Kenya Reviews

Hi Craig.  . I have completed the feedback form but wanted to email you directly to thank you for the package that you put together for us. We had an amazing experience. The guides that we had at Loldia House and Governors Camp were first class, experienced and knowledgable, and with their skill (together with a sprinkling of good luck) we had fantastic game drives throughout. We were looked after from the minute we landed in Nairobi....  I can see why Mark Applebly recommended you  to us!  . Regards.  . John. Karen & Thomas Davies.

Good morning Helen,. We had a wonderful time and we are most grateful to you and all the team who looked after us. The Migration was a particular highlight, as was seeing leopards and a rhino. The Adventure Camp was perfect for us and we were very well looked after there by an excellent team. The guide and his assistant (trainee guide) were marvellous. Spending 4 or 5 days with them was particularly good, as we got past the initial repartee and had time for them to understand our interests more fully. The Z Hotel was quite a contrast to the Mara camp but we very much enjoyed it as well. The food there was delicious and the room was very comfortable. The highlight there was a snorkelling trip, which included swimming with dolphins. The only hiccough was on our return. Precision Air are, as I suspect you are aware, anything but precise. Our 17.15 flight to Nairobi on Saturday evening finally left Zanzibar at about 8.30pm. This meant that we had a close call in making our connection in Nairobi. We did get to the London flight in time but our bags did not. They finally caught up with us on Monday evening. All in all the trip was marvellous and everything that I had hoped it would be. My son loved it all. Thank you. Best wishes,. Peter.

Hi Janine.  . We had a wonderful time in Kenya! I have put a 5* review on trip advisor.  . SafariLink were great and even put on an aircraft for just us when our connection just missed. The drivers to meet us all were all on time and helpful. The travel was completely stress free!  . Elephant Pepper camp was just perfect with a small homely feel, excellent chef (the best), brilliant guide and green grass with loads of animals and birds. We saw: cheaters, leopards, lions, a serval, hippos, many birds and giraffe.  . Lewa was great for the rhinos and other animals and despite being fairly dry there was water in the valleys, plenty of superb birds, knowledgeable guides. The Accommodation was fabulous with a great vew (but no wifi as it peters out half was down the site). We also saw the first rains to arrive for 3 years so I hope they continue to fall.  . Tortilis camp was the most posh with great views of Mt Kilimanjaro from the restaurant and our tent. The park was really dry but recent rain on the mountain was flowing into the swamp area and there were masses of birds and elephants.  . I attach a few photos and as you can see the weather was perfect.  . Thanks.  . James and Sally Thomas.

Thank you so much for organising the most extraordinary holiday. I don't think we realised exactly the complexity of what we were trying to do before leaving: incredibly everything worked seamlessly, even when it didn't (more below!). Relais de Plateaux was lovely: calm and quiet, good breakfast. On leaving we went to a supermarket and bought some clothes to replace those in the (2) missing bags. . Valkona was surprisingly cool (maybe 14-15 degrees and often rainy), but still comfortable. It was a 5 hour drive even though it was 140 km: the road is horrendous. Still, at that pace you can really experience the countryside. We did lots of great walks and trips with a great local guide. The lodge was cosy in the evenings with an open fire, and a pool table and table tennis table also. . Palmarium was another adventure to get to: 5 hours drive and 1 hour by boat. A superb place, and really worth going to. Lovely huts, much warmer too, and wildlife was incredible. The Aye Aye is rather polarising (Cute? Creepy? Scary? Fascinating?), but really easy to find on the reserve. Again the variety of wildlife was amazing. . Then we had the 300km drive back to Tana which was 11 hours. A long time, but a true experience. It felt like watching some kind of human evolution documentary in fast forward: from literally mud and stick huts at the start, we could see every few tens of km increases is complexity and technology (hand carts to ox carts to tuk tuks to small trucks to more modern vehicles, for instance). But were the people at the end happier than those at the start? . Another quiet night in Relais, and our bags had made it there by then. Next day we flew to Sakatia after a chill morning. It was brilliant to arrive in the dark and have a speedboat ride in to the dark to who knows where? Sakatia is AMAZING: true paradise. . Next morning we had all got up and were slowly considering going to breakfast, when the staff came and told us that whale watching was on: and that boat (about 100m away by then) was ours. They made us a packed breakfast and we jumped on. And..... what a trip. A whale shark within minutes, then after a short time we found 5 male humpback whales who fighting over one female. We tracked them for ages: they gave us a real display and came incredibly close to them. A real priviledge to see. . A few more days of chilling, including a scuba dive for 3 of us, snorkelling to the reef off the beach, and with the turtles also near the beach, then we got ready for our flight out in the afternoon. . Next morning 2 of us went to a local market, then we flew out on time to Nairobi. In Nairobi we were met before passport control and accompanied through, apparently we had booked the "VIP package"! Ole Sereni was really luxurious. The safari company kindly offered to store 3 of our bags as the weight limit was 15kg per person, so we only took 2 bags with us on the safarilink flight. . And the safari was incredible. The animal density was so high ,and we had such knowledable and enthusiastic guides. Governor's camp was brilliant. We had a bit of sickness (Max for one day, then myself: I'm still unwell), but they made sure we were cared for and nothing was too much trouble. . Then the return all worked like clockwork also. . Andy, we truly did not appreciate how complex this all was, and there seemed to be armies of people involved looking after us. Yourself, David, then Rainbow, ITC (are they "London"?), and Za Tours in Madagascar, for instance. That it all worked is extraordinary and down to your hard work. We are so used to organising our own trips, it all seems so easy: but without a backup network looking after us we would probably still be in Sakatia. Which although appealing, would have been a shame to miss out on Kenya. . So the above is a bit of a technical summary: we took around 7000 photos and now the job is to sort through them all to get a highlights package. A true adventure and an amazing opportunity to see two incredible countries. . Thank you so, so much. . So: Feedback: Everything was perfect. Only developement: have a local phone number to call in case of disaster would have given some peace of mind. But it wasn't needed. . Patrrick. . .

Hi Craig,. Just wanted to let you know that we had a fantastic time on our trip to Kenya. . The itinerary you put together was perfect. The variety of landscapes and vegetation made each stop completely different. We saw all the animals we had hoped for ( including the big 5 in masai mara alone). Our favourite park was probably Ambosili and the waterhole at Kilaguni in Tsavo west was outstanding for the numbers of elephants, water buffalo and endless game animals that just seemed to queue up to use it. We saw a lot of Rhino on a day trip to Lake Nakaru from Loldia House. . We also enjoyed the two road transfers in the itinerary as it gave us another perspective on Kenya rather than just flying from place to place. Thanks again for all your help in planning this trip. You did a great job. Next time we are planning a trip to Africa we will be back in touch. Regards Mark and Lynda . .

. . Hi Craig,. This trip has been exceptional, everything has been more than expected. Even had Big 5 on consecutive days here in the Masai Mara. For 2 days, have had the camp and staff to myself....all is good and I wouldn't have missed it for the world,. . Thanks again,. . Regards, Bob. .

Service from Rainbow Tours: excellent. Knowledge of travel specialist: excellent. Overall level of satisfaction: excellent. In the Omo Valley and Gondar our guides were excellent. Ole Sereni Hotel: very helpful, lovely people. Jupiter International Hotel: excellent . Buska Lodge, Turmi: comfort and service excellent; location, meals and facilities good. Nothing too much trouble; a nice place to stay. Eco Omo Lodge, Jinka: average. We took earplugs as advised but they could not cope with the noise of the all night party from the village especially the drums, and then the chanting from 03h30 am. . Kanta Lodge, Konso: comfort, service and location: good. Meals and facilities average. . Haile Resort, Hawassa: Excellent in all respects. Beautiful hotel. Goha Hotel, Gondar: good in all respects. . Lalibela Lodge: cmofort and location good; service, meals and facilities average. . Sabean International Hotel, Axum: comfort: good; service excellent; location and meals good. No not water in our basin so they found Stephen a spare room in which to shave, lol. . Speke's Camp, Kenya: a great camp for a safari; very well organised; amazing food; very clean and lovely staff. Very good knowledge of the wildlife on the game drives, . A very enjoyable holiday. Just a few minor blips but overall a very well organised trip. Thank you. . . .

All Kicheche Camps were excellent with delightful camp hosts very much enhancing the experience. On initial discussions with Rainbow, Porini Camps were also mentioned as being equally good but we decided on Kicheche as their website suggested they were slightly more geared up for photographers. This was definitely the case, and on seeing the Porini vehicles while we were out there, no doubt Kicheche vehicles are far better for photographers, as were the guides who were nearly all very keen photographers themselves. The concept of conservancies is fantasctic and would not consider anything else after this trip. Game viewing was good, slightly disapointed due to the long grass in January making the sightings slightly harder but we still saw fabulous things and we will need to return! .

'Overall holiday satisfaction: Excellent. Gorilla Mountain View Lodge: excellent comfort, service, location, meals and facilities. Wildebeest Camp: Excellent comfort and location. Good service, meals and facilities. Barking dogs and noisy toads kept me awake! Perfect otherwise. Amboseli Porini Camp: Excellent in all respects. Rwandan driver-guide Mussa and hotel staff second-to-none. Nothing was too muc bother and everything was undertaken with smile. Went beyond the call of duty - lovely people, amazing country and amazing Gorillas! Masai guides, Tony the camp manager at Porini and everyone fantastic hosts. Smiling and hospitable & fantastic wildife spotters. An amazing experience.'.

Chameleon Tours were excellent, even suggesting a place to have a meal before waiting at the airport. Air Kenya were very efficient. Our guide Moses from Magic Safaris had an excellent understanding of what tourists want – we couldn’t fault him at all. The best guide we have had over eight safaris!

Leila perfectly assessed what we wanted, and we could not be happier with the arrangements. We are singing your and Kenya’s praises from the rooftops and hope some more people visit.

We would like to thank all of the staff at Rainbow Tours, especially Derek and Candice who really went out of their way to help us with any queries we had. It will be hard to beat the holiday we had! .

When I called, Chania was excellent in advising on options, with real personal experience to draw on.

A great big thank you to Chania for organising this holiday of a lifetime for us. It more than exceeded our expectations. Porini Amboseli Camp, a bull elephant outside our tent at 4.20am so close we could hear him breathe. Porini Lion Camp, lions roaring in the dead of night and a leopard asleep on the camp managers tent in the early evening. As for Unguja Lodge Zanzibar there are not many places you can watch humpback whales from your terrace, we did. Thank you.

We probably had more ‘special’ moments on this trip than on any other of our previous safaris (seven!). We were particularly impressed by the guiding and also by the flexibility this time.

The two camps we stayed at on our kenya safari were the perfect combination. Although they were close enough to allow a game drive transfer, the ecosystems were different and so there was plenty of variety. We particularly appreciated the philosophy of Kicheche, which supports the wildlife, but also contributes much to the livelihood of the local Masai communities. We really got to know our guide, Patrick at Kicheche, very well and he us as we were very lucky to have the vehicle and Patrick to ourselves for all of the game drives. .

Had a trip of a life time and would defiantly recommend it. Thank you for all your help! .

I was lucky to have Nelson to myself during my stay. Relaxed drives with lots of chats and knowledge sharing. So glad I went, it was my first single safari and I’ll defiantly be going back again. Travelling alone isn’t the problem I expected it would be. Rainbow Tours helped by making all the arrangements like clockwork. I had a fab trip and photo’s to stir memories of a great time spent with lovely people and super wildlife.

This holiday was the first I have ever had where it has not been a ‘package’ and I must admit to feeling slightly hesitant travelling alone but any concerns I did have before I left home were totally unnecessary. .

This was a lot of money for us to spend on a family holiday, but we are glad we had the experiences we did and Rainbow Tours did their bit to ensure a smooth-running holiday.

The trip went like clockwork. We loved every minute and would certainly do it again. Little Governors and Funzi Keys are delightful with staff who are all friendly and helpful. Best holiday I have had. Thank you.

We had a fabulous Kenya holiday and our Rainbow consultant had suggested the perfect itinerary. .

First Class! Efficient and detailed information from Rainbow Tours. .

Just the most perfect holiday. Thank you so much.

We were pleased with the varied selection of camps and habitats which allowed us to see a wide variety of birds and animals during the holiday.

Many thanks to our consultant for the advice on selecting great accommodation. It was an amazing holiday. Watching wildebeest and zebra crossing the Mara River is a memory I will always treasure!

Everything ran really smoothly. Loved it and hope to return to Kenya.

We were very happy with our holiday in Kenya. The safari camps were really well chosen and the itinerary / logistics were excellent. Thank you very much!

Fantastic honeymoon and well orchestrated trip. Thanks.

We would certainly recommend Rainbow Tours, far beyond our expectations. Excellent service - detailed itinerary/instructions were brilliant, especially the info on transfers in Nairobi. A BIG THANK YOU to Rainbow Tours who organized such a perfect honeymoon for my wife and I. I look forward to dealing with you on our next trip to Africa!

Guides - amazing knowledge and passionate about the wild life. Fantastic! Overall [it was] better than we could have imagined. Thank you Rainbow Tours for an excellent experience.

Once again Rainbow Tours has proved to be the best choice and they couldn’t have suggested, arranged and supported us through a better trip.

Excellent. Fantastic value for money and brilliant service. This was our first safari – just brilliant.

Excellent guides in Kenya!

The game viewing in the Mara North Conservancy was amazing. We both really enjoyed the whole holiday. Thank you!