US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Trip!
We booked the first part of our S. Africa trip through Safari Occasions and had an amazing time!! I worked closely with Leon prior to the trip, and was nervous to use a newer company without many reviews. However, Leon was extremely professional the entire time, and I'm very glad I was not scared off. He made our trip a wonderful experience. During the booking process, he really catered our trip to our family. We were travelling with our little one (4 yrs) and he helped us select a very family-friendly lodge that allowed my son to go on all of the game drives. He noticed during the booking that it was going to be my husband's birthday (without me saying anything) and recommended a special activity that day to celebrate. And he worked with me to find a local tour and then worked with the vendor to make modifications after I told him what I was looking for. Once we arrived, Leon's entire family drove quite a ways to meet and greet us at the airport, making the arrival process very easy and special. The lodge he recommended (Kololo) was fantastic. We all enjoyed the game drives and only wish we could have stayed longer. We frequently saw wildebeests and warthogs from our lodge steps, and Kololo backs right up to Welgevodgen Park and is separated by a see-through fence, so you have a clear view of the wildlife. The restaurant was great (I recommend trying the wildebeest!) and we especially enjoyed the breakfast each morning. The lodge was spacious and just what I had hoped for. There was a small change in our plans (the hotel did not show one of the activities that we were supposed to be scheduled for), and although we were disappointed at the time, Leon worked with the hotel to find a suitable alternate. Overall, a very nice experience and I would recommend Safari Occasions and Leon to anyone looking to have a low-stress, worry-free vacation.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari, great communication, great people, amazing animals!
I have been to Africa a number of times and have gone with a few different outfitters, but right away E-Trip stood out to me. Their communication from the beginning was far superior to other companies who didn't really seem to listen to our wishlist, but Aurelie and Ben totally got it. I imagine I was annoying with numerous emails going back and forth, but they did an incredible job and putting something together. Once in Kenya, our guide Simon was fantastic. As a guide myself, I couldn't believe how well he could spot and track animals. All the lodges we stayed at were brilliant and the wildlife viewing across Amboseli, Navaisha, and the Mara was out of this world. We saw so much and got plenty of great photos and videos to bring home. One of the greatest things about Simon is he knew when we wanted to stop or move on without even asking us. He was very in-tune with what we were doing and was so relaxed about our safari schedule. Overall it was a great trip and I will absolutely use E-Trip again when we visit East Africa. A big thank you again to Ben, Aurelie, and Simon for helping put it all together!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience at Mt. Kenya
I hiked Sirimon route up and Chogoria route down on Mt Kenya with Mr. Wilson in February 2019. The experience and the service was really good in every way. The lodges where we stayed overnight were really nice, and the food provided during the tour was extremely good. A lot of food (way more than we could eat), well prepared and good tasting.
Mr. Wilson did a great job as a mountain guide and made sure that we managed to reach Point Lenana. So if you´re looking to climb Mt. Kenya, I can highly recommend this company.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Weekendtrip in Murchison Falls
We went on a safari with Ronald to Murchison Falls for one weekend. Before the trip Ronald was great at keeping contact and answering questions. We were seven girls and we couldn’t be happier with our trip. Ronald did everything he could to make us satisfied. He kept in contact with other guides so that we were able to see as much as possible including, the big five. Ronald is a very kind and funny guide and through the weekend we developed a friendship. You can certainly say that he was the perfect guide. We highly recommend him to everyone thats planning a safari in East Africa. Love from Norway.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a very impressive and special tour.
I have been with Najib in Virunga National Park to see the Mountain Gorilla's there. It was an incredible experience and Najib is a very kindful and open person. Next day I decided to climb the three peeks of Mount Sabinyo and Najib accompanied me again. That was a great feeling and I enjoyed it that I could do it with such a good guide!
HK
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic service
Everything was tailored to my needs and preferences. Alice was prompt and always ready to accommodate my wishes and budget. I couldn't ask for better and wouldn't use anyone else.
HU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great service with a kind and knowledgeable guide.
Prebooking was great, immediate response and every question was acknowledged and answered professionally.
Our guide, Ambrose was welcoming, kind, attentive and entertaining.
The staff at the lodge was very caring
Altogether it was an amazing experience I would very much recommend the company.
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Right Choice was the Perfect Choice for us time strapped travellers - only 2 days to see Maasi Mara
My work colleague and I were hesitant that with only two days available that our Maasi Mara tour would be a compromise.
However, Right Choice assured us via email that they could provide a tailored safari to ensure that we got the most out of it.
We were working in Kisumu, Kenya for a few days up until Thursday evening so we wanted to see Maasi Mara on the Friday and Saturday before our return flight home to Europe on the Saturday evening. We were on a very tight schedule. I looked at options for driving to Narok and joining a tour, and other ways of going direct from Kisumu. But in the end, it made more sense to just fly back to Nairobi on Thursday night, and start out early on Friday morning.
Right Choice picked us up from arrivals at Nairobi Airport on Thursday night. It was great to have this personnel guide (Jacob, I think) and he brought us direct to the hotel that I had selected - which was cheap @ $30 p/n pp. The rooms in The Decasa Hotel are very basic. You can sit on the loo while you shower - or vice versa! The bedroom was barely big enough for the single bed, wardrobe, desk and chair. The door couldn't open fully. You get the idea. Small cramped - but clean and cheap. This was fine for two guys and the 7 hours we would be there. They have an onsite restaurant so we ate there and didn't venture out into Nairobi as it was after 10pm.
(I would not recommend Decasa Hotel for families...Best Western @ $80 pp would be a better choice for comfort).
Next morning our Right Choice Guide (Lowie) arrived to the hotel in a seven-seater 4x4 Jeep at 5:30am, as per our request for an early departure from Nairobi . In fairness to Hotel Decasa, they especially prepared two take-away breakfasts for us as breakfast wasn't being served until 06:30am.
Getting out of Nairobi this early meant that we reached the Maasi Mara Ololaimutiek Gate by 11:00am, having taken time to stop for coffee and another breakfast en-route at Narok. The route from Narok to Maasi Mara Ololaimutiek Gate has been documented elsewhere as being bumpy, rough and bone-shaking. This is all true. But a spacious 4x4 jeep does make a big difference to the comfort of the journey.
Once through the gates, our first safari adventure game drive began! Within the first 15 minutes, we had seen the following:
Wildebeests (the few that forgot to re-migrate back to Tanzania), Zebras, Thompson Gazelles, Impalas, Water Buffalos and wild boars.
Lowie then drove us down a lesser use track where we spotted a cheetah and her two cubs. As it was close to noon and the sun was beating down, he said not to expect much action from them. Seeing them up close (from our spacious jeep) was wonderful. The cubs drank from nearby puddles on the road, the mother slouched around - ignoring us. And then she ventured off. We drove around to another vantage point, just in time to see her spring into action, sprinting after a young Impala. The chase was on! And then just as quick it was over. For the Impala. A successful kill. Wow!
In the next 2 hours, we saw elephants, lions (up very close) and a brief glimpse of a rhino and her calf. What a first game drive!
We could have finished and gone home very happy after such an eventful and absorbing 3 hour game drive. But it was only lunchtime!
We have selected to stay in the excellent Keekorok Lodge which is within the Maasi Mara Conservation, so we drove on there for a sumptuous lunch. There is nothing basic about the Keekorok. It has all the modern comforts (and service) that you would expect from a 5-star hotel.
We arranged with Lowie to go on another game drive at 4pm, so this gave us a two-hour break to chill-out. Within the grounds of the Keekorok Lodge they have a viewing platform at the end of their garden where you can safely observe Hippos wallowing in the adjacent river. So even when not on a safari drive, the wildlife is there to be observed.
Our evening game drive took us up to the border with Tanzania and then onto the Mara river, the site of the annual Wildebeest migration.
Sheila, a local armed border guard, showed us around the river banks - pointing out the hippos submerged in the river. At this time of evening the alligators were underwater, so we didn't see them. The river was also quite low, and obviously nothing was migrating! That happens July - Sept. On our drive back to the lodge, we saw lots of the same animals again including giraffes. And we caught a beautiful blood-red African sunset at 7pm just before we got home for hot showers, change of clothes and another sumptuous buffet meal (with some brief Maasi Mara entertainment thrown in).
Saturday was a 6am start for an early morning game drive. First Lowie drove us to a spot to spy on a family of hippos meandering around a small waterhole. Then onto a a location to catch the African sunrise silhouetting the Acacia trees. And then cheetahs, lions, elephants, giraffes and zebras - all at close quarters. While the previous day we hadn't seen any other Safari tours at all - it felt like we were the only ones in the Massi Mara - the Saturday morning drive was quite different. There were quite a few minivan safaris at the early morning spots so at times it was a bit of a caravan of vehicles. The vehicles all have CB radio so the guides can notify each other as to what they have spotted and where...
We felt quite privileged in our spacious 4x4, looking at these cramped minivans, each of which had 4 - 6 people in them. On two occasions this particular morning, we had to tow minivans out of the deep mud tracks that they had gotten stuck in. Get a 4x4 jeep would be my advice.
We continued our morning drive away from the caravan of minivans, and ventured out into the plains. A small herd of elephants feeding on shrubs close to the dirt track enthralled us. Just driving through this landscape, standing in the jeep looking out through the pop-up roof and feeling the warm African wind on your face is an experience to cherish and remember.
Back to the lodge for 9am breakfast and then out of the room for 10am departure. We still had another hour of a drive from the Keekorok lodge to get to the Maasi Mara gate for our return to Nairobi, so this felt like yet another game drive. Our excellent guide Lowie had offered us the opportunity to visit the local Maasi Mara tribe/village so we thought, why not. What a great decision this was. As there were just the two of us, the local chief gave us a really personal tour of his village, their culture and customs. He showed us how to make fire. He took us into his family hut to meet his children and wife - amazing. We danced and jumped with them. Well worth experiencing. And then we left for more bumpy driving.
And on our return to Narok, our guide Lowie helped us complete part of our work project (a filming project) - we filmed a short scene in a local bar with a cohort of eager Kenyans. More bumpy driving. Later a brief stop for lunch and the opportunity to purchase souvenirs. More bumpy driving. And then a stop at a high vantage point to view the Rift Valley spread out below and beyond us...
Then on to Nairobi Airport in plenty of time for an evening departure flight to Europe.
So, would I recommend Right Choice Tours and Safaris?
Absolutely, and without any hesitation whatsoever.
Our two day safari filled us with a lifetime of experiences and memories. We felt we had properly experienced the Maasi Mara within the meagre time available to us. And it gave us the incentive to return with our families for a longer trip in the future.
Right Choice Tours and Safaris did everything that they had promised to do.
From the outset, they made it clear that this Safari was for us - and that our enjoyment and satisfaction was their objective.
Our guide at the airport, Jacob was reassuring and friendly.
Our guide for the safari, Lowie was a gentleman, knowledgable, accommodating and very good company too!
On our return back to the airport, the company owner George rang to personally ensure that we had had the experience we signed up for.
So I can 100% vouch for the integrity, professionalism and service that Right Choice Tours and Safaris provided to me and my colleague.
The cost for each of us on this Safari tour was really great value at $ 480.
This included (costs below are per person):
Airport pick-up
1 night Hotel in Nairobi ($30)
Upgrade to 4x4 Jeep ($90)
Breakfast enroute
Maasi Mara Entrance fee ($80)
1 night Keerorok Lodge (sharing room, two single beds - $125)
- including Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Lunch enroute to Nairobi
Airport drop-off
The only additional costs for us were drinks with our meals and the Maasi Mara Village tour ($20 each).
For the level of service, the luxury of the trip (Jeep and Lodge) and the personal attention that we received - this was exceptional value.
I highly recommend this company.
John,
March 2019
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Flawless Experience!!!!
Ubon Safari not only lived up to my expectations, they went over it.
We schedule a trip with Ubon Safari to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, we were a group of 6.
It was a quite complicated schedule because of all the transfers we needed, and it was flawless, everything, but i mean every single detail was taken care of, we went to the best places, and had the best experiences and I have no doubt that it was ll their responsibility.
Further more, all along the way, they were on top of our trip.
I will, with no doubt, travel with them again, and recommended for sure.
RS
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience!
Group of us had two days safari ride in Murchison Falls National park. From it's beginning in Kampala, we had pleasure to be guided by Euro Uganda Safaris, and all of us have just nice words for knowledge, professionalism, but above all, human approach and friendly attitude of their guide, fantastic guy called Victor. Always on our disposal, unobtrusive attitude, polite manners, smiling face. After few hour only, he was one of us, but with good feeling how to react in different situation, ready to explain in more details whatever our question was. We had great safari, we saw all important animals, elephants, giraffes, various antelopes, buffaloes, jackal, baboons, many bird species, and even lions. We all strongly recommend this agency, but don't forget, ask for Victor!