4x4 ジープで行く 5 日間のマサイマラ、ナクル湖、ナイバシャ湖サファリ

We did a “five day tour” with GracePatt Ecotours in Kenya, and I have praise and criticism for the company. The praiseworthy part exceeded expectations, and the other parts did not meet expectations. Scheduled activities were a half day game drive at Lake Nakuru, a half day at Lake Naivasha with a boat ride on the lake, a half day at Masai Mara, and a full day at Masai Mara with the option of a visit to a Masai village, or a balloon ride, both at additional cost. Because we were picked up in Nakuru on day one, we actually had two half day game drives in Lake Nakuru National Park on day one, and on leaving the next morning we lingered in the park for more game viewing. Because of booking issues with lodges (I booked rather late for various reasons), we then proceeded to Masai Mara. We had a Masai village event that afternoon. The following day we spent the entire day (6:30 AM-5:30 PM) in the park. The next day we went to Lake Naivasha for one night and had the scheduled boat ride. On our final day, our guide dropped us off in Narok, our destination. Criticism first: The tour was described as five days, but a close examination of their tour description and itinerary reveals that the only activity on day five was return to Nairobi, or in our case a different ending point. The scheduled activity at Lake Naivasha was a major disappointment. I had high expectation for a grand tour of the lake lasting several hours, and the opportunity to see lots of wildlife. The reality was that the activity, which was included in the cost had not been scheduled or payed for. The company did correct that oversight, but the ride lasted about an hour in a very small rocking boat (making photography difficult) with very little interesting wildlife. Because of a change in schedule, we actually had a four day safari, but two half days of the four day safari entailed driving from site to site. If the original itinerary had been followed, we would have had one short drive from Nakuru to Naivasha, and one half day drive from Naivasha to Masai Mara. Exceeding expectations, our guide was outstanding in experience, knowledge, care for our wellbeing, and an extremely skilled driver in challenging conditions, and he was very accommodating to our wishes. He knew where to go for the best wildlife viewing. He made our visits to Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara National Parks very enjoyable, and we were able to see an amazing profusion of African wildlife. Another positive (I'm not sure how this happened)but we had paid for a mid level tour, but were upgraded to the luxury accommodation at two sites, and they were delightful, especially the dining, which was superb. One other positive, the typical day five was a return to Nairobi from Masai Mara, but we were in Lake Naivasha, and were to be picked up in Narok to return to Kisumu. The company was flexible enough to have our guide return us to Narok from Naivasha before he returned to Nairobi.