First off, let me say the trip was awesome! If you haven't been to East Africa to see the animals, then you need to put it on your bucket list. We saw every animal we wanted to see including a pride of lions take down a wildebeest. And the staff at every place we stayed were fantastic. So, why the one star? Well it comes down to how our group of six was treated by the owner of the tour company. After much searching and reading great reviews the decision was made to go with this operator. Initial communications were fantastic. Every email we sent was responded to in a timely manner and was informative. Then we send in our deposits and everything changed. The owner of the company went radio silent. No answers to multiple messages. I personally sent him 3 messages in one month and never got a response. This continued for months and he only responded when we were very frustrated. His communications with us was terrible. We booked semi luxury resorts for the 10-12 days in the field. The first three were great. The fourth was a fantastic place but not what we booked. His reasoning was, it got us closer to the animals. And I will give him kudos on that, as he was correct and the lodge was semi luxury. But it would have been nice to learn about the change in advance as it added almost 2 hours to the drive that day. At the same time we learned he only booked 2 of 3 park permits. This was a disaster for us as we had to wait almost 2 days for the issue to be resolved, then our guide (who was fantastic) told us he was getting incorrect information from the office and had to deviate from our normal game drive to get to a remote ranger station to get the third day permit. Needless to say our guide (not the owner) was not happy either. The next two places were not what we expected or what we paid for. Instead of the semi luxury we booked we ended up in an Eco-friendly tent site, which for some of us resulted in no hot water for three days The next site was also a tented site. this resulted in an addition hours drive away from the animals we were there to see. And since this was going into our last day, were were to far to go back. So we lost a half day in the field. During the last trip to the tent site I asked him where we where going. He said he did not know. How can you not know where you are taking us? This whole time he is on the phone. I suspect he knew he screwed up and was making last minute reservation for us. He passes the original resort we booked and drove another hour to the tent site. We confronted him again where he finally admitted that he was afraid to tell us that all of the parks had significantly raised (in some cases quadrupled) the entrance fees. So instead of telling us up front, where we could have come up with an alternate plan, he decided to reduce the quality of the resorts to save money. If he had been open and honest with us we would have probably just paid the difference. Issues do crop up. It's how you deal with them that defines how good you are. But he lost out in the end, after the last tent issue, as we demanded a partial refund or we weren't going to leave the site. Which did, on the spot. -We were told 6 hour drives from location to location when reality was we drove for 11 hours on some days. -Their advertised picnics were nowhere near what reality was and one "picnic" was in a parking lot of a gas station. -Binoculars advertised were not available in some vehicles. -Advertising ample legroom in the vehicles was not completely accurate. -He spent a lot of time on the phone instead of talking to us. -We finally learned that when he said "it's an hour from here" we just added another hour! It was a running joke between us all! I could go on and on, but I think you get the message I am trying to convey. The visit to Africa was amazing, but the the tour operator (owner) was a bit dishonest and deceitful to us, and as such I cannot recommend Features Africa Journeys.

Absolutely visit Africa. The people, land, and animals are amazing. Our contracted drivers/guides for Amboseli, Kenya, and the Serengeti, Tanzania listened and worked with us through difficult times. We saw more wildlife than we could have imagined. Absolutely visit Africa, but do NOT use the services of Features Africa Journeys. Our final itinerary showed the list of upgraded lodging as requested and paid for. It was a LIE. Of the 6 listed, we were not informed of any changes until we drove past 4 of them. We were downgraded to tented camps, some with no amenities. One 3-night stay did not even have running hot water. Estimated drive times were grossly underestimate. Many days were over 10 hours or longer, only leaving the vehicle for lunch. We arrived at all of the lodging as the day turned dark. For every upgraded lodging, we left after breakfast the next day. We did not have any time to enjoy the facilities or amenities. Heck, we didn't have time to even see them . As a party of 6, with 4 being just under or over 6' tall, we we're assured the vehicle could accommodate us in comfort. We had a terrible time finding leg room. I had bruises on my wrists, head, shoulders, knees, and legs. One guide told us the vehicles are really meant for 4. Karanja did not apply for park permits in a timely manner. In the Serengeti, we had a 3-night stay but only a 2 night permit. We were informed, if the permit was not paid for, we would have to leave the Serengeti or risk being arrested! Karanja, the owner, became our driver when we returned to Kenya. We confronted him about his deceitfulness, asking him to be truthful with us. He looked us in the eye and lied over and over again. We ended our safari early and asked to go directly to the airport. If I could, I would give this review a zero. I cannot say this enough. DO NOT USE FEATURES AFRICA JOURNEYS. Karanja is a pathological liar.

Please do not use this tour operator!!! They are completely unreliable. The owner changed the accommodation for our Tarangire stay (Tarangire Ndovu tented lodge) at the last minute without consulting me. The matter and the way he dealt with it is in itself unacceptable, but most importantly the lodge we were given (Acacia Tarangire camp) is for sure of lower standard than the one we had chosen in terms of location, room quality and common areas. Moreover the lodge was more than one hour further south, which meant longer trip from Tarangire to Amboseli park (our next stop) 2) the jeep we have been using was very old and had several issues, including: - some blocked windows - extremely dirty - the engine starter didn't work always and our guide had to ask for help from other cars several times in order to restart the car. We were lucky if we did not have major issues but this is a serious safety issue. 3) no binoculars were provided - the guide simply said it was broken. I sent several emails with a refund request, but the owner never replied to me !!!

We worked with Karanja to plan a customized 14 day trip to Kenya and Uganda. The team at Features was professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with through all steps of the process. Our itinerary was complicated as we wanted to cover a lot of ground, and booked several things on our own, but Karanja had great knowledge of East Africa (including vaccination and visa requirements) that made the entire experience smooth and a ton of fun! Our safari guides Anthony and Simon were amazing spotters, knowledgeable on local customs, and all around fun to get to know! If they didn’t know something, they would research it for us and tell us later! We had a great experience at Tsavo West (including spotting an elusive leopard and watching a mother lion and her cubs), got up close to the elephants in Amboseli, and learned so much about rhinos at Ol Pejeta. Our itinerary included bush planes and bigger flights between Entebbe and Nairobi, and Karanja had all of our paperwork in line and available for us, his team got us where we needed to be timely, and updated us to any changes in the schedule as soon as possible. It was so easy to relax and sit back on this trip! The trip continued to impress us with the seamless transition to Uganda, including a wonderful driver at Entebbe and a team in Bwindi that took care of us and showed us the local culture before and after our gorilla trek! When our trek went much quicker than expected, they were able to suggest additional activities as we wanted to continue to explore! The team there went above and beyond to make sure we were always taken care of, and with the great connections by the tour company, we got a free upgrade to an amazing lodge! We know that our experience in East Africa would not have been the same without Karanja and his team at Features. We are so excited to come back in a few years and tackle Mt Kilimanjaro and Tanzania, as we know Features can handle any itinerary we throw at them! Thank you again from America!

I booked a 3 days at Masai Mara in February of this year and I can say that from the first day Karanja and Simon were really kind and courteous with me and my family. They came for us to my residence in Nairobi and took us to the Masai Mara. The communication through Karanja before the journey was very clear and fluent, and he answered all of our questions about the costs, places and dates. Once we arrived to the camping all the service were so nice and comfortable, which makes you thing that this time is unforgettable. The most special thing for us as family was the different visits to the Masai Mara, and being able to contemplate the flora and fauna of the place, to which I add the driving expertise and complete knowledge of both Karanja and Simon about the several location of interest of the wild life all along the Masai Mara. Well, finally, they took us home at the end of the journey, considering that both of them drive in a carefully way all along the highway. If you are thinking about having an unforgettable safari experience, Features Africa Journeys is mostly recommended!

Features Africa Journeys is the best travel agency to have a Safari and a great experience in Africa. We highly recommend Karanja and his team, in specific Anthony who was our guide in Masai Mara. We had a wonderful time in Africa!!! Such a nice experience!!!

We wanted to do a 10 days Safari trip for our honeymoon and we decided to contact Features Africa Safari. From the very first correspondence with Karanja we felt we are in good hands. Karanja answered our many questions in details and with patience, and helped us tailor made an itinerary that answered all of our wishes. When we arrived in Kenya we got Simon as our guide and he was AMAZING! Simon did anything in his power to make us happy and comfortable. He has an amazing eye and experience and he was able to help us see the most special animals actions. He made all of our animals wishes come true - From lion cubs to leopards, thanks to Simon we saw it all. If you can ask for him and I’m sure you will have an amazing experience! Karanja and Simon did everything to make our honeymoon Safari an unforgettable experience from the moment we were picked at the airport to the moment we had to say goodbye. Highly recommend!!

I requested a Safari and even that it was out of our budget they tried to adapt as far as possible, very good attention and professionalism

This is our second safari with Features Africa and once again the whole experience was outstanding. Karanja and Simon, who spent 3 days guiding and driving us through the Maasai Mara were both charming company and very skilful wildlife spotters. We are a family of 5 from the UK with three children (aged 15, 13 and 10) and the kids (without parental prompting) chose to remain 'screen-free' for all the game drives which in the modern world is a glowing testament to the enjoyment of the experience for all ages. The setting was stunning and our visit was during the migration so the wildlife was plentiful but the game drives were made informative and interesting through Karanja and Simon's enthusiasm, knowledge of the surroundings and animal behaviour. The entire trip was designed around making the most of observing and learning about the wildlife and was exemplified by the final game drive, during which we were already running late for the national park curfew (6.30pm) as a result of watching a pack of lions with cubs, when Simon diverted us for one last search for a leopard. Remarkably, a male leopard (in the photos below) walked in front of the jeep to make the day even more magical. Thanks to Karanja, Simon and the rest of the team, can't wait for next time.

Recommend this safari and Kevin as a guide. 3 of us sisters loved every bit of it. Professional, friendly and fun! We stayed a night at Nakuru and two nights in Masai Mara.

We just finished our 14 day trip, 12 day private safari with Features Africa for our honeymoon. From the start, communication was excellent with Karanja. They completely customized our trip, taking our wishes into consideration but also making suggestions based on their expertise. We knew we wanted the Masai Mara for the great migration, but they added so much more. We started the safari with Tsavo West, then went to Amboseli, then Hell’s Gate and Lake Naivasha, then Lake Nakuru, finally ending in Masai Mara, saving the best for last. All the lodges they recommended were excellent, our guide Anthony was incredibly professional and always made us feel safe and insured we had the best game drives possible. He also was very flexible, adjusting to our desires and the activity of the animals. The Land Cruiser was great, fully equipped with water and other beverages, plus snacks. We saw the big 5 many times over, including all of them in Masai Mara. The pace of the trip was perfectly planned, we were never bored and got to experience many different parks and environments. We would absolutely 100% recommend Features Africa to anyone looking to do a safari.

Words don’t cover how good these guys are. They really are top tier safari providers and ethically run too. Features made our holiday one with memories that will last a lifetime. We did an 8 day trip with them through Kenya and it was excellent from start to finish. Karanja is great with communication, answering questions and all else in the booking process. Our guide, Anthony was amazing. Extremely knowledgable, motivated and he genuinely cared that we got a good experience. He went above and beyond, really making the trip special. We are so grateful for the experience and would 100% recommend Features. In short, don’t look anywhere else if you want to ensure an incredible safari.

Features Journey Africa was awesome! We did 1 day at the Ngorongoro Crater, 3 days in Serengeti & 1 day in Masai Mara all combined. Evans was so helpful and communicative throughout the entire booking process and also during our trip. He was so patient with all my questions, responded quickly and also ensured that we got the best out of our trip and stayed within our budget. The lodges that we stayed at were also beautiful and Features gave us multiple options that we could choose from for each stay. Lastly the guides were great - we had Said in Tanzania and then had to switch to a different guide in Kenya, Elliot. They were both so knowledgeable about all the animals, made sure we were comfortable the entire time and made sure that we saw everything. We were able to see the Big 5 within the first day and a half of our trip! I would definitely recommend Features to anyone looking to book a Safari experience that is luxurious but doesn’t break the bank (we also had all private tours throughout the trip - it was a great experience!)

Excellent game drive - we saw lions up close. Tom was very knowledgeable and did his best to show us all the animals - very close to rhinos, zebras, all the antelopes and giraffe

Amazing 4 days with my guide Danford. He made the journey so much fun with his humour , laughter and jokes . He made our journey so much more fun !! We were so lucky to have seen so many animals so close to our Jeep . A once in a l’échine experience . Thank you Features Africa for hosting us in Kubu Kubu tented Lodge , we loved it there .❤️❤️❤️