Truly the trip of a lifetime! All made worry free, adventurous, and so much FUN by Jacob and Peter at Wildtouch!!
I’m getting emotional as I write this review because this was truly the most incredible experience of my life. TLDR version: don’t think twice, book this trip with Wildtouch Tours! The Kenyan people are the nicest in the world, and our expectations across the board were far exceeded.
Before I start the details I have to also celebrate Peter, our guide. You guys, this is the kindest man on the planet. He’s the driver you want for every reason but especially because he knows every other driver out there and they all love him. That made me feel so safe because it was apparent that even in the middle of absolute nowhere I knew there was a community who, thanks to Peter, all had our backs. Our troops motto was “IN PETER WE TRUST” and for good reason. He always had an eye out for the animals we wanted to see, would stop and ask other drivers what they were seeing to make sure we got the good stuff, and he had the best attitude no matter how early or how late it was. He kept the jeep clean for us daily with plenty of fresh water bottles If we wanted to sleep in, no problem. If we wanted a shorter game drive or longer game drive, no problem. He would say “the time is for you”, so there was never a stress about when or where to be. The time was for us. He was sweet, funny, incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, and safe! He would get us real close to some animals but he never let his guard down in case we needed to go. I was nervous being a few feet from giant elephants but after a day of seeing how he operated I never worried again. He made sure we were safe first at all times, even to the point where I asked him to come on the boat ride with us because I know hippos don’t play around, and at that point his presence let me know he’d hold the driver of the boat accountable with our safety, which he did end up doing as we got a little to close to a bunch of big hippos and babies. We got a flat tire with the hot air balloon company at five am and it was Peter who came to change it. Don’t know how he knew or where he came from but he was there. The guide can make or break this experience and Peter MADE IT! In Peter we trust!
Details: we were a group of six, and we all had many questions leading up to booking and Jacob was in constant communication for a couple months fielding questions, getting the ideas of our wants, and telling us all the steps to be ready to go, all before we had even paid him! I’m sure the money is great but we could tell early on it was about us and our experience more then anything Jacob. An example is we had an issue with the visas at the airport because delta was being dumb and I was on the phone with Jacob getting new visas processed while still at the delta counter. He was going to make it happen no matter what, even though it all turned out fine. We booked a seven day trip going to Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, and the Masai Mara. Come February we got our visas, travel vaccines, and Covid tests, and we were on our way. It was such a relief knowing all we had to worry about when we got there was money for drinks, souvenirs, GRATUITYS (plan to be generous as the service was amazing everywhere, and plan to be VERY generous with your guide because what they do for you on this trip is above and beyond in every way possible), and any excursions you want to take. We did all three offered on our trip: the trip to the masai village, the hippo boat ride on lake Naivasha, and the hot air balloon ride over the Mara.
We landed in Nairobi, and were met at the airport by a driver to take us to a nearby hotel. The following morning we were met by Jacob and our guide for the week Peter. After or orientation we were off! I loved the drives to and from the parks because we got to see so much of the Kenyan people, towns, and landscape. Amboseli was fantastic , giant elephants, herds of zebras, and my favorite was the monkeys and baboons who lived at our hotel. Gorgeous cold pool, massages, game drives, and the masai village in Amboseli.
Next was lake Naivasha. Gorgeous lodge, great food, hobbit style buildings that we slept in, hippos, and Topi’s in the back yard, and a night walking safari to see the giraffe and zebras in the front yard. It was INSANE! The boat ride is a must, the lake is spooky and cool. Soooo many hippos, pelicans, and storks. My only regret from the whole trip was not staying there an extra day.
Masai Mara, another gorgeous pool where you can hear the hippos talking from the nearby river. The river view was incredible, we saw a hippo take down a croc from the comfort of the bar balcony! Lions, foxes, Pumbas, hyenas, giraffe, topi’s, Cape buffalo, all the incredible birds, meerkats, mongooses, ostrich’s, a freaking leopard in a tree with her fresh kill, we saw it all!
On the ride back to Nairobi Peter took us to a look out to see the Great Rift Valley. He took us to plenty of curio shops to get all of the most incredible souvenirs too. Jacob met us at dinner that night in Nairobi and we shared our experiences and he was so happy to heard we’d had an amazing time. The two of them dropped us off at the airport and tears were had by all in having to say our goodbyes. WORTH EVERY PENNY