Silver Spark Team at Ikigai Office Westland
Silver Spark Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $6,938 to $34,691 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
ES
Email Rui Jorge Dantas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible organization and management by Abongo, though Peter the guide saved the experience
I booked the "Nairobi: 4-Day Maasai Mara and Lake Naivasha Safari" through GetYourGuide, operated by Silver Spark Africa Safari, and the company's management (especially the boss, Abongo) was absolutely dreadful. I do not recommend them at all.
The issues started the day before the trip:
Last-minute changes: We were informed that they had to change our hotel because it was fully booked, and that the Spanish-speaking guide we requested couldn't make it due to being in "quarantine."
Extreme lateness and unprofessionalism: We were told to be ready at 6:00 AM at our hotel in Nairobi. The boss, Abongo, showed up at 8:00 AM (two hours late) because he had overslept, and he smelled strongly of alcohol. After dropping off the vehicle, he left and did not join us for the safari. Furthermore, the van he provided was incredibly old; it’s a miracle it even survived the trip.
Failure to pay entry fees: Upon arriving at the Maasai Mara gate, we were denied entry because the company had not paid the fees. Abongo sent me a WhatsApp message demanding that I advance $400 USD, claiming GetYourGuide hadn't paid them yet. After a heated argument where I flatly refused to pay, and after waiting for 2 hours, our guide managed to get them to let us in just to eat, under the condition that the payment would be processed later.
Held hostage at the hotel: After Maasai Mara, we headed to Lake Naivasha. The next day during check-out, the exact same issue happened again: we were forced to wait and couldn't leave the hotel because the company had failed to pay for our stay.
The only saving grace:
Our driver and guide, Peter, is a 5-star professional. He was amazing, always available, and constantly trying to minimize and resolve the endless problems caused by his boss, Abongo. The safari itself is wonderful because of the nature, but Silver Spark Africa Safari's management is a complete scam. They put you through incredibly stressful situations while the owner pockets the money and fails to pay vendors on time. Avoid this company at all costs!
Email Rueh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent work, great Safari!
We had an incredible 13-day safari in Kenya and Tanzania with Silver Spark Africa. We visited Lake Bogoria, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli National Park, Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and Maasai Mara National Reserve, it was truly an unforgettable wildlife adventure, including exploring the Mara Triangle and crossing between Kenya and Tanzania. With our guide Samwel, we saw the Big Five and so many animals like zebras, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, flamingos, pelicans, and many bird species. Lake Bogoria was especially amazing for birdlife.
We were lucky to visit during the calving season in Serengeti National Park and saw many baby animals. In Amboseli National Park, we saw baby elephants with their mothers, and in Maasai Mara National Reserve, we watched playful lion cubs, such a special experience. Everything was perfectly organized by Kevin. Our guides, Samwel in Kenya and Babu in Tanzania, were professional, knowledgeable, and easy to communicate with. Even during the rainy season, they drove safely and made sure we never got stuck. Samwel always found the best spots for viewing and photos, which made the experience even better.
This safari exceeded all our expectations. We highly recommend Silver Spark Africa and especially Samwel as a guide for anyone planning a trip to Kenya.
Email Nelly | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised, excellent team!
We communicated with Abongo throughout the entire booking process for our safari, and he was incredibly responsive, professional and helpful from start to finish. He ensured that every detail was well arranged and that we felt fully supported both before and after our trip.
Abongo connected us with Samwel as our safari guide, and we could not have asked for a better experience. Samwel took exceptional care of us throughout the journey. Whenever we encountered even the smallest issue, he addressed it immediately and ensured everything was handled smoothly.
Our game drives were truly unique compared to other safaris we have experienced, both morning and evening game drive. Samwel was always ahead of schedule, actively communicating on the radio to locate wildlife, bigFive and making special efforts to help us find the animals we were most interested in seeing. His knowledge was impressive he answered all of our questions promptly and shared detailed insights about the wildlife, ecosystem and local culture throughout the safari. He was consistently punctual, always early for meetings and departures and remained flexible with our daily itinerary, adjusting plans based on our preferences and requests.
This was, without question, the most enjoyable safari we have ever experienced. We highly recommend Silver Spark Africa Safaris and Samwel to anyone seeking a professional, well-organized and truly unforgettable African safari adventure.
Email Edna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable Safari!
We spent 7 unforgettable days with Silver Spark Africa Safaris, and the entire trip was absolutely amazing. We visited every park as outlined in our itinerary, and everything ran smoothly exactly as planned. We were fortunate to see all the animals we had hoped for, including some very rare species in Samburu National Park.
Our guide, John, was friendly, patient and very knowledgeable. He shared fascinating insights about wildlife as well as local culture, which made the experience even more enriching.
We later extended our journey to Tanzania’s Ndutu Area for the calving season, and it turned out to be a once in a lifetime experience. From the initial planning stages to the accommodations and guiding, everything was handled perfectly.
The staff at our lodges were welcoming and well organized, ensuring a smooth and comfortable stay throughout. Everyone we interacted with was friendly, professional and responsive.
Thank you, Silver Spark Africa Safaris, for delivering such an incredible safari experience. It truly exceeded our expectations.
DE
Email Tina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari!
We had an amazing experience with our guide Peter, our guide. He was a great guide and made sure everything went well for us. He was always on the lookout for animals and made sure we saw all the big five animals at the best angle possible. We had great time taking photos with ease.
Our lodges we stayed on where very comfortable and clean. The food was amazing; it was always a buffet expect for dinner and sometimes lunch hours. On the meals there was plenty choices for every taste and preferences for us. We didn’t have to take care of anything.
We are very grateful for we booked with a right choice and we recommend Silver Spark Africa. Thank you so much for making our safari trip so special.
Email Derek | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A lifetime trip!!
This trip was a lifetime trip and all the memories we made will last a lifetime! On the first day, pick up was a nice reception at the Airport, we left the Airport heading to Maasai Mara. The Second days, was great the pick for my safari, we had a hot air ballooning over the Maasai Mara Park was incredible and the park was marked with Zebra and Wildebeest across the Park. It was a great trip, wonderful to see the Big five animals in their real habitat. Our between hotel transfer, some were a long hour of driving but well worth it in the end. John, was great guide, pointed things out that we would have not seen without his help. The team at Silver Spark and accommodations, that’s lodge/camps were great assets to the trip and made it all the more enjoyable. It was my first trip with Silver Spark Africa and plan on more. Seeing all the animals, was worth an execution plan got best!
Email Ina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We would advise others to avoid Silver Spark. In our experience, their conduct felt unethical
I booked almost 8k worth of trip and got cheated by this company . Bad broken van, terrible transfer from Kenya to Tanzania via rural road to save toll fee, worst of it is to cheat us out of hotel that we paid for to a cheap hotel in a weedful beach in Zanzibar. After promising to return 300 dollars for 8 months and 50 msg exchanges, I had to pay my friend on my own as I booked the trip . I feel terrible and stupid to have trusted them
NL
Email Vinod | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I do not recommend Silver Spark Africa
Our highly anticipated 5-day private safari, costing over $4000++, with Silver Sparks was a complete disaster. After full payment, we were subjected to:
• Substandard vehicle.
• A seemingly new and potentially unpaid driver.
• Unpaid entry fees at tour sites (despite our full payment).
• The driver's concern about not being paid, jeopardizing our return.
• Last-minute cancellation of our return airport transfer via text leaving us stranded.
• Unacknowledged overpayments for dinners.
• Zero communication or proactive updates from Silver Sparks during our trip.
• Unauthorized itinerary changes.
Silver Sparks takes your money and fails to deliver on their promises. This unprofessional and unacceptable experience ruined our first visit to Kenya. We strongly advise you to seek other reliable tour operators.
Silver Sparks never acknowledged returning the monies we paid twice due to their negligence. Seems to be their standard way of operating.
A formal complaint has been filed with the Nairobi tourist board.
Email Sophia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service through out!
This is our second time in Kenya and was our first time in Tanzania. We had 12days Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Tarangire, Amboseli Park. The safaris were all across from Maasai culture, game drive both in the evening and morning. I enjoyed morning game drive and a ballon ride in Maasai Mara reserve. Abongo was very kind, and went to great lengths to give us city tour, across the street. I do appreciate the reliability of Abongo, even when we were crossing the border of Tanzania and Kenya, he was present. I would not have expected that for a budget safari with Silver Spark Africa, will enjoy that much. Thank you Silver Spark!
DE
Email Sven Re | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well experienced and organized Safari team with an excellent guide
We fully enjoyed the 6 Day Safari.
Everything worked perfectly and we felt so lucky and safe with Silverspark Safari and the team.
Even on request before arrival we could change the proposed accommodation at Lake Nakuru.
Highly recommended!