Reviews of safaris to Northern Kenya

"This was a well thought out combination of experiences in a country I like and have visited many times over the decades. Sarara and Kicheche Mara were very different in style and location, each with their own pluses, and the Emakoko an excellent surprise at the end. Richard seems to intuitively know what I will like, which is a pretty impressive skill." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Kenya safari

"We had an excellent trip to the Masaai Mara and the Matthews Range/Samburu. The two locations we chose were very diverse but were both beautiful and interesting in their own ways.

Everything on the trip was smoothly arranged, with a minor exception.

Would highly recommend Expert Africa. They have organised multiple trips for us in the past, which have always been exceptional." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"No better way to celebrate our Fortieth Wedding Anniversary, returning to previous haunts." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Kenya safari

"Inevitably it was a bit of a ‘whistle-stop’ tour as we covered a great deal of ground; however all the travel arrangements were quite excellent and our thanks must go to Richard Trillo of Expert-Africa for his advice and organisation; to Gaig Leshan Safaris for all their help; to Asilia Africa; and not least to Alex Hunter at Ol Pejeta for all his kindness and hospitality.

Without exception the management and staff wherever we stayed were friendly and helpful, the food was excellent, whilst the standard of diver/guides was of the highest order.

All in all this was an outstanding trip in every respect. Thank you." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"We'd like to start by commending our drivers, who did our land transfers from Nairobi to Nanyuki and then from Wilson to the international airport via an afternoon in Karen (where we recommend the Talisman restaurant where we dined). Both our drivers, John at the start of our trip and Edward at the end, were first class.

Second, we should also mention why we land-transferred to Nanyuki, ie to visit the Karatina market, reputedly the second biggest food market in East Africa. While we had a business-specific reason for making this unusual visit, we can certainly recommend it for anyone who wants an interesting and different experience for a couple of hours in the Nanyuki area, meeting and chatting with local small business people.

All this being said, the heart of the trip was, of course, the safari in general and, in particular, the opportunity to visit - and therefore support - three community-based projects in Laikipia which are all run in somewhat different ways. Our growing sense for some time during our regular visits to Africa since 2006 has been that, with national parks in some parts often failing to provide adequate environmental and wildlife protection, much of the future may well lie in community-based and private (eg Mundulea in Namibia where we stayed in sept 2013) projects. This trip firmed up this view further, especially as it gave us a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the commitment of the local community to the projects and its aspirations, including for the education and related opportunities available to future generations.

Despite the ready sharing of views by those we met, we are cautious about trying to draw firm conclusions other than in the following respects. First, Laikipia is a fabulous part of Kenya and well worth visiting for both its wildlife and its culture. Second, we feel that these community-based projects are genuinely helping the local community consistent with its aims and aspiration and are, therefore, well worth supporting. Third, it will nevertheless likely to difficult to balance preserving tradition with the evolving way of life which inevitably ensues.

Finally, a word of thanks to the Expert Africa team, especially Richard Trillo, for their efforts putting together for us what was another excellent trip." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari