Ben's Ecological Safaris is a small company specializing in East African Natural History tours within the context of the History, Ancient Civilizations and Culture of East Africa.
The tours emphasize Birds, Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation from the unique perspective of people who have lived all their lives surrounded by the Sights, Sounds and Smells of East Africa. However, you won't simply focus on Bird Watching or Wildlife Viewing, with Ben's Ecological Safaris you get a chance to learn about the East Africa's Plants, Reptiles, Amphibians, Local Customs, History, Geography and Geology of the areas you visit.
In keeping with the diversity of Kenya, Ben's Ecological Safari offers a diverse range of excursions to suit a variety of people; from weekend breaks for business travelers who are stopping over for a conference, to longer stays for family groups experiencing East Africa for the first time. There's even something for the more experienced East African traveler, if you simply want a guide for a day or for part of your holiday then Ben's Ecological Safaris can oblige. Maybe you are visiting somewhere new and want to get the most out of your trip or possibly you are just unfamiliar with one part of the country. With Ben's Ecological Safaris you get qualified African guides who can share their knowledge and experience with you.
We are often asked whether you have to be the rugged outdoor type to enjoy safaris with us in East Africa. The answer is no, our traditional Lodge-based safaris are suitable for anyone of any age and any level of fitness. Accommodations are always comfortable whether staying in one of the many top class East African lodges or in Semi-permanent Tented Camps within the Parks and the Game Reserves as well as other areas that we visit. Game viewing is conducted from the security of our tourists converted and specially designed safari vehicles (depending on the size of the group and weather conditions), but there are a couple of other places where we explore by foot. Elsewhere the hotels and lodges have wonderful grounds, where we take a gentle stroll studying the diverse African organisms before and after the drives.
Group size is kept small, usually 6 to 14 in order to afford the best birding and excellent photography opportunities, however smaller or large groups can also be accommodated too. For the more energetic traveler, we have a couple of challenging and adventorous treks that can offer a bracing and a rewarding experience
This summer I did a Safari of 9 days in Kenya (Amboseli, Lakes and Masai Mara) with a local company “Ben´s Ecological Safaris” with Ben, the owner, as our guide.
Before the Safari we agreed on the itinerary, hotels and price. With Ben sending the final program and price, that I fully paid before the trip.
Everything went as agreed (except the first hotel, which was replaced by a similar one), except in the final two days when he told us he made a mistake with the Mara Balloon which was not included in the final price. This was one of our few request, was described as included in the price of the program and was also described in the description of that day “agenda”.
He refused to provide the service, declaring that all the balloons were already sold out for the three (!!!) days we were in the Mara and afterwards refused to reimburse us with the money of this service.
Ben´s company, as many times he told us is not financially well because business is coming short, and even had to close the office he had in the city and transfer staff to his home.
He knows that people shop around and ask for prices in other companies and this is just his way to look competitive and afterwards increase the price artificially. Ben´s had not even the most competitive price at first place, but we also choose him because he looked a very good naturalist (which is!!). This artificial price increase just put it at Top end price with a Midrange quality of hotels.
Don´t take me wrong, I truly believe he is a very good biologist (Not a good spotter though. We had to rely on other guides to spot many mammals), knowing all birds and mammal species, but he´s not an honest person.
I filed a charge against him in the police, with the expectation of at least receiving the money of the service.
Just choose other company!
