Truly Swahili

Very nice trip in Nairobi, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar 🇹🇿🇰🇪🦏🐆🦒🐘🦓

We enjoyed our safari tremendously. John, our guide was excellent and we departed as friends would do. We w ere disappointed that in Nakuru there were no flamingos, while the impression had been created. It was a situation going on for some time, based on the extreme high water level nd lack of shallow levels for the flamingos.

Hotel Reviews

Serena Hotel Nairobi

Nairobi

Excellent hotel with very good service. Swimming pool is heated.

Authenticity & Character

Very stylish.

Location

Since we were transported we have no opinion about the location. It was close enough to the airport

Staff

Very personal service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Egret Savannah Camp

Nakuru

Very nice positioned in a natural environment. Staff is extremely friendly. Accommodation is pleasant.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Well positioned in a natural environment.

Staff

All staff deserve the credit.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mara serena lodge

masai mara

We enjoyed this hotel very much. The cultural aspects of it were very special.

Authenticity & Character

Cultural aspect. Friendliness of staff.

Location

Quite far, but that is the whole idea of the National,park.

Staff

Friendliness

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Sunrise Boat Cruise on Lake Nakuru

Nakuru

There were no flamingos, which was a disappointment.

This was a bucket list adventure and our bucket overflowed from beginning to end. Melvin and the Kimkim team put our safari together exactly as we requested. We were in very good hands with our driver, John, at the helm. He is knowledgeable, caring, funny and a master at spotting animals we could only have wished to see. He shared stories and culture and local customs. We felt safe at all times. We parted in adoring friendships. We already have a plan to return. Thank you all!!

Hotel Reviews

Naivasha Sopa Lodge

Nairobi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sarova Lion Hill Hotel

Nairobi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sarova Mara Game Camp

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Skynest Residences by CityBlue

Nairobi

Just a bit loud at night because of street music.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Evening Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya

Game drive in Nairobi National Park

Nairobi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Boat Cruise on Lake Nakuru

Nakuru

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hot-air Balloon Safari above the Mara

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

2nd Day Full Day Safari at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

Transfer from Nairobi to Naivasha via the Rift Valley View Point

Kenya

Relax at leisure

Nairobi

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - Elephant Orphanage Visit

Nairobi

Full Day Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya

Evening Game Drive at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

Full Day Safari at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

Hiking / Biking at Hell's Gate National Park

Kenya

Crescent Island Animal Walk

Kenya

There were several nice ostrich meandering about. One walked past me and brushed her feathers with my arm. How fortunate I was to have such a personal encounter.

Melvin was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating during the process of developing our ideal itinerary from the start. We did everything we wanted to and nothing we didn't!

Overall, our trip was incredible. I wouldn't change a thing about it from the activities to the lodging to the individuals on the ground that made everything happen. The whole experience just exceeded my wildest dreams!

Hotel Reviews

Skynest Residences by CityBlue

Nairobi

Would gladly stay here again. It was clean, check-in was easy, and the suites were huge. There was some noise from the nearby city but the hotel offered earplugs. Also very nice to have a washing machine in the suite!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Naivasha Sopa Lodge

Nairobi

The rooms seemed slightly dated but the experience with the animals up close more than made up for it. I would gladly stay here again!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sarova Lion Hill Hotel

Nairobi

Was under construction when we were there. Our room was pretty small but we still had a great stay. I believe the new lodges will be larger.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sarova Mara Game Camp

Wow Wow Wow!!! Absolutely the best stay of our trip. I would highly encourage anyone to stay here!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Full Day Safari at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking / Biking at Hell's Gate National Park

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Joseph, our guide in Hell's Gate, was not my favorite. Kind of pushy with reviews/sales at his private shop.

Transport

Evening Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya

This was my favorite game drive of the whole trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Crescent Island Animal Walk

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer from Nairobi to Naivasha via the Rift Valley View Point

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Relax at leisure

Nairobi

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust - Elephant Orphanage Visit

Nairobi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Game drive in Nairobi National Park

Nairobi

This was such a fun way to kick off our trip. Our guide, John, was incredible and we saw many animals due to his knowledge and skill.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sunrise Boat Cruise on Lake Nakuru

Nakuru

This ended up not as sunrise but midday with lunch. Regardless, it was amazing! The food was incredible, the staff fantastic, and the drinks were flowing. It was a really relaxing experience nestled between game drives.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hot-air Balloon Safari above the Mara

Kenya

Wow! I'm so glad we did this. Absolutely a highlight of the trip!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

2nd Day Full Day Safari at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

Just amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Evening Game Drive at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

we traveled from may 24th 2026 to June 6th 2026 to Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Melvin team is amazing as we have welcome call 1 month before with us and they are helpful in getting visa and working thru all details. Guides in each country -Norman ( Kenya) , Simba and Kaku ( Tanzania) and Nelson ( Rwanda) are very friendly, professional and caring. trip was amazing memorable and without any hick ups. Thank you whole team ( Caroline, redo and Irene). Thank you thank you for providing amazing experience.

Hotel Reviews

Fairview Hotel, Nairobi

Nairobi

they have restaurant 24 hours and they serve hot food anytime. location was very peaceful, convinent, safe and rooms are cleaned and comfortable. Staff was amazing

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge

Musanze

very friendly service, feels like home, they wash your shoes after you come back from trekking, food was amazing, they did bon fire at our request just for us that was very kind .

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Coffee Tour in Ngorongoro

Ngorongoro

Melvin did a fantastic job arranging the best East Africa safari experience.

Our private drivers, John in Kenya and Kaka and Jambo in Tanzania were perfect! They were always on time, and the best at knowing where to spot wildlife and birds. They were extremely knowledgeable about the game reserves we were driving through and habits of the wildlife living there. It was so nice to have the same drivers and vehicle throughout our time in Kenya & Tanzania.

In both countries, we saw many game drive vehicles with 6-8 people all trying to get a view of the animals and not looking very happy, it made us appreciate even more the wisdom in having a private driver/vehicle. We stopped when we spotted animals of interest to us, as well as always having the best view!!

In Kenya, we spent two nights each at three game drive locations in Kenya - Nairobi National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park - Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge and Maasai Mara - Sarova Mara Game Camp. We especially wanted to thank Duncan, Nelson, Nicholas, Ole Mule and Caroline (Chela) at the Sarova Mara Game Camp. Caroline was our private hostess who made sure we were taken care of!

In Tanzania, we spent two nights each at Serengeti National Park - Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
and Ngorongoro - Kitela Lodge

Our trip coordinator for both Kenya and Tanzania, Caroline Silole was a life-saver! She not only kept in touch with us throughout our time, but when our flight from Nairobi to Dubai was canceled due to the Middle East unrest, she was fantastic in arranging new flights. I don't know what we would have done without her!!

Hotel Reviews

Skynest Residences by CityBlue

Nairobi

We stayed in this hotel when we first arrived in Nairobi. The room was large and included a small kitchen space. The bed was fairly comfortable and the bathroom had a nice walk-in shower with plenty of hot water and water pressure. The buffet breakfast was ok - this was our first introduction to Kenyan pastry/food, and it fell far short of our expectation. I don't recall they had yogurt or much in the way of sliced cheese and meats the first morning - I believe they added some the second morning of our stay. They did have someone cooking eggs to order. The noise level during the night from outside casino/bars was outrageous. We were on the 11th floor but it was still so loud, ear plugs/white noise machine didn't help. The loud music/DJ went from roughly 9:00 pm until 5:00 AM the next day and was repeated Sat and Sun nights. The hotel front desk said this only happened on the weekend, and they had asked the casino to lower the noise level but they were ignored. The hotel had a fairly decent restaurant where we ate dinner.

Authenticity & Character

This was a hotel for guests who were staying longer term.

Location

The location was ok, but a bit disconcerting that when you arrive at the hotel, there is a locked driveway with guards. We didn't feel safe to walk around the neighborhood.

Staff

Hotel staff was polite.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sarova Lion Hill Hotel

Nairobi

This location had cute cottages with space on the front stoop to sit and watch the sunset. Quiet and relaxing! The food was delicious and they offered vegetarian options as well as meat choices. Hotel staff was friendly and helpful, especially those in the restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

As a resort hotel, it offered a chance to highlight Kenyan art and culture.

Location

The hotel was located in the Lake Nakuru National Park so was very convenient for game drives.

Staff

Restaurant staff in particular always greeted us with a smile and warm hello. We did an early morning game drive, and the staff at dinner commented that we hadn't been there for breakfast!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The rooms were comfortable though a little small. The bed was comfortable and included mosquito netting that the staff prepared each evening for us. The bathroom was small and the second morning we didn't have hot water.

Sarova Mara Game Camp

We had a VIP tent with our own lounge access and hostess, Caroline (Chela) to make sure we were well taken care of. Our tent was located on the edge of the property, with the game reserve right outside our door. The Masai who were employed at the game camp one evening performed the jumping dance and explained the significance - how cool was that!! The food was delicious with many choices.

Authenticity & Character

These tents were glam camping at it's finest! The bed was comfortable and the room was large with a separate dressing area and large bathroom with a huge walk-in shower and separate tub area. Double sink vanity and separate toilet room.

Location

Our tent was located at the edge of the game camp, with the game reserve right outside our door (separated by an electric fence for safety).

Staff

Special call out to Duncan, Nelson, Nicholas, Ole Mule and Caroline (Chela), who helped make our stay so special.

Cleanliness & Comfort

There was a front porch where we could watch the sunset and have dinner while watching for wildlife!

Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

We spent two nights in this unique location in Tanzania. Each tented lodge overlooks the Serengeti National Park and the abundance of wildlife that is displayed before your lodge is amazing! The room was large and the bed comfortable. The food was delicious. For the days we were on a game drive, they had lunch boxes available for you to pick out food you'd like to take on your drive for the missed meal.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The Serengeti plain is literally at your doorstep!

Staff

Special call out to Alex, Nuru and Linda. My husband loved their baked beans and the chef was happy to share their recipe!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Kitela Lodge

Karatu

After you turn off the highway, you drive along a dirt road for at least a mile before turning down a side road and ending up in paradise! The cottages are spacious with views over the coffee plantation and grounds. When we arrived, we were greeted with a variety of drinks to try as well as small snacks. The bed was extra king sized and very comfortable. The room was large with a fireplace and separate seating area. There was also seating on the outside deck where you could enjoy a relaxing evening soaking up the atmosphere! The large bathroom had a footed tub as well as a walk-in shower and separate toilet space. The food was delicious and the staff were very attentive! For their turn-down service, they will include a hot water bottle to warm your bed on chilly nights!

Authenticity & Character

They displayed local artist work.

Location

Off the beaten path - feels like your own slice of paradise!

Staff

The staff was very attentive.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The whole cottage was very comfortable - we hated to leave...

Mizingani Sea front Hotel

Zanzibar

The best thing about this hotel was it's location next to Stone Town. The breakfast was pretty good with a nice selection of choices. The bed was not as comfortable as I would have liked and the room was not as nice as I expected compared to what was shown on their website. Our room was on the first floor, by the pool, so perhaps rooms on the upper floor were nicer. My husband had a fish dish that made him ill.

Authenticity & Character

The hotel had a nice middle-east vibe.

Location

On the waterfront next to Stone Town!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had no shampoo in the shower.

Activity Reviews

Game drive in Nairobi National Park

Nairobi

This was our first introduction to the wildlife we'd be seeing in Kenya! Nairobi National Park is much smaller than the other parks in Kenya, so there is a greater opportunity to see wildlife up close.

Quality of Experience

Closeup view of giraffes and a lion our first full day in Kenya was outstanding!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide/driver, John was fantastic! He was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and their habits. He was also a bird enthusiast and was happy to point out birds we had never seen before!

Transport

Surprisingly, the safari Land Cruiser's are pretty comfortable. The ability to have the roof raised in order to stand and get better shots of the wildlife was key to our experience.

Relax at leisure

Nairobi

Since we arrived late in the evening, this "experience" didn't pertain to us.

Quality of Experience

N/A

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our game drive guide, John, and trip coordinator, Caroline, met us at the airport and drove us to the hotel. Caroline accompanied us to our room to make sure we were properly settled in!

Transport

It was great to be met at the airport with the vehicle we'd been exploring Kenya in for the next week!

Encounters with Giants: A Day at the Nairobi Giraffe Centre

Nairobi

This was really a 20 min stop max and was on the way back to our hotel so why not stop.

Evening Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya

This was really an afternoon game drive as the park doesn't allow vehicles after 6:00 pm. That being said, this was a great drive to see wildlife that was closer to our resort.

Quality of Experience

Always new animals/birds to see!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide/driver John was the best!

Transport

John knew just which trails to follow to find wildlife!

Afternoon Boat Cruise on Lake Nakuru

Nakuru

We were the only two passengers for this tour. It's pretty amazing as this tour company is the only ones allowed on Lake Nakuru. We had a smooth cruise from one side of the lake to the other, with a delicious lunch provided. When we reached the other side we switched to a small boat so we could get closer to where the pelicans and flamingoes were.

Quality of Experience

Our guide on the boat was Masai

Food

The tour did an excellent job providing farm to table fresh food!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very knowledgeable guide on the boat

Transport

The boat had comfortable swivel bucket type seats with open sides so you had a clear view of the lake.

Full Day Safari at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

We met our Tanzania driver and guide at the air strip and were quickly on our way to seeing the wildlife on the Serengeti!

Quality of Experience

The Maasai Mara is quite different from the game reserves in Kenya so you end up seeing wildlife that you didn't experience before.

Food

The food was quite delicious!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Kaka and Jombo were an outstanding guide and driver brother combo! Very knowledgeable about the wildlife and where best to find them!

Transport

Having this be a private tour with just the driver/guide and ourselves is the only way to go!

Evening Game Drive

Tanzania

Another amazing game drive - each one is worth going on!

Quality of Experience

Really, every game drive we did was amazing!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide and driver were so much fun and made the drives we went on with them even better!

Transport

Stone Town Tour

Tanzania

Nice tour where you explore the alleyways of Stone town. You really can't experience this area without a guide navigating the different narrow streets.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area.

Transport

We weren't transported anywhere as our hotel was located right next to Stone town - we walked!

Full Day Safari Experience at Serengeti National Park

Tanzania

Another outstanding game drive in Tanzania!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya

Early morning full day game drive was great! Yes it's a long day, but the resort packs breakfast and lunch for you as you're going quite a distance from your lodging. This was such a fun day looking and finding wildlife!!

Quality of Experience

The animals on the game reserve can be widely spread out so you need a full day to explore the different areas they could be located!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Again, our guide/driver John knew just where to go to find wildlife!

Transport

The ability to have the roof raised on your vehicle in order to have unobstructed views is the best!

Lake Manyara Cultural Experience and biking Safari

Tanzania

This experience gave us a chance to get to meet and see the people in that part of Lake Manyara.

Quality of Experience

Nice opportunity to walk among the community and get an idea of how the people live their lives.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was from that area and knew all about the crops and improvements being made.

Transport

Bikes can be fun...

Evening Game Drive at the Maasai Mara

Kenya

During this drive, we've now moved into the more plains part of Kenya and an opportunity to see even more wildlife!!

Quality of Experience

Food

the food in general was very good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Safari Experience at Ngorongoro

Tanzania

We had our closest encounters with zebra and elephants here.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

It is going to be hard to fit all of the great times we had in this review. Stephan was amazing in helping plan. Meeting him was a great time and I am glad we got to. Truly Swahili and Stephan did an absolutely perfect job. I so appreciate them.

The trip started with us getting picked up at the hotel by John (our driver, guide and now friend). He was absolutely the best guide I have had on any trip. He knew everything (but we will get into that). I found out that he really enjoys peanut butter cups as we found out with the candy we brought for the trip.

We started in Amboseli National Park and stayed at Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge, This was my favorite place we stayed during our trip. The animals and accommodations were great but the people were incredible. We felt so at home there. We met Roger, a security guard, who talked about saving these places for future generations. We met Gerald who was a self taught guitar player and singer and Vincent who helped us during our meals in the dinning room. He was awesome and so friendly. The entire staff was really wonderful. We also saw so many animals but I wont list them all here :)

Next, John drove us to Giraffe Manor....this place lives up to its reputation. From the moment you pull up you will be treated like family. The food and drinks are amazing. Cynthia took care of us for meals and she was also great! Walter the bartender was a great guy and made amazing drinks while have some really good conversation. The place is expensive but if you are traveling all the way there and can stay a night (2 would be perfect) you should. It was a magical lifetime experience and worth the money if you can afford it.

Next, John drove us to the Ark which was absolutely my friend Cindy's greatest place to stay. If you are in love with elephants this is the most amazing place. They have an elephant blind and you are able to watch them from ground level as they interact. The sounds they make.....so cool. She was in heaven. Julia helped us with meals and drinks here and she was so cool. She would find me downstairs to make sure I didn't need anything. She really was great. We also met David who worked there and went and got eggs to get the serval cat to come up the stairs. If you have never seen one of these they are very cool. Cindy loved it and it was kind of him to do. Also, on safari here you will see elephants on road and other animals. The Ark is a great place for what it is. It is not the most fancy place but the food and service were very good and the animal viewing from so many places in the hotel make it amazing. There are so many levels of viewing.

Next, John took us to Samburu Sopa Lodge. We saw so many animals and birds here. John knew the name of every bird. We are the type of people to stop and see everything (even a turtle and small birds). John was loving it and at one point I asked him if he was making these bird names up. He actually had a book that him and Cindy would look together at and start to mark down what we saw. We saw a cheetah as well which was very cool. The entire staff was friendly and great place to stay. We were gone a lot of the time there but the place was really a great place to stay

Next we went to Sweetwaters Serena Camp. This was a great place. David was our dinning person and he was great. he has such a great smile that you couldn't help but smile when you saw him. We again saw all kinds of incredible animals but the people here made the trip. The entire staff here really went the extra mile for each guest. The chef came out and was serving as we went. He was proud of the food and we enjoyed talking to him. We also had the end tent so we got to really enjoy the animals and the quiet at the end of the property. bush bucks were out there and we could watch animals just walk past the property. We also got to visit the Ol Pejeta. This place is home to the last two remaining northern white rhinos (Najin and Fatu). This was a highlight of the trip. You can get up close and really learn about the efforts going on at this conservation place.

Finally in Kenya we stayed at Sarova Mara Game Camp. We visited the Maasai village and we were the only 2 there. We got to interact on a wonderful level visiting houses, talking to all the folks, purchasing items from them and just learning about their way of life. It was really a great couple hours. I got to dance with them and appreciated that (for an old guy I can jump pretty high) LOL. Everyone is aware of the animals in Maasai Mara so I won't spend a ton of time on that but we did see a Leopard that left a kill in a tree and lions stalking prey. When we saw the lions we were practically alone. It was amazing. Buffalo, Crocodile, Hippos, etc...We visited the border with Tanzania as well. We had lunch under a tree in the park with John and talked about his mom, wife and son. Just an amazing experience. The hotel was wonderful and friendly and the staff went out of the way to make you feel welcomed. This is the place to come if you want to see animals in layers like you always dream it will be. Also, we got to see the black rocks and the black rock boys...you can view it on Youtube.

Next we had to say goodbye to John. This was a bitter sweet moment as I knew we would be friends for a long time. I cannot tell you how much he enhanced our trip. We laughed so much over so many things. We ate ice cream, I paid to much for sodas and we just had the best time. I cannot thank him enough for the time he spent with us. I know he missed his son but we truly enjoyed the time with him. Now on to Uganda

In Uganda we stayed at Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla lodge. This is probably the most complete place I have ever stayed. The view, the staff, the food, the environment were incredible. The road getting there is long and rough but it is absolutely worth it. The next morning we hiked in to see the mountain gorillas. They were amazing. Truly incredible. James our porter was so good and attentive. We learned a lot about his family and living in Uganda and I appreciate his openness. The gorilla experience itself really leaves you speechless. They are such powerful, gentle and wonderful creatures. The silverback is huge. He is not like you see in the zoo.

We also went on a canoe ride and got to visit the Rwanda border both of which were great. We did spend a lot of down time at the lodge. It was that good. the view, food and just place is somewhere only in your dreams. Amos was our room attendant and he did a great job and really was fabulous for anything we could have needed. Isaac was our dinning person and he was absolutely perfect as well. We missed him on the day we left so I hope everything is ok but it was great to get to know him. Isaac gave us Gorilla key chains with our names and I thought that was very nice. The first day here we were the only people in the lodge (we went during slow time and there are not many rooms). I made good friends with Beno and Edward at the bar. i sat in the beautiful bar area and had a few beers and just learned about their culture and country. It was perfect. The entire time it was never crowded. Cindy got massages and I relaxed. The place is truly incredible. Thanks to Rogers the manager as well. He runs a great place and it is truly one of a kind.

To sum this trip up I would say...you guessed it INCREDIBLE truly Swahili did an absolute wonderful job. When I take these trips I want to be able to learn about local culture and immerse myself in their lives as much as possible. This was the trip of a lifetime and every person at every stop had a role to play. I have been to 37 countries and this is probably the most incredible trip I have taken.....thank you to everyone. Ed and Cindy