SI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very unprofessional and disruptive to mix different budgets (accommodations) in the same tour
So the feelings are mixed.
We did a 4 day safari with them, including Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire.
The driver David was very good and knowledgeable and we are really happy about him, his skills and the professionalism from his side. 10/10 for the driver himself.
Food was good (our chef was Richard). First night in a lodge was nice. Second night in Serengeti camp wasn't the best (facilities were super dirty and shower was only cold, but maybe also rain had something to do with it), but Ngorongoro camp was just lovely.
However, there were lot's of organizational issues that did significantly bother us.
What they did is they put 7 people from different companies and with different accomodations in the same vehicle - meaning that everytime everyone had to be delivered and picked up at a different location (sometimes literally 1 hour apart), so we lost a lot of time every single evening and then morning for pickups (things also didn't go so smooth... Read more with packing up) - very sadly on the account of our precious time for game drives (keep in mind that the best time to see animals is as early in the morning as possible). The 7th person was put in the last minute and so there wasn't any space left for our cook, which made it very inconvenient form him and us trying to find ways to get him to our destinations.
The driver wasn't really aware about plans of different people in our vehicle after the end of this trip - like that half of the group was supposed to continue the tour and that the rest were to go to the airport, and this wasn't communicated and caused some confusion, we also were not really sure about our luggage pickup (we were told to pack light and so we left half of the luggage at our hotel, to be delivered to the airport pickup on the last day).
So as said, the lack of organization did really bother us and we're not happy about this.
We've done many safaris elsewhere and nowhere in the world did "a sharing safari" mean different accomodations (but instead just a mixed random group of people, enjoying the same standard of the trip). I don't know how it seems to be the norm in Tanzania, as if everyone is doing it - we were joined by people from agencies like Serengeti African Tours and another company and they all said that they just share clients all the time.
Now I don't wanna be that "nothing was ok" person, but I just have to mention this -
we ran out of soda and wine on the second day (how can you promise wine, beer and soda with our meals and then provide only 1 bottle of wine for 7 people for 4 days?
The animals and the guide shed a nice light on the whole experience, but I have to say that organization-wise, this was by far the worst experience we've had in any safari. So my advice here seems to be - just take the cheapest tour as it obviously makes zero sense to pay more for a "preferably better company", or maybe make sure that people in your group will have the same standard or accommodations, to make things go smoothly.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Subpar. It would have been great to see the Falls
It was fun. Try to visit when the Falls aren’t dry
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly but wish the company was more proactive in communicating with the tour group
Philip from African Wildlife plains was friendly and chose amazing accommodation regarding our safari experience -we stayed at a beautiful place called Kapama Lodge, myself and the group certainly felt that this was a highlight of the trip. However, I do think overall he could have been more proactive in his communication with us, often we were contacting him to find out logistics of the trip. For example, we were asking for our flight details and this would often only be sent on the day or evening before our flight (very anxiety provoking and although he might of been wanting us to trust that he would handle it) as a group we felt that if he has sent this to us in good time, we would be less anxious overall of how were were transferring on each leg of the journey. As a psychologist, I really feel that more open and transparent communication and information not less is always best for people.
A further example, on our second leg of our holiday to Victoria Falls, it would have... Read more been helpful to stress that international tourists required a multi entry visa to cross the boarder from Zimbabwe to Zambia (we were staying in Zambia) but we were flying out back on the Zimbabwe side and would need to cross the boarder and pay again at the end of this leg to do so. In addition, since it was low season at the falls, on the Zambia side (which we were staying on) we would not see much of the falls. The group wanted to to go over the Zimbabwe side to see this extraordinary world wonder (it truly is) and so bought a multi entry visa at this point, had he just clarified this upfront and the costs for this (some of our group didn't have the cash on hand), it would have made things much easier for us to navigate. Secondly, we were looking forward to engaging with him at the end of this leg before we traveled to Stellenbosch and he did not meet us for a meet and greet even though it was indicated that he would do this as well as I was told the night before traveling back to Cape Town that they were not going to transfer us to our accommodation even though its was indicated as such. Overall I think better organization in terms of communicating proactively with the group, sending all relevant documentation well in advance to everyone and updating information in good time when plans change would have helped us a great deal. If you want to go on an excellent safari experience, this group is great just ensure that you have all the information before hand, ask for updated itineraries and tickets before you leave to ensure you have not missed something.
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guide is very enthusiastic and the service is very professional
5 days of Safari, actually only 2 game rides, this is mainly because I didn't do my homework in advance
It includes a half-day visit to the Maasai village, which is a very bad experience. You are always asked to buy things or donate. If you don't do it, you will be threatened (I was the only one at the time, so it was really uncomfortable)
Compared to Lake Naivasha, it is more recommended to visit Lake Nakuru. In Naivasha, I clearly said that I wanted to go to Crescent Island, but it cost 50 dollars at the last minute, and I went to another place (later found out that it was actually free), which was quite speechless
Finally, if the locals find out that you are Chinese, they will always follow you to buy things, which is also a bit uncomfortable (if you say you are Japanese, or see other white people, this will not happen)
But the guide is still very professional throughout the journey, and the arrangements for each destination are also very thoughtful. It is also a memorable experience.
(automatic translation from Chinese)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good safari, but poor camping equipment and forced to leave 5 star review
Good safari, knowledgeable guides. Overall decent experience. 3 different parks, 3 nights in tents and 4 days of safari.
But - camping and sleeping gear was old and smelt mouldy. It was not hygienic.
Also at the end of the trip we were left with sour taste in our mouths as the company essentially held us in a location until we submitted a 5 star review.
So please take any 5 star reviews with a grain of salt.
It’s a good safari for the cost, but be prepared for some mouldy camping gear
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
plz do homework, get well prepared
Good, people are nice
But it would be better to get more prepared,see more reviews and ask someone profesional before you choose the safari company
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Be careful!!!
Overall the safari was an amazing experience. Our driver Tony was always punctual and went out of his way to ensure we saw plenty of animals and always from the best vantage points.
However, we specifically booked this tour to stay on the game reserves, but at the last minute, the accommodation was changed to a substandard hotel in town. We spoke with the office about this and the woman there wouldn’t help and was extremely rude, yelling that we should read the small print. There were also issues with the final payment , and despite sending proof the payment had been made, the same woman again yelled down the phone demanding to be paid again and threatened us with the police. Not a pleasant experience.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
All good except Zanzibar
We did the 14 day safari, 3 camps in Kenya and 3 in Tanzania, finishing with 3 nights in Zanzibar. The accommodations were superb as were the jeeps. The Kenyan guides were great and made sure that we had opportunities to see all of the animals. The Tanzanian guides were very kind and did their best for us but unfortunately their English wasn’t great. This meant that our opportunities to ask questions and learn were limited.
Unfortunately things fell apart in Zanzibar. When we arrived at the resort we found that Right Choice had not paid for the accommodations. The resort obviously wanted to be paid so was unwilling to provide rooms until payment was made. That meant that one of our party had to provide a guarantee for payment while “negotiations” ensued with George for payment. Many promises and excuses were provided until finally payment came through some days after we’d checked out. Ultimately no one in our group was out any money but this left a sour taste. I would suggest... Read more that there’s a good chance that Right Choice is suffering from financial difficulties. With all the safari choices out there, it might be wise to go with someone else.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Efficient
Agent was efficient, pricing was fair. However, subcontracted driver was not well qualified in offroad driving nor safari guiding.
NZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Much room for improvement
Hi,
I did a group tour with Jocky Tours and Safaris: 7 Days Masai mara/Nakuru/Naivasha/Amboseli. This was my first ever safari, and I followed this with another safari in Tanzania and a Mt Kenya hike with a third company. This safari I rated 3/5 stars, the Tanzania safari 2/5 stars and the Mt Kenya hike 5/5 stars, and I’ll tell you why. Firstly the pickup was 40 minutes late and the excuse was an obvious lie - said to be a car crash but there were alternative routes and the route that was said to have had a car crash had no signs of one (we went this way after he picked me up). This wasted time and waiting around unfortunately was the main theme for this safari - very frustrating. Other team members were often staying at different accommodation and we spent much time just driving between accommodation on dreadful “roads” that had been washed out by recent flooding but also waiting on others to join the vehicle over and over! For example, waiting for nearly an hour outside the Masai... Read more Mara gate for one person to join the rest of us. This person was also waiting at his accommodation (under instruction) while we were all waiting for him! Such stupidity of logistics that could so easily be avoided. And we could have driven into the park and looked at the wildlife while we waited for him there and he could have joined us by getting a lift in another company vehicle but no! What really grinded my gears is that the best times of the day for viewing wildlife in action, and in the best light for just viewing and for photography are early in the day and late in the day, and these times and opportunities were repeatedly wasted. I thought perhaps this company was just a bad egg, but the safari in Tanzania was worse - mainly because of the guide who talked bullshit answers when he didn’t know the answers - I happen to be an ecologist who has worked in multiple countries so I often knew more than he did and when he didn’t know what he was talking about. The guide on Mt Kenya said he didn’t know the answers to my questions sometimes and I respected this honesty. Big cats were the priority by far but some people really want to see other wildlife too like elephants, giraffes and birds. We spent a lot of time driving past magnificent wildlife just to watch lions sleeping. My recommendations to Meru Slopes unless you want people to choose other companies like I wish I had: don’t waste peoples time and take advantage of being on safari during the early hours from dawn and then again in the last few hours of daylight. The middle of the day is terrible for wildlife action and photography. Ask people what animals they want to see rather than assuming lions are #1 for everyone. Choose guides that are local (driving a 4WD isn’t that hard, and the Masai people should be employed as the Masai Mara was their land) and perhaps also with relevant degrees in ecology for example - although the local Masai already have a culture of knowledge regarding the wildlife there. This tour has such potential and variety. Until these changes are made I recommend trying a different company or paying more for a private safari.
Cheers,
Grant