Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Karibu Safaris In Kenya
4
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
We offer daily safari tours for Private and group joining safari departures coverings all the major parks in Kenya and Tanzania at affordable prices.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
131 reviews
Excellent
96
Very good
10
Average
2
Poor
3
Terrible
20
Connie O
London, UK7 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
Before I paid a deposit I specifically checked through email communication if the safari would be in the order I saw on the safari booking website, i.e., day 1 Lake Naivasha, day 2 Lake Nakuru and days 3-4 at Masai Mara. This was so we would get as close to 2 full days at Masai Mara as possible as I was aware the trip would involve a lot of travelling. I was assured by the agent I communicated with by email it would be in this order.
On day 1 of the tour, when I was picked up, it wasn't until we were almost there and I asked before I was told we were headed to Masai Mara. In the end most of day 1 was spent travelling to Masai Mara and we only spent 2.5 hours on the safari. The very thing I was trying to avoid with my questions! Day 2 was a full day at Masai Mara. To add, the hotel we stayed at, Jambo Mara Lodge, I really liked.
Day 3 was Lake Nakuru (which in the itinerary I was given we were supposed to go to on day 2). The accommodation, the Waterbuck Hotel is not good. Good breakfast but very rundown rooms with too much noise from outside so it's hard to sleep. Plus no fan or air conditioning.
Day 4 was Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate, which was supposed to be on day 1. The accommodation, Masada hotel, was better than Waterbuck, bit still not very good, no fan or air con and bathroom was quite smelly and my toilet didn't have a toilet seat.
What I liked about the safari:
1. I enjoyed the actual safari itself and seeing all the animals.
2. I liked Jambo Mara Safari Lodge.
What I didnt like:
1. Not correctly informed about the itinerary of the trip, even though I asked.
2. I did a shared safari and everyone was given a different itinerary (i.e., each person was given a different order and some were told we would do a pre-breakfast drive at Masai Mara, which we didnt do). We were all on the safari for a different amount of days so I think the issue was they were trying to accommodate everyone's different schedules. This should have been explained when I asked.
3. The tour guide didn't explain from day to day where we were going and what we would be doing and seemed annoyed when we would ask for information. As a result, we were all quite confused from day to day on what the plan was.
4. A lot of driving from one location to another. The longest drive being Nairobi to Masai Mara, which took 6 - 7 hours.
On day 1 of the tour, when I was picked up, it wasn't until we were almost there and I asked before I was told we were headed to Masai Mara. In the end most of day 1 was spent travelling to Masai Mara and we only spent 2.5 hours on the safari. The very thing I was trying to avoid with my questions! Day 2 was a full day at Masai Mara. To add, the hotel we stayed at, Jambo Mara Lodge, I really liked.
Day 3 was Lake Nakuru (which in the itinerary I was given we were supposed to go to on day 2). The accommodation, the Waterbuck Hotel is not good. Good breakfast but very rundown rooms with too much noise from outside so it's hard to sleep. Plus no fan or air conditioning.
Day 4 was Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate, which was supposed to be on day 1. The accommodation, Masada hotel, was better than Waterbuck, bit still not very good, no fan or air con and bathroom was quite smelly and my toilet didn't have a toilet seat.
What I liked about the safari:
1. I enjoyed the actual safari itself and seeing all the animals.
2. I liked Jambo Mara Safari Lodge.
What I didnt like:
1. Not correctly informed about the itinerary of the trip, even though I asked.
2. I did a shared safari and everyone was given a different itinerary (i.e., each person was given a different order and some were told we would do a pre-breakfast drive at Masai Mara, which we didnt do). We were all on the safari for a different amount of days so I think the issue was they were trying to accommodate everyone's different schedules. This should have been explained when I asked.
3. The tour guide didn't explain from day to day where we were going and what we would be doing and seemed annoyed when we would ask for information. As a result, we were all quite confused from day to day on what the plan was.
4. A lot of driving from one location to another. The longest drive being Nairobi to Masai Mara, which took 6 - 7 hours.
Written 3 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jaana E
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Couples
Excellent trip rganizator I can just recommend, so easy to communicate, value for the money and so nice personnel, always in time. We had Masai Mara and Mount Kenya trips and they organized everything pick up from airport until to train to Mombasa and everything between. Just great 😃.
Written 30 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dennis
Utrecht, The Netherlands2 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Its was an amazing hike and we made it to the top. The guide gave us background information about the plants and animals. He also motivated us and adjusted the pace so the hike was very doable.
Written 11 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Violeta P
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Couples
We did the trekking up to Mount Kenya with Jimmy as guide. It was such a great experience. We felt very safe at all times. He and his team are very well prepared and know the mountain and its dangers perfectly. They help you with everything prior, during and after! It's something I absolutely recomend for trekking lovers. Being able to walk under the stars up the mountain (we even saw a couple of shooting stars) and see the sunrise from the top of Lenana peak it's something we will not forget!
Written 26 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
siphumelele z
3 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
My friends and i are south african so this wasnt our first safari, but it was our first time in Kenya so it was a no brainer. The camp conditions was just about the only positive thing i can mention.
The is very little communication from the team, they changed our camp site and didnt inform us, also the water provided is room temp amd theres no place to get ice on the way. John, our driver, God bless him seemed abit confused by us, there was abit of a language barrier.
The lunch was sub par, we didnt eat much of it. The game drive seemed go on and on, i even took a nap because we werent spotting any wild life.
The worst part though was the inauthetic masia village, it all came a cross very performative.
The entirw thing was just about getting the most money out of you. Everyone involved is hyper conserned about the tip but not really engaged in giving you great service.
I would not recommend esp for people who have had other safari experiences.
The is very little communication from the team, they changed our camp site and didnt inform us, also the water provided is room temp amd theres no place to get ice on the way. John, our driver, God bless him seemed abit confused by us, there was abit of a language barrier.
The lunch was sub par, we didnt eat much of it. The game drive seemed go on and on, i even took a nap because we werent spotting any wild life.
The worst part though was the inauthetic masia village, it all came a cross very performative.
The entirw thing was just about getting the most money out of you. Everyone involved is hyper conserned about the tip but not really engaged in giving you great service.
I would not recommend esp for people who have had other safari experiences.
Written 17 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex Dissanayake
Melbourne, Australia1 contribution
Aug 2023
Just came back from 8 Day Safari organised by Karibu Safaris in Kenya. Robert from Karibu Safaris Office, has been great to deal with, as all E-mailes were promptly answered. Also Safari was organised very well with all my special requests catered for. Example- Robert was able to provide 4WD specially modified for photography. Driver/Guide Simat & assistant Richard have been wonderful companions, with a wealth of knowledge. Thank U Robert for organising this wonderful Safari.
Written 27 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charles O
2 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
Our 3-day safari with Karibu Safaris was an excellent experience! The tour guide, Raymond, was knowledgeable and friendly, making our adventure in the Masai Mara more enjoyable. My wife and I had the chance to witness some of the most incredible wildlife sightings, including a group of elephants crossing our path and a pride of lions on a hunt! In short we saw all th big 5. The accommodations provided by Karibu Safaris were first-class and exceeded our expectations. We had a fantastic time and will definitely choose Karibu Safaris again for our next Kenyan adventure!
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shomgauznabi
Gold Coast, Australia9 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
There were some positives to this safari, but there were many things done poorly.
The positives are that the safari experience is great in terms of the wildlife seen. And the accommodation provided at Lake Nakuru was quite nice.
They may prioritize private groups and those who are doing only 2 nights better than what they did for us.
The negatives
(1) We have emailed Robert, the organizer, of all of these issues 17 days ago, and we still have not heard anything back
(2) We booked the safari 6 weeks in advance. Yet they were incredibly unorganized.
A) Yet we had to transfer to three different lodges at Masai Marai before they found the correct accommodation.
B) They failed to reserve a driver for us to get to Lake Nakuru, which led to a 2.5 hour wait. When we did meet with the driver, they prioritized the request from their group members to see Lake Navishai which led to a 2 hour detour. We had already done Navishai the earlier in our stay as this was not planned into our itinerary. (4.5 hours wasted for no benefit)
C) The tour guide cut down on our time during the Lake Nakuru game drive to complete the tour 60 minutes before the allotted time
D) The tour guide/company did not have the courtesy to drop us off back to the accommodation, but rather stopped 10 minutes from the accommodation at a fuel station and we had to arrange our own Uber as the company did not organize a transfer drive appropriately. First time during any tours completed across the globe where the tour operator did not drop us back home.
(3) The tour guides were a lot less knowledgeable in comparison to range drivers in South Africa, Tanzania and Botsawana.
Overall poor experience. Quite disappointed and there are better priced companies out there too.
The positives are that the safari experience is great in terms of the wildlife seen. And the accommodation provided at Lake Nakuru was quite nice.
They may prioritize private groups and those who are doing only 2 nights better than what they did for us.
The negatives
(1) We have emailed Robert, the organizer, of all of these issues 17 days ago, and we still have not heard anything back
(2) We booked the safari 6 weeks in advance. Yet they were incredibly unorganized.
A) Yet we had to transfer to three different lodges at Masai Marai before they found the correct accommodation.
B) They failed to reserve a driver for us to get to Lake Nakuru, which led to a 2.5 hour wait. When we did meet with the driver, they prioritized the request from their group members to see Lake Navishai which led to a 2 hour detour. We had already done Navishai the earlier in our stay as this was not planned into our itinerary. (4.5 hours wasted for no benefit)
C) The tour guide cut down on our time during the Lake Nakuru game drive to complete the tour 60 minutes before the allotted time
D) The tour guide/company did not have the courtesy to drop us off back to the accommodation, but rather stopped 10 minutes from the accommodation at a fuel station and we had to arrange our own Uber as the company did not organize a transfer drive appropriately. First time during any tours completed across the globe where the tour operator did not drop us back home.
(3) The tour guides were a lot less knowledgeable in comparison to range drivers in South Africa, Tanzania and Botsawana.
Overall poor experience. Quite disappointed and there are better priced companies out there too.
Written 15 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew B
9 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
I carried out the 4 day safari tour (I have attached screenshots of the tour I should have been on).
To start with the positives, the time on the safari's were really good, we saw everything. Our guide Felix was also fairly good.
Unfortunately that is all I can say for the positives. The company Karibu Safari's have unfortunately falsely advertised the tour.
Firstly as you can see there was meant to be a maximum of 6 people on our tour. There were 7, and we were the unlucky couple that were crammed into the 3 seats of the back row, which when you spend roughly 8-10 hours a day in the bus was quite uncomfortable, and unfortunately nearly always 1 of the 3 of us on the back row could not stand up in the open top to gain good views of the wildlife. We were also on the Lake Nakaru safari then joined by luggage from another couple on another bus. When we raised the fact that this would give us even less standing room to view the animals, our guide ignored us.
Secondly, it says drinking water is provided. However, you are restricted to 1 litre a day, which given you are recommended to consume 2 litres a day, and this is for day to day life (ie not on a safari in a metal van in 28-30 degrees weather in Africa) this is not sufficient.
Thirdly, once we were all loaded onto the bus in Nairobi on the first morning, a gentleman who had a managerial aura greeted us and informed us that the morning safari on day 3 has been cancelled as due to new legislation introduced on the 1st July they would have to pay a further $80 per person to do this tour. This man said the company could not consume this cost and he did not think it was fair to ask us to pay. He advised us that instead we would do a visit to a Masai village and a boat tour on Lake Navaisha. On the evening on the second day when our guide was informing us of the (above) itinerary for the next day I pressed him and asked if there was any additional cost, it was only at this point our guide told us that the visit to the Masai village would cost an extra $10 and the boat trip $20. So the company had deprived us of some time on safari, not reduced the cost for this, and then we would have to pay a further $30 to do these activities. Given the Masai village was only a half hour excursion and the boat trip an hour I think this is grossly unfair.
As you can see the accomodation was supposed to be the Enchoro Wildlife camp in the Masai Mara. We instead went to an 'eco camp' called Miti Mingi. Now my expectations for a budget camp in a national park were not high, however, this place gave no soap, no towels, electricity was only provided after 7pm, WiFi between 7:30pm and 9pm and barely worked, the bar (the only place to buy drinks, baring in mind we were only given 1 litre of water by our guide) did not open until 7:15 and any further drinks including water you had to pay for. The food was terrible and the same everyday. Which was a reoccurring theme (which everyone on our bus and a fellow bus complained about).
As you can see our accommodation in Nakaru was meant to be at Lanet Matfam resort (which actually looked quite pleasant). However, we were actually at a place called Hotel Citymax.
With a quick look on the internet it is clear to see the accomodation given was both cheaper and worse looking than what we were sold. Again a con by the company.
It is also worth noting that the time you actually receive on the national park is minimal other than the second day. We had about a 2.5 hour game drive in the Masai mara on day 1. About 10.5 on Masai mara on day 2. Nothing on day 3. And at lake Nakaru we were not even on safari for 2 hours. A combined 15 hours across 4 days, pitiful.
Furthermore, I am deeply frustrated that given the fact we were deprived a days safari on day 3 for a change of legislation on 1st July 2023. We did not even purchase our tickets until the 6th July 2023. The change could have been presented to us prior to purchase. Furthermore, several emails were exchanged between the date of purchase and the departure date, the last of which I asked for confirmation that we would be dropped to the airport at the end of the tour and whether I would require any further money during the tour. Karibu responded with only "Yes you will be dropped off at the airport after the safari." They should have told us we would need money for the Masai village and the Lake Navaisha tour and for drinks at the eco camp. We did the safari at the end of our 2 week trip in Kenya so we did not have much money left. It is deeply annoying as they did not tell us about the boat tour on Lake Navaisha we had done this during another tour 4 days earlier, meaning we were left with nothing to do for this hour.
Now I appreciate this is a budget tour and my expectations were not sky high, however, I feel like if we were not lied to about multiple factors it would have given us the option to reconsider booking something more mid-range which I am sure would have provided a much better overall experience.
From reading further reviews now and having conversations with other buses with this company it would seem that the same issues were occurring.
My advice with fellow travellers would be to not book budget safari's as there seems to be common reoccurring issues throughout, spend a bit more and it will make the overall amazing safari experience enjoyable throughout.
Alternatively, read my advice and bare it in mind when planning your trip.
To start with the positives, the time on the safari's were really good, we saw everything. Our guide Felix was also fairly good.
Unfortunately that is all I can say for the positives. The company Karibu Safari's have unfortunately falsely advertised the tour.
Firstly as you can see there was meant to be a maximum of 6 people on our tour. There were 7, and we were the unlucky couple that were crammed into the 3 seats of the back row, which when you spend roughly 8-10 hours a day in the bus was quite uncomfortable, and unfortunately nearly always 1 of the 3 of us on the back row could not stand up in the open top to gain good views of the wildlife. We were also on the Lake Nakaru safari then joined by luggage from another couple on another bus. When we raised the fact that this would give us even less standing room to view the animals, our guide ignored us.
Secondly, it says drinking water is provided. However, you are restricted to 1 litre a day, which given you are recommended to consume 2 litres a day, and this is for day to day life (ie not on a safari in a metal van in 28-30 degrees weather in Africa) this is not sufficient.
Thirdly, once we were all loaded onto the bus in Nairobi on the first morning, a gentleman who had a managerial aura greeted us and informed us that the morning safari on day 3 has been cancelled as due to new legislation introduced on the 1st July they would have to pay a further $80 per person to do this tour. This man said the company could not consume this cost and he did not think it was fair to ask us to pay. He advised us that instead we would do a visit to a Masai village and a boat tour on Lake Navaisha. On the evening on the second day when our guide was informing us of the (above) itinerary for the next day I pressed him and asked if there was any additional cost, it was only at this point our guide told us that the visit to the Masai village would cost an extra $10 and the boat trip $20. So the company had deprived us of some time on safari, not reduced the cost for this, and then we would have to pay a further $30 to do these activities. Given the Masai village was only a half hour excursion and the boat trip an hour I think this is grossly unfair.
As you can see the accomodation was supposed to be the Enchoro Wildlife camp in the Masai Mara. We instead went to an 'eco camp' called Miti Mingi. Now my expectations for a budget camp in a national park were not high, however, this place gave no soap, no towels, electricity was only provided after 7pm, WiFi between 7:30pm and 9pm and barely worked, the bar (the only place to buy drinks, baring in mind we were only given 1 litre of water by our guide) did not open until 7:15 and any further drinks including water you had to pay for. The food was terrible and the same everyday. Which was a reoccurring theme (which everyone on our bus and a fellow bus complained about).
As you can see our accommodation in Nakaru was meant to be at Lanet Matfam resort (which actually looked quite pleasant). However, we were actually at a place called Hotel Citymax.
With a quick look on the internet it is clear to see the accomodation given was both cheaper and worse looking than what we were sold. Again a con by the company.
It is also worth noting that the time you actually receive on the national park is minimal other than the second day. We had about a 2.5 hour game drive in the Masai mara on day 1. About 10.5 on Masai mara on day 2. Nothing on day 3. And at lake Nakaru we were not even on safari for 2 hours. A combined 15 hours across 4 days, pitiful.
Furthermore, I am deeply frustrated that given the fact we were deprived a days safari on day 3 for a change of legislation on 1st July 2023. We did not even purchase our tickets until the 6th July 2023. The change could have been presented to us prior to purchase. Furthermore, several emails were exchanged between the date of purchase and the departure date, the last of which I asked for confirmation that we would be dropped to the airport at the end of the tour and whether I would require any further money during the tour. Karibu responded with only "Yes you will be dropped off at the airport after the safari." They should have told us we would need money for the Masai village and the Lake Navaisha tour and for drinks at the eco camp. We did the safari at the end of our 2 week trip in Kenya so we did not have much money left. It is deeply annoying as they did not tell us about the boat tour on Lake Navaisha we had done this during another tour 4 days earlier, meaning we were left with nothing to do for this hour.
Now I appreciate this is a budget tour and my expectations were not sky high, however, I feel like if we were not lied to about multiple factors it would have given us the option to reconsider booking something more mid-range which I am sure would have provided a much better overall experience.
From reading further reviews now and having conversations with other buses with this company it would seem that the same issues were occurring.
My advice with fellow travellers would be to not book budget safari's as there seems to be common reoccurring issues throughout, spend a bit more and it will make the overall amazing safari experience enjoyable throughout.
Alternatively, read my advice and bare it in mind when planning your trip.
Written 12 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Margaret J
Telford, UK21 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
After doing a 7 day safari tour with these guys, all I can say is what a fantastic experience we had. We saw everything, the big 5, a kill which we were told was very rare and many more such as flamingoes, crocodiles, zebra, and giraffes. We were out in Kenya for our granddaughters 18th as she loves giraffes, and it has been superb. Karibu safaris were efficient, on time, and our guide Castro was just the best. He knew where to go for us to see the animals. He always got the van into the right spot for the thousands of photos and was a really nice guy. Nothing was too much trouble for him. He was extremely knowledgeable and made sure the granddaughter saw probably every giraffe in the parks, so thank you, Castro, you were incredible. Yes, there were lows, but the highs outweigh them, bumpy dusty roads, buffet food every day, early morning starts, but think where you are - out in the savannahs. Personally I would ask for an upgrade in Masai Mara Lodge, the Waterbuck Hotel at Lake Nakuru was fab, the Masada Hotel at Lake naivasha I would give it a miss but the AA lodge at Amboselli in their superior room rounded the holiday off in style. All in all a trip of a lifetime.
Written 3 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
subharnab
Bengaluru, India8 contributions
Any idea how the initial deposit is done with them? They seem to have an individual's account for PayPal and some Sabina Safaris for pesapal to make payment for initial deposits. I'm a little confused as this is the first time I'm dealing with any tour operator in Africa.
BlackFeathers
New York City, NY2 contributions
I contacted the company via email about a clarification and when I agreed to the tour, the agent sent me a pesapal link via email (the site doesn’t allow links but if you search “pesapal”, you’ll find the payment link).
I paid via credit card and had no problems. I received a receipt as an attachment.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Karibu Safaris In Kenya
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