Melvin did a fantastic job arranging the best...
Kenya
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Feb 21 - Mar 5, 2026
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Activity Reviews
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.
Since we arrived late in the evening, this "experience" didn't pertain to us.
This was really a 20 min stop max and was on the way back to our hotel so why not stop.
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.
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.
We met our Tanzania driver and guide at the air strip and were quickly on our way to seeing the wildlife on the Serengeti!
Another amazing game drive - each one is worth going on!
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.
Another outstanding game drive in Tanzania!
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!!
This experience gave us a chance to get to meet and see the people in that part of Lake Manyara.
During this drive, we've now moved into the more plains part of Kenya and an opportunity to see even more wildlife!!
We had our closest encounters with zebra and elephants here.
Thank you so much for this, it truly means a lot. I’m really glad everything came together the way it did and that you had such a memorable experience across both Kenya and Tanzania.
John, Kaka, Jambo, and Caroline will be so happy to hear your kind words, I’ll be sure to pass them along. I’m especially pleased Caroline was able to step in and support you during the flight disruption, that kind of care on the ground is exactly what we aim for.
It was an absolute pleasure planning this with you, and I’m so grateful you chose us for such a special trip.
Karibu tena