Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps Reviews 109

From the first contact to the final schedule to the actual safari all were well organized, the consultants were very helpful and informative. The camps are excellent and eco friendly and you feel one with nature and wlld life.

I love staying in the tented camps with one of my highlights is the bucket shower. Food was amazing. I enjoyed they added a Kenyan cruine in each evening meal. There camp manager was amazing.

The drivers especially Wilson was amazing. Great knowledge of the area and of course the wildlife. Living in Kenya for 8 years it was my first time seeing a leopard in the wild! Well done!

This company operates mainly in Conservancies adjoining National Parks rather than in the Parks themselves. This directly benefits local people, but is also of direct benefit to visitors as it means that often you have the game to yourself rather than have to share it with hoards of other vehicles. The quality of guiding is excellent, and the staff friendly and helpful.

Our most recent visit in Jan/Feb 2025 was our fourth visit to Kenya with this firm, and we are already planning our fifth. We wouldn't dream of using anyone else.

My experience with GameWatchers Porini camp's was excellent. They thought of every detail right from beginning to end. I eat a gluten-free diet and they went over and above to provide me the best food according to my needs. All the staff were courteous and efficient and very accommodating. I enjoyed having a small group of six in our camp. The Safari rides were fun, interesting and
adventurous. The guides had a wealth of knowledge about the animals, people, and culture. I would recommend this Safari company to anyone. The Tents were
comfortable, warm, and had everything we could need. It was excellent in every way.

Rick McIntyre curated a wonderful 18 day Safari in Kenya ( Amboseli, Lewa, Meru National Park, Ol Pejeta and Mara North) for my wife and I in January. The properties he selected were wonderful and the game drives were exceptional. Gamewatchers delivered above and beyond our expectations and everything from initial contact to final return went seamlessly. Gamewatchers service and support are simply amazing and we would not hesitate working with them on other African Safari's for us in the future.

We loved how our stay felt so custom-built compared to bigger more volume places. We felt taken care of. Sometimes simple is best. We didn’t have huge buffets, but we preferred the delicious meals that were all excellent and didn’t feel pressure to eat too much. There is less waste. The accommodations were excellent. The staff, drivers and guides were all highly trained.

The Porini camps were well-organized and run by excellent managers and camp personal. The chefs prepared amazing food. The game drive guides were very experienced and knowledgable about the animals and the game parks. Additionally, the accomodations and transportation arranged by Gamewatchers were topnotch and exceeded my expectations.

i was really hesitant about booking directly with a company based in nairobi because there are alot of scams out there today. my fears vanished when we were met at the airport as promised. our consultant wayne did a great job navigating what i wanted to see & yet stay within my budget. our itinerary covered 4 different ecosystems. everything was beyond my dreams. the tented camps, the animals, the seemless travel, the food, the camp staff was impeccable, just everything was fantastic. gamewatchers is the real deal & i would not hesitate to book with them again. if safari is on your bucket list, contact them today!

Everything about my dealings with Gamewatchers was brilliant. They are now my go to for all things Africa.

I've never felt so taken care of as I experienced with this staff. And I'm not just talking about friendly smiles and clean rooms. I'm referring to such things as finishing our game drives in open fields, with animals in the distance...while witnessing an unbelievable sunset....and having the guides serve us wine or mixed drinks right there next to the jeep. Also the guides had a great wealth of knowledge. The food was terrific as well.

Everything was so well planned. We in a vehicle by ourselves, so easy to see the animals. Food was excellent. Staff very helpful.

All round fabulous experience. Camps are extremely comfortable with staff who will do anything for you. Food is delicious. Game drives are out of this world and the guides are all very knowledgeable, getting you to the best sightings all of the time. I go back every year.

The entire process from the booking, to our amazing 23 day holiday and Safari was smooth, easy, comfortable, reciprocative and enjoyable. George Matuku was our initial contact and organiser and was the vital link, always contactable, accessible and assisting us with various options available. He gave us the comfort of being reliable, caring and informative with direction. All the guides in Kenya and Tanzania were excellent in particular Boniface from Porini. One of our stops was the Porini Lion Camp, and we must give a special mention to Albert and Wilson who were God sent, caring, informative and knowledgeable. We must say they understood the wildlife, captured the moments and shared their vast experience and knowledge. At the Porini Rhino Camp John and Elijah were excellent, informative and caring. We found all the Porini Camps were exceptionally clean and comfortable and the staff were amazing, courteous and friendly. We would highly recommend Porini Camps and would return in the blink of an eye - and will definitely return in the future.

Gamewatchers Safaris

We just got back from our trip to Africa arranged by Rick McIntyre at Gamewatchers Safaris.
We had a fabulous time every step of the way. Here are our comments for various aspects of the trip.

PLANNING
From our very first call to Gamewatchers Safaris, we knew we were in good hands. Our contact, Rick McIntyre, was helpful and informative every step of the way. His response time was amazing. Most of the time, he answered our actual calls. I don’t think we ever waited more than an hour for a response when he did not pick up immediately. His email responses were also very quick. He was always patient answering our questions—and we had a LOT of questions.

CAMPS
We stayed at two Porini Camps—Porini Rhino Camp in the Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy and Porini Mara Camp in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy. We cannot recommend these enough. Being in the conservancies rather than in the National Parks made a world of difference when it came to crowds (we had none).
We loved the Rhino Camp. The diversity of animals was amazing. There is a hold there (a blind) by a watering hole. We saw an abundance of animals without even leaving camp.
The Mara Camp had monkeys, deer and mongoose in the camp grounds.
Our accommodations at both camps were very comfortable and spacious. Each had 2 beds, a large bath and a deck.
The bucket showers were no problem at all and they supplied more than enough hot water for 2 showers. There is running water in the sink but only cold. The camps provide warm water (for washing faces) in the morning along with your choice of morning beverages and some cookies or biscuits. A very nice touch.
One of my favorite things was the hot water bottles in our bed each night!
The food was varied and very good. Often an African specialty was included. It was interesting to try so many new foods.
The bush breakfasts and the sundowners were fun as well.
We added a gorilla trek in Uganda to our trip which we highly recommend! Our hotel, The Mahogany Springs Lodge, and grounds were beautiful.

DRIVERS, SPOTTERS and STAFF
We spent a half day in Niarobi with our driver, Sammy. He was friendly, smart and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed his company.
The staff at both camps were polite and friendly.
Between the two camps, we had 3 different sets of spotters and drivers for our safaris. In each case they were so full of incredible knowledge about each animal and their behavior and habitats. All of our spotters and drivers were fun and friendly and so happy to share everything they knew. We learned so much and enjoyed our drives even before we saw any animals! They also knew what animals we were most interested in seeing (for us, Big Cats) and did their best to find them.
Shout outs to (sorry for any misspellings):
Sammy, our driver in Niarobi
DiGi—the camp director at Rhino Camp. He was on top of every detail. Funny and personable as well.
David and Backson—our driver and spotter team in Rhino Camp
Wilson and Dixon—our main team in Mara Camp
Stanley and Winston—we had one drive with this team in Mara Camp
Ivan—our driver in Uganda
They ALL helped make the experience outstanding!!

TRANSPORTATION
The safari transportation was in open sided vehicles that held 8 people (including driver and guide) so everyone had a “window” seat. The rides are bumpy, but the payoff far outweighs any mild discomfort along the way. Our step trackers logged 24000 steps a day when we probably only walked 2400. Our only complaint is that there were few or no working seatbelts in any of our vehicles.
The game drives were quite chilly early in the morning and late in the evening. Heavy ponchos were provided—and were greatly appreciated.
Transportation between camps was easy. The teams at the camp made sure everything went smoothly.
We added a gorilla trek in Uganda to our safari (also amazing!!). The transportation to and from Uganda and Kenya (2 flights and a car ride each way) was a little complicated but there was help when we needed it.

ANIMALS
Well, we wanted to see BIG Cats and our trip did not disappoint! Not only did we see an abundance of lions, but we had 2 sightings of cheetahs and even one siting of a leopard.
There were giraffes and elephants and all types of antelope, (and, yes, we learned the differences!), hyenas (we saw a rare striped hyena) and warthogs, hippos and rhinos (we learned the differences between the black and white rhinos—and how their names came about), wildebeests and jackals. And that is just the highlights!

We highly recommend Gamewatchers for your safari!

Everything went off flawlessly. We were picked up and delivered where we needed to go when we needed to be there. The staff was wonderful, helpful, friendly and so knowledgable. We had excellent meals, comfortable accomodations and the most amazing gamewatching experiences. We are already planning our return trip and it will definitely be with this company.

Visiting the Porini Camps is a way to immerse yourself fully in the animals habitat and behavior as well as immerse yourself in the Masaii culture and relationship with the wildlife. It is the right way to visit Africa for a photo or viewing safari. Hospitality is wonderful, The food is great, and the accomodations are surprisingly comfortable. Planning was easy! You will enjoy your trip.

Gamewatchers did everything possible to make our trip all we had hoped it would be. When our luggage was lost they advised us to continue as planned which they made possible. When the luggage was found Gamewatchers picked it up at the airport and then drove a long distance to get it to us as we were already at the first bush camp. They really did everything to make sure we had a great experience throughout the trip. Time in each camp was great - meals, hot showers, With the lost luggage the manager at Rhino Camp loaned us a warm coat to use until the luggage caught up with us. Drivers and Game Spotters at each camp made sure they knew what we wanted to see. Finding all is, of course, somewhat a matter of luck in some cases but we did see elephants, Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, lions, and, most difficult to find, a leopard. We also were able to see some wildlife we hadn't expected - an eagle-owl, two lions sleeping high up in a tree (not so normal for lions), other birds,and of course gazelles, antelope, hippos - all the things you would hope to see on a trip to Africa and more. We do ont hesitate in recommending Gamewatchers.

The wildlife viewing was extraordinary. I still can't believe the access we had to the animals in their habitat. The guides were so knowledgeable. It was incredible to witness their understanding of the animals and their behavior. The food and service at the camps exceeded any expectations we had and the overall hospitality and expertise of the GameWaters team service blew us away.

My wife and I just returned from 9 days and 8 wonderful nights with Gamewatchers in two of their Porini camps. We had a camera malfunction on day 2 of a 21 day Africa trip, which would have been a disaster not to have good photos. I asked Victor at the Ambosili camp for help. He and the staff in Nairobi purchased a Nikon digital camera at my request, put it on a flight from Wilson airport in Nairobi to an airstrip in the bush where one of their guides picked it up and delivered to us out on a game drive. While their camps, guides, and camp workers are all excellent, pulling off a complex activity to bail us out of a difficult situation was amazing. Their staff saved our trip and will definitely be our choice on next Kenya adventure.

Gamewatchers arranged 2 weeks of safari camps and transits for us covering Kenya and Botswana. We have traveled many places but this trip was the best of our lifetime. Gamewatchers took care of all the logistics. Favorite places were the Ilkeliani Camp which took us into the Masai Mara reserve - incredibly abundant and diverse wildlife just minutes from camp, great Masai guides who answered all our questions. Porini Lion Camp at a nearby Conservancy was also excellent, guides had an intimate knowledge of where individual big cats could be found and their behavior. Okavango Delta very different but beautiful also. Tents and food were great in all places Gamewatchers arranged.