My husband and I went to Kenya and Tanzania for our honeymoon and after a lot of research decided to book with African touch. I will give a more detailed explanation of our experience below but in summary, I would recommend African Touch to my friends and family. We heard about them through a work colleague who is local to the area and vouched for them. The team is respectful, professional and attentive your needs. The price is fair and you will find that a lot of other companies charge much higher prices for the same experience and packages. We think it could be because African Touch is a true local company, which we always prefer to do local companies when traveling abroad.
We are from Florida for some perspective and we’re here for 10-days. One thing that set African Touch apart from other safaris is that we had 1 driver and 1 guide, so 2 people with us almost at all times. Most companies only provide you with a driver (who serves as the guide). To us, that was a pro. It might not be for everyone, but we appreciated that our guide was with us the entire time (through Kenya and Tanzania). The drivers did change between the two counties. Our guide was Dismas and he was incredible! He is a driven, vibrant young man. He speaks perfect English and is very friendly and charismatic. He was vital in many parts of our trip when needing to speak to locals in Swahili. Our first driver was Brandon, he was a kind young man who drove us around Maasai Mara and to the Tanzania border. Due to the nature of the roads, the drives are bumpy and sometimes for long periods of times. Brandon is an experienced driver who was attentive to the road at all times. Our second driver around the Serengeti was Emily. Emily was extremely professional and took his job seriously. He was a true gentleman and has been driving around the Serengeti for decades. Both drivers provided sufficient bathroom breaks and took us to hot spots of animals. They both had lots of information to share with us and were overall lovely to be around.
Things to keep in mind that will not be included but was communicated to us and is not African Touch’s fault at all: (1) the Serengeti has additional concession fees on top of park fees (costed us an additional $450 USD). (2) Maasai Mara park fees can fluctuate within the year. In July the fees were $200 USD /person/ day ($100 in June). When we booked the fees were $70 but then it changed. Again, this was communicated to us but this added an additional $1K to the trip give or take. (3) tips- you end up giving tips to a lot of people. You are not obligated to give tips but employees are so warm and welcoming that you feel bad not giving a tip. We were not pressured to give tips to our drivers or guide or other employees but we did. That added a few hundred bucks as well. Note that in both Kenya and Tanzania they accept dollars. Just bring significant amount of cash is our advice in small bills so you don’t have to take out money at the ATM.
Things that were not included and slightly took us for surprise: (1) not every single meal is included. I advise to bring many protein bars or snacks that fill you up. Only the safari lodges include all 3-meals. Meaning, any nights you have in cities (Nairobi, Arusha, etc), will probably not include lunch or dinner. If you are expecting every single meal to be provided you should communicate that clearly with Margaret. This was not a deal breaker for us but did add a few hundred bucks to the trip. It could add additional expense so you are aware. (2) visa application for Kenya and Tanzania: really no guidance was provided on this topic. Not a deal breaker for us because we are accustomed to researching things ourselves.
Again, I would highly recommend African touch for the price, professionalism, and reliability. My husband and I had the trip of a lifetime. We will certainly be back to Africa someday and would use African Touch’s services again. Thank you to the African touch team, you were all wonderful...
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