Day trip to Ol Pejeta conservancy from Nairobi

This adventure to Ol Pejeta Conservancy was truly a special day. Definitely a top 3 favorite travel memory. African Beast tours has been fabulous to work with. Our driver/guide and new friend truly was spectacular. His name is Masha and deserves 11/10. His knowledge, care, attention to our needs just suburb. To get to the Conservancy it is a very long drive from Nairobi. The 4x4 safari vehicle is the way to go. The lunch location at the Conservancy was so good. Tad pricey, but worth it. Very nice, high quality food, in a wonderful atmosphere with the animals waterhole right outside.

+2

Summary: this is a budget experience. If all you care about is getting to ol pejeta to see animals this will be perfect for you. If you’re looking for something stress free, comfortable, well-organized then I’d recommend looking elsewhere. I’ll start with the positives : ol pejeta & the animals. We saw a ton of cool animals like lion, giraffe, elephants, impala, zebra, rhinos, chimps, & more. For the negatives: -communication: it seemed the tour company had not communicated with our driver or us. First was the lack of communication with the change in driver. The day before the tour I was told the name of our driver and that he’d be reaching out to me (and also informed us that we would be picked up at 4am). A different driver than the one I was told about messaged me at 1120pm letting us know he would be picking us up. I obviously was already asleep and didn’t see it till I woke up for the tour. From there things went downhill. The tour company had not communicated the correct pick up location with the driver. We were picked up in a van and based on the pictures in the review thought we would be picked up in a jeep/land cruiser or similar. The drive to/back from Ol pejeta was incredibly uncomfortable as the van was very old and the road was very bumpy. On the way to Ol pejeta I asked the driver the plan and all he stated was we’ll do a game drive then eat lunch then leave (completely different than what the description of the tour states). Throughout our time at Ol pejeta the driver (I.e. our guide) I kept having to ask the driver if wevcould go see this or that based on the activity description. The whole point of Ol pejeta is to see the last two northern white rhinos and he had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned that. He kept saying yes we already saw rhinos (which we did but not the northern ones). When we get to the rhino sanctuary we were told that we have to have a booked slot to see the rhinos. The tour company or the driver had not informed me of that prior to the tour. The driver eventually haggled with the rangers there and was able to get us in after 30 min wait. The tour description also states lunch at the lodge (which we would have to pay for separately). He asked us where we wanted to go for lunch (as if we know the area) and I mentioned the description stated the sweet water lodge. When we got there they asked if we had a reservation—-which we obviously did not bc the tour company had not communicated that at all with us. The description stated that we would be doing a game drive in the morning then lunch then game drive to see the rhinos and Bakara (the blind rhino) after lunch. Nothing went according to the description schedule the entire day. We didn’t even see Bakara at all. Overall, the tour company needs to do a better job at communicating details with the driver and ensure the driver knows what the plan for the day is. I was incredibly disappointed with the lack of communication.

Was an amazing trips and getting to pat the last 2 northern white rhino Tony is great. But...... HIDDEN COSTS! You watch the original booking go from $175.8 .....click book....it becomes $320......click order summary..... becomes $370.....+ park fee $110. Plus!!!! hidden $70 to enter white rhino area even though it doesn't mention it's an extra cost. Total cost $550USD + lunch An absolutely amazing trip and a privilege to feed rhinos. But tainted because they're not upfront about costs.

One of our best safari experiences. It was just my friend and me, so we had a proper private tour. What makes a tour even better is accommodating the needs of the guest when genuine help is required and trying to provide the best option in a given situation. Our guide Tony made sure that we made the most of our day. We highly recommend this tour.

Had an amazing trip. Tony was very knowledgeable and accommodating. We are amateur birders and he was very helpful in identifying birds for us. I would definitely recommend this trip. He is also a very skilled driver getting us there and back safely with no stress to us.

I have done several trips with African beast, and again it was a great experience. We were particularly lucky to have had Tony as a guide with us, whom I also had as a guide for a day trip in Amboseli before. Tony is not only an excellent spotter, you can feel his enthusiasm for wildlife and being outdoors. That´s the difference between a good, professional guide and a guide who excels. There may be people who are snobbish about short safaris, but for us it is both a time and money issue. I am very glad that African Beast offers such day trips - the early start was absolutely worth the experience. Half an hour in the park, we had seen black and white rhinos, lions and buffalos. I look forwards to my next trip!

Harrisson was an excellent driver cum guide. First of all in a group tour to OL Pejeta they made it a private one when noone else booked. He co ordinated this very well. Showed all the highlights of the tour and was a good guide. Also, recommended some good hotels based on diatery requirements. Excellent service and highly recommended. Finally, it was one of the furthest tour but got back by 7 PM to have a good amount of rest. Ol Pejeta habe it's own attactions, variyies of Rhinos, remaining big 4 and a closer look at rhino, Chimpanzee, vast african landscape, crossing equator , see the sceleton of all animals and what not. Based on the mixed reviews was not sure , but this remains one of the best trip in Kenya.

+6

Harrison was our guide to Ol Pejeta & he was incredible all around! We lucked out & had him all to ourselves, which was such a wonderful perk to the whole trip! He promptly picked us up at 4:50am & drove round trip (4-4.5 hrs one way) with no complaints. He made sure to stop at the equator line in Nanyuki for some coffee & a bathroom break before continuing our journey to the park. The roads are choppy, but Harrison handled it like a pro! He is insanely knowledgeable about all the animals, and he made sure we saw everything we wanted. We desperately hoped to see the last 2 remaining White Northern Rhino’s & Harrison made that happened (even though we didn’t have reservations) — that was the highlight of our game drive! At the end of our game, he took us to the most beautiful restaurant on a Trout Farm. It was so delicious! The yummiest treat after a long day of adventure. 1000/10 recommend this trip to Ol Pejeta with Harrison & African Beast Tours and Safaris.

+2

Harrison was my driver and guide. He was on time in picking me up from the lobby of my hotel. Harrison was very knowledgeable and provided a lot of information about the wild life in Ol Pojeta Conservancy. Harrison was able to track so many wild life with his keen driving skills.

I had a great experience. Frankly, I was a bit sceptical how much wildlife viewing would be possible given the long drive, but thanks to an early start we spent enough time in the conservancy to see dozens of rhinos and even managed to spot black rhinos a couple of times. Having a clear view of mount Kenya with a rhino group settled there was fantastic. Harrison, our driver/guide made everything to give us a great experience. He was also a very safe and careful driver. I had a wonderful experience and will certainly looking at other tours of the company. As someone living and working in Kenya I like the fact that a short term day trip was possible, especially as my work schedule doesn’t often allow me long term planning