Baboon Budget Safaris Team
Baboon Budget Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- KATO, KTB & Ministry Of Tourism
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,736 to $12,151 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Muireann | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Cheap price but overall a pretty average, stressful experience
We had a very mixed experience on our 11 day Kenya/Tanzania safari. We booked with Explore Africa Holidays but never met anyone from that company – seems to be another trading name for Baboon Budget Safaris. In Tanzania they contract out to 7 Wonders Safaris.
Pros:
- Overall we had a great time - got to all the parks we had planned and saw incredible wildlife. All the Big 5 in both Kenya and Tanzania; views of elephant families in front of Kilimanjaro a definite highlight at Amboseli!
- One of our guides in Kenya was fantastic – Isaac. He was from a different company called Jocky Safaris that we’d been handed over to for the day
- We really appreciated the opportunity to stay at Masaai-run camps in Kenya & chat with the guys working there (Miti Mingi Eco Camp & Kimana Amboseli Camp)
- In Tanzania the camps were extremely basic (more below) but on the plus side was really cool to stay right inside/very near the national parks, with visits from elephants, hyenas and zebras in the night
- Kenya/Tanzania border crossing was managed pretty smoothly, though communication could have been better. We just trusted the random people who presented themselves to us which might be stressful if travelling by yourself.
- Price is very cheap compared to other operators
Cons:
- In Kenya we had 2 different guides for the 3 parks we visited (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli), plus another driver at various points. This meant changing vans every single day & a lot of time spent on logistics that often felt very disorganised, sometimes chaotic. On our third day we waited 2.5 hours for our pick up to go to Lake Nakuru. We hadn’t expected to be with a different group and different guide almost every day & ended up feeling like cargo being passed around impersonally. The constant change made it hard to relax into the trip as we were never sure who we’d be passed to next, what our group would be like, if they were going to deliver or we'd miss out on something.
- For the third Kenyan park we were placed in a car that wasn’t a safari vehicle. The windows didn’t wind down and were tinted so it was completely unsuitable for game drives (I’m not a tall person and would have had to sit on cushions to see out! :-)) When we asked about this it was resolved and we were able to do the game drive with another company (Isaac with Jocky), which we appreciated.
- Our first guide in Kenya, Josef, didn’t volunteer any information on our first game drive and talked the group out of doing an early morning game drive in Masai Mara on the main day there. Thumbs down.
- We were told we’d be met off the bus in Arusha and dropped off at our hotel however the person (Sayid) didn’t show up. Luckily the lovely bus driver seemed familiar with 7 Wonders way of (not) doing things and dropped us at their office. There we were quickly briefed by the manager of 7 Wonders, Evelyn, who informed us of multiple changes to our itinerary including a different Arusha hotel (Stereo – absolutely fine), reversing the order of parks & a different campsite for Ngorongoro. When I asked why we hadn’t been met off the bus as arranged Evelyn dismissively said she didn’t know anything about it. Very poor first impression.
- In Tanzania we again had 2 different guides for the 3 parks we visited but much less chopping and changing. Had one of the guides for 3 days in a row, Florian.
- During the whole time with Florian we felt there was a lot of cutting corners and general lack of service/professionalism. To his credit he made sure we saw lots of amazing animals in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater and was mostly happy to answer questions when we asked. However the biggest negative for us was that he rushed through every single game drive – our group was always first back to camp (by an hour or more), a couple of times we saw male lions or elephants he told us there was no time to stop, but each time we passed through a park gate we had to wait 45-60 minutes (we could see there were no queues at the ticket offices; we suspected it was to make it seem we’d spent longer at each park than the actual allotted 24 hours). Florian and the chef Ibrahim also spent a fair amount of their free time flirting with the one single woman in our group.
- The Land Cruiser safari vehicles in Tanzania were far more comfortable that the converted Toyota vans used in Kenya, however on our second last day the safari vehicle stalled on the steep road out of Ngorongoro & we had an uncomfortable 10 minutes while Florian tried to stop it rolling backwards and get it started again. Luckily another vehicle came along and gave our group of 6 a ride to the top while Florian drove up ahead & park rangers had also arrived quickly. We imagine this is probably a common enough occurrence as the road out of Ngorongoro is very steep. Having said that, our guide didn’t seem very familiar with driving on mountain roads.
- The camps in Tanzania were not of an acceptable standard. We were fully aware we’d booked a budget safari and are not precious, but if you’ve paid for a tour we think basics like drinking water and toilet paper should be provided (or at the very least a heads up from the guide to remind everyone to stock up before leaving a town). We stayed at Jambo Lodge near Manyara, Pimbi in the Serengeti and Simba near Ngorongoro.
Couple of other pieces of info that might be helpful: in Kenya fixed camps are large canvas tents, often with a private bathroom at the back (though very basic we had decent mosquito nets in each place); in Tanzania camping is actual tents with bed rolls and sleeping bags, you are expected to help set up your own tent and the overall experience is fun. Food in Tanzania was much nicer than in Kenya (except for the lunches which were all pretty awful). Kenya/Tanzania crossing: you get driven to Namanga, met at Immigration office & helped to navigate the departure/entry process (very simple), directed to public bus that then drives you on to Arusha (we had to wait about an hour).
We hope this is useful information if you are thinking of booking with Explore Africa Holidays or Baboon Budget Safaris. Overall we had a fantastic time in terms of unbelievable wildlife but would not recommend either Kenyan safari company, and definitely wouldn’t recommend 7 Wonders. We completely understand this is a budget tour at budget prices, but for us it was still a fair amount of money to spend on 10/11 days of our trip and we felt that basic service was totally overlooked. If you can afford to spend a little more we think it’d be worth it to feel looked after, have one guide & one group for the duration of your safari, and generally be able to relax and fully enjoy the experience!
CA
Email Gail | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very pleased-Baboon Budget Came Through with some Compensation For changed itinerary in Tanzania.
I wrote a review for my tour in March 2018 and this is my followup to it. Baboon Budget Safaris was honorable in compensating me for the change in itinerary in Tanzania. I also found out that the Tanzanian part of my tour was in the hands of another operator and it would seem this tour operator is no longer being used by Baboon Safaris due to the poor service they provide to clients, I am very glad to hear this. Baboon has pretty good reviews, so I was very shocked with my tour in Tanzania. It would be wise I think to verify if you are being handed off to another tour operator in the future, then, we, as tourists are able to research that company too. I was unable to edit my previous review unfortunately, so I have done this update.
I appreciate your efforts Mr. Dennis, and thank you again for the compensation.
CA
Email Melanie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari, not the most professional company
I travelled alone to Tanzania and booked through Baboon Budget. Let me state that the guides were great and the location amazing. What was not the best was the communication ahead of time. I chose a total of 4 lodges for my 10 days safari between Serengeti and area and Selous. I only stayed at 1 of the 4 I chose. Abram who handles trips in Tanzania seemed a little sketchy. He tried to change my itinerary and changed my lodges. Warranted I ended up in better places. I would go back there in a heartbeat but I probably would not book with them again. I didn't appreciate itinerary changes and not knowing where I was going to be staying.
FR
Email Loïc | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
a little disappointed 4 days masai mara nakuru family with 6 childrens
5 stars for Kim our driver
4 stars for transfers between airports and hotels
after paying the safari, Dennis tells me he has a budget problem and that the third day safari is canceled :(
here is the real program :
day 1 : 6h drive between nairobi and masai mara 2h of safari
day 2 : 10 h of safari
day 3 : 5 h drive between masai mara and naivasha 30 mn boat and 2h drive between naivasha and nakuru
day 4 : 4h safari nakuru and 4h drive between nakuru and nairobi
In summary 16h of safari 17 h of drive
IT
Email Alessandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
6-Day Budget Safari: Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru – Amboseli
Overall, it was a very good experience. Patrick, our first guide, was amazing and very experienced, and Jemimah was supportive and responsive to every enquiry.
You’ll be joining different groups and guides depending on your itinerary. Keep in mind that some time may be spent waiting for others or dropping people off at specific locations.
It’s better and more convenient to pay for the tour in cash (USD). After that, you won’t need much cash for the rest of the trip, just enough for tips for the guide/driver, as well as small extras like water, snacks, or souvenirs
Accommodation and meals are basic but perfectly fine.
We stopped at Lake Naivasha (an extra $40 – $20 for the boat ride and $20 for the park walk), but personally, I didn’t find it really worth it.
DK
Email Matilde | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, good safari
We were on a 5-day safari (mother and teenage daughter).
The first impression of BaboonBudget was good, Jemimah replies to all questions very fast, which was very reassuring for me. Easy and fast communication signals trusworthiness to me.
I also think we got a lot of value for money, even though other guests in the same tour were less happy with the lunch options while travelling. But keep in mind that this is a budget safari in Africa, you will eat Kenyan-style. We liked it. Accomodation was also fine.
Our driver, Titus was really, really good. He knew a lot and shared it with us, and did his best to keep all people in the jeep happy. A really good guide.
A few things that could be improved - to a neurotic European, seatbelts are important, and they were usually not working in the middle seat in the back.
Sometimes people had to change cars, because some were continuing to other parks and some wanted more time where we were. This could be a bit confusing.
Lastly, when going back to Nairobi, we went with three different drivers, and didnt know until the day before. We also had to leave our luggage in the hotel on the last day, and another driver picked it up, but we were not informed until it had happened. Things were under control surely, but it would have been nice to know what the plan was. This may just be a cultural difference though. We did get back to the right place and time, and had a great safari!
IN
Email Maddy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
Experience was overall good. With few not-so-good experience with the driver and confusion about water bottles. Instructions were not very clear. Drives very rashly sometimes. But food, staff, everything was awesome!
IE
Email Peter | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A professional safari tour operator with a decent office and spartan accommodation
Despite the four star rating of the Baboon Budget holidays, their freelance guide Titos deserves the full five.
He understands fundamental rules of customer care.
He is punctual, delivers the programme as it was outlined to a client.
He posseses a good local knowledge regarding the visited places, nature and beyond.
His English is of good standard and handles the vehicle professionally. This is something you will appreciate on the roads in Kenya.
Having a professional background in outdoor activity instructing and management I would happily employ Titos myself.
As for the overall performance of the company itself.
We had booked a six day private safari tour which has brought us to Massai Mara, Naivasha lake, Nakuru NP and Amboseli National Park.
This was a great selection of Kenyan experience and the company delivered it as presented in their quotation.
The communication prior to the tour was perfect and Dennis was in touch along the tour as well.
I have taken one star off from the best rating due to few events and suggestions.
There was a confusion at the initial briefing in their office about the type of the product booked. We were promised a private tour, however the representative seemed to have us scheduled on a group tour.
The last thing you want after tiresome journey is haggling about the basics, having children besides you.
This was rectified immediately by the owner.
Another thing which dashed our experience was my delayed luggage. I asked BBS to look after the delivery of the luggage considering it a courtesy since the delivery would be happening along the regular routes of the operator. This is based on own my experience from my former employer's customer service operating similar tours around Ireland.
I was hit by a hefty charge of about €50 at the end of our tour. I could have had the luggage delivered free of charge by the airlines instead.
One more rant about the accomodation in Nakuru hotel. The receptionist has allocated a room with a double bed and single bed to a family of four. The hotel manager fixed this for us after a complaint. The bathroom cleanliness in this place could improve.
Miti Mingi camp tents were quite tight, however I believe this could have been dealt with if we complained to the camp manager.
Then again a customer should be provided with a sufficient standard without the need of pointing out flaws and anticipating client's needs in the first place.
The Nyati safari camp was at a high level of service provided with spectacular views of Kilimanjaro.
We had a great adventure with BBS.
I would recommend and use them again.
IN
Email Sahaj | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our 5 days in Kenya // Excellent tour but can be improved
Our experience with Baboon Budget Safari was great, but it surely can be improved. We have booked 5 days tour with them. The owner Dennis and his team were very nice to us. Their response time was also quick and helped us with every doubt. On the last day too, Dennis arranged a vehicle for us to cover some other locations in Nairobi at an extra cost.
The driver was on time to pick us up at the airport. Our only bad experience was that the driver was not able to understand our English. He knew little English, and communicating with him was a problem. This continued for all five days. He even missed our lunch location but then Dennis arranged our lunch at a different location. But still, we lost time in the same.
But the driver was a very good-hearted person. He went the extra mile and even did offroading so that we could see all the animals. The effort was visible in him. He even asked other drivers about the spot of animals and then drove us there. He was with us at all times, and lastly drove us to the airport on time.
In short, I can recommend the Babbon safari to any traveler.
Babbon Safari- You guys can help improve the driver's English and provide him with internet access. He did not have Internet, hence he can't use Google Maps either.
HK
Email Yung | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good driver, good experience but fair company
Our driver Anthony was good, reliable and responsible. He tried his best to get us da best place to see the animals! We saw the big five! The animals were so closed to us! Amazing
As for the company, it’s just fair cuz I wasted so much time on the payment in the office. They would convinced you to take money from the bank rather than paying by card so that they can charge you more from the rate. So remember to bring enough USD/EURO if you don’t want to waste your time on the bank. This happened to other tourists from other companies too. They play the same.
One more thing you need to expect is that you’ll stay with other tourists from other companies and they might have different schedules, so you will not follow the exact schedule that they’ve sent you.
But the only thing matters is the driver and the ppl staying with you in the tour! So gd luck!
Highly recommend Anthony btw.