Aanika Karibu Safaris in Kenya — Attraction in Nairobi

August 2024 First of all, the reservation with Robert was smooth. I would suggest to start communication as early as possible because the agents/operators can be super busy and overlooked your communication. I bought a join group 3D2N package that included: Park fee to Masai Mara National Reserve with USD$200 per entry (high season). Accommodation Camp Tent x 2 nights Meals x 7 Transportation Jeep 4 x 4 (Highly recommended! You’ll regret going with a van!)

I had an amazing time. I witnessed 2 hunts from lionesses and cheetahs. Saw tons of wild animals.

WHAT GUEST SHALL KNOW: Day 1: Traveling day from 7am being picked up from your hotel to the Jeep and waited for the rest of the guests. Start travelling latest by 8:30am with approximately 5 hours drive to the camp. There were stops at the view point, toilets, souvenir shops etc, which led us arrive the camp around 2pm ish. Depending what accommodation you’ve chosen and that will indicate what route you’ll be taken and hence half an hour bumpy road from Narok City. The one I chose was Enchoro Wildlife Camp BUT I was given Mara Enkajiang. Of course I wasn’t being notified at all. I was only notified by the guide and by then, I didn’t seem to have any choices. Arrived at the camp at 2pm ish, checked in to the tent and had lunch. Evening game drive started at 3:30pm picked up and got into Masai Mara National Reserve around 4pm and finished at 6:22pm. (Now, this’s the part that didn’t make sense at all. The entry fee again is USD$200/entry and on this day was for 2 and a half hours only! This is where guest shall think and question before do any bookings with any agents.) Dinner at the camp and chill.

Day 2: Picked up at 6:30am and got into the reserve around 6:45am for a full day game drive from 6:30am - 4:45pm. (Again is the same USD $200/entry.) Saw some great actions! Each of the accommodation pre-prepared foods in a box/paper bag for picnic under a random tree in the wild at about 12:30pm ish. Continued the afternoon game drive to Masai River in hope to watch the migration, which didn’t happen. (The best time and chances in specific is mid July and early Aug.) What to take notes of is that animals are unpredictable; respect the rules; the guides communicate with each other in order to find the animals; hold on tight when you’re on a Jeep; have your phone leash around your neck before it falls out of the vehicle because you are NOT ALLOWED to get out of the vehicle; solo traveler advisable to choose passenger seat next to the guide because you always get the first hand info; be quiet when watch animals; drinking water is given by the guide instead from the accommodation; there’s a chance to pee at the bush.

Day 3: Visit Masai Village at 7am, otherwise guide will pick you up at 8am and embarked to Nairobi. The guide chose a transit route through the reserve. There’re 5 entrances in the reserves. Because this day is not paid USD$200, hence it was only a pass by. Guide will surely bring you to a Masai Market to buy souvenirs for 20 mins. Haggles here and there. Had lunch at Navaisha. Arrived Nairobi around 3pm ish.

My suggestions: Book your tours that go with 4D3N, which the 1st and 4th day are traveling day and you spend 2nd & 3rd day full day in the reserve.

Stay at Narok instead Nairobi to save the 5 hours traveling time if you intend to do 3D2N.

Always ask your agents in detail manner in order to set your expectations.

I still had a great time with agent Karibu Safaris In Kenya! The operator I got was Kenya Safari Bookings. They were professional...

I recently went on a safari with this tour company and had a very mixed experience. We enjoyed our safari with our tour guide Edward. He made us feel safe and welcomed throughout the journey. He was very knowledgeable, sharing fascinating facts about the animals and the park, which made our game drives truly enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the company due to the way they handled our accommodation , especially because this was our honeymoon. I booked the tour four months in advance and specifically requested to stay at Mara Sopa Lodge, even coordinating special honeymoon touches like a private dinner and room decorations with the lodge. On the first day of the safari, we paid Robert (the tour organizer) where he had the chance to share this information but did not. We were told during our lunch stop that Mara Sopa was fully booked and were redirected to Mara Simba Lodge for one night with no prior notice.

I contacted the company right away (knowing this was not our guide’s fault), and their only explanation was, “Both lodges are 4-star rated.” While that may be true on paper, Mara Simba Lodge was not comparable in quality, experience, or amenities and it was not the same price. To make matters worse, no refund or compensation was offered for the downgrade or inconvenience.

When we finally arrived at Mara Sopa Lodge, they did not have our reservation and we had to wait 30 minutes for the company to send vouchers that would allow us to check in. After the inconvenience the night before and speaking to the company I would have expected a smooth check in. After checking in, we spoke directly with their staff to ask what had happened with the previous night. They informed us that they had no record of our reservation until we arrived to check in, despite our reservation being placed months in advance. Because of this, we missed out on the special honeymoon experiences we had requested. We traveled 20 hours from Florida to Kenya and the company did not even secure a lodge for us.

This was extremely disappointing. The safari itself was beautiful, and we’re grateful for our guide Edward but the company’s lack of professionalism, accountability, and care for our experience left us deeply dissatisfied. If you’re planning a special trip like a honeymoon, or any vacation. I strongly recommend booking with a company that communicates clearly, honors your reservations, and respects the importance of the experience. If you do decide to end up booking with them, I would recommend reaching out to the lodge and arranging the accommodation yourself.

I would recommend Edward as a tour guide to anyone, just not...

Our experience with the Karibu safari was overall very nice. The booking was really easy. They came to pick us up on the first morning right on time.

The food was very good at our first camp in the masaai (enchoro wildlife camp). The staff there is amazing and the tent was so nice. The landscape are also beautiful. You will feel like you were in a middle of a jungle with baboons around and all the birdies. The masaai tour of the village is not very worth it. It doesn’t take long and they pressured me until I bought something. I felt like I had to buy. I bought a bracelet I didn’t very like to make them happy (also because I don’t know how to say no 🙃 resolution 2021) ,Their welcoming dance was really amazing tho. Forever grateful that they shared their culture with us. We got to visit their home, learn how to make a fire

The second hotel was good (hotel city max) Clean room, comfortable bed and hot shower (YES) No wifi tho. It wasn’t working but the staffs tried really hard to make it work. They made us lunch on the rooftop. So beautiful. The food was good. We got use to rice, potatoes, pasta. The vegetables are really delicious tho and the fresh mango as well.

Lake Nakuru is really amazing. I think it was my favorite. We got to see giraffes and zebra so close to us. It was magical.

We did 6 days (Masaai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboselli) The driver was nice and friendly. He laughed at my awkward jokes (+1 for you my friend) and was helpful with our videos settings.

As for the food, they tried to accommodate our diet as much as they can (we are vegan) but we had eggs in most dishes, but it’s fine.

The last accommodations was... different. I cried of exhaustion because the room was full of spider web and I was so scared. The staff immediately gave us another room without hesitation We got another tent and that one was better. You get use to ur gecko friends- the little non-identified buggies in the tent and weird smell in the toilet 😂. The bed are comfortable and you get a net over your bed. The outside was truly amazing tho. Beautiful flowers and a view on the kilimandjaro early in the morning. The amboselli park is the elephants paradise. We got to see so MANY of them. The food there was really good!!

The parks we visited are truly amazing . If you are on a budget it’s a perfect safari tour if you are not picky about food or cleanliness. You get to see the animals so close and get the company of an experience driver ✨

Try your best to encourage local safari ❤️ the money you spend go...