I can’t rate this experience with MeekTrails highly enough. I am very picky about tours because I like to design my own travel and don’t like being on someone else’s schedule. I had been to Kenya before, but never on safari, and I was concerned it would be a line of jeeps surrounding one exhausted animal. I was skeptical of the tour of the Maasai village, feeling like it could be kitschy or exploitative, and I was concerned about price.
I’ve traveled to 32 countries and Meektrails is the best value for money experience I’ve ever had. Joseph, our guide, was brilliant, kind, thoughtful, patient and felt more like a friend than a guide by the end of our tour. One of the highlight memories was having nyama choma and ugali, the national dishes of Kenya, at a casual roadside stop, washed down with Tusker beer, while chatting about politics, animals, and all things Kenyan. We could not believe how many animals we saw in a single day, every animal I could have dreamed of, and we never felt rushed or exhausted. We had a picnic out in the middle of the Maasai Mara that felt like a dream - the food was delicious, we sat under an old tree identical to those we’d seen lions sit under, and the breeze rustled past us as we took in the incredible landscape. We got to move and rest at our own pace the entire time. Throughout the experience, the staff, especially Michael, Diana, Tom, were consummate professionals and unfailingly cheerful and accommodating. The best moment of the trip was when 40 staff at the beautiful campsite we stayed in celebrated my birthday, taking such care in so many small ways and truly making me feel like I was at a party with family despite being out on the road. 11/10. Book - you won’t regret it. This was one of the most magical (and wildly inexpensive!!) experiences of my life.