ON SAFARI
- Kenya
Brian and Cathy travelled to the Masai Mara in Kenya
Hi Bill, Cathy and I just wanted say thank you for all your efforts in making our trip to Kenya go so smoothly. The whole trip was way above both of our expectations with the welcome and on-going hospitality, food etc in camp absolutely outstanding with every single member of staff addressing us by our first names throughout our stay. We have some stunning pictures somewhere in the 15,000 we took between us and now have the massive task of sorting them out. We were so lucky on our first four days with John, witnessing four crossings in two days and a number of great leopard sightings in addition to four week old lion cubs etc, etc. Even John said that some of the things we witnessed were either the first or best he had ever seen in the Mara. Once again many thanks and looking to save to go again!
- Kenya
Nancy travelled to the Masai Mara in Kenya
Hello Mary, Wanted to let you know that we had an absolutely wonderful time on safari at the OffBeat camp. The experience exceeded our expectations. The camp was extremely well run, the guides and drivers could not be surpassed; wonderful accommodations and food. Wanted to thank you for the wonder package you and your team pulled together – the transfers were smooth and efficient, the planning was superb. Truly a well – run organisation, and your experience was obvious. You can be assured that we will highly recommend your agency and the OffBeat camp. I sincerely hope to have the pleasure to work with you again on a future ‘adventure’. Thank you.
- Kenya
Cassie travelled to the Masai Mara in Kenya
Hi Mary, Overall, the trip was absolutely wonderful – I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Truly incredible! Thank you for all your help in the arrangements.
- Kenya
Mike and Clair spent 20 days in the Masai Mara in Kenya
Dear Michele, some of our best sightings, most of which we were the only vehicle! Black rhino in the open grass; two different cheetah kills; leopard stalking and hunting wildebeest; Dik Dik fighting; lioness killing wildebeest and gave to three cubs; 3000 + zebra over crossing/croc kills 5; massive wildebeest crossing estimate 300 000; cheetah family – female and 3 cubs playing/drinking; two hippos fighting; all the Marsh pride on a kill; Mara Triangle 1000s of wildebeest massing for crossing to Tanzania with two lioness ambushing the massing, 4 kills in half an hour; two females lions killing zebra 100 yards from us; leopard climbing a tree to reach a kill; cheetah (pregnant) freezing in the grass, as a huge male lion passes her at 10 feet. There were many other sightings of course but the above were the ones we will never forget!
- Kenya
Simon and Rachael were married on the beach in Kenya and then visited the Masai Mara on safari
Hi Michele, we had a brilliant time and sad to be back home. Both Pinewood and Offbeat were awesome. We did have a difficult time coming home through Nairobi but ended up only being delayed by 3hrs. Thank you so much for keeping on top of the airport chaos and liaising. Everything went without a hitch.
- Kenya
- TanzaniaRichard and Jacqueline combined Southern Tanzania with the Kenya coast
Dear Rob, Jackie and I would like to thank you and your associates for the splendid luncheon last week. It was great to talk to other safari enthusiasts and share our experiences. Further thanks for the support and guidance you gave in helping us decide our choice of safari. Southern Tanzania was an excellent choice and gave us another perspective having seen Kruger and Kenya. Tenting was a great experience and one which I think we will repeat. I think its fair to say that we did not see as many animals as we anticipated although we saw most species. You did warn us about that. We saw Cheetah and Leopard which was on our list and to some extent the lack of animals was compensated by the birds we saw which were amazing. The Management, service, food and accommodation at both camps was excellent but the Bandas at Mwagusi were outstanding. Eight days was long enough for us and the respite in Diani Beach at Asha Cottage was just right. Overall the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to next year, whatever style of holiday that will be.
- Kenya
Gerard, Virginia and family travelled to Kenya
Rob, Where does one start? The uniqueness of the trip and the overall experience is what made it all worth it. It will be something we will treasure for a long time – if it is the only time we make it to Africa it certainly has left a mark and created some lifetime memories. Your efforts to come up with such a varied itinerary worked extremely well. Amboseli National Park/Porini Camp – Knocked over by the number of animals. Elephants everywhere, masai giraffe, buffalo, warthogs (pumbas) gazelles, impala, giraffe and vultures everywhere. The two cheetahs catching, toying with and dismantling a hare. Mara/Acacia Houses – both houses were outstanding and a nice change from the tents. Quality and friendliness of the guides was very high. Very down to earth and personable. Fred was a star. Kicheche Bush Camp – personally loved the openness of the camp/sitting under the stars. Felt like we were back home in the outback. Cats, cats and more cats (leopards, cheetahs, lionesses and cubs) – on the hunt, playing, in the trees, eating their kill. Despite not seeing the two male lions hearing their roar roll around the hills was something else. Lake Naivasha/Nakuru & Loldia House – The house seemed like an oasis after the plains/reserves but very different to the rest of the locations. Heather the manager was a hoot/real character with lots of stories and local history. Lake Nukuru was a bit disappointing – number of animals limited but did see the rothschild giraffe. Only 1 rhino and very few flamingos with many more apparently at Lake Bogoria instead. Ol Malo – What a house! Samburu village visit more traditional than the masai village visit so provided a slightly different view. We went into a lived in hut this time which was more than interesting and learned of what they eat and drink. Great variety with walks, camel rides and horse riding. Much less about the animals but did see wild dogs on the hunt. Much more laid back and a great way to end the trip. Thanks again for organising such a fabulous trip. Kenya was a great recommendation.
- Kenya
Carissa, Andrew and family travelled to Kenya
Hi Rob, Yes we are back in ‘civilisation’, but I’d probably rather be in Kenya. What a beautiful country, I just loved it. It has become one of those countries that just gets under my skin. The managers and hosts at all the properties were brilliant. We really enjoyed the hosting side of the holiday, which was something I hadn’t really considered prior to the trip. Such a good way to immerse yourself in Kenyan life. We really liked the people we stayed with and I do believe I hugged a few of our hosts as we left! The game watching side of the trip was superb. So much more that I had imagined. So many elephants! We saw just about everything I think, apart from male lions. But we certainly heard them. The guides had so much knowledge and clearly enjoyed their jobs. They hadn’t lost any enthusiasm for spotting animals, nor looking after guests with breakfast on the go. The whole thing was great from start to finish. The food was fantastic and plentiful. The kids said the pools were too cold and I agree with that, but went in anyway! You also said to tell you of sightings. At Ol Malo we witnessed four wild dogs chasing some prey right across our path. They returned with pieces of the unlucky beast in their mouths and rushed off under some bushes to gorge themselves. Apparently this was a rare sighting so we were very lucky. So thank you very much Rob, to you and your team. It really was the most wonderful trip. It was worth all the research and tweaking of the itinerary in the early stages and we will have memories of it for a long time.
- Kenya
Todd and family travelled to Kenya
Bill, we had an excellent trip. Everything went as planned without issue, and generally we were happy with all of the service providers involved. Benrosa did a great job of meeting us and providing transportation services – the staff was very friendly and flexible. The Kicheche camp was nicer than expected. A very polished camp, well run, with excellent food. Andy is superb and runs a tight ship (he said to say hello) and they have some excellent guides. Every detail was handled flawlessly and service is impeccable. The setting is very nice being on a lake – we were able to canoe a bit. The game viewing in Laikipia was good. We were able to spot some wild African dogs which was a treat given how rare they are, and the white Rhino exhibit is well done. Also spotted a black rhino. The Offbeat camp was not as nice as expected. It might have been the fact that we just came from Kicheche. However, the game viewing in the Mara is excellent. Many cats close to camp – lots of lions and leopards, although did not see a cheetah. Lots of elephants, and many similar herbivores as Ol Pejeta with the exception of water bucs and rhinos. A little easier to spot things given the general openness of the terrain. Saw lots of animals on kills which was a plus. We also visited a nearby Maasi village which was a good experience and a taste of rural Africa. Bottom line – both camps provided great experiences. I surveyed the family, and if they had to choose to go back to only one of them, the consensus was they would choose Offbeat as the scenery, wildlife, and natural feel more than compensated for the lack of more refined accommodations. I think the kids also enjoyed the younger, more informal staff which led to more games, laughs, etc. Thanks for helping coordinating a great experience!
- Kenya
Charles and Caroline travelled to the Masai Mara in the supposed rainy season
Hi Michelle – we’re back and had a great time – weather was flawless, not a spot of rain, hotel was almost empty so we had a guide all to ourselves for most of the time and we saw everything, lots of lions particularly, but also cheetah and leopard so we loved it. Thanks for organising everything so well!