Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
Read our review policy
Maasai Safari & Lamu Island holiday, independent reviews
 Reviewed 29 Jul 2008 by Lyn Hill |  |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
This is a really impossible question to answer, perhaps it’s the first time we saw a lion or the family of cheetah or maybe when the leopard and her cub were being chased by a pack of hyena (the leopards escaped thankfully!!)... but then it could as easily be meeting and chatting with our Maasai hosts all very friendly, happy and helpful and very keen to converse... or, me being a foodie, it could also be the fabulous food served up every day... and then there was the impromptu 40th birthday celebration - Maasai style... every part of this trip was just great.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Book it and enjoy! Have some small Kenyan shilling notes with you before you go on safari as this will help you tip easily and buy off the villagers. Buy souvenirs from the villagers as you enter the parks rather than from shops / airport in Nairobi. Take a few long sleeved items of clothes for layers and warmth - it gets quite cold at night and on the early morning game drives. Don’t think you will loose weight while in the camps on this trip - the food is just too good!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Definitely definitely definitely! The local Maasai village at Amboseli camps has a "shop" at the camp and here you can buy the most beautiful items all made by the women in the village you get to visit on the first day... the cash goes 100% to the village. Also all the staff are employed from the local village or their families. The camps are extremely well set up will every mod-con you need (yes - flushing toilets and hot showers on request!) However should the need ever arise, the camps could be dismantled with leaving no trace and so the environmental impact is well considered. On Lamu, the close links with the local village and especially the school is very evident and prosperous for all concerned. All materials for the resort buildings / bandas are purchased to order from the local village 15mins walk away.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A wonderful and happy experience all round and I would not hesitate to use this operator again! Every aspect of this holiday from the very first enquiry handled extremely efficiently by Nina, to each and every transfer overseen by the wonderful Benson, to the friendly welcoming camp hosts, the experienced & qualified trackers and guides (all worth their weight in gold) made this a great, great holiday - when can I go back...?!
| Reviewed 5 Feb 2007 by Orla and Abebayehu | |
Happy to drop you a line and thank you for the fantastic service that you and the team run there. Resp Travel hooked us up with this operator in Nairobi and it all went swimmingly from there. The pre-departure info was excellent. Nina, in Nairobi office, pieced together exactly what we had asked for within a limited time - 2 nights Maasai Mara - Porini camp and 3 nights on the lovely Kipungani Explorer lodge- Lamu. We were also delighted to have a night in the Palacina in Nairobi. The Serena Nairobi wasn't a good option for us, too busy and not for us. But all else was great - pick ups, bookings, info all superb.
Best bits? Safari drives with great local guide and a really lovely driver - Gordon to explain every aspect of the conservancy, the environment and the wildlife. How the proceeds work in the community etc. The small camp was beautifully laid out (6 tents) with ample space to walk about and get individual time with the Maasai lads and the guide was worth the extra. Other places seem to pack in large numbers of tourists to fancy lodges and some have pools, ridiculous!
The Lamu area is a great place to chill and take dhow rides, snorkel and eat a wide range of sea food - this is especially welcome when coming from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia is landlocked).
The lads that manage and operate the camp at the Porini, M Mara are so great. Happy to chat about Maasai life and culture, have a laugh with us and dance by the camp fire each evening. The food was incredible- 4 courses appeared miraculously from behind a bush each evening... Safety and security there was taken very seriously and all was perfectly run.
The Kipugani (apart from the bugs) is a lovely spot. It worked for us-post wedding and in need of a complete break from 5 days of Ethiopian dancing...it was the right choice!
I have forwarded the RT website to friends already and will continue to do so. Top holiday! Big thanks.
Best bits? Safari drives with great local guide and a really lovely driver - Gordon to explain every aspect of the conservancy, the environment and the wildlife. How the proceeds work in the community etc. The small camp was beautifully laid out (6 tents) with ample space to walk about and get individual time with the Maasai lads and the guide was worth the extra. Other places seem to pack in large numbers of tourists to fancy lodges and some have pools, ridiculous!
The Lamu area is a great place to chill and take dhow rides, snorkel and eat a wide range of sea food - this is especially welcome when coming from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia is landlocked).
The lads that manage and operate the camp at the Porini, M Mara are so great. Happy to chat about Maasai life and culture, have a laugh with us and dance by the camp fire each evening. The food was incredible- 4 courses appeared miraculously from behind a bush each evening... Safety and security there was taken very seriously and all was perfectly run.
The Kipugani (apart from the bugs) is a lovely spot. It worked for us-post wedding and in need of a complete break from 5 days of Ethiopian dancing...it was the right choice!
I have forwarded the RT website to friends already and will continue to do so. Top holiday! Big thanks.
| Reviewed 23 Jul 2008 by Jane Hinton | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The hot air balloon is a must do. Waking up to the calls of the wild birds or the roars of the wildlife. Watching the local antelope wander around camps. Being exclusively able to drive around the conversancies near the wider parks means getting even closer to the wildlife. 2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Definitely do the hot air balloon, take plenty of warm clothing as it's not warm before sun break, and fly from Nairobi to any of the parks (at least until the East African highway is completed).
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
The Porini camps are very ecologically sound and are low impact on the visual environment together with their continuous efforts to lessen any further ecological impact. The camps all employ people from the surrounding areas who bring good knowledge to the safari drives and are excellent guides. Their employment can directly be seen to bring additional benefits to their families. The walks to local Masai villages whilst a little staged did not feel that you were being asked for additional funds.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent accommodation and food. Very knowledgeable and skilled guides and drivers. All round an amazing trip.
| Reviewed 30 Sep 2007 by David Clarke | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The local people. Yes, most people will be going to see the animals but it's the locals plus staff that made it - the animals were amazing too. A superb group of people - early-morning tea delivered to your tent by a Maasai does take some beating!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
1. Travel light.
2. Be prepared for the dust that pervades everywhere and everyone whilst travelling and on safari - and be sure to cover up cameras!
3. Have a good rest after safari - it's tiring! And the same also applies to before safari. An extra 24 hours recuperating after your journey to Africa (and possibly a heavy workload beforehand!) will ensure you're better able to enjoy the experience.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes and yes. A thought - do the individual tribe members get paid or does it go direct to the local villages?
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent. Stunning scenery and very knowledgeable friendly staff - well put together. Our 12 days total seemed like a month.
Read the operator's response here:
To clarify the benefits to the community - Payments are made in 3 ways:1. We try to ensure that there is an emphasis on creating as many employment opportunities as we can and that these are spread across as many different Maasai families as possible within the local community. The individual tribe members get paid a monthly wage. The small Amboseli Porini camp with its 9 tents have created jobs for over 40 members of the community in the camp and in the conservancy and this goes straight to them and their families.
2. Then separate payments are made to cover an entry fee for every visitor coming into the Selenkay Conservancy and a bednight fee for every guest staying overnight at Amboseli Porini Camp. These payments are made to the community as a whole through their elected leadership committee and are used to pay for community projects such as health, education famine relief etc. This is organised by the Maasai themselves through their elected community leaders.
3. A monthly payment is made to the local village which is visited by guests from Amboseli Porini Camp and we pay a fee for every visitor we have taken there. No cash entry fee is charged to the tourists themselves. No souvenirs or artefacts are sold to visitors at the village as this is a cultural visit for our guests to get an insight into authentic Maasai life and is not meant to be a commercial exercise. However we have a gift shop back at the Amboseli Porini Camp where the village have items available for sale with all profits going to the village.
| Reviewed 16 Sep 2007 by Lynne Wetten | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Watching a cheetah kill in the Masai Mara, drinks round the camp fire, watching the migration, seeing an Ostrich dance, there were so many wonderful experiences, it’s hard to know where to start.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't worry about anything, the pick-ups, flights, service from all camp-sites were superb. All I would recommend is ensuring you have short sleeved, long sleeved t-shirts and a fleece to be able to layer (it does get cold on the Land-rover) so that you can remove the layers as it warms up. It would also be nice to have an itinerary of leaving times for transfers between camps, and flight times, but that's not a criticism, we could have asked for this and did not think to do so.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes, the trip to the Masai encampment was interesting and informative. We particularly liked the fact that you were under no pressure to buy anything at the camp, but could if you wished back at the Amboseli camp where the money went back to the village we visited.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The most amazing experience. Not sure how we will top this for future holidays.
| Reviewed 26 Jul 2007 by Paul Ramsden | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Seeing a cheetah (with 5 cubs) bring down and kill an impala but then being chased off by a hyena which devoured the carcass about 15 m in front of us.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Note that the Kipungani Beach Hotel is quite isolated and limited in what it offers. The standard of service is very good and we liked the quiet setting but I can imagine it might not suit all tastes.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes to the first to a certain extent but no the second - depending on the terms of reference of the question.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent - a very enjoyable experience.
| Reviewed 10 Nov 2006 by Stephen Peedell | |
I don't ever reply to things like this, because until now I have never had reason too. However, the holiday we took, based upon our searching of ResponsibleTravel, was so good, that I am compelled to write something.
We travelled with this operator, who organised a combined 10 night safari and beach package in Kenya. First, I'll give 4 stars, since I am naturally too cynical to say I am reborn, but I will confess that it was quite probably the best holiday I have ever had. The operator runs 2 excellent tented lodge camps (Porini camps) in Amboseli and Masaai Mara, in conservancies just outside the national parks.
Food, logistics, vehicles, guides etc were all first class - extreme comfort without feeling we were riding roughshod over local communities and their land. When comparing with some of the lodges inside the park, with electric fences, swimming pools, orchestrated feeding of game, glass windows, air conditioning and irrigated ornamental lawns, we were very glad to be in the hands of the Masaai. Outside the park, you get to do night drives, bush walks and simply be part of the nature, rather than an overpampered observer.
All of it. From meeting renowned rhino conservationist Anna Merz at Manda Bay, where she was water skiing at the tender age of 84, to drinking chai in a Land Rover waiting for elephants to cross the road in Amboseli, to watching Cheetah dine on gazelle at night, to drinking Tusker amidst the wildebeest by the Mara river, to watching a combined kill of a baby gazelle by an eagle and vulture, to flying over the Rift Valley in a Twin Otter, to learning some Swahili, to having 20 Masaai warriors sing Happy Birthday to my wife!
Don't wait, visit Kenya, and if you do, this operator is the outfit to do it with. 10 days, split between bush and beach, is perfect. If you can run to it, splash out on Manda Bay - it's a magical spot.
All travel has an impact, but I can't think of a better model than running camps in conservancies, as Porini do, which engages the local community, provides jobs and income, and extends the protected area for game beyond the National Park boundaries. Many parks are under pressure, and Mara is no exception, so these additional conservation areas provide a much needed buffer and complement the excellent work of the park service. Only so much land can ever be "protected", so areas where local tribes are not excluded, but fully integrated in conservation activities, must be encouraged - which is easy to do, as they provide such an excellent holiday.
We travelled with this operator, who organised a combined 10 night safari and beach package in Kenya. First, I'll give 4 stars, since I am naturally too cynical to say I am reborn, but I will confess that it was quite probably the best holiday I have ever had. The operator runs 2 excellent tented lodge camps (Porini camps) in Amboseli and Masaai Mara, in conservancies just outside the national parks.
Food, logistics, vehicles, guides etc were all first class - extreme comfort without feeling we were riding roughshod over local communities and their land. When comparing with some of the lodges inside the park, with electric fences, swimming pools, orchestrated feeding of game, glass windows, air conditioning and irrigated ornamental lawns, we were very glad to be in the hands of the Masaai. Outside the park, you get to do night drives, bush walks and simply be part of the nature, rather than an overpampered observer.
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
All of it. From meeting renowned rhino conservationist Anna Merz at Manda Bay, where she was water skiing at the tender age of 84, to drinking chai in a Land Rover waiting for elephants to cross the road in Amboseli, to watching Cheetah dine on gazelle at night, to drinking Tusker amidst the wildebeest by the Mara river, to watching a combined kill of a baby gazelle by an eagle and vulture, to flying over the Rift Valley in a Twin Otter, to learning some Swahili, to having 20 Masaai warriors sing Happy Birthday to my wife!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Don't wait, visit Kenya, and if you do, this operator is the outfit to do it with. 10 days, split between bush and beach, is perfect. If you can run to it, splash out on Manda Bay - it's a magical spot.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
All travel has an impact, but I can't think of a better model than running camps in conservancies, as Porini do, which engages the local community, provides jobs and income, and extends the protected area for game beyond the National Park boundaries. Many parks are under pressure, and Mara is no exception, so these additional conservation areas provide a much needed buffer and complement the excellent work of the park service. Only so much land can ever be "protected", so areas where local tribes are not excluded, but fully integrated in conservation activities, must be encouraged - which is easy to do, as they provide such an excellent holiday.