Reviews of safaris to Amboseli and the Chyulu Hills

"The whole trip was so well organised, we didn't have to think about a thing. Someone was always there to tell us where we needed to be.

The internal flights were also a breeze. I probably would have fewer flights next time and perhaps not go to either Amboseli or Laikipia,instead visiting the Kicheche camps in the Mara." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari

"Its quite difficult to put into words just how amazing a country Kenya is. For all the corruption and general bad press, if you scratch the surface and get to know the people, its quite simply addictive.

Richard organised a wonderful itinerary for the safari. The rain made this year a totally different experience, the driving was much more difficult, but the countryside looked rich and green and all the herbivores which have struggled so much in recent years are all thriving which is wonderful.

We also loved our two weeks in Msambweni, meeting the village people and helping with charity work for HIV orphaned children, donating football kit for the local team, the Msambweni Super Eagles, who then arranged a friendly match for us to see the new kit in action! The kit was green with green and white striped socks, however, only a handful of the players had football boots!

I also took out items for the maternity unit at the local hospital, including packs for new mothers who arrive at hospital with absolutely nothing containing a blanket, knitted hat, a selection of clothes and socks - all small things but which make a huge difference.

Thank you very much for another fabulous holiday." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari

"Many thanks to Expert Africa, and our wonderful advisor, Jessica Plumb, for working with us to plan our amazing adventure. We could not be happier with the camps she suggested and the itinerary.

Each location offered something special - something different - but with the same high-quality surroundings and excellent service. It was truly seamless and a trip of a lifetime.

If we are ever lucky enough to get back to Africa, I would only turn to Expert Africa to plan our trip.

I can't imagine how this trip could have been better!

Thank you so much Jessica and Expert Africa!!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"Before visiting Kenya, we have been to four countries in Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) five times, and each one of those trips were highly enjoyable.

Nonetheless, we figured it was time to check out East Africa for a change. To be honest, we were a little apprehensive about this trip, because many guidebooks or websites tell you that in both Kenya and Tanzania visitor numbers are much higher than in the South of Africa. As the New York Times wrote earlier this year, they witnessed a cheetah hunting and making a kill in the Maasai Mara, and in no time, the poor animal was surrounded by 50 vehicles. Well, even though the number of cars per sighting was, on average, higher than in Southern Africa, we experienced none of such extremes. I guess, we were lucky with the choice of camps and/or locations.

For instance, we took great care in picking camps that are using open vehicles with a maximum of six passengers and not vehicles with pop-up roofs, let alone minibuses. For a serious photographer, such conditions would seriously limit your freedom to move, and in the case of pop-up roofs you would have to stand up and, often, you would look down on animals. In other words, it would be a nightmare ruining my trip. I realize that the camps we picked are significantly more expensive, but this goes hand in hand with providing better guides, better amenities and facilities, and better service. The good news is that in our experience, the camps in Kenya are not quite as pricey as Botswana accommodations.

One more comment about the number of cars per sighting: The official rules in the Maasai Mara clearly state that the maximum number of vehicles per scene is limited to five (per animal, not animals!). Taken literally, a pride of 8 lions could be visited by 40 cars, and we have witnessed scenes with up to 20 cars. On other occasions, for instance when observing cheetahs or leopards, we have noticed that local wildlife rangers do in fact make sure that there are no more than 5 cars on the scene. Throughout the entire trip, we were blessed with guides that showed great patience and perseverance to stay at a scene for longer. Quite often we were also lucky enough to be the only two guests in the vehicle. The only camp where there were six passengers in a car was Lewa Safari Camp.

As in previous years, I enjoyed recording our wildlife sightings. Overall, we saw more animals here than in any other place in Africa. And our encounters with the big cats were especially noteworthy, because often they were full of drama. I should point out though that we did not see any wild dogs anywhere. Of the four areas visited, the Maasai Mara was, thanks to our guides, and despite the higher number of vehicles, a photographer’s paradise.

What we also appreciated in all five camps was that they allowed each party to have their own tables at mealtimes.

To summarize, this trip was so good that we are almost certain to return to Kenya in the near future." Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 20 on a Kenya safari

"This trip was organised with a highly professional advisor and went according to every detail perfectly.

I will definately book through you again.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Honestly? None - your company is professional and know their product to a very high level." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"We worked out while we were away that this was our 25th safari. It was by far our best and Kenya has become our new favourite safari destination.

The people are so welcoming, polite and friendly. The camps were all very well run with excellent food and facilities. The internal flights were well organised and efficient, albeit with lots of stops!

As we do quite a lot of self-guided, self-drive safaris, it was nice to go to camps with an emphasis on photography, so that they would position the vehicle as we would if we were driving and in a few instances, suggest angles that we hadn't thought of." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Kenya safari

"Great organisation by you guys. Hotel, transfers and camps all great. Appreciated that conservancies and camp staffing seemed to be ethical and not exploitative.
Bit of a nightmare journey home with KLM but that was nothing to do with you!
The handling of the unavoidable 2 year delay was well done by Expert Africa.
We had great personal treatment - most of the time it was just the 2 of us in the 4x4s - terrific for us, not so great for them. Hope for full recovery of tourism!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"The holiday exceeded our expectations. It is a lot of money, but we felt we got good value and wonderful experiences. Everything worked very smoothly, staff could not have been more helpful and clearly post-Covid visitors returning is key. We were a little concerned about the election but it has all gone relatively smoothly. The day in Nairobi was very enjoyable - being a Sunday traffic was not a problem.

The only downer was before we went, we had to spend hours battling with the Covid and visa forms - a bit stressful, but Jessica was very helpful (and patient) with us about this and helped as much as possible.

This is our 3rd holiday with Expert Africa and we would book again, but would prefer to have flights included for future holidays, given possible Covid cancellations and hassles." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari

"This was our fourth trip with Expert Africa and our first to Kenya having previously visited Tanzania (Selous and Ruaha). As usual, all the arrangements went like clockwork from the initial enquiry back in 2019 (thanks Covid!) to being dropped off at Nairobi airport for our return home.

We had superb guides, great wildlife and cultural experiences and excellent accommodation. We particularly liked having local Maasi staff running the camps and they were all extremely grateful that we were supporting their Conservancies and Communities. It was definitely worth the wait!

Thank you Jessica!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Kenya safari

"A truly memorable holiday.

Our teenagers declared it the best holiday we've had and did not complain once about all the early mornings.

The camps, wildlife, people and hotels exceeded our expectations.

Having had to wait for 2 years for this trip it more than lived up to expectations and we feel incredibly lucky to have been.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nothing - just to say a hug thank you for making this such a superb holiday.

Having everything in place made it so much easier and the choice of camps and Asha hotel suited us perfectly. Thank you." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Kenya safari