We constantly receive referrals via email or visits to our websites and every so often we have a client raving about us on a travel forum. It is very humbling and it constantly reminds us that we must always remember that the customer is key and our purpose is to ensure that all our clients hopes and dreams, when they make that leap of faith and choose us as their operator, are not just met but surpased! One such client had this to say...
Feb 24, 2011, 1:04 AM
I have always used a local travel agency to book all of my international travel. I wanted to visit Kenya and Ethiopia this year but neither of the agencies I have used before would book the trip for me. They would only book with world wide companies such as Globus, Gate 1 and such. So I started my search for local companies that could deal direct with me. I contacted more than twenty companies in both Kenya and Ethiopia. It was kind of scary doing it on my own since there was so much expense involved in just getting to Africa. Some Safari companies tried to pressure me and intimidate me into booking with them. It was NOT a lot of fun. And I almost decided to do something easy, like visit China instead. But then I found Kairi Tours and right away started to feel at ease.
Paul Mugeke, the senior tour consultant at Kairi, worked with me extensively to decide just what kind of a safari we wanted. I had originally wanted to just visit the Masai Mara. They had a safari listed on their web site, www.kairi.co.ke , that combined The Mara with Lake Nakuru. I inquired about that trip and he explained it in detail to me but suggested that I might be happier if they also included a stopover at Lake Naivasha as well, with NO increase in price!. That was not even listed on their web site but in the end we decided on that trip. All email communications with Paul were both friendly and businesslike at the same time. I would stay up late at night to email him during his business hours and his responses to my inquiries were always immediate. I even commented in one of my emails that this was as good as talking to him on the telephone.
If any of you are troubled as to what company, and there are very many, to book with I assure you that Kairi Tours and Safaris will make it easy for you. They will treat you as their equal and be nothing but fair with you. I can't know exactly what Paul thinks of me, but even never having met him, I can honestly think of him as more a friend than a travel agent!! I am happy that I didn't change my mind and go to China instead. That can wait till next year. When we return the end of July, I will post a report on how the actual safari went.
Putting how much I truly enjoyed the 5 day safari that we just returned from to the Masai Mara with stops for game drives at Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha is not going to be easy. There were animals everywhere. Driving up to a pride of lions laying by the road eating last night's kill seemed more like a dream than reality. I have read that elephants communicate long distances with an extremely low rumble, almost below the range of human hearing. When you are in the midst of a group of them you can barely hear that rumble but you can actually feel it throughout your body. The wildebeests were in their annual migration and were plentiful in the Masai Mara as were zebras and every type of gazelle imaginable. We didn't get to see the elusive rhinoceros while there but saw very many when we visited Lake Nakuru. Seeing giraffes walking along the top of a hill, silhouetted against the sky, especially at sunset is almost otherworldly. The plant life is so different from what I had ever seen before and the birds were just outrageous. Brightly colored, in every size and shape possible.
But that is what you expect when going on a safari. The animals live there and we go to visit them. So I can't really thank the animals for our wonderful trip. I must thank those that made it all possible.
I researched the internet and found that half the population in Kenya must offer safaris. Basically the same packages with an extra night here and another night there and they were all being offered at the widest price range possible. And some were just a guy with a van. I didn't know what to do. Then Paul Mugeke, the Senior Tour Consultant for Kairi Tours and Safaris answered my email in an odd sort of way. I had inquired about their 4 days at the Mara and 1 day at Lake Nakuru. He suggested that I might get burned out covering the same area for 4 days straight and suggested that I cancel one day at the Mara and add a day at Lake Naivasha. He thought I might enjoy that trip instead even though it was not a tour that they actually offer. All for the same price and got to stay at the Taphe Guest House in Naivasha. Comfortable beds, fantastic food and the sweetest lady running the place that you could ever imagine. Kairi has their own permanent tent camp at the Masai Mara and I was truly surprised by it. I could see no repairs to any of the tents nor to the mosquito netting. Everything looked new even though Kairi has been in business since 1984. Each tent had a private bathroom which included sink and shower but the best part was the beds. I have stayed at 5-star hotels that did not have beds that comfortable. You spend a whole day out photographing animals, while banging around on what can at times be described as bumpy roads and a shower and nice bed are most welcome before enjoying dinner.
Meals are served buffet style in a large permanent dining area. And it was not the same old stuff that so many places serve. With so many of us from different parts of the globe all eating together I can see that this might be a bit of a challenge. But the meals were varied with different selections that would appeal to all of us. Everybody was happy and having dinner together and maybe a cold Tuskers beer after made it more like a bit of a party rather than just dinner.
It was also nice for me to see that improvements to the camp were always going on. Whether it was new plantings of flowers or putting a new layer of colored gravel to the walkways, Kairi's desire to constantly improve was very apparent!
The only draw back to the whole trip was that the airlines lost our luggage, all we had was our carry on. But that was not Kairi's fault but they made it their responsibility. Paul worked with the airlines until it was located, picked it up and DELIVERED it to us while we were out on the safari. Now that is going above and beyond the call of duty. But that is not the only thing that was sort of delivered to me while out on the trip. A couple of months before, I posted a remark here on TripAdvisor about how pleasant and easy to work with Paul Mugeke, Kairi's Senior Tour Consultant had been. Well, the owner of Kairi Tours did not get to meet me at their offices in Nairobi. So he came out to where we were on safari and found me to thank me for the good words that I had said about them. Boy, talk about making you feel welcome!!
In my 66 years I have never run across business people quite like these. I can assure you that you can feel comfortable working with Kairi Tours and Safaris. Go ahead and do an internet search but please keep this company in the forefront of your mind. Feel free to PM me if you want more information.
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