Pollman’s Tours and Safaris

Pollman's Tours and Safaris is one of the longest-established names in Kenyan tourism. The company was founded in the 1950s by Karl Pollman and has grown from a small operation into a large Nairobi-based tour company with a fleet of more than 200 late-model vehicles, including 4x4 safari vehicles and touring coaches adapted to Kenyan roads. In 2025 Kenya's competition regulator approved its acquisition by Africa Travel Investments, a group backed by investors including Aliko Dangote and David Rubenstein.

The company offers two main ways to travel. Scheduled safaris follow set itineraries on fixed dates, with programmes such as Scenic Kenya, Kenya Classic and Mombasa Rendezvous, which suit travellers who want a well-tested route and the chance to share a vehicle with others. Tailor-made trips can be built around your own dates and interests, combining fly-in safaris, road safaris and beach extensions on the coast. Trips are also offered in Uganda and Rwanda, and a sister company, Ranger Safaris, covers Tanzania.

Pollman's has collected a long list of industry awards, including repeated World Travel Awards titles as Kenya's leading tour operator and Africa's leading tour operator, and the company says it won both again in 2026. For first-time visitors to East Africa, the main advantage of a large operator is reliability: an established fleet, experienced driver-guides and back-up if something goes wrong on the road.

It suits first-time safari travellers, families, groups and anyone who wants a straightforward, well-organised trip from Nairobi to parks such as the Maasai Mara, Amboseli or Lake Nakuru. Independent travellers who prefer smaller, more personal operations may find a boutique company a better fit, but Pollman's scheduled departures are often a practical way to keep costs down.

When booking, ask exactly what is included, such as park fees, meals, drinking water and airport transfers, and whether your vehicle has a pop-up roof for game viewing. Check how many passengers share each vehicle on scheduled departures, and confirm luggage limits if your itinerary includes light-aircraft flights, which usually have strict weight allowances. Enquiries can be made through the website's call-back form or by email, and it is worth asking how the itinerary handles your first and last nights in Nairobi.