NL
Romantic trip
Our safari with Epic Tours was for us a Lifetime experience. It was our honeymoon and Epic Tours made it really "EPIC". We travelled through Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. We really enjoyed observing a lot of animals (the lions were great!) and especially Ngorongoro Crater was one of our highlights. We had our lunch in the parks and everything was perfectly arranged and very delicious. As experienced safari-travellers we were amazed that not only Tanzania is such a beautiful country, but also that the service offered by Epic Tours was from the first contact to the last day of our stay welcoming, friendly and professional. Thanks again for this great time!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall Good Budget Safari Expierence
We booked our very short budget safari with Shika and they offer a great price / value proposition. We hit a few organizational snags while we there, which were all solved adequately and can only be partly attributed to Shika. We had a whole Land Cruiser to ourselves (awesome) and Sam was a good/safe driver and did a great job with the limited time we had.
Overall we had a good time and were satisfied with booking and the experience.
Tip for other travelers: plan in three full days, we attempted to do it in two (half manyara, full ngorongoro crater, half tarangire) and it was not enough time to fully enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safaris were excellent, especially the guides at the Tremisana Lodge (Tania was the best)..
The Safaris and the guides were excellent. A comment has to be made about the accomodation standards. The chalets in the Tremisane lodge are in urgent need for renovation. We stayed in chalet no. 1. We were not looking for luxury but it was very basic and very small for two persons...the aircondition worked for only one night and that was it so we had to use the ceiling fun. Very hot at nights so sleeping in the chalet was uncomfortable. The bathroom tabs did not run well and all in all the bathroom itself was not of good standard..Dinner was traditional and good, breakfast was average.. The swimming pool is not usable, full of insects and the water was dirty.. One last point.. could not understand why we had to pay an additional 25 rand fee to enter the Balula gate.. already paid over 16,300 rand..These comments are for you to improve your standards...
BO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Massai Mara tour
John was very helpful and more than open to any questions regarding the tour. He also helped us purchase stuff since our bags did not arrive at the airport, The downside of our tour was that our car was completely full, while others seemed to be in a more comfortable position for watching the animals and take photos. This also proves that many people choose for ACZ too! Also, we went for the option of staying at a Masai village for a night, but it had an additional cost of $60 for two persons; this seems a bit steep for what you are getting in return. Sure it is interesting learning from these people and experiencing this way of life briefly.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experiences
When I made an inquery, I Always got a reply fast. Everything was arranged very well, drivers were in time every time, the excursions were great. By arriving we decided to do an extra activity what was arranged immediatly and also fitted in our program. There were 2 things I would give to the organisation. The first is that we, by arriving at the Livingstone room, were confronted that there was a dress code of which we didn't knew. That caused a awkward moment. I would suggest to mention this carefully to people who book this. We never take more than casual clothes with us on vacation. Second thing was that during the best game drive we had (the one one the Chobe River, what a great guide) was that the lunch was in an beautiful restaurant with great view, only the lunch itself was the worst we had during our whole stay. Just 2 small things, but just the difference between good and excellent.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Some additions to my earlier review
In my earlier review I forgot to mention our early morning bush walk guide Rex.. He was absolutely great.. Experienced, knowledgable and full of fun to be with...another point though my typing mistake...it was 250 rand extra and not 25 for the entry fee in the Balule gate...
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Yunzhong
A great place to photography African fish eagles.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent and knowledgeable guides enabled perfect viewing of the Big 5
Communication and service were great, and overall enjoyed our experience. Ultimately everyone's goal is to see the big 5, and we saw them all and more thanks to the determination and expertise of our guides. They understood the tricks and necessities to navigate the park at the right time as well as the right places to see the different wildlife, while avoiding super crowded areas. Certain services, such as walk-about and night drive, are not allowed by private guides within Kruger - but Ryan arranged these tours on our behalf with the in-house park rangers.
Accommodations were exactly as expected - however, we were completely blow away and happily surprised by the additional hospitality when our guides prepared our meals the entire time we were in the park.
The overall logistics were convenient and helpful. They picked us up in Jo-burg, transporting us all the way to Kruger National Park. The drive and scenery and additional information along the journey were wonderful. They also drove us back to Jo-burg and dropped us off at the airport with plenty of time to catch our flight.
One downside was being in an enclosed vehicle the whole time, rather than the perceived experience of "open vehicle safari"; however, the enclosed vehicle enabled them to provide the Jo-Burg pick up and drop off, so that was a trade-off we proactively chose. Ultimately, the enclosed vehicle did not prohibit our views nor the overall experience of the safari.
We were very happy with our experience and would recommend to others looking for a great safari experience within the national park.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best valentine experience
My fiancé and I had a memorable getaway to Zanzibar coutersy of Helinas safaris. They arranged all the ground work and hotel options. They provided us with a tour to stone town and the rest of Zanzibar Island, the scenery was magnificent and a must see for everyone. It truly was the best trip ever.
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).