Africa Kenya Safaris — Local services in Nairobi

We booked a 7-day private safari for two people with Africa Kenya Safaris, Nairobi. It covered Masai Mara (2 days), Lake nakuru/Lake Naivasha (2 days) and Samburu (2 days). It cost more than 4,000 USD and included all accommodations, food, transportation, Game drives, and park fees. When we got to Masai Mara we were refused entry because the Park fees had not been paid. We were made to wait at the gate for more than 2 hours. When the park fees finally came through we were still not allowed in because the company had not paid the full fees. I had to pay the shortfall out of my own pocket. I have still not been reimbursed for this added cost. All attempts to contact the company went unanswered. On the second day our guide was able to convince the Park Warden that the fees would be paid by 11 am that day. On this assurance we were admitted to the park. During our Game drive (around lunch time) our guide told us that we had been ordered back to the Park gate by the Warden because the fees had still not been paid. We returned to the gate and were made to wait more than two hours. The warden threatened to confiscate our vehicle and detain our driver. This would have left us stranded at the Park gate with no means to get back to the hotel. I desperately tried to contact Africa Kenya Safaris but got know response. Finally the park fees came through after 4 pm but again the company did not pay the full amount and our driver paid the shortfall this time so that we could continue our game drive. During this episode over two days multiple attempts were made to contact company management by phone, email and text messaging but all went unanswered. Our driver was also unable to contact his bosses. BOTTOM LINE WAS THAT LOST ABOUT HALF OUR GAME DRIVE TIME OVER THE TWO DAYS AT MASAI MARA - THE MOST PROMINENT PARK IN KENYA. Unbelievably, the same thing happened again when we got to Lake Nakuru - the Park fees were not paid. We again had to wait at the park gate till well after 2 pm - about 3 hours. We could not even access our lodge to eat lunch because the lodge was located inside the Park. We were finally able to do a severely shortened game drive that afternoon. At Lake Naivasha our activities were also shortened because the fees had not been paid on time. Multiple attempts were made to contact the company management daily for four days but there was no response. In all we lost more than half the game viewing time over the FOUR days due to the their incompetence. No explanation for their acts of negligence has been provided by the Africa Kenya Safaris. BUYER BEWARE - YOU MIGHT NOT GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR BY BOOKING A SAFARI WITH AFRICA...

After lots of research, we chose Africa Kenya Safaris because they offered an easily customizable plan as well as a great price compared to its competitors. Correspondence was always quick and uncomplicated. Service was unbeatable from start to finish. From the first moment our guide Price arrived, we knew it would be a great 6 days. He picked us up at 7am with a big smile and lots of confidence for the week ahead. He surpassed every expectation we had - as a guide and person to spend the next 6 days. He was top in spotting animals (we managed to see the big (& ugly) 5), educated us and answered all our questions, a great driver and very attentive (he noticed, without us saying anything, when we were interested in seeing something/taking photos and stopped to give us time). His respect for the animals and land have truly impressed us, especially after seeing how some other company guides would invade the animals' space with no shame. We ended each day with an unbelievable experience, wondering how the next day could be better, but somehow Prince always managed to do just that! We really enjoyed his cool, laid back and friendly demeanor. He was a perfect fit for us! During our tour, we met with some other colleagues of the company (Mr. Philipp and Daniel), and they also gave us a great impression of the company. Steve and Humphrey also called and checked up on us throughout the trip to make sure our expectations were being met. We had a great adventure that we will share for the rest of our lives. We highly recommend booking a tour with Africa Kenya Safaris. Thank you to both the company and especially Prince for an...

We worked with Esther to book an 8 day safari tour of Kenya. This tour also involved their sister company natural world safaris who I guess are their sister company. Esther helped answer all our questions, and book the tour without issue. The tour was excellent, and our driver was great. They also provided binoculars which was great. We travelled with a small pair, but it was great to have another set that had better magnification. I will also say that the safari vehicle was very comfortable, and all the accommodations offered were fantastic and very comfortable. One thing that I really appreciated from Esther and Africa Kenya Safaris is that while we were in Nairobi before and after the tour, they insisted on making sure they provided transport to help us feel safer. It was great to have a group we knew we could trust there. I imagine most other taxi services would have been fine, but as a short term tourist, it was hard to figure out who to trust and who not to. There was one small hiccough on our trip - there was an issue in transferring sufficient funds to the driver. This seems like it was a kenya bank issue, but it's not clear exactly what happened. Regardless, our driver did his best to ensure this didnt affect our trip, and for the most part, it didnt! Overall, everything worked out, but it caused a bit of concern on the...