Travel reviews by Miss S & Mr P from Suffolk

"Arriving at The Emakoko was a perfect way to start our week in Africa. A very warm welcome and a late supper prepared for us on our arrival.

Nothing was too much trouble."

"Kicheche Mara was AMAZING - you couldn't fault anything. Everyone in our party apart from me had been to Africa before. This is where I fell in love with Africa and I really hope to return.

Please pass on our thanks to everyone who looked after us."

"We had been told before we arrived that Porini would be different to Kicheche, and it was. The only way I can describe the feeling that I had when we arrived was that I had left home and had arrived back at boarding school! My heart sank.

As this is my first experience of a safari I can only compare the two camps. Everything seemed a little tired at Porini. On the approach to Porini there was an area of waste ground with a large piece of broken concrete pipe lying there.

Our Tent (No 4) was very dark with no outlook due to scrub growing up close to the tent. Just a small amount of clearing would have given more light and a view over the river and beyond. Otherwise we had no outlook from "our veranda". Beyond the scrub were discarded items including a mop & mop head, this just showed maybe the lack of attention to detail that separated Porini from Kicheche.

The Mess Tent was very dark, on the first night two of our party wore head torches to eat their dinner by. There were lovely substantial candles which were on the sideboard unlit. (Although they were used on the second night.)

We have put good for food except the beef (?) casserole which was largely fat and gristle.

By Activities I assume this means the Game Drives and these were excellent, as were our guides and as indeed were all the staff who looked after us extremely well.

Despite our comments we grew quite fond of Porini and would return. However we would go to Porini first and then on to Kicheche.

The difference between excellent for Kicheche and good for Porini does not really show how much more superior Kicheche was but it would be churlish to give Porini anything less than good as we felt they were trying and perhaps more leadership from the management would have dealt with the problems before they arose."

"We have put good for the food this time because although the lunch was excellent the evening meal of lamb was quite tough and fatty. And the starter of halloumi in puff pastry didn't really work. Otherwise everything else was excellent."