QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari Experience1
"Steve Biko did an outstanding job Overall an excellent trip, well carried out. Outstanding services the driver guides in Kenya and overland from Isbania to Serengeti and Ngorongoro made a great impression. Both (Simon and Waziri) were standouts. The transfer reps all did an excellent job particularly since, we arrived on the late night Turkish airlines flight at 2am.
. All accommodations except for Arusha were excellent. Memories of the Swahili culture ranks first but a close second in our minds will be the choice of camps and lodges. The Ol Joto house in Naivasha offers a peaceful and intimate refuge from the bustle of Nairobi city.
In Maasai mara our reaction to the Bateleur Camp upgraded from Kichwa Tembo was that it was the best Luxury tented accommodation ever. Little did we realize each subsequent camp in Serengeti(Mbalageti), Ngorongoro(Tloma lodge), Lake Manyara and Tarangire (Roika) would top that, except for the last in Arusha. We were there at an important moment in Tanzania’s development during election time and the various viewpoints in different towns reflects the promise and challenges facing the country. Some thought the shock of health care systems could be better absorbed later in the itinerary, however, the geography preempts that alternative. Always room for improvement so we would offer the following Biggest disappointment was the Ol Duvai gorge nothing really much to see here. Not all of the guides were understandable. They all seemed intelligent and knowledgeable but were lacking in delivery of a dialogue. Some speak in a droning monologue that is difficult to follow and includes blinding detail that is soon forgotten. Two glitches that were remedied: The Safari van in Kenya had an impossible seating arrangement but that was corrected overnight to our complete satisfaction.
The New Arusha hotel rooms were initially a problem. One room was lovely but the other two were substandard, although the hotel said they were in the same class. Basically, the better room had the bathroom and closet along the full wall while the substandard alternative used only half the wall resulting in a minute closet, no shower, a single sink and no window. They initially stated that there was nothing better but within an hour the duty manager had found two adjacent rooms on another floor that had the double sinks, separate claw bath and shower overlooking the city as well as better closet space. They graciously moved us while we were at dinner on the rooftop. Finally there is always the gouging at shops where the guides get a commission. At a couple of stops this seemed egregious but we are all seasoned travelers and work around that annoyance. Some of the others may wish to add to these comments but those are my thoughts. Good memories, thanks" I will certainly recommend this company.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tony's best Safari Guide
We have been with Tony during 11 days in November, We have been through Kwai,Moremi, Savute, & Chobe.
It was my 4th Safari & The oragnisation was perfect, Good Camping Condition, Good lodges, and An Awsome Guide !!!! Tony is the best guide that I have ever had, He know the bush like nobody, his track of the wildcats is awsome, we have seen all of them, Lepards, Lions, & Cheetahs !!!!! His Safari is a Mut do !!! I will be back with him in May 2016 for another awsome trip .
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good local guide for Kenya, but choose someone else for Tanzania
Ok firstly lets get this clear first. These guys are a local Kenyan tour company, and not a UK or US based one. As such you need to accept some "Hakuna Matata" moments in exchange for a much lower cost. If you aren't willing to accept some inconveniences, then pay the extra money and go to a Western company.
Now I've gotten that clear, Right Choice are a good, respectable, honest and reliable local Kenyan tour operator. Charles (Opany), our guide, was amazing. Eagle eyed, knowledgable, and best of all just a good guy whom you can get along with. We had a great time and got some lovely viewing and photo opportunities. Also the places you go are really good for the money you pay. Ok you won't be staying Right Inside all of the big game parks, but you tend to be paying less than other company quotes for a lot of the same lodges/camps. They are seemed very flexible to cater to your wishes/budget which was great.
During our Kenya tour, they initially got the itinerary slightly wrong but George was more then happy to make sure it was amended to an agreed itinerary, with some alterations that actually suited the conditions for better viewing than we had originally planned. Word of advice to avoid any mistakes, make sure you have a typed itinerary that you circulate with ALL your correspondences, and make sure George agrees on this one. That should solve things. Also be aware that George is more then happy to tailor an itinerary to suit you, so don't be afraid to request specific changes after doing some google mapping, trip advising, and review trawling.
Now we did a Kenya/Tanzania trip with Right Choice. What I didn't realise is Right Choice don't have a license to operate in Tanzania, so they outsource to Kili Slopes safari company for Tanzania. These guys were ok, the accomodation was on par with Kenya but our tour guide, although lovely and found us some more great photo and viewing opportunities, was less outgoing/engaging than Charles and as such was a bit disappointing in comparison.
Overall I would recommend Right Choice safari's (in particular for Kenya).
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Prompt Great Service
Clare helped us organize our Easter safari to Ol Pejeta and was prompt with feedback. We couldn't have asked for more. Our driver/guide was courteous and very knowledgeable. Definitely booking the next trip with Kiboko.
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All the best
Kenya was a very friendly country. I never felt in danger, and everyone was always happy to help you out. We camped at numerous locations throughout the country and never had an issue. Beautiful scenery and wonderful people! and so many elephants!!
US
Perfect trip !
Fantastic wildlife, great landscapes , everything you can want from a safari !
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari, Superior Staff and Coordinators
We did a long safari (5 days Kenya, 8 days Tanzania, 5 days Zanzibar). We were met at the Nairobi airport and loved our Kenya guide. He really worked hard getting to locations broadcast on the radio with rarer animal sightings. The whole family loved Ken the driver. We knew about Masai Mara and Amboseli but Crescent Island and the walking safari amongst the animals was an unexpected highlight. We transferred to Tanzania midway through the safari which is an awkward border crossing. Our Tanzania driver was very knowledgeable. We had wonderful upscale resorts throughout our stay. It was a mix of luxury tent and gorgeous hotels. My wife developed pneumonia in Kenya that didn't improve with oral antibiotics. Our coordinator Natasha in Tanzania was superb with rearranging our trip so that my wife could get IV antibiotics and we could see game parks closer to Arusha. We still had awesome hotels and I was so impressed with how helpful and caring she was.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Overall--A Few Issues
Positive: Noah works with you to customize and he does it all at a very, very good price. I asked for Luxury hotels/lodges and all were wonderful, including a few we requested specially. Our driver was smart and well-informed and affable. We saw all the same stuff everyone else saw, possibly even a little more as Mike was pretty in the know and has been doing this 10 years.
The initial (and all) Communication with Noah was great--he is very responsive and willing to take a lot of time. The downside was that maybe I didn't ask all the right questions or get across to him that I wanted to spend the least amount of time in the car. As such, our route involved a bit of backtracking and as one is in those cars on bad roads enough as it is, the backtracking sucks. In the future I would fly to Serengeti and go one way to Arusha (or vice versa) if you have the money, hitting all the parks on the way. Also, spend 2 nights at each hotel if you can afford it. Hotels are nice with good food and it makes the trip less rushed and more relaxing--just my preference.
A few Downsides: The vehicle is old and sort of a POS. When it rained, our stuff got soaked--even in the suitcases. And when it rained or was cold, since neither the air or blower or wipers worked, it was sort of a disaster. As it is an old model, the windows are shorter so it is tougher to see out comfortably. I think it may be time for a vehicle upgrade and I would pay more for a company with a better vehicle and one cleaned a little more often.
Driver/guide Downside: Again, Mike was overall very good, however he talked loudly a lot on his cell phone both during game drives and even in our hotels. Was really, really annoying. I think in the future I would also request a non-smoking guide, but I really liked Mike and probably would go with him again anyway.
Other Downside: They were not waiting to pick us up when we arrived at the airport to start the safari. No big deal, but when I called I felt the reason they gave--too much traffic in Arusha (??)--was not credible. They were 45 mins late and everybody else seemed there on time. Not very apologetic about it either. I think they forgot we were coming on that flight.
But overall, a good experience at a good price and I would recommend Wildebeest (with a few modifications (car and routing) next time).
You spend a whole lot of time in the car on rough roads in these safaris, so I was hoping to minimize that. We ended up doing a lot of backtracking and as I had no idea of the area, I think they could have helped me avoid that. (Tip: Fly to Serengett if you have the $ and then backtrack to Arusha (or vice versa) and fly out from there. The round trip is too much driving.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a fabulous time but communication with the company was a little limited
The safari itself was everything we expected. Our tour guide Kim was awesome and very knowledgeable. The accommodations and food were good also. The tent camps are cool and they have electricity and bathroom and shower in them. I never received a packet from odyssey and some things aren't very clear. You definitely need to bring your yellow fever vaccination card...Kenya and Tanzania will need to see it but that wasn't on the list of things to bring. Also get your Kenya and Tanzania visas online prior to going so you don't have to carry that cash and wait in longer lines. If you do those things prior to going, things should go smoothly and you will have an amazing time :)
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Thank youfor the once in a lifetime experience visiting the gorillas and the excellent tour guiding
Arranging a tour through the internet is always a bit risky so I was more than pleasantly surprised by the excellent and dependable service with Rwanda Eco Company and Safaria. We were picked up from our hotel, and escorted on our organized and very exciting trip that had been personally set up to meet our needs and interests. Thankyou for an amazing experience!