Address: Malindi Road
Phone: +254 0 7360 234 362

https://www.fadsafaris.com

Traveler Reviews

Great Start, Bad Ending...
Reviewed by Helen_PeterLondon on Mar 6, 2011


Like most reviewers we booked through Mike because of the reviews on TripAdvisor. Initially, Mike was very attentive by email and offered a really good value itinerary. Once we'd paid the deposit though, things went quite quiet which was a bit worrying, however, on arriving at Nairobi, we were met by Mike and our driver for the safari part of our holiday - Tito. Ideally we would have liked Mike to confirm the detailed itinerary and that he had been able to make all the bookings we requested BEFORE arriving, as when we did arrive we were immediately taken to a different hotel to the one expected. As it happened, it was great hotel so it didnt matter, but upon discussing the rest of the holiday with Mike, he had swapped around an overnight train trip (nairobi to mombasa) to another day...which we queried at the time as we had checked on the web and it only runs certain days. Mike assured us it was all booked and there wouldnt be a problem... The next day we set off on our safari and had a fantastic time in the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru. Big thanks go to our driver and guide Tito who couldnt have been more accommodating. We then flew to Mombasa (instead of train) and were picked up and taken to our beach side accommodation. All was ok until the day when Mike was due to pick us up and take us to the train station for the Mombasa to Nairobi overnight journey. I'd rung the night before to check timings, however, 15 mins before Mike was to due to arrive on the actual day, he called to say that the train wasnt actually running and that he'd booked us on a flight the next day instead. He'd also booked us into a hotel in Mombasa for the night. Well it wasnt ideal, but this is Africa, so no problem. Mike then turned up 1.5 hrs late to pick us up and then drove all the way up to Mombasa, through Mombasa and then 30 mins north of Mombasa to leave us at a place called Glory Villa's. I couldnt quite understand why we he hadnt just advised us to stay at our other accommodation for one night longer, but it might have been because Glory Villas was extremely cheap. To be fair to Mike, he did say he had looked for some other places, but this place was a complete dump. Next to rubbish tip, huge cockroaches, the rooms either side filled with sex tourists, strip lighting and unbearably hot. Before he left, Mike asked us, 'is it ok for you?'...by this time it was gone 9pm and it was quite obvious we would have had a mission trying to find anywhere else. We put up with it for the night and in the morning I did complain to Mike who replied that 'its ok just for stopover yes?'...well, actually no it wasn't. It was the last night of our holiday, we had wanted to go on the train at some point on the holiday, and we also had a long trip back to the UK the next day - so we weren't exactly rested!! Overall Mike seems a nice honest guy, I just think he's taken his eye off the ball as he's very busy. The safari was great, the majority of the stay south of Mombasa was great, but the last few days tainted our experience...... Make sure you get your itinerary confirmed in detail before arriving, and if Mike needs to change your plans, make sure you know exactly where your staying!

Amazing Safari Experience!
Reviewed by Cristy86 on Feb 20, 2011


We booked with First African Dream Tours (FAD) based on the excellent feedback we read on Trip Advisor. Me (English aged 31) and my girlfriend (Moldovan aged 24) arranged the booking through a guy called Mike. Emails were responded to very quickly, a full itinerary was provided for several options depending on the number of days we wanted to be on Safari and the quality of the hotels. We opted for a three day two night arrangement covering Tsavo East and Tsavo West. We also opted for the superior hotels (Well worth the extra). We paid our deposit via bank transfer from the UK and settled the balance on the day we departed for Tsavo. I have to be honest I did have some reservations about paying anything until I met Mike in person but I confounded in the many positive reviews and the personal recommendations I had read for Mike and his staff. So the money was transfered and the pickup date was arranged. Mike collected us on time with his driver Roger from our hotel and we were bound for the great expanses of Tsavo National Park. At this stage I would like to say how our driver Roger made us feel very comfortable and relaxed. He was a brilliant tour guide, with an extensive knowledge of Kenya's colonial history making the three hour journey out of Mombasa to Tsavo fly by. Perhaps more importantly however he had an encyclopedic knowledge of the wildlife in the park and eyes like a hawk. We managed to get very close to a couple of Lions and we even saw a Lion pulling out the entrails of a recent Buffalo kill...awesome!! Elephants were found on every corner of the trail and we got very close to a couple of Giraffe as they sauntered across the road. In short this was a fantastic experience. The Safari lodges (Ashnil and Kiliguni) each had breathtaking views and were backed by first rate hospitality. First African saved us a lot of money as there are no Travel Agents in between creaming off the profits. All the vehicles are much the same irrespective of what company you go with. It also important to note that the drivers share information on sightings during the game drives so no one company enjoy an advantage in this respect. Spotting the big five is very much down to luck and a keen eye! So finally thank you Mike and Roger for a great experience...We hope to be back again soon to take on the Maasi Mara!

Great trip!!!!!!!
Reviewed by Trusviajeros on Feb 16, 2011


We did a private 8 days safari visiting: Samburu, Aberdare, Nakuru and Masai Mara. We arranged our trip by email from London. Mike organized everything. He was helpful but as soon as we transfered half of the money we didn't have any news for almost a month. We think Mike should improve this because when you are miles away is worrying don't know what is going on whit your deposit. As soon as we arrived in Nairobi they took care of everything. Roger our driver was excellent, advised us about game drive times, he has a great knowledge about animals and vegetation as well as Kenya's culture. He was always happy to spend more time doing games and we had more games than originally planned. Accommodation was good, specially in Samburu Ashnil and Nakuru Flamingo Camp. Mike is a nice guy and he tries to do the best for his customers. He has done additional arrangements that weren't in the standard itinerary as internal flights and transfers from airports to hotel. As things to improve we would recommend to confirm quicker that the money has been received and also to provide a confirmed detailed itinerary with the hotels booked, before arrival. We really enjoyed our trip and was a great experience that we hope repeat soon. We recommend FAD Tours and Safaris Mombasa.

The best 4 days ever
Reviewed by Gwyneth195848 on Dec 17, 2010


We have just come back from a two week holiday in Kenya and of course we booked a 4 day safari a must, Before booking with our Travel Agents I read quite a few reviews on trip adviser & checked out a company called First African Dream Tours & Safaris in Mombasa, I read the reviews and decided to email the owner Mike Mishima with the info of what we as a family were looking for, Mike got back with the information on 3 Safari Parks & Accommodation for us to check over on line we was impressed with the everything and also the price although the two lodges we stayed in needed updating as they were built in the 60s but they were clean and had everything you required. Our driver for the 4 days was called Roger he was a very nice & we felt very comfortable with him, he was a mind of information not only about the parks but also the animals & he has the eyes of a hawk how he spotted some of the animals was beyond us. we think he is absolutely brilliant. I am highly recommending this company & I certainly recommend Roger, I will certainly be booking again with them, so if your looking and want a good Safari then don't book with the Travel agents at a very high costs book with First African Dream Tours and Safaris on line. email: -- The Keable Family from Kent England

Trip of a lifetime!!
Reviewed by GB69 on Nov 8, 2010


Booked a Safari with FAD based on the reviews on this website and wasn't disappointed. Travelled from Vancouver, Canada via London and stayed at Nyali beach. Mike and Nike (our driver/guide) came to see us at our hotel the day we arrived. We payed the balance to Mike and got picked up early the next morning. Went to Tsavo East/West and Amboseli. Thanks to Nick's keen eyes we saw everything apart from the Rhino!! Highlight was watching Cheetas hunting at dusk. The lodges were amazing and Nick was very knowledgeable. I'd highly recommend booking with these guys. You get personal service and are giving your business to a local company, not a hotel chain.