The team
Aanika Karibu Safaris In Kenya
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1986)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Tourism Regulatory Authority & Eco Toursm Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,388 to $4,858 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
BH
Email Jim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was awesome!
It was good. I will recommend it to my friends who wants to do safari tour especially Boniface who tirelessly did all his effort to make our adventure a remarkable one
MX
Email Laura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
The communication before the trip was borderline bad. I never got a description of what the safari would look like or more details about the company or experience as a whole so I was pretty much betting on the descriptions in this site. I also got really worried because they never asked for my phone number or anything to contact me for pick up except the name of my hotel.
Regardless of the unclear communication at the beginning of the trip the Safari itself was amazing! The lodges where we stayed the first two nights were incredible and very comfortable. Given that I was traveling solo I shared with someone else who was also traveling solo (another girl). The cabin was very spacious, each bed had it’s own very well set mosquito net and we even had a nice shower and toilet inside the lodge with warm water! The food was good, the drives were the best. Our driver was James and he went above and beyond to make our Safari an unforgettable experience. On the first day alone we were able to spot Lions, Cheetah, elephants and giraffes along other animals. On the second day we say a leopard as well which he mentioned was a rare sight.
Our van broke on the third day on our way back to Lake Nakuru and be speedily arranged for us to be driven by someone else to our lunch area so we wouldn’t waste time while he fixed it.
As promised, he picked us up after lunch and we were back on our way to lake Nakuru. So tip here: there is the possibility to do Naivasha on the way to Nakuru. I think he insisted on it because one of the new passengers had it included in his tour, he didn’t force it on us though. I do not recommend doing Naivasha unless you are into birds a lot. It’s very plain and the boat tour lasts nothing and is pricey (20usd). The main reason we agreed to it was because there is nothing planned for the afternoon of the third day. This was very very lame. We initially thought we would be doing an evening game drive as we had on Masai Mara but apparently the ticket is not good for two days in Nakuru. I would recommend changing the departure time from Masai Mara so that it doesn’t feel like the afternoon is wasted. I would recommend booking with them but definitely think something should be added to the afternoon on the third day for those doing the 4 day safari as it ends up feeling more like a 3 day safari than a 4 day safari.
FR
Email Benjamin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience but don’t underestimate the budget level of the accommodation/transport
We did the 6-Day Magnificent Best of Kenya Safari with Karibu, visiting the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli.
Communication was good - office was reactive responding to emails. On the first day they picked us up from the hotel, drove us to an ATM then we handed over the cash in the car outside the office. We were not invited inside and there is apparently no toilet available for use.
Our driver Edward was friendly, deeply knowledgeable on the wildlife and highly experienced with navigating the parks, showing us a fantastic variety of animals. He worked tirelessly over the 6 days. Only suggestion for improvement would be to offer more frequent toilet breaks. Indeed Edward would stop briefly for a roadside wee whereas our toilet breaks were less frequent and fixed at souvenir gift shops!
It was frustrating that Karibu mixed people on different tours, staying in different standards of accommodation meaning we wasted a lot of time doing detours and waiting around for people. On two game drives they crammed 7 people into the van, which made the experience much less enjoyable. The 12+ hour day travelling from Lake Nakuru to Amboseli (with a stop on the outskirts of Nairobi to pick up more people) was brutal especially as the accommodation awaiting us at Amboseli was the lowest standard of the three.
The meals were generally of a decent standard but lacking somewhat in variety. Limited selection of alcoholic drinks were available for purchase. At each accommodation there were inflated prices for bottled water so it is advised to make the most of the bottles provided by the driver. Breakfast was always rushed (30 minutes between breakfast being served and departure with all luggage).
Enchoro Wildlife Camp Masai Mara – Nice camp with spacious tents. Electricity run off generator limited to fixed times in morning and evening. Beer available but not chilled.
Hotel Citymax – Budget hotel with nice evening meal. No alcoholic drinks for purchase but option to source your own beer in the town and drink in the hotel. Roof terrace available.
Kimana Amboseli Camp – Tatty and rundown camp. Small tents. Holes in mosquito nets. Decent food and cold beer available.
Optional activities were nice to pass the time:
- Masai Mara Village Visit - $10 USD
- Lake Naivasha Boat Trip - $20 USD
- Amboseli Sunrise/Sunset Nature Walk - $10 USD
IT
Email Luca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Black Rhino
We are with the Legend of the driver, James. In Masai Mara helped is to see ten lions, four cheetas and one Leopard. In Nakuru We see the white Rhino. We haven’t see only the Legendary black Rhino.
Thx you James, arrivederci
NP
Email Pooja | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good budget safari for a good time
As a solo traveler, finding a safari that not only fits my dates but also budget was important. I was picked up on time and our tour guide, Edward was really great. Though it rained almost the whole time, which was unusual for January end, it was one of the most fun times of my life. I met new people during the safari. The tent/rooms were good at Enchoro wildlife Camp. The visit to Masai village was awesome. For the first time in my life, I saw lions, giraffes and zebras. We also saw ostrich, different kinds of deer, wild hogs, buffaloes, baboons, elephants. I felt like I was watching all the characters from the "Lion King" movie. Because of the rain, our vehicle did get stuck at a couple of different places, but there were fellow vehicle drivers who also helped us. Edward is also really helpful towards others as well. The food was basic which is good. The staffs at the camp were also really helpful. Overall, I am really happy.
Email Florent and Christine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amboseli Safari
From the point of our first communication with Robert the trip advisor to the moment we made the Safari, everything was flawless. Robert was very professional and he provided us with the best service. He customized our safari to what we wanted and we got the exact bargain. After our experience with Karibu, we are of the opinion that all of our safaris in future will be handled by them. And we highly recommend them as well.
Top notch service.
NL
Email Stan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great and Affordable Safari Tour Operator!
What a great company! I walked into the office to see what they had on offer - the next morning I was on my way joining a 5-day budget Safari to Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, and Hells Gate led by our amazing guide Dan Castro. His talent and experience really showed as he made sure the whole trip went smoothly - and more importantly that we spotted a wide-range of different animals (incl. The Big Five and the wildebeest migration). Dan really went out of his way to make sure we had a front-row seat to the spectacle of Kenyan safari. To give an example: we had a rare sighting of a leopard, saw two lions successfully hunt a zebra and spotted a lion high up in a tree. I feel very lucky and privileged to have seen such sights.
Dan's ability to drive in difficult circumstance also really stood out during the trip as the park provide some challenging terrain. I personally also very much appreciated the music he would play (Dan has excellent taste) during long hauls between different national parks.
Karibu safaris was also really flexible when I wanted to make a change to my booking. I initially booked a 6-day safari, but asked to switch to 5-days during the safari in order to stay with the group (as the others were staying for only 5-days). Dan contacted the office in Nairobi and ensured this was no problem.
Do make sure to bring enough extra cash during the safari, because there are some hidden costs, such as bike rentals, Masai village entry and of course lots and lots of tipping.
Email Jimmy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient
Pros: Overall great experience. Saw all the animals on the bucket list. Our guide was great about following any leads from other drivers to make sure we saw the big 5 and more. He was responsive to when we wanted to stop and was genuinely friendly and kind.
Cons: You are on a trip with multiple people on different itineraries, so there is some extra travel between safaris and differing accommodations, which takes up some extra travel time. Also because of this, there is some group decisions that need to be made that may compromise what you want to do. We were also never offered the boat trip the at was supposedly available on my itinerary because others had it scheduled on a different day, which was frustrating. Additionally, this trip is in a van vs jeep/Range Rover so there are limits as to speed and locations where you can drive. It did not seem to affect the total animals we saw but luck may have been on our side.
Overall the trip was awesome, but if you want full control of your itinerary, there may be better options.
Email Chris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great time!
I went on a 7 day safari through several parks. It was great! The time in Masai Mara and Amboselli was incredible! The other parks were good but no where near as good. In retrospect I would have gone to Masai Mara and Amboselli if possible.
We had 2 guides: Raymond and Daniel. Both were great. Very accommodating and kind to be around. The roads in Kenya are a little scary in general, but I felt safe with both these drivers.
Email Hannah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenyan hospitality
The good
Our guide Robert was very kind and wanted us to have a good time. We saw all of the big 5 except leopards but saw LOTS of other animals and got some amazing pictures. Robert seemed a great tracker always listening to the radio to find out where to find the best animals. For some reason we got given a Jeep when we were expecting a mini van which was much better for Masai Mara. Communication with the company was good. All plans were executed smoothly. They even helped us to book train tickets for our onward journey as we didn't have an Mpesa account. All the camps and meals were very clean and we'll located. Meals were buffet style and very nice and plentiful.
On the last part of our safari we had a new guide Kevin who was also very nice and organized.
The bad
Even though it says a maximum of 6 guests in the vehicle we had 8 guests + the guide. This meant that there wasn't enough room for everyone + their luggage so we ended up leaving over an hour late because the guide was trying to shove it all in, and we ended up boxed in with luggage in the aisle of the vehicle. When we asked the guide about the 6 maximum rule he said "But this is good for me." We then got pulled over by the police on the way to masai mara because our TLB (tax) was out of date which delayed us for another couple of hours. To be fair to Robert he was very apologetic and dealt with the situation as best he could and made up the time on the safari the next day so we didn't really miss out, it was just frustrating.
Overall
I would recommend booking Karibu for a safari, but I'd check the itinerary on their own website before you do, as it doesn't seem to match what is written on 3rd party websites.
