US
Very interesting location - but very crowded with aggressive safari operators
The scenery was awesome - and there were a ton of animals, however after coming from the Tarangire, I was disappointed with a few things. First, there were more people in this small crater floor than there were in the entire Tarangire national park. Second, the safari operators on the floor were very aggressive with the animals. People were driving after lions as they tried to cross a road - blocking them from their prey. At one point a lion tried to move to a watering hole, and cars kept moving in front of her to get pictures until she turned around.
I don't think this is a problem with the crater specifically - just the number of people allowed in at once without any ranger support system to keep them in check leads itself to an environment that is not centered around what is best for the animals.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Warm responsive operator, great on ground experience
We decided to go with Right Choice and we were not disappointed. To start with, during our planning stage, George was most reponsive. He answered each and every query with patience, understanding and reassurance.
I'm glad to say that the trip exceeded our expectations. Jacob, our guide and driver was perfect. He seemed to know the Masai Mara like the palm of his hand. He was most cordial, got us to see all the big 5 and much more. He answered all our questions and quite endeared himself to the group with his sincerity and sense of calm.
George advised and guided us in choosing the right camp and that really helped too. The Camp was nice with clean beds, clean toilets and nice ambience overall.
Just one key area which we found wanting was food: We were accompanied by a cook whose food or services are not much to be talked about. Clearly hygiene was lacking. I came down with a dysentry and so did our guide, on the very 1st day of our trip. Thanks to a Doctor in the nearby village, I was back on track. Meals were rather dull and the cook clearly lacked imagination.
We did give our feedback to George after our trip was over and he was very positive in receiving the feedback. Full points to George and Jacob for a most memorable trip.
I wouldn't mind going again with Right Choice. As George says "you can book with confidence".
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dry and hot, but worth to see. Few animals at this time but nevertheless awesome.
Elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, impalas, okapi, dikdiks, baboons, cheetah, ostrich, different birds... to see!
Hot and dry but great weather. Sentrim Samburu camp very nice (warm welcome, friendly people, nice food and accomodation). Umoja women camp not be recommended (unfriendly people, very basic)
Nice game drives, very nice driver, sunrise...
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trouble free, great accomodation, driver OK
Good communication by operator and efficient good value for money safari. First class accommodation at three national parks but recommend looking for lodge within Masai Mara. Guide was a great driver but nowhere near as communicative on game drives as my other experiences on safari.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Experience
We had the 6 day safari which included masai mara, lake nakuru and amboselli.
First of all David was a very nice person that cared much and answered all our questions. He helped us even during our time that we stayed in Nairobi.
The driver (Jackson) was okay. I think he had good and bad days.. Sometimes he didnt tell us anything about the animals without asking - but when we asked he always had a good answer. Sometimes he was driving to fast in the parks. But all in all he was a nice guy. We were most of the time only 3 people in the bus so that was really nice. We could make stopps and breaks whenever we wanted and had a lot of space in the van.
Also we had some difficulties with the shedule. We left "late" from Nairobi - but i guess thats just Afrika.. You are always late and you always need to wait!
But on the third day our driver changed the shedule without really asking us (he wanted to go to another park where we didnt want to go - of course we would have need to pay more) so we did have some difficulties there but i didnt care much and we only had to wait in the car until the other person was done with a boattour.
But we did see sooooo many animals! We saw almost everything we wanted and didnt expect to see that much. The parks are all diferent and i think a very good mix!
The camps and hotels were really good. Everything was new and the people in the camp were very caring. Food was also good just the lunchpaket was a bit small and always the same. So if you dont like meat (like i do) there was almost nothing. Breakfast and dinner was mostly in buffet so you could take what you want.
I think the price here is reasonable and we are really happy we did it! It was the best time that we had in Afrika because its just an really great experience.
I do think that with another driver it would have been perfect and i would give 5 stars. Our driver was fine but i would have wished that he talkes more (also about his life and the culture etc..)
But all in all i would defenetly do it again!!
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The heart of the Namibian wildlife
The park lies in a large endorheic salt pan, forming part of the Kalahari Basin in the north of Namibia. The park thus has a unique combination of landscapes (spanning from waterholes to stretches of salt) and wildlife, in particular elephants, lions, zebras and birds. The park is very wide, as compared to other parks in countries like Botswana, so, in order to spot wildlife rangers often needs to communicate via radio devices.
The weather in winter (July-August) is relatively dry and days are mostly sunny.
Regarding the accomodations there are a few options just outside of the park, which are comfortable, cosy and often green. Inside the park, lodges put you very close to waterholes, where you can easily watch animals assembling.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about |Ai-|Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park by Andrea Giuseppe Sanfilippo - Photographer
Amazing landscapes. Aside the solitary treks, the place is often visited by crowds of tourists.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by sixthofdecember
I'm basing this on my first visit to Manyara in 2012 because we inexplicably didn't see a single animal this year. The wildlife in Manyara doesn't seem as varied to me as it is in other national parks, but the elephant population is a joy. I also love all the trees, which Lake Manyara NP seems to have more of than any other national park out there. This makes it a lush, green space even during the dry season. It's fairly touristy, but not too much so.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great family hotel
We stayed at Zabezi Sun for 3 nights in September with our 2 children (ages 8 & 10). The accommodation and food selection was great. We ha good help organising a sunset cruise and the boys loved swimming in the pool. We found it a little tiring getting through passport control to visit activities in Victoria Falls. If we came again we would make sure we only had one day in Zimbabwe not over 2 days like we did this time.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Customer service and very professional
We had occasion to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro on August 9th. 2014 and had it not been for this outfitter, we would not have accomplished such a feat. We had started to prepare for the climb about a year befire and spent much time determining which outfitter to use. We were concerned because 4 of the 5 climbers in our group were over 55 and one, who was 67, had a heart condition. Our tour operator had recommended Kilele Savane, but we found scant information on the web about this outfitter. We asked for references, which were supplied, but none responded to our inquiries. We also asked a bunch of questions about equipment, food, conditions etc. and all were answered very professionally. In the end we decided to take the plunge after the tour operator mentioned that the owner of Kilele, Frank Mella, had himself been a guide, climbed the mountain hundreds of times in 20 years and that her own daughter had used this outfit.
It turns out that our fears were unfounded - we could not have asked for a better team. We had 19 porters, a cook, two assistant guides and a head guide - a total of 23 support team members. The guides were incredible with a total of over 500 climbs between them. Without their expertise and patience, we would not have made this grueling ascent or descent.
Other little things made such a difference to our experience. Flight delays and lost luggage were handled with ease. Frank himself provided ground transportation to a late-arriving participant, taking him directly to the gate so he could catch up to the rest. He also provided his own sleeping bag, back pack and poles to one whose luggage did not make it. Then there were the times when Patrick (aka Marathon Man) brought us tea one hour before we reached each camp just to lift our sagging spirits. Last, but not least, were the delicious meals and snacks provided by out Masai cook Samson and served by the ever-considerate Ezron. What a team!
I would not hesitate to recommend Kilele Savane and the three guides that made all the difference - John Lyimo , Nyanda Benedicto and Ruta. Their strength, sensitivity and knowledge were astounding.