Ready to Serve You
Apodiformes Adventures
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority, AFRICA TOURISM ASSOCIATION & FRIENDS OF NAIROBI NATIONAL WILDILIFE CONSERVATION
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $2,604 to $13,019 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email April | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall an excellent experience!
There are 2 ppl we like to thank for this tour: Gibson (our driver during our 8 day adventure) and Silas ( for helping us arrange this tour).
If this is your first African safari and you want safety, knowledgeable, professionalism, ask for Gibson! It's not easy being a driver for safari, especially when the landcan sometimes be bumpy and we experienced a hailstorm during one of our game drives. Gibson acted very calmly under unpredictable circumstances and made my husband and I feel very safe during this process.
As for Silas, I am very impressed with his communication abilities and how he was able to accommodate everything we asked for on our trip. Something tells me this won't be the last time we work with this company.
CN
Email Sunnie Wang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
an unforgettable 9-day safari trip with excellent service and unforgettable suprises
Our 9-day, 8-night safari trip was a very enjoyable and unforgettable journey. When booking the trip, Fredrick responded quickly and warmly, adjusting and communicating promptly based on our needs and questions. Our guide was Sebastian, and I have to say, he was the key to our perfect experience. His driving skills were superb, fast, and steady throughout. Communication with him was comfortable, and he had a great personality. Each day’s itinerary was comfortable and personalized. On the first morning of our safari in Tsavo, we saw many lions, which was especially thrilling. Whenever we received information, the immediate rush to the spot was exciting. On the morning of the hot air balloon safari, Sebastian picked us up directly at the bush breakfast location, which was very thoughtful and saved a lot of time. This travel experience was perfect, and we were reluctant to part ways. Looking forward to meeting again next time!
AE
Email Peter Rubai | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!!! 5 stars ⭐️ “ Apodiform”
Honestly the trip was outstanding. We came from Dubai for our honeymoon , Frederick our coordinator did a great job for us, he is super honest , everything he promised us it happened , and honestly it was over our expectations, big big 5 stars ⭐️ for you fred , also i want to thank Kim our beat guide ever , he was sooo nice and he knows everything about wild life and animals , he was so flexible and helpful , his english is super good , he was enjoying with us as well .
GUYS! Honestly from our heart , Apodiforme is the best , big 5 stars ⭐️
HU
Email Mark | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Luxury price, budget experience with plenty of lies and excuses (AVOID!)
I want to share my disappointing experience with the 5-day Kenyan safari my wife and I went on. To put it bluntly, it was far from the “luxury” experience we were promised. I’m sharing this to hopefully save others from the frustration we went through.
0. Lies and Excuses: I first shared my review back in September, and we eventually reached an agreement with the agency for compensation. They claimed to have transferred the funds, but guess what? It never arrived. For nearly a month, we were strung along with endless excuses. Safe to say, our trust in them evaporated.
1. Guide (or rather, driver): We had a “driver-guide” who seemed to only focus on the “driver” part. We expected a knowledgeable guide for the price we paid, but instead, we got someone who could barely tell us the names of animals. We learned more from Google and ChatGPT than from him. His English was poor, and he couldn’t answer basic questions. To top it off, on the first day, he was 20 minutes late, and the vehicle’s fuel tank was empty, so we had to stop for gas. Water for the trip? Had to pick that up, too. Not the best start to a “luxury” safari.
The worst part? The guide didn’t even know the way around. He managed to get us lost in the Maasai Mara on Day 1, and we arrived at our hotel over two hours late. He wasn’t particularly attentive either—no door-opening, lots of time on his phone (without a headset, mind you), and some reckless moves, like speeding through a busy market.
2. Dietary Disregard: Both my wife and I are vegan, and I also need to avoid gluten. I made this clear to Silas multiple times on WhatsApp. He assured us everything was in order. But of course, neither the guide nor the hotel staff had a clue. We had to re-explain at every meal. For three days, we ended up searching shopping malls for vegan food to eat on the go. The “picnic” lunch we got on the last day? A random assortment from a supermarket that cost them maybe $3 per person. Luxury, indeed.
3. Ignored Anniversary Request: I’d told Silas several times that our wedding anniversary would be during the trip, and we’d like a special dinner. He promised to set it up, but the lodge staff had no idea when we arrived. We eventually arranged a bush dinner ourselves, costing us an extra $180.
4. Payment Surprises: Initially, we planned to pay the balance with a card, only to be told there would be an extra 4% fee—something that wasn’t mentioned when we paid the deposit. We ended up doing a bank transfer instead, but the lack of transparency was frustrating.
5. Lack of Pre-Trip Info: There was no pre-trip info about the country, packing tips, or what to expect. While it might seem minor on its own, given the other issues, it was just another sign of how little they cared.
There were other smaller annoyances, but these were the main issues. Right from Day 1, it was clear things were going downhill. I messaged Silas immediately, requesting a different guide. His response? The guide “knew the park” and “breakfast wasn’t typically provided on Day 1” (so why was it on the itinerary?).
All in all, this was a complete letdown. The agency is responsible for hiring competent guides and ensuring dietary requests are communicated, especially when they’ve been assured in advance. My advice? Avoid this agency. Find a reputable company that delivers on its promises.
The cherry on top? We’re still waiting on that “compensation” that never arrived.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Nov 5, 2024Dear Lucia,
Apologies for the hiccups during your trip. The challenge you had with our guide Nicholas is quite unfortunate. Nicholas has been a tour guide for 8 years now and we are surprised he could not even trace the correct routes in Masai Mara. I can confirm to you that we have already initiated internal investigations into his conduct. Meanwhile he remains suspended from work.
The only issue I would want to clarify is regarding your special Anniversary dinner which you feel you were overcharged by the camp - AMANI MARA CAMP.
From the onset I informed you that a SPECIAL anniversary dinner and a sundowner are never part of the package we sell to clients - and that we can only include that in the cost upon request. These are extras meaning that they can ONLY be arranged upon the client's request. I initially made you aware of all this important information and that is why I requested to have it booked by us on your behalf.
Now I have reached AMANI MARA CAMP( the camp where you stayed) and they have informed me they NOT only arranged for you a special bush dinner but combined it with a sundowner where special drinks (wines etc ) and meals were served. For this you were charged 180$. The Hotel (AMANI MARA CAMP) have categorically stated that you were charged 45$ per person for the bush dinner and another 45$ per person for the sundowner.
I am sorry . We take your review seriously and will work on the issues raised for a prosperous future.
Apodiformes Adventures Team
JP
Email Ryu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are the one who you need. Communication, hospitality was excellent!!
We went to the 6 days Kenya group tour (Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli).
Both the communication before the tour between SILAS and the safari experience led by our driver STANLEY was amazing.
If you are looking for a budget tour, they are the one who you should choose. Price is good, the safari experience is amazing and the staff are professional.
SILAS who seems to be the representative of the company responded our inquiries really quickly via WhatsApp. If you send him a message in a Nairobi working hours, you will most likely get a reply in a few minutes. His company is young, but he seems to have adequate experience in this industry. He picked up us at Nairobi Airport and sent us to our hotel on the first day. He sent us a driver the next morning, and the driver took us to a meeting point where we met our driver and our fellow travellers. SILAS was there too. We met him again on the last day of the visit when he took us to the airport.
STANLEY, who was our driver was a real professional. He woke up very early every day to inspect the safari environment, communicate with other guides and get information and to clean the van. It seemed that he was really wanting us to satisfy. He used radio as other guides and guides cooperate to find big animals, like lions and cheetas. We could see all of the BIG FIVES. We could also see two cheetahs eating an antelope which was really amazing. He was knowledgeable about the animals and explained to us how to distinguish them. He has good eyes and could find the animals from far where we could barely see even when we were told it was there.
Suggestion for the budget tour.
- Accommodations were okay. But don't expect a clean place like a hotel. It is a tent with a bed where you sleep and a hot shower is not that hot. Bugs may come in. It may black-out at midnight. I enjoyed it.
- On a budget tour, we will move by a van (e.g. Nissan URVAN). Sometimes more than 7 hours. Seats were okay but not comfortable like sedan cars. If you don't want to do this, you need to fly with a Cessna from Wilson Airport to the Park.
- Food was okay. But not what you expect in your country.
- Flying into the clean hotels/lodges near the Park may triple the price.
- You can't choose who you will be with on a group tour. We were really lucky to have great people with us. We talked over a beer every day after dinner.
- No place to wash your clothes. I washed my clothes on the first day but it didn't dry.
- I bought a Safaricom SIM card at the airport. We got an internet connection at the campsite with this SIM. No WiFi at the campsite.
- Don't forget to tip the driver.
Bring:
- Portable charger for the phone
- Fleece or a windbreaker. It is quite cold, especially in the rainy seasons.
- Flip flops. Something you can wear at the accommodations.
- If you want to take a close photo, lense no less than 200mm. Sometimes 300mm is not even enough.
- Shampoo and body shower. There is none in the accommodations.
- A compact hairdryer. It is quite cold in the evenings and you might want to dry your hair. You also might want to dry your shoes, especially in the rainy seasons.
- Tissues and wet wipes.
- Binoculars (at least 10*30)
- If you have enough space, I would bring an extra pair of shoes.
All in all, the safari experience provided by Apodiformes Adventure, SILAS and STANLEY was really amazing. I will recommend them to my friends.
PL
Email Piotr | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
If you want to see the whole BIG 9 then only with Apodiformes
We were on safari with Apodiformes beginning from Nakuru and Masai Mara in Kenya, then Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tsvangirai in Tansania and then Amboseli in Kenya. We can only advise doing safari, specially require Tom if you want to animals from close distance. You will have to wake up early but morning is the best to spot the animals. We had excellent communication with Silas (the owner), quick and proper. We have chosen Apodiformes from top 10 companies on safaribooking.com and can only recommend. Everything was on time and on schedule, suggested lodges (Serena and Sarova) were totally ok, good food and comfortable accomodation.
ES
Email Fabio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good price and good experience overall in Kenya, but not a professional and kind service
In general, I give Apodiformes a 3/5 because the trip through Kenya as a whole has been a spectacular experience, and all the hotels included in the package and the drivers and guides were very professional, friendly, punctual and helpful.
Also, I found the total price for the package to be very good, beating many competitors' offerings, so if you want to save money, Apodiformes might be worth it.
But I have to reduce the score because all the interactions with Silas -responsible for Apodiformes- during the trip were rather a disaster, showing little professionalism and little kindness at all times. Although he was always very efficient before the trip, answering quickly via WhatsApp and adapting the schedule to our different requests, everything changed as soon as we arrived in Kenya:
Things already started badly with our arrival at Nairobi International Airport at 4:00 am, when there was no one to pick us up at the arrivals gate. Silas did not answer the phone, so after half an hour of waiting in the cold and with a 3 year old we had to take a taxi on our own to the booked hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, where we were very well received, we were finally able to contact him and he arrived minutes later. There were no apologies, just bad excuses that he was waiting “at the wrong terminal” (so why was his phone turned off?).
The next day we were going on safari. We had agreed with Silas to have a guide who spoke Spanish, but when we met the assigned guide he barely knew a few words. In the end it wasn't a problem because we were able to communicate well in English (and the guide -Leroy- was otherwise a fantastic person and a very professional and concerned guide that took very good care of us), but this lack of compliance with what was committed in the case of a client who didn't speak English would have been a big problem.
On the other hand, we had requested a child seat in the car that we would use to travel to Nakuru and Masai Mara and carry out the safari. The child seat was there, but it couldn't be attached to the car seat belts. We solved the ballot by buying a rope in a shopping center and tying the child seat with it. A messy solution that of course made us travel through the dangerous roads in Kenia feeling constantly anxious for the safety of our three-year-old.
In addition, that same day Silas told us he had unilaterally changed our accommodation on the Naivasha stage (from Sopa Naivasha Lodge to Simba) because at the Sopa lodge "there had been complaints of food poisoning". In the end it was not a problem because the Simba turned out to be very good but it seemed unprofessional to inform us of this at the last moment and base the change on a reason that sounded like an invention (no one else mentioned these problems in the hotel's opinions on Internet) .
At the end of the Safari, when we had scheduled a visit to a Maasai village, they wanted to charge us again for the visit even though the agreed program specified that it was included. We had to advance the payment and then claim the refund from Silas.
At the end of the Safari and going to the beach, we arrived at the Baobab Resort hotel, finding a standard room booked, although a superior room was specified in the agreed plan. We had to speak with Silas to demand that he negotiate with the hotel for an upgrade as agreed in plan.
On our return from Diani Beach to Nairobi, despite our flight being late, we had to wait almost an hour in the Wilson airport exit car park for Silas to show up to pick us up. It seems there was "traffic" but no other drivers who came to pick up the dozens of people who arrived on that flight had any trouble getting there on time.
Anyway, despite all these messes the thing could be forgiven if there had been sincere apologies and explanations in each case, but Silas did not consider to apologize for any of these inconveniences even once. He even did not ask us how the safari and other experiences had gone at any time, nor did he write to us to ask how the return home was, being unfriendly and showing total disinterest. A pity that our main contact and organizer of the trip was the least kind and considerate person that we have encountered in our trip to Kenya, otherwise fantastic.
NL
Email Sarra | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Love, Care & Attention, we had the best time!
We traveled with the 2 of us on a private safari and our driver Sebastian was an amzing spotter and tour guide throughout the whole trip.
He picked us up straight from the airport then we met the tour operator Sillas shortly for breakfast & final payment before we headed on our journey. Have seen the big 5 already by Day 3 and lots of other animals and birds, just mesmerizing. As two women travelling through Kenya we felt very safe & welcomed. He even went out of his way to invite Ken a member of the Maasai Tribe to spend a whole day with us, tell us about his culture and have lunch in the bush with us with huge birds roaming around us waiting to get a share from our lunch boxes. For our last days on the beach he dropped us at a train station where we traveled 1st class to Mombasa where our kind driver Joseph was already waiting for us, who also picked us up again to drop us at the airport once our vacation came to an end. Just a great package overall.
Organization:
Silas has a very quick turn around time from quotation to connecting with us via whatsapp and arranging all the details.
He was flexible in incorporating a balloon safari, too. Only a few small hickups on the accomodation booking for our time on Diani beach and a pre-arranged massage which was included in our package upon arrival after the taxing safari ride. I would recommend after paying the 30% upfront to pay the rest in local currency once there as you can easily withdraw Kenyan schilling if you are not from an origin country that has USD.
Accomodations:
All accomodations picked were a great build up from family run to high class every following accomodation brought the customer experience level one stage up and kept us in awe. The staff in all accomodations was exceptionnal.
People:
Kenya as a travel destination is remarkable, the saying every Kenyan is a happy Kenyan i have experienced myself. In addition to their long working hours being resilient to fatigue while staying kind and friendly not only towards us but also towards each other was a great sight. Lots of take away's for me coming back home. Please remember to always have sufficient Schilling cash in your pocket for tipping the staff.
Our Tourguide:
I recommend Apodiformes to everyone wanting to have a transformative amazing experience in Kenya & please do ask for SEBASTIAN as your driver & tour guide as he made this journey absolutely unforgettable for us. He was well connected with other spotters and made sure we have seen from Leopards, Cheetas, Rhino close up's, Elephant herds, Lion prides in action to lots of Pumbas, Gazelles, Zebras, Wildbeast & Buffalos etc. Simply more than we could have imagined. We even discovered our love for birds as there is such a big variety.
Patient, knowledgeable, fun & caring he handled the situation when our car temporarily broke down very professionally & even stopped to help somebody else change a tire while we were watching the crocodiles in the water. Nice to see & observe and fully immerse into Kenya's every day life :)
5 stars for the tour organizer Silas, our driver in Mombasa Joseph & of course for our amazing tour guide during safari Sebastian!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
CN
Email Simone | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything we'd hoped for and more
We recently had the great opportunity to embark on a 7-day Safari, and our experience was truly unforgettable, thanks to our safari guide, Denis. We'd never been on safari or to Africa before so we didn't entirely know what to expect, and we were very happy with the outcome.
Our trip itinerary was as follows: Day 1-3, Travel Nairobi to Masai Mara, Day 4 Lake Nakuru, Day 5 Samburu, Day 6-7 Amboseli, and Day 8 flight back to home.
Denis was great. From start to finish, his expertise for the wildlife and attentiveness made our adventure both thrilling and reassuring. He was tireless and enthusiastic, admirably drove us many many miles for many hours over incredibly rough terrain and still was keen to take us out on a game drive the same evening, he was very receptive to our questions and taught us a lot about Kenya. Of course though one of the best things about Denis was his knowledge of all the areas and was very patient with us. He always found the way to get the best angle of the scene for us to witness and take photos.
Our trip was a private tour, and so it was just my best friend and I with Denis in the vehicle. We had loads of space and it was great this way because we had the freedom to do exactly what we wanted, like go out on an epic 9-hour game drive (well done Denis). It also meant that everything was done at our convenience, we could choose what we wanted to see and also always have the best views out the vehicle. The roof was open on the van for game drives so you could stand and look out, which was great fun and the breeze was lovely.
We saw some absolutely incredible sights while we were in Kenya. We saw all the animals from the “Big five” and not only, lots of lions, including some mating and hunting, and the tree-climbing lioness with her cubs looking up at us from the bushes in Lake Nakuru. We saw loads of hyenas with prey in their mouths. Samburu was also so picturesque, we saw different species of zebras and giraffes. In Amboseli we saw lively herds of elephants bathing in the sand and swamps as well as different species of birds. And of course the most prized sighting in the Masai Mara: we were treated to the sight of wildebeests running through the grassland and huge male giraffes watching us from afar as if they were standing still in the morning mist, and great herds of hippos in the river. On the border between Kenya and Tanzania, the sun is slowly setting, and in the distance a herd of elephants is slowly making its way towards us. The wind blowing through the African savannah at sunset feels like an eternity.
We really had such a fantastic time with Denis, he also arranged a picnic lunch for us in the wilds of the Masai Mara. It was wonderful just knowing that everything was taken care of for us, and we had absolutely nothing to concern ourselves with during our trip, except having an amazing time and learning about the beautiful Kenyan wildlife.
The only disappointment was that when we chose our hotel no one informed us in advance that our accommodation in Amboseli was outside the park, which meant that it would take more time to get there and back, and that we wouldn't be able to get to the park early enough to see the sunrise. Also, we would have liked to have been told beforehand about the time we would need to spend on the road and other details so that we could understand our options and better tailor our itinerary, otherwise the long drive would have been exhausting for both the guide and us. Other than that, everything's just perfect.
Asante sana, Kenya.
See you next time.
Simone
Email Kelsey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly disappointed in our guide!
My partner and I hired Apodiformes Adventures as our guide group for our 5 day Safari in Kenya during the end of July through beginning of August, 2024. Overall our experience with the company was ok, but there were a number of things that came up during our trip that were less than ideal. I have never written a critical review before but felt obliged to do so after reading the review from a group that hired Apodiformes a week or two prior to us, which mirrored our trip to a near uncanny level. As a point of reference, this is my tenth trip to Africa, second trip to Kenya, and I’ve spent a cumulative 8+ months working around the continent. The challenges of running a tour business are not lost on me, but there are certain items that could be easily remedied, and tour guides should be held to standard.
First, we had outstanding communication with the company during the planning process of the trip and were very pleased with the level of attention to detail provided by Fred who handled our booking. We received notice of the name of our guide the day prior to arrival and arranged a pickup at 7:30 am. Our guide assigned was Ken who picked us up and took us to the parking lot of a nearby shopping center 15 minutes from our hotel to meet up with the representative from Apodiformes and pay the second half of our fees in cash. This is something that could easily have been handled in the hotel lobby from the standpoint of making things feel more “professional” but not a big deal. We then started traveling to our destination of the Masai Mara where we were anticipating a half day game drive to start the trip. When we were first picked up from the hotel I noticed that the back tire of the vehicle was very low, but not fully flat. An hour into the drive, we pulled over into a side street and a guy began to change the tire. During this time, Ken never mentioned that we needed to get the tire fixed or even that we would be stopping. While this only took about 45 min to an hour, this cut into the time of our game drive and is something that easily could have been remedied the day prior to pickup since it was clearly noticed, or at least we could have been notified of when we first started the day and we would have been very understanding. These vehicles take a beating and things often break, it is understandable.
On the way to the Mara and throughout the vast majority of our trip, Ken was continuously on his phone with various calls and texts to the level that if I were to ask a question after he got off the phone, his phone would ring again before I could even get the question out. I’ll not belabor the point, but Ken would answer questions when directly asked (at times with a one word answer) but would very rarely offer information, guidance or discuss plans unless we brought it up first. This was the theme throughout the course of the trip.
Eventually we made it to the Mara and had a great evening drive. To his credit, Ken is an incredible driver. He was always able to get us right in the action, was able to communicate well with the other drivers, and could find us a variety of wildlife. I really appreciate his efforts in making all that happen and led to us overall having a positive experience on the various game drives.
Our first night stay we were told that the lodge we were to be staying at overbooked and that we would be moved to a new lodge – not a big deal however this was not communicated until we were almost at the replacement lodge. Overall the accommodations were good and seemed to be of similar quality to the intended location, but just raised an eyebrow. Either way, the accommodations that night were ok.
The next few days followed this general course with limited communication from Ken minus a few good conversations we were able to engage him in with some prodding. We were never really asked about our preferences, what we wanted to do/see, but when we directly asked he was accommodating and was generally good natured.
On our 4th of 5 days when we arrived at our last lodge we were told that we could have lunch and then go on the intended boat ride. Of note, the boat tour included a 45 minute walking tour through a preserve off-trail which neither Ken nor the staff let us know about. Thank goodness we wore boots rather than the sandals we were considering wearing because it was a “boat tour”. When we met up with Ken for the boat ride he told us something about a “terrible problem” that had happened to the vehicle and that it would need to be in the shop, meaning he could no longer drive us. He arranged a driver the following day to “take us back to Nairobi in the morning,” not mentioning the fact that we were planning to go to Hells Gate for a tour before returning. Because we had assumed we were getting back in the vehicle after lunch we had not fully cleaned/removed our goods from the safari vehicle, I thought that I had left my hat and asked him about it. He said he would give it the the driver for the next day and though I found the hat in my bag the following day, he never messaged or communicated that he did not find it in the vehicle. Given that the previous group on the review boards experienced the same “sudden vehicle trouble”, this is either a habit of Ken or Apodiformes in order to free the vehicle up a day early.
The driver who picked us up the following day was AWESOME. Great guy, very personable, super helpful. Went out of his way to help us have a good experience and even drove us around Nairobi looking for fabrics. A+ overall. Of note: His vehicle was a standard hatchback van and not a safari vehicle, so if we had planned on a driving safari through Hells Gate the following day rather than opting for a bicycle tour, this would have significantly diminished the experience. Finally, we had been told on the first day that the rep from the company would meet with us back at the hotel when we returned to Nairobi to close the loop, but never heard from them again after the first day. I was hoping to provide this feedback to them in person but did not get the opportunity.
My purpose of posting this review is to note that overall, we had a good time because my partner and I enjoyed each other’s company in the beautiful natural wonders that Kenya has to offer, and all of the lodges and parks we visited had outstanding staff that were exceedingly warm and welcoming. It seems that Apodiformis Adventures has a few quality improvement points to work on with their team. While I much prefer to provide feedback directly to companies rather than posting on a public forum, the similarities to the previously posted experience tell me that this is something systemic that needs to be addressed.