happening during the tour
NL
Email Dido | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kind, funny and relaxt.
We did a half-day private tour of Nairobi National Park with our two children (ages 5 and 8). Our guide, Owen, was very friendly.
We were picked up slightly late at our Airbnb, but this wasn’t really an issue since there is usually a long wait at the park gate anyway. On the drive, while passing Kibera, Owen already started sharing info with us about the slum.
Inside the park, Owen explained a lot about the animals and their natural behavior, adding witty remarks every now and then. At one point, he noticed a lioness preparing to hunt and patiently waited to see if we might witness it.
We saw hippos, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, impalas, antelopes, crocodiles, and lions. The absolute highlight, however, was seeing multiple rhinos with their babies. One mother was even breastfeeding her calf just a few meters from our car. The cherry on top was when Owen took a quiet road back toward the city, away from other vehicles, and spotted two beautiful lion cubs for us.
We also saw many bird species, including ostriches, spoonbills, marabou storks, helmeted guineafowl, spotted thick-knees, and several others whose names I can’t recall.
Communication with the organization was pretty easy. We paid in cash (KSh). Be sure to bring your passport, as it’s required at the park entrance. The advertisement mentioned that water would be provided, and the organization also said binoculars would be available, but neither were included on our tour. This wasn’t a problem for us since the animals were very close and we brought our own water, but it’s best to come prepared just in case.
Email Sarah | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experienced and deciplined
Well organised and their services worth the charges
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great
Aanika karibu safaris are pocket friendly, reliable and with good services.