Transtrek Safaris

Visited: Dec. 2021 Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2022 Submitted in:

Daniel's track-record of excellent custom-designed service, coupled with his selection of outstanding camps led to us choose Transtrek for a third time. In December 2021 we visited locations in Nairobi, Amboseli, Taita Hills, the Tsavos and Chale Island. The vegetation was lush from recent rains and the game viewing was very good. The most memorable camps from this trip were at Kibo and Satao.

Experience from past safaris makes us really value the advantages of individual rather than group travel. It gives us the opportunity to stay as long as we like at a particular sighting. Peter made it a wonderful safari. His joy and enthusiasm for creatures great and small was quite evident and infectious. We had some excellent sightings again this year. We have elaborated Transtrek’s excellence in more detail in previous reviews and they will certainly be a fist consideration for our next trip to Kenya.

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Visited: Dec. 2021 Reviewed: Jan. 12, 2022 Submitted in:

Transtrek Safaris, through Daniel Francis, organised the entire safari. It was an enjoyable process interacting with him and deciding what packages and lodges were available, and what all the smaller available options were. His responses were swift and always included alternative options of the same quality (or better) than we expected, which was always a welcome option. During the actual trip we experienced no inconveniences at all. Everything went perfectly smoothly, from the flight ticket provision and flights to the destinations, to pickup and transfers between locations. The stay at the safari lodges were unmatched and I personally have never been on a better series of high quality hotels and lodges. I would personally recommend him for Safari bookings for any occasion and I would certainly use Transtrek once again for any future safaris.

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My girlfriend and I are just back from a 12-day trip to Kenya which was organised by Daniel at Transtrek Safaris, and the service certainly exceeded our expectations.

Daniel had been helpful from the start, providing us with an initial itinerary and quote based on our requirements. We then worked together, via email and via Skype, to further tailor our itinerary to allow us to experience the best of Kenya and to fit within our budget. Daniel did not only take our requests but also provided guidance and advice based on his experience, and we are very happy that we trusted him.

We finally agreed on a packed itinerary which involved 9 days of safari (in Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Maasai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo West) followed by 2 days of relaxation on Diani Beach near Mombasa.

The entire planning process was very smooth and pleasant.

Once in Kenya, we were taken very good care of from the moment we emerged from the airport, to the final drop-off on the last day. We did not have to worry about a thing other than enjoy our holiday. All the lodges/hotels that had been recommended by Daniel were amazing. Everything, from accommodation to meals, tours and internal flights, had been arranged as per our requests.

Peter, our guide/driver who stayed with us throughout our trip, was friendly, attentive, trustworthy and very professional - we had a great time with him and will truly miss him and his sense of humour! He is also a skilled spotter and a great driver, and made our experience even more special.

Our vehicle was very comfortable for the long drives, had ample space for storage (and even napping!) and was great for game viewing.

Finally, we had the pleasure to meet Daniel and his wife for dinner on our last day just before catching our flight back to the UK - it was great to share our experience with them and was a perfect conclusion to our trip.

Transtrek Safaris provided us with a customised, personal and friendly service which exceeded our expectations, and I cannot recommend them enough. Thank you so much for the experience of a lifetime!

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13People gave this
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We chose Transtrek Safaris based on the company's reviews and the swift and open communication with Daniel and we were definitely not sorry! We have done a fair bit of travelling around the globe, but we can honestly say that our private 9-day safari in Kenya was the best holiday we've had so far!

We visited Amboseli, Tsavo West, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara; all 4 places were diverse and very beautiful. Our stay in Tsavo West was our absolute favourite. We could see different animals (elephants, giraffes, hyenas, zebras, wild dogs, etc.) come to the hotel's water hole, which was incredible to watch.
Evans, our guide, contributed greatly to the amazing experience with his knowledge (this man is a walking encyclopedia!), sense of humour, and support overall! We can't recommend this company and Evans highly enough!

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8People gave this
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We didn't know exactly what we wanted from a safari, having never done anything like this before, but Daniel helped to put together an itinerary that worked perfectly and fulfilled all of our requirements.

Thanks to our drivers (Peter) expert knowledge and the good planning we saw all of the big 5 on numerous occasions as well as a huge selection of other wildlife. A fantastic mix of tented camps and lodges were selected by Daniel, all of which exceeded our expectations, with fantastic service and luxury.

Transtrek and the Mara Bush Camp even helped to keep a hot air balloon flight secret from my girlfriend until we reached the launch site, and she even agreed to marry me on the flight!

All in all an unforgettable holiday, I would recommend Transtrek to anyone!

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13People gave this
a kudu

It’s just over a week since we returned from an amazing family holiday travelling through the Kenyan safari parks with a few days chilling on the beach along the way. Our two sons (14 and 17) wanted an African adventure and that’s just what Daniel and the Transtrek team delivered. From the initial contact followed by many calls and emails Daniel was patiently able to tailor our trip to meet our budget including some fantastic locations with a bit of luxury along the way.

Our guide Peter met us at the airport, and was immensely knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide for seven days. For the first few days the awesome sight of Kilimanjaro was the backdrop to our time in Amboseli with its elephant herds and then more distantly in the volcanic hills of Tsavo West. Settling into a dawn to dusk lifestyle soon came naturally, our teenage boys readily overcame the shock of a 6.30am game drive!

Our favourite place was the rustic Epiya Chapeyu camp in Tsavo East. What it says on their website is true – there are no fences, elephants do walk through the camp and the Italian food is delicious! Slightly surreal but an incredible camp that really is in the wilderness.

The scariest part of the trip wasn’t the close proximity to so much predatory wildlife. Peter had our full admiration when driving through the nerve-wracking chaotic roadworks on the Nairobi Mombasa highway as we headed for the coast! A few days at beautiful Kilifi Creek at the Mnarani Beach Resort allowed some time to rest and relaxation after the excitement of safari. Sailing, snorkelling and scuba diving kept us entertained at very reasonable prices.

We concluded our trip with an indulgent fly-in safari package to the Massai Mara to catch the latter part of the Great Migration. The list of wildlife we saw was enormous; big cats, herds of zebra and wildebeest, giraffes, eagles, vultures and an octopus only a rhino proved elusive from the Big Five search.

Everywhere we went we were warmly welcomed and looked after. Our many Kenyan hosts were kind and attentive, the service was excellent and always cheerful.

Daniel’s attention to detail in arranging our holiday genuinely made this a trip that we will all remember as an amazing experience. We’ve got countless memories and photographs to look back on.

A huge thank you to Transtrek, we’d recommend anyone looking for that special safari experience at a sensible price to get in touch with Daniel and the team.

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13People gave this
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Travelling to Kenya for a wedding, we found ourselves with the prospect of 7 days free for a safari - but without any experience or knowledge of the country at all. The friendly and knowledgeable staff at Transtrek helped us to put together an itinerary which took in a wide range of habitats in our short trip, packed with diverse species, but without feeling like we were spending too much time travelling between destinations. The accommodations were of the highest standard, ranging from nights under canvas at the foot of Kilimanjaro to massages in Tsavo. The drives were enormous fun - huge thanks to our guide and drivers - and the range of species we encountered was just mind-boggling. The night drive was a particular highlight.

We will definitely be returning to Kenya in the future, and when we do will be in touch with Transtrek to arrange another expedition!

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13People gave this
a kudu

This was a family holiday of a lifetime for my partner and I and our 15 and 12 year old son and daughter. We now have treasured unforgettable memories. I would describe it as the best holiday I have ever had and that's mainly down to Transtrek Safari. I selected Transtrek Safaris based on reading positive reviews by others and wanting to support a family business. We were not disappointed. The 21-day holiday exceeded our expectations. We had a professional and personal service from Daniel, who had put together a superb itinerary. We visited Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo East and West and lastly a week at Diani Beach to rest, relax and reflect on what we had experienced during our 14 day safari.

Daniel selected a variety of accommodation which were all excellent, even the rooms in the tented camps were really spacious and the food throughout was excellent, even for the children, who are more picky. All staff were so friendly and accommodating which made the holiday especially relaxing and enjoyable. WiFi was an added bonus at most places we stayed at.

There are so many wonderful comments we could make about the whole holiday but I will give you just a taster. At Lake Nakuru we stayed at the Sopa Lodge which was so luxurious and had fantastic panoramic views. The place was fit for royalty! Daniel selected lodges with swimming pools which the children loved between morning and evening safaris. Daniel organised a boat trip in Lake Naivasha. It was amazing to see all sorts of birdlife and being in the boat so close to Hippos was thrilling if not rather scary!

In Nairobi, Daniel organised a visit to the elephant orphanage, which was so interesting that we ended up adopting a baby elephant; and at the Giraffe Centre we were able to feed and kiss a Rothschild giraffe which proved an exhilarating experience.

Peter, our amazing driver and guide, was a star. He knew exactly where to find the animals and nothing was too much effort. His knowledge of wildlife including the countless birds we saw was marvelous. We saw the Big 5 and much more. Nice one Peter! He positioned us safely so close to lions, cheetahs, and buffalo etc that it was a surreal experience. He even taught us some Swahili words. Peter took us to the Hippo pool on the Mara River near the Tanzania boarder. We picnicked here and a cheeky Vervet monkey crept up and took an orange from my partners pocket! Daniel even treated us to a trip to the Colobus conservation centre at Diani Beach, where we learnt so much.

If you are looking for excellent customer service then I would not hesitate to recommend Transtrek Safari for an extremely enjoyable and memorable Safari. Thank you Daniel and Peter for all your work.

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12People gave this
a kudu

We just returned from a 14 day safari booked through Transtrek Safaris. They are one of many, many companies to choose from when booking a safari to Kenya. I sent a few emails to several companies, and Transtrek ended up being the one we felt most comfortable with. Daniel, the owner, replied quickly and professionally, making our choice easy. He laid out a plan for our itinerary, including suggested lodges and tents. After several changes and upgrades, we were booked. It was very helpful and comforting to be able to pay via credit card, rather than sending a cashier's check half-way around the world!

We spent one full day in Nairobi, during which we visited the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage.....so worthwhile! The safari itself included Amboseli, Tsavo West, Tsavo East, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Masai Mara. Each park had it's own flavor and uniqueness. Our accommodations were perfect; mid-range to high-end, with the small tented camps being our preference over the lodges. We saw everything we were hoping to, even though unseasonably wet weather made some animals move to other areas. The bonus of traveling in February is the uncrowded roads and accommodations. There was not a game drive that something unexpected and marvelous did not happen!

Our driver, Peter, was there for us every minute. From our 11:30pm pickup in Nairboi, to dropoff at the airstrip in Masai Mara 14 days later, he never let us down. He was always ready with suggestions but entirely open to ideas from us. He is an extremely safe driver both in traffic and on rutted park roads. He knows them like the back of his hand. He also knows the game patterns and what can be found where, while also staying in touch with other drivers to make the experience the best it can be. Not only did we see the big 5, but more unusual game such as bat-earred fox and oryx kept us interested and engaged. Easy to talk to with a nice sense of humor, we were very happy with Peter as our driver/companion!

Daniel was in touch with Peter on and off during our safari to be sure all was going well, and even spoke with us on the last morning to suggest activities in Nairobi before our 8:30pm departure. We felt safe, secure, and taken care of! Transtrek did an outstanding job for us, and we would not hesitate recommending them. Thank you, Daniel!

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14People gave this
a kudu

My girlfriend and I wanted to go on safari and not be in a huge group following a set trail.
We spoke to Transtrek and they took us through lots of options - which meant we got the holiday we wanted.
They helped us organise a beach holiday for a week and when we had truly recovered from work we went on a hugely varied safari trip covering all the locations we had requested and a few suggested items which we are glad we did not miss.

It really was a brilliant holiday - we are still looking at the photos. Accommodation - great / food- great / guiding - great / flexible and information.

I have two tips for people going on safari - buy a new camera and ring Transtrek for a chat.

PS we went to so many places I am not sure if I can recall all the places unless I go and check so my tick boxes below may not be accurate - but this is not a test is it?

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12People gave this
a kudu