CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

Our Clients’ Reviews

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  Jane Newman

  Wildlife Wonderland

  

  Written October 2011

  Fanatastic wildlife wonderland in luxury lodge and campsite.  I feel a bit of a fraud saying I went camping - Base Camp Masai Mara was amazingly comfortable and luxurious.  I felt really close to nature and enjoyed the animals, with all home comforts thrown in! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  • Seeing 'honeymoon' lion and lioness displaying such tenderness towards each other
  • Never knowing what was just around the corner: a leopard kill in a tree, lioness and her 3 cubs, warthog family, African fish eagle, zebras surrounding our truck to feed at waterhole, white rhino strolling across the road, ostrich and her eight chicks
  • Watcing a family of baboons, feeding and playing, from my hammock outside my 'tent' at Basecamp
  • Meeting friendly, laidback people of Kenya and being waved to by school children on roadtrip to Masai Mara

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Ben and Davis complemented each other perfectly.

  Davis took the trouble to meet the group every night to tell us about the itinerary for the next day, answer our questions and reassure us.  He also told us about life in Kenya and had many interesting anecdotes.  He also saved me from walking too close to a buffalo!

  Ben was entertaining and fun loving.  He also had a fantastic knowledge of the wildlife and had superb eyesight - spotting animals from a seemingly impossible distance,  whilst driving the safari truck.  Ben got on so well with everyone in the group and was able to adapt to our different personalities.  We all had a great time on the road! 

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Consider buying your visa before you leave.  I had to wait for an hour at Nariobi airport before I could obtain mine.  I was the last one into the arrivals lounge and by then my luggage was nowhere to be seen.  I eventually found it on someone else's trolley about to be whisked away!

  If, like me, you hate camping this is the trip for you!

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  This a trip you can't fail to enjoy if you like wildlife - go for it.

   Basecamp Masai Mara is the best place I've ever stayed!

   
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  CELIA GILBERT

  CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

  

  Written October 2011

  This holiday was excellent both in the accommodation choices, food provided, the safari itself and the particular mix of people we had within our group.  One thing could I think be easily overcome - we were all advised to get the visa on arrival and on the plane that it would be £20 I think it was but when we arrived, it was not only more expensive but it took a long time to get, thus making people in our group wait a long time for some of us.  The currency being ok to get on arrival although cheaper, incurred delays also making of us feel rather bad right at the start of the trip!More positives outweigh the negatives though!  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Wanting to see a leopard and our guide trying hard to make sure we did.  So not only did we find one camouflaged within the bushes - hard to see but having just made a 'kill' spreadeagled it across leaf-free branches of a tree as if if she had pinned it up there to skin it.  Does not sound much but it was one of my highlights.

  Seeing my first close up of  - giraffe, a lioness and her cubs, two cheetahs; baby elephants, hippos doing synchronised swimming; a stubborn buffalo occupying our picnic spot; a wildebeast silhouetted against the sunset  sky;....two big Rhinos walking in front of the van and then their back view going off across the land - 'priceless' ; the scurrying of the funny warthogs

  What did you think of your group leader?

  He was very good on the whole and very friendly - we think he had a couple of 'down' days but we managed to lift his spirits!!

  Sometimes I felt though that he did not know how Exodus inform us in advance about the trip - we asked about the migration and he did not seem to understand that it could happen in October whereas it was in the trip notes (?). I I was pretty sure of when we asked him.?

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  If not very clued up - try to get an idea from someone (previous traveller to that area) who is a good barterer to advise you what is reasonable and what is too much!?   I felt a bit inadequate and nearly got very stung!  I did not know what I needed to specifically  ask or check about this essential learning curve when I had my Exodus contact to ask prior to the trip.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  I wish I had lots of money and could go on lots more of your trips.  I would say to everyone that if they do no other 'challenge or experience' in their life, they should experience this.  Wonderful - a week which will stay with me forever and the photos I have are there to constantly remind me of the beauty not only of the animals in the Mara but everywhere we went. However, photos don't quite beat the real animal there in front of you!!.

  I wish - knowing the amount of money received from tourism  they could use it to make the road to Mara smoother, suffering from a trapped nerve in your back then travelling hours across rubble filled roads - not ideal!  Perhaps they could improve the sanitation (toilet stops) from that money too - but I am asking for the 'completely unlikely in my lifetime' no doubt.  Wonderful trip....Thank you!

   
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  Lisa Whitehouse

  CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

  

  Written September 2011

  A well organised trip that was full to the brim of wonderful experiences. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Viewing the poverty in Kenya.

  Having a black rhino run across the road directly in front of us.

  Watching two lions copulate.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Ben did his best to make our trip as enjoyable as possible. He made us feel a little uncomfortable about not going to the Masai village but I guess he wants us to contribute to the local community. However, we stood firm and did not go (although we did make a contribution to the village). Other than that, he was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. He also had a good sense of humour which is very important when you're stuck together for 6 days. He worked incredibly hard (long driving days, animal spotting, organising us and our accommodation, serving lunch, etc.) for which we were very grateful.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be prepared for a non-stop trip full of activities (we hardly had time to shower some days)! Early to bed and early to rise as far as this trip is concerned.

  It's as easy to take US dollars as it is Kenyan shillings.

   
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  Diana Harrison

  CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

  

  Written August 2011

  An amazing experience which lingers in the mind for a long time after.   

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Seeing my grandson's wonder at seeing his first giraffe

  Bing close to lions watching them eat their prey and mate

  Hearing baby baboons playing on the deck of our lodge in the early morning

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Both leaders were efficient and helpful.   Ben in particular was friendly and approacable

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  If possible go and stay in Nairobi overnight as the first day is hard especially with the long drive

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  It would help if insurance details and chat could be done before or on line as the long stop in cafe on first day's journey was frustrating

  The only upsetting aspect is the numer of jeeps round the animals  particularly at busy times of the day so good to go out early

  We loved the eco camp, the setting and everything about it

   
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  Bron Jones

  CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

  

  Written October 2010

  This was a great trip including two contrasting regions of Kenya, and two long road trips that let us see areas of the country we might not have seen. Nakuru is well worth the journey as its greeness and forests of Acacia trees come as a real surprise, and the bird life is phenomenal. The camp in the Masai Mara was a little oasis in the bush where we felt like we were in the wild, but totally safe at the same time. Fantastic.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  There are loads, so here's a quick rundown:

  • watching the flamingoes at Nakuru when two enormous hippo appeared out of the lake behind them,
  • watching the sunrise from a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara and seeing a Cerval as we skimmed the ground,
  • having breakfast in our own 'bush restaurant' and pretending we were the characters from 'Out of Africa'!
  • watching lion cubs playing in the Elephant Grass,
  • finally finding two cheetah feeding after a morning's search,
  • having dinner under the stars at the camp,
  • eating breakfast with the hippos,
  • seeing both black and white rhino
  • spending time with our group and our guides,
  • seeing the joy on our friends' faces when we were rewarded with great sightings.

  This is just naming a few!!!

  What did you think of your group leader?

  We had two leaders for the whole group, but we spilt into two for the vans, so Davis became our guide. He was brilliant- really knowledgeable about everything that we saw; patient and tolerant of our shinanigins.... we were the rowdy bus!; he had a great sense of fun and humour; and simply made the week for us.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Consider getting your visa before you go: the process is simple enough at Nairobi airport, but if you choose the wrong queue it can take over an hour, and it's the last thing you need after a long flight. We stood and watched people with pre-bought visas walk straight through passport control- we finally joined our group after over an hour.... we were last out of the airport!

  Consider getting the flights yourself: we have done three trips with Exodus now, and we have had considerable difficulties with ensuring seating together on every single trip- despite assurrances that we have got seats booked together on the plane. It may not be an important part of the trip for you, so forget about it, but it's important to me to sit with my husband, particularly on night flights. We have had to battle with every check in that we have done to try to get seats together- it baffles me that people booking together as Mr and Mrs would be separated but, go figure! We were finally seated together on this trip after some juggling at check in, to find we had been separated again by the time we got to the gate! I will definitely travel with Exodus again, but I will be booking the flights myself.

  On a supermarket stop for water, get some snacks for the road trip from Elementaita to Masai Mara and have them for your packed lunch- the packed lunch provided was over priced for what was a box of left overs.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  We had a brilliant time and were fortunate again in the company we enjoyed with our travel companions. The camp was gorgeous, and I really appreciated the 'low impact' nature of the set up that made us feel almost part of the landscape whilst still being thoroughly spoiled. The staff at the camp were wonderful and so ready to tell us all about the area and their lives and culture. A real treat. This was our second safari holiday, and was a lovely contrast to the one we had done before. I know road trips can put some people off the trip, but I loved them- the roads are amazing and the countryside travelled through was stunning. Sadly we weren't in the right place at the right time to see a leopard, but hey, that means we'll have to go back again! Every cloud!

   
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  Tina Callingham

  CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

  

  Written October 2010

  A beautiful, amazing, emotional, educational and inspiring trip !!  Brilliantly choreographed to get the most out of every moment. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  There are many inspirational moments on this trip from watching elephants nuture their young, a lioness keeping a watchful eye on her cubs and seeing herds of Wildebeest, Buffalo and Zebra running free in the most amazing vast space as far as the eye can see. However the peak of this trip was the balloon ride across the Masai Mara.  You have to do it !  Forget the cost, its worth every single penny.  The champagne breakfast afterwards tops off the surreal and never to be forgotten experience.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Our group leaders were outstanding. Their local knowledge, navigation skills and expertise in the Masai Mara meant that I always felt in safe hands and well looked after. 

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Don't shop at the first opportunity you get.  There are more opportunities and many of us wished that we'd saved our spending money for the Masai Village as you feel that your money is going straight in to the hands of the people who need it (rather than someone or a group of people who run a shop), but by that point of the trip most of us had already blown our spending money in a shop on the way to the Masai Mara. If you don't see anything at the Village (it is a bit of a random selection of goods on sale but many traditional items are available) then there are other opportunities including another stop off after lunch on the way back to Nairobi on the last day at the same shop you stop at on the way there. 

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The Kicheche Camp was outstanding.  A real glamping experience with the most amazing cuisine. There was 12 in our group and we all got on brilliantly. In short, I cant recommend this holiday highly enough!!

   
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  Elizabeth Stewardson

  CLASSIC KENYA SAFARI

  

  Written October 2010

  A very well organised safari which matched the description in the pre-travel notes. Excellent guides.  

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  My first sight of the Rift Valley was jaw-dropping, followed later on by a walk with the best wildlife guide I've ever walked with (Joseph - Lake Elementaita Lodge).

  Sunset on The Mara was beautiful, a magical experience.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Very knowledgeable and professional.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Read the excellent travel notes prior to booking so you know what to expect. Unlike some other companies, Exodus aren't afraid to put in the not so pleasant parts of the trip, eg 3 hours on dirt roads, so you really do understand the itinerary.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Wish I'd chosen Exodus before now!

   

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