Travel reviews by Mrs. K from Minnesota

"It was lovely to arrive at the Four Points Nairobi Airport after our long flight.

We had a perfect pick-up from the airport and the drive was quick to the Four Points. Check-in was easy. Our room was clean and well-appointed. We were able to get a great meal at the rooftop bar even with our late evening arrival. In the morning, the hotel offered a wonderful breakfast - which was a perfect way to start our day. We found all the staff here helpful, kind, and accommodating.

One thing to note - you do go through pretty strict security entering the hotel, and that was a little worrisome for us at first. We were like "is there something we should know." We found out later on safari that the security is only because the Four Points Sheraton is right by the Israeli Embassy, so extra security is on their behalf."

"We adored Kicheche Bush Camp - it was our favorite on safari. We were so sad to only be there 2 nights. The hosts Darren and Emma were lovely people, and it was such a pleasure to be welcomed by them and to get to know them a little bit. The camp was gorgeous and exactly what you want for a bush camp. It was in the bush but it was cozy and comfy! What most stands out though was the food! Kicheche knows how to put on a meal. Everything we ate was so delicious and our bush meals were the best we had on our entire safari. We still think about our breakfasts out in the bush!

Our game drives out of Kicheche were the best we had, and a large part of that was due to the incredibly knowledgeable guides we had. While at Kicheche, we did a bush walk and "camped out" one night. It was FUN! Mika took us on our bush walk and was with us for our full day game drive the next day. He was phenomonal as a guide! The man is so deeply knowledgeable about the land and the animals and people living on it. Since our visit to Kicheche was our first stop on our safari (and our first safari) we didn't realize what a blessing Mika was right away - but he ended up being our favorite guide of our entire trip.

My husband and I still talk about the things we learned from him. Mika is silver qualified, and if you have the chance to be guided by him - enjoy it! Because we took our safari during 2021 (Covid travel) we were fortunate enough to have our guides all to ourself while at Kicheche. The Masaii Mara is one of the most beautiful places you'll ever visit, and it was filled with all the animals you expect to see. If you're looking for lions, there are A LOT of them here!

Another cool thing to note - Kicheche regularly hosts photographers. As a result, their guides are known for being able to help set up shots correctly with proper lighting etc. Many of the guides are also into photography on their own time as well. If you're really interested in the photography aspect of safari, this is a great camp to be at."

"This was a lot of fun and we would highly recommend it.

While walking, we were able to see things that we wouldn't have been able to from the safari vehicle.

Additionally, it was really fun to sit around the campfire with our guide that night."

"We visited Kicheche Valley a bit unintentially. We were originally booked for 3 nights at Kicheche Bush, but due to rescheduling our whole trip from 2020 to 2021 due to covid, we ended up with 1 night at Kicheche Valley. This is a more upgraded camp than Kicheche Bush. If you're looking for more amenities, this camp is excellent!

Our host was phenomenal and kind. She was sweet enough to offer me a free massage as a treat for my husband and I being on our honeymoon. That was a nice suprise! She also set up a little private romantic dinner for just my husband and I. I really felt like our host and this camp went the extra mile to make a romantic experience for my husband and I while we were there.

The rooms here were lovely and comfortable, and we had a phenomonal view. The food was delicious too of course.

We highly recommend staying here, and we hope to be able to do so for a longer period of time in the future."

"The Nomad Serengeti Safari Camp was a pleasure to stay at. It is important to note that it is truly a moving camp (that follows the wildebeest). It was set right in the middle of the wildebeest, and you heard them all night. If you have trouble sleeping with loud or consistent noises, this may not be the camp for you haha. I can still remember the exact wildebeest noises we heard all night long!

This camp wasn't as luxurious as the Kicheche Camps we had been to in Kenya right before this, but that was to be expected both because we chose a traveling camp and due to the lower cost. Our room was still very nice and we were treated incredibly well while there. The food was alright - it wasn't particularly exciting, and it was probably my least favorite part of this camp.

Our game drives on the Serengeti were great, and our guide was really fun and knowledgeable. We met a great couple who went out with us on our game drives each day!

We had a lot of luck finding leopards in the Serengeti with our guide - he knew how to find them for us!"

"Kigelia is a very special feeling camp, on the banks of a dried up riverbed. The elephant viewing here is phenomal, and we had elephants literally all around our tent. We have video of a bull elephant standing right outside our tent sniffing the netting. It was a life-changing experience - just sitting there quietly observing. If you want to be up close with elephants - they are HERE! Also, the monkeys run all over your thatched roof - which is quite entertaining.

That being said, we didn't love Ruaha overall as a park. There are supposed to be a lot of lions - we barely saw them while there. We saw a lot of elephants and endless giraffe but it didn't feel like we saw much else. Although on the last day while driving to our departing flight, I did spot a leopard hiding way up high in a tree and we watched her get chased out of the tree by baboons (that was an experience!). Still, Ruaha felt like driving through a lot of dense bush grass. To be fair, we had been on safari for a quite a while at this point, and the long drives were starting to feel a bit tedious (I know I know that shouldn't happen!).

We loved the Kigelia Camp though. The rooms are awesome, and we particularly enjoyed the outdoor shower. It was so warm in Ruaha that taking a midday shower in the sun was the best thing ever. Additionally, the camp sets up a bonfire and all the guests sit and talk around it, which was so pleasant. The staff at the camp makes delicious drinks throughout the day, and our host had a lot of fun manning the bar after dinner. Food here was so good - I'm still trying to figure out how to make some of those recipes!

This camp experience was truly one of my favorites!"

"We had a pleasant stay at Zanzibar Coffee House.

Our host who greeted us did a great job getting us checked in and oriented to Stone Town."

"Wow, we loved Qambani. Our villa was luxurious, and it was incredible to have that type of relaxation and beauty at the end of a week and a half of safari and bumpy game drives.

Our host was welcoming and extremely helpful in setting things up for us and making sure we were happy about everything. The food here is phenomenal - you get to pick your meals (like a restaurant) from a daily menu.

The infinity pool was really nice to have. The ocean wasn't great because of the location on the island - the tide has pulled the water out for most of the day.

Still, we would love to be able to stay here again!"