Kimkim Trip Reviews for Kenya

Joseph worked with me to create an eclectic trip that catered to our unusual needs. He managed it while staying within our low to medium budget. Our guide, Andrew Kamau was phenomenal. He has been doing this for 20+ years and was equally good at finding animals in game parks and facilitating our daughter’s need to return to the US right in the middle of the trip. He was fun, positive and knowledgeable. I could not have been happier!

Hotel Review

The Ark

Great food. The views of the watering hole were wonderful, watching a pack of hyenas try to take down animals for hours was fascinating as was the following night seeing herds of buffaloes and elephants come through with their young babes. Having said that, the rooms are cramped and one can feel trapped. It is a good first stop out of Nairobi and a great place to have jet lag because one can wander downstairs and watch animals at all hours.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara

We did not go during the migration but we saw all the major cats and lots of large herds. Our Guide Andrew Kamau was so knowledgeable and thoughtful that it was a joy. We liked birds and he found and identified them all.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Outstanding trip. Local guides were amazing and the trip was full of adventures and wildlife.

My family's trip to Kenya was wonderful! Joseph and Susan worked so hard and so patiently with us to make sure we got to do and see everything we wanted to. Our guide, Alex, was kind and very knowledgeable and we felt very comfortable traveling with him. While we loved all the game parks we visited, the Maji Moto Cultural Camp was definitely a highlight for us all, especially the kids, who greatly enjoyed learning warrior skills. We left Kenya with heavy hearts, but with amazing photos and memories. We hope to return sometime in the future. A huge thank you to Joseph, Susan and Alex!

Kim Kim did an amazing job. Our Safari between July 3 and 10 not only met but exceeded our expectations. Joseph and Susan kept close contact with us from the gecko until the end.

We especially appreciated the consideration given to selecting the base camp in the Maasai Mara as an example of a lodge that is designed to support conservation and to benefit the community.

Our visit to Maji Moto was a very special highlight. Special thanks to Susan for arranging this wonderful stay and to all of the Maji Moto staff.

In the past year I have been to, among other places, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Greece and Portugal, and my trip to Kenya was my favorite. This is due in large part to Nariku Travel Experiences. I gave them a basic blueprint of what I wanted to see, do and accomplish and they delivered. Thank you Joseph and Susan. The guide for most of my trip, George, was outstanding. George was knowledgable, personable and downright fun to be around. I miss his and being part of the A-Team. The safari experiences at Maasai Mara, Hell's Gate and Shimba Hills will be forever an amazing memory -- and they delivered incredible photos to match. And if you want to immerse yourself into the culture of the Maasai people, Nariku Travel Experiences is the only way to go.

So again, thank Susan, Joseph and George -- I am truly grateful for what you came up with -- and you delivered 100%.

I recently went on holiday with Joseph from Jossy Travel for a 3 week solo safari. The holiday was planned last minute due to some personal issues and I simply gave Joseph a short description of what I wanted to do (Im a photographer who also loves hiking), a request for a driver with a truck for viewing and an idea of my budget. From the first contact, Joseph himself planned and organised the holiday from start to finish! He prepared a detailed itinerary within 24 hours which covered most of what I wanted to do, and after a call to agree the details, he booked all the hotels within 2 days without issue. Joseph also recommended a flying doctor service and provided a packing list. Best of all, he also said he would be happy to act as my guide for the 3 weeks!

Joseph picked me up at the airport directly and we spent the next three weeks driving through national parks and across Kenya. Joseph was fantastic from start to finish. He organised every day from the moment I woke up, until evening and nothing was forgotten. We stayed at multiple hotels and camps throughout the 3 weeks and the quality and service was perfect. On christmas eve, I had a problem with one camp, and Joseph immediately moved me at no additional cost, without effort to a new camp....Joseph seems to know most of the camp and hotel owners in Kenya as they always welcome him!

Joseph's guiding skills are also excellent. On average, we spent 10-12 hours per day in a park or reserve and every day was always interesting as he taught me about the animals and local customs from each of the local tribes. Aside from all that, Joseph was simply fun to be with! We laughed a-lot throughout the trip and I also had the pleasure of meeting his family during the trip.

I would have no hesitation recommending Joseph and Jossy Travel to help plan and run your safari holiday.

Amazing experience!

Oh my, what an amazing experience. Susan was just absolutely fabulous. Answered all my questions promptly and just truly arranged an amazing trip for my 50th birthday. Zanzibar was incredible, Stone Town a delight. The hotels we stayed in were to die for. Truly works of art. The highlight of my trip was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Our guides Sinaí and Amsi were amazing, kept my daughter and I entertained and safe. They were so knowledgeable of the área, plants, animals, everything. They took our oxygen level and heart rate every night to make sure we were safe. Our cook made the most amazing meals, I wish I could take him home with me, and I miss the banana stew, I want the recipe for that, I was so good!! He even made me a cake on my birthday! I couldn't have asked for better porters, they sang and danced for us, and at the end of every day they would meet us on the trail and carry our packs to camp for us. On day 7, summit day, they met us 2 hours from camp and brought hot tea and juice! I miss the crew so much. Our hotel in Arusha had the nicest staff and most beautiful grounds. Albert from DiscoverTZ arranged for an Arusha city tour on our free day and we got to go to the Women's Market and a true highlight for me - see Masaai medicine (I'm an ER nurse in the states) My daughter's favorite part was the safari (which I loved too). Albert was also our guide for the safari and was knowledgeable and took us to out of the way places so we weren't competing with other drivers. He has the best philosophy - its all about the experience, and it was!!! We saw lions, elephants, lion cubs, cheetahs and cheetah cubs - even saw cheetahs in a tree which is unheard of! Our accommodations for the safari were amazing - tent camps where the animals came right up to the tenis. I looked out at one point to see a zebra eating the grass right next to my tent and then walked next to the monkeys cavorting on the pathway. You don't get a better experience than that! I truly miss Sinaí, Amsi and Albert as I have made new friends. A perfect 50th birthday.

The whole experience was great and everything worked like clockwork. Susan was helpful and very efficient in planning and organising the trip. She responded very quickly to all my requests and came up with some very useful suggestions. Daniel, our driver and guide was a carful driver and knowledgeable guide who was also friendly. I particularly rated him meeting me before our trip to introduce himself and go through arrangements. The lodge, the Lion's bluff , was superb, great location, good food and friendly, helpful staff. Thank you Kimkim.

Kenya Game Drives and Much More (December 8 – 22, 2018)

Our family vacation to Kenya was exhilarating and surpassed our high expectations. Joseph Ngigi of Jossy Travel helped the “vacation of a lifetime” become a reality through his role as our planner, driver, and guide. Joseph carefully listened to our desires for the trip and developed an itinerary that completely met those needs. The trip encompassed exposure to: Kenyan culture (attending performing arts, visiting a Masai village, viewing a historical home); the beauty of the country (through scenic drives, a hike to the peak of Mt. Longonot, a bike ride and trek through the deep canyons of Hell’s Gate by Lake Naivasha); and of course, lots of game drives. We crisscrossed Kenya, above and below the equator, visiting eight different parks. Joseph’s knowledge of the parks, animals and birds was encyclopedic. We took morning and late afternoon safaris most days, and he was extremely committed to making sure we saw the broadest range of wildlife possible. Joseph’s relationships with individuals in the parks and other tour drivers also helped toward that end. Finally, Joseph was simply fun to be with. He always greeted us with a big smile, told interesting stories about Kenya, treated us to snacks on our trips between parks, was flexible in adjusting plans to meet our needs, and always checked to make sure we were enjoying the trip. Any family would be very lucky to have Joseph Ngigi plan and guide their trip to Kenya.

Susan was very flexible and patient with numerous changes to our itinerary. She uses fabulous guides and booked wonderful lodges. Her expertise was invaluable in making our trip to Kenya fantastic!!!
Virginia

Everything was wonderful! Joseph was our guide and his knowledge of the area and animals was amazing. Wilson and William, our waiter and security to and from our tent, where very welcoming and fun to talk to. The views from our Chalet was unforgettable. Sunrise and sunsets were always surrounded my giraffes at Mara West.

This is the 2nd time my husband and I have used kimkim for a travel excursion and they worth it! From start to finish they make sure your needs are cared for and you have many options to choose from.

For this adventure, we were celebrating our 25th anniversary and wanted to go on a safari! We were settled in a wonderful lodge at Hammerkops and everything was spectacular. On our actual anniversary date, the lodge even made us a special cake!

There are not enough words to express our thanks to kimkim. You have a customer for life!

Hi Susan and Kimkim,
Re: star ratings above: Susan was very nice (five stars) and booking on your site is excellent (five stars). I put three stars because of value of trip to us.

My computer has been in repair but I’m up and running so here is our review.

Accommodations and Sites on Each Stop:
NAIROBI
Fairview Hotel: Wonderful. We would love to have rested up here for first day as you know.
Sites: Baby elephants and giraffe fun to see. Suspect in hindsight that a drive through the Nairobi National Park would have been a more robust and exciting day…more of an “A” than a “B” site.
LAKE NAVAISHA
Camp Carnalley: Cheryl enjoyed the environment (birds, lake, trees). William was very uncomfortable with the rustic cabin with no windows. William was only warm by the fire in the restaurant…everything else open air and cold. Food very bad except pizza and cocktails. Cheryl and William both feel the camp does not meet with the “comfortable” standard we purchased.
Hells Gate: Hike good exercise but views not “A” rated. Walking with animals lovely (prefer hiking with animals on a hiking trail..but it was nice nevertheless). William not at all excited about Hells Gate. Cheryl was engaged and interested with walk and the gorge hike. She would have preferred arriving early in the morning for pink cliff and more animals. Hindsight.
LAKE NAKURU
Maili Saba Camp: Wonderful. We both enjoyed the view, cottage, food, environment, service, pool. Best accommodation of the trip.
Nakuru National Park: Wonderful. We both really enjoyed the scenery an animals of Nakuru.
MARA, MATIRA BUSH CAMP S IDE
Matira Bush Camp: Could have been perfect. Wonderful setting in the bush, good service and food. Problem upon arrival after dark: they took us to a tent surrounded by bush, no view, very dark and claustrophobic. I told them it did not match what I saw online in pictures. They said pictures can be misleading. They said platform tent might be better but was booked. So we tried to sleep in the dark tent but gave up early am and I got some pads from the reception area and put them on ground around the fire. Got some rest there but it required “going rogue” and it woke up some of the staff. At dawn I found the platform tent with lovely view and no one was in it. We moved into that tent the second night and I really think it was unfair that they did not eagerly change our tent the night before. Lost almost a whole night sleep after a long drive. Did not meet with the comfort standard purchased for the first night. We were able to relax and very much enjoy the platform tent the second night
Game Drive out of Matira
Beginning to be concerned we were not seeing many animals in the Mara. A Swedish couple seriously advised us to go to two places to see cheetah, leopard, and a touch of the remaining migration. Duncan was extremely defensive when I suggested this itinerary. Swedes had warned me this might happen and advised me how to handle driver with gentle persuasion and offer of larger tip. So I did this and he did as requested and we saw the wonderful animals. His attitude cast a pall. We managed to keep things cordial with humor. Did not like having to “manage” driver.
KEEKOROK SIDE OF MARA
Keekorok Lodge: Did not know that there are two sides of the Mara and that Keekorok is located on a side of the park that has fewer animals and a lot of wide open repetitious views (maybe not so empty when there is a migration or on different roads?). Cheryl really enjoyed the hippo pool and wandering the grounds of Keekorok. William was ok with the lodge but felt it was poor value for cost of trip. Food was quite good. Loved presence of monkeys but missed the bush emersion of Matira .
Game drive out of Keekorok: Did not see many animals. Resorted to visiting high end camp which was intereting. Sand River views lovely for Cheryl, but William missed seeing animals. Not good value game driving day. A lot of driving on not very intereting roads.
BACK TO NAIROBI
Hilton Garden Inn: Very comfortable. Nice rooftop pool. We were considering staying in the Fairview Hotel instead of Hilton since Duncan insisted on leaving early from Keekorok. We were headed for Fairview when William asked to go to the stores at the lunch place you recommended after giraffe visit. Without letting us know how long it was going to take (we had no idea where it was), Duncan drove to the store which added so much driving time (and in heavy traffic) to the day that we no longer had time to enjoy Fairview. Arrived late to Hilton and enjoyed it very much for the two hours left in a looooong day of driving, some which could have been avoided. We were having a hard time communicating with Duncan…felt “cut off” from information about what was going on and how his decisions would impact our day. We would not have gone to the store if were knew it would eliminate ability to enjoy Fairview again. He acted quite unconcerned and was very self absorbed (except when we could make him laugh…William was good at that and luckily Duncan was receptive to a laugh once and a while).
OVERVIEW OF ITINERARY
This is a tough one to analyze as I do not know what the rest of Kenya is like. Overall less exciting and I expected for cost of trip. Too much “work” for a tour. Trusted that all destinations would be “A” rated, but this was not the case for us. Did not know I should have worked harder myself on the itinerary. My primary disappointment was the lack of scenery for a majority of the driving. We back tracked over long stretches which were not particularly interesting. The bumpy roads were very hard on William; he would have preferred a shorter trip with flights. I accept bumpy roads as part of safari experience but do expect good scenery as an important part of an itinerary. I’m very careful in California to “stay scenic”. I undertand you cannot predict client response to bumpy roads.
TRIP VALUE
I have recalculated the cost of trip before Kimkim fees as best I can and I come up with cost of driver and accommodation to be about $4,700. (I did not assess hotel nights as “per person” as they are not billed that way online…rates are for two people. The only time I see per person rates is when you are using the lodges safari services). Duncan said his rate is $300 per day. There is a chart below.
We paid $8000. Duncan said he is paid $300 per day ($2,700 for our days). I estimate the lodging at $2,000 for two. Hotels based on prices for two not each searched online or at sites: Fairview $175 one night (I did not include the one night tobe refunded; Camp Carnalleys (generous estimate $150/night); Maili Saba $400 for two nights meals included two people; Matira Bush Camp rate not listed so I estmate about $250 per night max for two; Keekorok two nights $500 for two; Hilton Garden Hotel generous upward estimate $200 for two).
I thought that since we were not receiving the kind of full blown attention and services of a Roads Scholar type tour that using Kimkim would be a good value way to go…more like a travel agent than a tour company. I thought that we would enjoy consistent comfort, that the driver would be congenial and trustworthy and while not a guide would convey an eagerness to please, that we would have comfortable lodging, and that the itinerary would be full of “A” rated experiences.. I thought that without steep middle man fees and additional fees for a professional guide that cost would be much lower than a standard tour like Roads Scholar. Unfortunately, little of this turned out to be true for us.
I did not have a bad trip…I was quite happy most of the time. William suffered more…he kind of “gave up” and used a lot of humor to cope. We are both glad we went, but feel like we way overpaid for what we got.
I am of course open to your response to my concerns and you are free to call me 415 7305305. If there is a way to address these concerns and continue working with you that would be great.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Chester (and William Baker)

Kimkim was new to me, living in Melbourne, Australia. The entire process was a flawless one, with Kimkim connecting me directly to Joseph a local expert in Kenya. Joseph arranged and organised our dream experience and was there every step of the way, from finalising the trip details to making our holiday one to remember! Nothing was too difficult, and even being able to adjust our itinerary along the way to make the experience special and flow seamlessly. We experienced the parks of Kenya and Tanzania, saw the big 5 numerous times, and have some truly amazing photos and memories of the wildlife and people of Africa! We conquered Mt Longonot and rode bicycles through Hellsgate (riding alongside Zebra's and gazelles to name a few of the animals) followed by a guided walking tour through the gorge-truly memorable. I have already recommended both Kimkim and Joseph to all of our friends and will definitely be using the site when planning our next adventure-Thank you kimkim and especially Joseph!

So my wife and I decided to spend our honeymoon/1st year anniversary on an African safari in Kenya, then to Seychelles, and Dubai on the way back home (Los Angeles).
I could not have asked for a better travel agent. Communication was very simple using the kimkim chat room, even though she was on Kenya time and I was at home. She guided me through everything and made the whole experience very simple and enjoyable.
She arranged our driver, Richard to pick us up from the airport and took us to all the places we wanted to go including the Giraffe Center, David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and also do some volunteering at a local primary school to help give back to those schools in need. Richard is very kind and professional. He made us feel very welcome and comfortable throughout our stay in Nairobi.
The safari camps that Susan had me choose from were all very nice. I am happy we chose to go with the Tawi Lodge at the Amboseli National Park (our favorite part of our entire trip). The service was better than we could have asked for and it felt very serene and intimate. The Serena lodge at Masai Mara was more of a hotel resort but had the most spectacular views of the bush.
After our stay in Kenya, we went to Seychelles and stayed at the beautiful Hilton Northolme Resort and had a lovely time. The views of the Indian Ocean were beyond amazing. Susan also had set up an airport pick up and drop off service there.
We headed to Dubai after our tropical island getaway. Although Susan's services stopped at the Seychelles part of our trip, she recommended me to another travel agent who booked my international flight from home to Dubai and Seychelles to Dubai and back.
Overall, I am so very glad we decided to use kimkim as our travel agency and got lucky that we were able to work with Susan. She exceeded our expectations and allowed us to have the best vacation of a lifetime. Thank you

Susan was wonderful with helping us plan our trip. She really listened to what type of experience we were looking for and made it possible. I’ve traveled to over 20 countries, but Kenya was by far one of the best experiences I’ve had. If you are going to Kenya, follow Susan’s recommendation, and go to Maji Moto! That was an experience of a lifetime. I will gladly recommend Susan for anyone looking to travel to Kenya.

Joseph of Jossy Travel treated us incredible, he exceeded our wildest dreams! We were able to see the big five and many other animals and we were so close! Joseph explained interesting facts and told wonderful stories that I am sure we will be telling our family for many years to come. Joseph knows the ins and out and was even able to get us a new card for our camera when we ran out of space., Birthday cake for my daughter, helped us bargain hunt by speaking to the locals. There is nothing this man can’t accomplish for you. We will miss Joseph smile, laugh and just knowing we were taken care of in such a wonderful way.