We were led by TM Damien Stent who has been visiting Africa for decades and who has done this trip many times. We were a small group of 10 so were split into 2 six seater vehicles driven by local drivers Clyde and Martin. Both were great drivers and equally great company as they spottied animals on the safari’s and answered our endless questions about Kenya in general.

Everybody we met was super friendly and the lodges were more than comfortable.

There was some discussion about including the Aberdere Highlands as this involved a lot of driving for not a lot of animal sightings. I was advised that this was partly to get the experience of crossing the Equator but to also see something of the country and the way of life. In this context I would have liked a short stop in one of the villages to have a closer look round so throw that thought into the melting pot although with a tight schedule this may not be possible to fit in.

One of the features of this trip is room sharing, unless you have specifically paid a single room supplement. There were 3 men on the trip none of whom had opted for this and the lottery (actually chosen by the office we were told) of who gets the solo room was won by one man who gallantly suggested we operate our own informal rota so that each of us got a couple of nights on their own. Cheers C***n. I would stress this was our own informal arrangement and only worked because of the numbers and the individuals.  

A trip which is not for the feint hearted but the sheer joy of seeing wildlife outside of zoos makes the long days and early starts more than worthwhile. It has certainly whetted my appetite for sub-Sahara Africa which I had not been to previously.

An all-round excellent experience.

Regards,

Roger

Thanks for this review to add to the others already done.  Glad you had a wonderful time but I have to say the sharing element of this trip does put me off.  I do like a bit of personal space at times.

Where to next?

Best wishes

Chris

So glad you enjoyed your trip to Kenya. Actually I think it would be very difficult not too! I was on the same trip as Jaya in 2017, absolutely loved it and am seriously thinking of going again.

I agree with your comments though about Aberdare Highlands. Although a pleasant enough drive to get there the lack of animals  or indeed anything much else was disappointing and I did feel it was precious time that could have been better spent elsewhere. Kenya is such a diverse and wonderful country with so much to see.

Apart from that it is a trip that I highly recommend.

Sue

So glad you got to experience the wildlife in their own habitat where they belong. I went on a Kenyan Safari with JY a few years ago and it was different to the tour now run, but my memories of elephants will stay with me forever.

I remember it being a very full on tour, and I did opt to do the add on and was very glad I did.

Thanks for leaving the review.

Cindy

Thanks Ian for this review. I agree entirely with your comments on this adventure. One of the best trips I have done with JY.

Regards,

Roger

Hi Roger, Yes a great trip and experience, cheers, Ian

Hi Ian

Thanks for this review to add to the others already done.  Glad you had a wonderful time but I have to say the sharing element of this trip does put me off.  I do like a bit of personal space at times.

Where to next?

Best wishes

Chris

Hi Chris, I bit the bullet on the sharing aspect to look at the wider picture and the opportunity to see the wildlife - especially for me the elephants. I take the view that it is not for life and was especially lucky that we had an odd number and were flexible between ourselves.

Next up is Madeira in July & then the musical heritage trip in September. No HRC diversions in Kenya but I'm sure I'll make up for it in September.  LOL You? Best, Ian

Hi Ian,

So glad you enjoyed your trip to Kenya. Actually I think it would be very difficult not too! I was on the same trip as Jaya in 2017, absolutely loved it and am seriously thinking of going again.

I agree with your comments though about Aberdare Highlands. Although a pleasant enough drive to get there the lack of animals  or indeed anything much else was disappointing and I did feel it was precious time that could have been better spent elsewhere. Kenya is such a diverse and wonderful country with so much to see.

Apart from that it is a trip that I highly recommend.

Sue

Hi Sue,

I enjoyed the drive but a couple of village stops would have made all the difference - athough I guess that rest facilities might be somewhat lacking.......

Ian

Ian

So glad you got to experience the wildlife in their own habitat where they belong. I went on a Kenyan Safari with JY a few years ago and it was different to the tour now run, but my memories of elephants will stay with me forever.

I remember it being a very full on tour, and I did opt to do the add on and was very glad I did.

Thanks for leaving the review.

Cindy

Hi Cindy,

I did not look at the beach extension as I live by the sea and don't now have a job to escape from! I'll just use the money to go somewhere else! Ian

Glad you had a great time - I can only imagine some of the amazing photos you will have got.

Paula

'Stepping out of the Lodge in Amboseli to the sight of Mt Kilimanjaro with a herd of elephants strolling by'  was the sight we had on the first proper morning and is my favourite memory of this trip.

Glad you had a great time - I can only imagine some of the amazing photos you will have got.

Paula

Hi Paula, have you been looking at my Facebook page? That is the exact image I have just put up as my cover picture.  A truly magical experience. Working my way through the rest of the pics,

Best, Ian.

Hi Ian

Thanks for this review to add to the others already done.  Glad you had a wonderful time but I have to say the sharing element of this trip does put me off.  I do like a bit of personal space at times.

Where to next?

Best wishes

Chris

Hi Chris, I bit the bullet on the sharing aspect to look at the wider picture and the opportunity to see the wildlife - especially for me the elephants. I take the view that it is not for life and was especially lucky that we had an odd number and were flexible between ourselves.

Next up is Madeira in July & then the musical heritage trip in September. No HRC diversions in Kenya but I'm sure I'll make up for it in September.  LOL You? Best, Ian

Next for me is Georgia & Armenia in September.  Any bets on finding an HRC?.  I understand what you are saying about the sharing but still not sure.  

Best wishes

Chris

Hi Ian

Thanks for this review to add to the others already done.  Glad you had a wonderful time but I have to say the sharing element of this trip does put me off.  I do like a bit of personal space at times.

Where to next?

Best wishes

Chris

Hi Chris, I bit the bullet on the sharing aspect to look at the wider picture and the opportunity to see the wildlife - especially for me the elephants. I take the view that it is not for life and was especially lucky that we had an odd number and were flexible between ourselves.

Next up is Madeira in July & then the musical heritage trip in September. No HRC diversions in Kenya but I'm sure I'll make up for it in September.  LOL You? Best, Ian

Next for me is Georgia & Armenia in September.  Any bets on finding an HRC?.  I understand what you are saying about the sharing but still not sure.  

Best wishes

Chris

Pretty slim for you but pretty high for me. I'll think of you and the gang as I force one, or two, down. 🙂  Best, Ian

Martin

Thanks for the review Ian, I am doing this trip in May, I did the previous Kenya trip JY had 7 years ago, so really looking forward to this one

Martin

Martin, Have a great trip. The view from the room in Amboseli is to die for. We got pretty close to animals &, now I have sorted them, got some great photos. Have a "Tusker" for me!

Just you Holiday Company were great, they sorted out everything including the visa and the holiday booking and everything, so it was easy,

My Holiday with them was to Kenya Africa, on a Safari and the Mombasa add on,

But first I want to say is that I won’t be using this company again, which is not just You fault, but mine for not looking in to this correctly,

Again the holiday was great I saw lots of animals, but most of the people on the trip were over 60 and close to 80 years old, which I did not have a problem with, but it is nice to be with somebody my own age, as I’m in my 30’s, but I was very lucky as there was a girl on the trip close to my age, so because of this, this made it an amazing holiday, as I had somebody to talk to, close to my age, also its mainly woman on these holidays,

But if she was not there, then everybody would have been 30 or 40 years older than me, and everybody went to bed early, very early, so if it was not for the other person my age, I would have either stayed up alone, or went to bed early,

So, if you’re under 40 years old, maybe have a look around at other companies, as I have now found another company that does holidays for people between 20 and 40, as I’m going to south Africa next,

But apart from the age gap, the holiday was amazing, the safari was amazing, lots of animals, and I saw all the big cats I wanted to see,

There was a lot of driving, up to 9 hours per day, but well worth it, and some of the road were so bumpy, as I’m taller, I did hit my head on the roof, which was funny,

The tour guide Damian Stent, Amazing person, I really liked him,

Ive added a few things you may want to know,

Everyday involves getting up about 5am, and there is lots of driving I a jeep with other people, it gets hot, not a lot of toilet breaks if you drink water,

I personally did not like the food in the hotel,

You share the rooms with somebody of the same sex, unless you pay extra, maybe £400

There is lots of dusk while driving and lots of pollution while going though the city or Nairobi,

But this was a great holiday, but I just need people my own again,

Also the Mombasa add on is not worth booking, I really did not like this, the staff in the hotel were very rude, the food was not nice, nothing happens at night, no entertainment, I was alone most of the time, as the people I went with were over 60, and did not want to do anything I wanted to do, and there was no other English people in the hotel, so don’t waste your money on Mombasa,

Thanks for reading this,

Enjoy your holiday,

Review of Everything I can think off

Review of Ol Tukai Lodge in Amboseli National Park

Really good hotel, straight in front of Mount Kilimanjaro, and lots of elephants walking past, and really good swimming pool. The food was ok, ive got a funny taste in food,

Mountain Lodge Hotel

This was ok, the rooms were small, the walls were thin, so you could here next door, viewing point for animals were good, but no animals came when I was there.

I did not like the food, but that’s because I’m used to English food,

Lake Nakuru Lodge

I liked this one, main reason because it had a pool table, the food was better here,

Ashnil Mara Tented Camp

I liked the swimming pool and sun loungers, the food was better,

But the rooms are so far away, and you do get lost, as you are walking around in the dark, and I did not like it when the lights went off at midnight and I was forced to go to bed,

And I liked the hippo pool for watching the hippos,

Eka Hotel Nairobi

I did not use this hotel,

Travellers Beach Hotel Mombasa

I really did not like this hotel, the staff were rude, all of the staff and the restaurant was bad, not much food and the same food every day, very hard to order a drink, all the guests walking around unhappy, no English people there when I stayed, nothing happens at night, no entrainment, only good thing I liked was the swimming pool and the sun loungers were nice, but you get this in most hotels, so if your under 40 avoid, the guests and over 50 and over 60 years old,

Elephants in Amboseli National Park

Really good park, there is just mainly elephants here, but is a really good park,

Aberdare Highlands

I did not see any Rhinos when I was here, maybe just unlucky,

Lake Nakuru

Just mainly birds here,

Masai Mara National Reserve

This was my favourite, this is where we saw all the big cats and other animals,