Reservations staff
Right Choice Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, KATO & KWS
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $2,255 to $5,984 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Carl | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bait-and-switch on lodging, haggling and hassle once arrived
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this operator. We were sold a package promising accommodation at Azure Mara Haven or comparable. What we got was Jambo Mara Safari Lodge - no WiFi, no pool, no spa, currently under construction and it books at about half the price of Azure. When I voiced my dissatisfaction, I was told that no bookings were available at the former, which a quick Internet search proved to be false. Owner George Oketch reimbursed me less than half of the difference between the room prices, which recovered one star. The other star is for his driver, Martin, who did a great job navigating the Mara and showed himself a kind and generous man with the Maasai who live there.
I learned a lot in this process. I should have stuck to my guns in holding back 10% until the end of the tour (he insisted on full payment in advance...before notifying me of the change in lodging). I should have read more reviews and done a FakeSpot review (using the TripAdvisor reviews they received a "D", https://www.fakespot.com/trip-business/right-choice-tours-safaris). I'll be more careful next time.
Tanzania safari good, but...
I booked a 4 days safari in Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro with Right Choice.
On the day of the departure, I discovered:
1 The tour was to Tarangire and not Lake Manyara.
2 I had to travel with "Meru Slopes" and not with Right Choice.
3 The other travellers of my safari booked directly with Meru Slopes and had free pick up at the airport, hotel included...
So, if you travel in Tanzania, book with Meru Slopes directly!
CA
Email Anna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Right Choice? Not really
TLDR:
-1 star for lack of transparency and poor communication
-1 star for 5 nights of downgraded lodgings but only 3 nights of upgrades later in the trip. Would have rather had 5 nights of better comfort.
We booked a 15 day safari trip in Kenya and Tanzania through Right Choice. Initially, George was very responsive and seemed very organized, and that was why we chose to book with him. We were not happy with the lodging but were mostly happy with the guide and driver we had.
For lodgings, we noticed that George stopped being responsive once we started asking for hotel confirmations to apply for the Kenya ETA. After a few weeks of following up, he finally sent us a confirmation for just the first night in Nairobi, and nothing for the remaining nights.
After we started the safari, the guide drove past the accommodation on our itinerary, and we were only informed of the lodging change at that point. There was zero communication from George himself, even though we had been in contact for other questions. The lodging in Amboseli was a significant downgrade (farther from the park and worse than most budget hostels in other parts of the world). The three of us were also stuffed into one tent even though we paid for 2 rooms. We tried to communicate with George and he just freaked out and shut down. The lodge manager was also pressuring us to stay even though we were clearly unhappy and wanted to move to a place that was equivalent to the place we were promised on the itinerary. George was no help there and dealing with him and the lodge manager cut into our game drive times.
When George finally responded again, we discovered that all of our lodgings in the Kenya portion were downgraded from the original itinerary. We had to be very forceful in our communication and even then, we only got 1 night of our original lodging back at Lake Naivasha. He then promised to upgrade us in Zanzibar to a 5 star all inclusive resort for 3 nights.
At this point, I started reaching out to the lodgings myself to confirm the bookings and found out that for the 3 nights in Masai Mara, the price difference was over $300 USD per person per night between what we were promised on the itinerary vs. where we actually stayed.
We had to confront George with all the information again and then he told us he was going to upgrade us for 2 nights in the Serengeti and 1 night in Tarangire, and that he was unable to upgrade in Zanzibar. However, based on the photos from Google reviews, I'm not sure how much the upgrade really was, but it was too exhausting to continue to deal with him. And at the end of the day, we would have rather just had the 5 nights of our original lodging for better comfort.
There may have been availability issues but George never told us anything. It also didn't seem like he was proactive with correcting the issues - we don't think that he would have upgraded us later if we hadn't called him out on the price differences. It was not fun to have to reach out to various lodgings while on safari drives to advocate for ourselves.
The guide & driver in Kenya were contracted out to a different company, but they were sociable and nice. The guide could have given more explanations for the animals we saw, and point out interesting things along the way like the guides we had later on. However, they did work hard to find animals inside the parks and gave us many great photo opportunities. Our guide helped us with communications when we had trouble reaching George, and was also nice enough to let us visit his home when we asked. We really enjoyed meeting his family and his wife gave a great tour of a traditional Maasai household (much better and thorough than the tourist trap that people get taken to).
The Tanzania portion of the trip was organized through different affiliate partners for the safari portion and Zanzibar portion. The Tanzania part of the trip went pretty well but I feel like most of the credit should be given to those respective companies. George didn't even give us the Zanzibar contact until we arrived at the airport.
Reply from Right Choice Tours & Safaris
Posted on Sep 2, 2024Dear Anna,
Thank you for your review. I’m so sorry. We’re normally known for our exceptional attention to detail, and we regret that we missed the mark. Let me start my remarks with the eTA online application requirements. One hotel confirmation voucher was just OK for this exercise. The issue of not having the confirmed vouchers was not in bad faith.
Yes, the Sungura camp in Amboseli. This camp is located outside the park just like other mid range outfits in Amboseli. I want to categorically say, there is no price difference between Kibo and this camp. Due to unavailability at Kibo camp, we managed securing two rooms at Sungura camp and fully PAID for two nights. The sleeping arrangements you got were frustrating and unacceptable. The camp manager was not helpful neither did he ever denied that Right choice never paid for two rooms.
I hope you will give them a befitting review too! I think this camp was overbooked as there were many tourist during your visit. To say it was worse more than most budget hostels in other parts of the world is an overstretch to the imagination of this online community.
The rest of your trip covered Lake Naivasha, Masai mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Zanzibar. Following the bad experience in Amboseli, I promised compensation by way of upgrades where possible.
Accommodation in Lake Naivasha was retained as per the itinerary (Lake Naivasha Sopa resort)
Accommodation in Masai Mara was moved to Talek Bush camp following unavailability at Zebra Plains. The two camp offers a various sizes of double & single tents. The Talek camps enjoys great location. In terms of cost, honestly there were some savings which I promised to throw into upgrades as the journey progresses.
In Serengeti, the itinerary accommodation was Heritage Serengeti. Upgrade to Suenos De Africa luxury camp.
Itinerary accommodation in Ngorongoro was retained at Ngorongoro Rhino lodge.
Itinerary accommodation in Tarangire was Tarangire Simba lodge. This was upgraded to 4 star lodge, the Tarangre sopa lodge.
Accommodation in Zanzibar was Nungwi Dreams By mantis and this was retained. I kept my promise on upgrades. On a balancing ratio, the accommodation cost difference in Mara was solved with upgrade in Tarangire. This response is open to my worthy players in the industry. So I have no room lie here.
After several WhatsApp messages reassuring you about the accommodation status, you still went a head to make direct calls to the said lodges which was not bad. I really sympathize with all the energy you spent on these calls which was not really necessary. I was equally overwhelmed with calls from the lodges/camp asking me what is going on with my clients.
That was the time I started going silent because I knew you will get what I had promised after the Amboseli incident. To be fair, that's exactly what you got Anna. Since you had trust issues, the best I could do was to remain calm and get vindicated at the end of the trip.
On the communication aspect of this review, I sincerely apologize. This was a very let down from my corner. I promise to improve and do more on this area. I missed on telling you small logistical information like this tour will be run by Right choice safaris in Kenya and our affiliate partner in Tanzania.
In Zanzibar you will be met by Mr. so & so and more importantly, the changes on accommodation should have been communicated to you in good time.
Take note, it's a standard practice tours covering Kenya and Tanzania or Uganda (the entire East Africa) are run by different operators. Kenya vehicles for example are not allowed to access the Tanzania national parks.
My representative in Zanzibar met your party upon arrival at the airport. All the transfers on arrival and departure days were done accordingly. We’re so glad that our diver guides met your needs and thank you for your kind words.
Please know that your situation was an exception. As you can see on other reviews, we are known for taking ownership and caring deeply about our customers. We can’t fix the past but you have my personal commitment to improve on the way we serve every customer. Until then, please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone here at Right choice safaris.
DE
Email wik | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not professionel
We have booked 2 safaris, the first was planned with 4 nights and the 2nd with 5 nights (so it was in the mail and was also paid). The first safari went well, we have also seen many animals, the guide really tried hard. On the 2nd safari we were told after the 4th day that tomorrow is the last day. Astonished we said that according to the mail the safari lasts 5 nights and 6 days. Suddenly nobody wanted to know anything about that. After a phone call and SMS to George, he then admitted that there is probably a misunderstanding, he actually meant only 4 nights even if there are 5 nights! Astonished and annoyed, we tried to make it clear to him that we expect 5 nights at this price according to the mail. George does not want to know anything about it and there was also no compensation. The end of the safari was accordingly bad, as we desperately tried to get another accommodation at a reasonable price! Thus, we have now paid an extra night and also the full price - which was for 5 nights. From our point of view, this is pure rip-off. Who books here, must clarify beforehand how many days and nights are included in the booking to avoid nasty surprises. We do not recommend this tour operator
Email Eric | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Paid for the budget safari and I got it
THe difference between a budget safari and a costlier one is in the accommodations, food offered. and transportation method. Low budget offers tents, same meals every day, and hard road time. On the highest end, you fly into the parks and avoid the "african massage" from the potholes in the road. HOwever where you end up going, is exactly the same spot.
I too my 73 year old mother on the budget safari. Joe was our driver and guide. He found all the beautiful creatures that made our safari amazing. My mom took to the African massage allot like everyone else in the tour van, what choice do you have? Our Route to masai mara was okay, not too long, but the second leg to Lake Nakuru was a long drive day. Flamingoes are no longer at Nakuru and migrate someplace else now. Lake Nakuru to Amboseli was a very long day. In retrospect I'd add an extrs day and spend it near Nairobi, then finish the drive to amboseli the next day.
I'm vegan and found enough to be filled. The point of a budget safari is to see the animals, we achieved that, the simple food, tents, colder showers, and bumpy roads are all part of the low cost. I can endure all that, but make sure the drive time each day is acceptable when planning. I blew it in that department.
BTW: everyone says I brought back the most amazing pictures. Over time , you forget the bumpy road time and remember the highlights.
Email Bernard Leung | 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).
Email Shirley and Margaret | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
This tour operator cannot be trusted!
I had travelled 6 times with Right Choice since 2021 and always had exceptional service. However, on our trip in November 2025, my companion was asked by the owner if she would pay for Amboseli park fees as he had been unwell and it was Sunday! As I trusted him completely, I assured her that he would pay her back the following day as he promised. This did not happen! No reimbursement has been forthcoming and my companion is owed the equivalent of £490. Also, we had paid for 3 internal flights but only 1 materialised. Two were "unavailable" so we had to travel by road. We are now owed refunds for the flights we didn't have but, unsurprisingly after our experience with the park fees, no money has been received and now our emails are being ignored. What shabby treatment of a loyal regular client by retaining a significant sum of money to which Right Choice's owner is not entitled.
.
CA
Email Kristin | 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 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.
Reply from Right Choice Tours & Safaris
Posted on Oct 26, 2024Dear Kris,
I’m so sorry. We’re normally known for our exceptional attention to detail, and we regret that we missed the mark. This was a seamless journey for nearly over 12 days, Kenya and Tanzania combined wildlife safari. The final segment of about 4 nights beach relaxation in Zanzibar is where things started going to the south.
Your booking at the resort in Zanzibar was done through our affiliate ground operator in Zanzibar and this is a standard practice. My agent in Zanzibar had only partially paid the resort and this lead to the stalemate during the check inn time. The matter was brought to my attention during the long weekend and the Nyerere holiday in Tanzania thereon.
I pursued this matter with my agent who settled the payment later and there’s no dispute about full payments coming later. This left a sour taste to everyone. We're so glad you enjoyed your time during the safari.
Please know that your situation was an exception. As you can see on other reviews, we are known for taking ownership and caring deeply about our customers. We can’t fix the past but you have my personal commitment to improve on who to work with in Zanzibar. Until then, please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone here as a team.
Email Song | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 star safari experience with superb tour guide and drivers
It definitely meet our high expectations, from the planning, logistic, timely communication, game drive, route, lounge accommodation, to our 5 star drivers, Joe and John, these two gentlemen gave us absolutely amazing care, supporting, knowledge, most of all, warm heart services. Without their day in and day out help, our trip would not be perfect!
When you book your next trip, please make sure you ask Joe as your driver in Kenya and John in Tanzania!
A huge thanks to the entire Right Choice Team!
8 nights safari in Uganda and Kenya
We booked an 8 night mid-luxury Uganda/Kenya safari with Right Choice.
Uganda part was handled by another tour operator (we found out this once we start our tour in Uganda) partnered with Right Choice. We stayed four nights in Uganda in three different locations therefore it was far more complex than Kenya which required arrangement of multiple bush planes and ground transportation. That tour operator did a remarkable job on timeliness and open communication.
The Kenya part of our travel started with a few hiccups but in the end George made it right for us. In general, George is very responsive and replied all my emails in a day before our trip. However, you have to ask for everything (the itinerary, the flight details, tour guide contact info, etc.). If you do prefer a hands-off approach (i.e. tour operator shares prior info such as on vaccination, visa requirements, etc) on your travel booking, you may feel slightly uncomfortable. This was not a big deal for us as we did our research and asked George for the parts we were not clear (i.e. luggage restrictions on bush planes).
The success and enjoyment from safari is highly dependent on the guide and safari vehicle. Our guide, Jacob, in Masai Mara did a fantastic job to ensure we had the best sightings and a great safari experience. He had in-depth knowledge on the flora, fauna and the region as well as close ties with the community there. Besides from the excellent sightings and life-time memories, we learned a lot from Jacob. He truly deserves a five star.
Our safari vehicle was a land cruiser but a bit outdated with broken suspensions (we found out this when we were driven on another land cruiser on the same terrain, it was way less bumpy), a non-functioning inverter (this is needed to power the outlets in the vehicle to charge electronic devices) and middle-row, back windows were almost impossible to open. Although it was two of us on a seven-seater vehicle with a pop-up roof, we needed to open windows for great photo shoots depending on the vehicle's position on specific sighthings. Jacob was kind enough to jump in the back and open them for us with excess force when needed.
I also would like to mention about our driver, Steve, in Nairobi. He was a thoughtful gentleman with a nice car drove us to the pharmacy due to my medical condition before our flight.
In summary, we enjoyed our 8 night safari and thanks to everyone (tour operators, drivers, guides and amazing people we met on the road) who made it possible for us.