22/12/2024
Reposting my review from SafariBookings.com as I figured some folks might prefer browsing TripAdvisor:
Ways of Africa were absolutely wonderful to work with and I'm so happy I chose them!
Myself and my 3 friends chose their '4 day, 3 night' package that started with a night in Nakuru, then a night in Maasai Mara, and finally, a night in Naivasha. I was aware that it would be a lot of driving, but ultimately I'm SO glad I chose this package as it allowed us to see more of Kenya and experience different landscapes and different lodges each night.
The booking process was easy and painless. Initially, I reached out to about 5 different safari groups and Paul's reply instantly stood out as the best and most professional. Not only did he provide his Whatsapp and offered to hop on a call, his itinerary's PDF was beautifully outlined and he quoted me a fair price. Paul and I exchanged a series of emails, and once he and I confirmed our exact itinerary dates, I wired over the deposit. (Actually, before doing so, just for *extra* due diligence because I'm paranoid, I googled the emails of all 3 campsites listed in his itinerary and emailed them just to confirm that they have heard of/worked with Ways Of Africa in the past, to which they all wrote back and confirmed.) It's always nerve wracking wiring over big sums of money to someone halfway across the world, so this helped me feel safer in knowing for sure that they were reputable. Ultimately, it was a no-brainer that Ways of Africa was a trusted and reputable company.
We arrived in Nairobi and right off the bat, Paul and his wife Janet met us at the airport at 6:30am and introduced us to our awesome guides Sammy and Wilson. Their van is a 9 seater van, so the 4 of us fit very comfortably in the back, each able to hog a window seat. Not only that, the seats are designed to tilt 145 degrees so we were able to lay nearly flat for much of the journey, allowing us to nap until we got to our destination. (Side note: the van also has a pop-up roof, so once you're on your game drives, you're able to fully stand up and get a 360 view of your surroundings.)
Nakuru ended up being our favorite destination of the three. This was mainly because we got extremely lucky on our game drive and saw 3 of the Big 5 right away. A lioness waltzed right up to our van, a cheetah killed an impala and dragged it up a tree for lunch (tragic to witness but so be the circle of life)... a giraffe grazed right over our van, zebras galloped beside us, the list goes on and on. It was truly spectacular and the lake at sunset was next level. Kudos to Sammy and Wilson for being knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly guides who knew exactly where to go, and could spot things all the way in the distance almost instinctively. A big highlight of why we loved Nakuru was also because of our lodge Maili Saba Camp. This was the best stay of the three, based on comfort, beauty and hospitality. We were greeted at the door with freshly squeezed mango juice, our rooms looked out at the most breathtaking hillside views, and the meals provided were delicious. Not only that, they brought hot water bottles to our beds to help us keep warm at night, and also sprayed our rooms with mosquito repellent. Later, I was told that the camp actually helps to generate funds for a local foundation which provides schooling and training for disadvantaged youth. If you go, please tip them well, they truly deserve so much love!
Day 2 we got up early and drove out to Maasai Mara, which was also incredible. We had hoped to see baby animals on this trip and got exactly that here. We were immediately greeted by a pride which had 3 adorable lion cubs, and then a little later, by a family of elephants with the most adorable baby elephant in tow. The Maasai Mara Reserve is almost x17 times larger than the Nakuru Reserve, so there are definitely more animals here, however they are more spread out and a tad longer to find. But once again, Sammy and Wilson were incredible at their jobs, and helped us find everything we hoped to see. Hard to pin point, but perhaps most thrilling was the lioness who gave us a front row seat to her explosive diarrhea.
That night, we stayed at Fisi Camp, run by two very nice Irish expats who started the business in their retirement. Bear in mind, Fisi Camp is a tented campsite, so it's definitely more rustic and laid-back. That said, it was perfectly fine for 1 night. We had hot showers, decent food (in fact, their broccoli soup was quite good), and enjoyed sitting out on our decks for sunrise. The perk is that the camp is located only 8 minutes from the Reserve's gate, so you're able to get clean and rested pretty immediately. We also visited the Maasai Tribe in the morning of our 3rd day, which was a nice added experience ($30 USD entry per person paid directly to the chief's son).
Naivasha Lake was our last stop. It started with a boat ride across the lake and ended with a walking tour at Crescent Island. It was kind of nice to experience something different after two full days of driving. We saw some birds, some buffalos peeking out in the water, etc. The highlight would be docking at Crescent Island where we got to step out and do their walking tour. We walked right beside zebras, giraffes, monkeys etc, and saw other folks having a nice picnic there. It was a unique experience and I'm glad we got to get some proper steps in.
At night, we stayed a Camp Carnelley's, which I originally thought (because of pictures online) would be my favorite of the three, but ended up being my least favorite. The rooms were fine, but there was no hot water, and the power also unexpectedly went out at night, so we woke up to our phones basically dead. There were no lights in the camp grounds, so everything was super dark and the Bandas were hard to find after dinner. It's a picturesque place, and certainly on arrival had the aura of a cool laid-back hostel, but the hospitality was simply lacking. I would not recommend this place for extended stay, but 1 night was honestly fine. Hopefully what we experienced was just a one-off bad day for them.
Overall thoughts: 4 days was the perfect amount of days for a safari first timer. You get to have the full experience, without overdoing it. I think any extra days, our bodies would have struggled to sit in the van without proper exercise. I loved that we picked Mid October to come. It wasn't too hot, it wasn't too cold, it was just perfect. And the bonus is, there were much fewer tourists around, so we were often the only van in sight, not needing to compete for space with dozens of other vans (which, I've read if you go in June July August, the migration months, is something that is inevitable).
Ways Of Africa were incredible every step of the way. A solid portion of what you're paying for in your downpayment to them is siphoned off to the campsites/lodges, your breakfast/lunch/dinners, and the park entrances, so remember to please tip your drivers/guides well, because they absolutely deserve it for the work they're doing, and many of them rely on tips heavily. They wake up earlier than you do and go to bed later than you do to make your experience smooth and painless. Sammy and Wilson became immediate friends over the course of the few days we spent together, and we were sad to part ways at the end! If you made it all the way to the end of this review, hello to you, hope you have a wonderful trip and I highly recommend picking the Ways Of Africa team.
