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The Emakoko
The Emakoko
The Emakoko
The Emakoko
The Emakoko

Reviews of The Emakoko

Wildlife sightings and reviews

116 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited The Emakoko and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in May-2018, 53 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at The Emakoko.
Lion

75% success

Leopard

3% success

Cheetah

13% success

Wild dog

5% success

Zebra

88% success

Giraffe

88% success

Black Rhino

80% success

White Rhino

79% success

Buffalo

74% success

Eland

61% success

Wildebeest

56% success

Spotted Hyena

50% success

Striped Hyena

6% success

Pangolin

3% success

Aardvark

0% success

Showing 41-50 of 116
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs S
Kingston

"The Emakoko review"

1 night Arrived 22 Oct 2021
"Emakoko was lovely, and so convenient for the airport.
Nairobi Park was having the roadways resurfaced so was full of large lorries being driven at speed and carelessly." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

1 sighting

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Olga
Dubai

"Wonderfull location, very professional staff!"

2 nights Arrived 1 Apr 2021
"It was my first days in Kenya and my driver Elisaban made them unforgettable !

It was really amazing to see so many animals and to learn about them! I will be back!" See all these reviews: 8n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

4 sightings

Buffalo

10 sightings

Cheetah

3 sightings

Eland

4 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

6 sightings

Pangolin

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

Striped Hyena

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

10 sightings

Wild dog

5 sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Steve H
Cumbria

"The Emakoko is brilliant"

1 night Arrived 28 Jan 2020
"Everything about The Emakoko is great. The accommodation, the food, the staff, the location and the guiding. Elizaban is a great guide and excellent company. Once again their "dawa" cocktail proved extremely popular with our group. Nairobi NP is a great place to start a safari and it's just a shame that the "early bird" start from the airport is no longer available but I would have no hesitation in recommending The Emakoko to start a safari." See all these reviews: 6n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

7 sightings

Buffalo

6 sightings

Eland

3 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

White Rhino

5 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr D.
Penrith

"The Emakoko review"

1 night Arrived 28 Jan 2020
"Good idea to have a brief taster as it were, straight away on arrival." See all these reviews: 7n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

1 sighting

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr V
Texas

"The Emakoko review"

1 night Arrived 25 Jan 2020
"We spent an additional one night after our arrival in Nairobi at The Emakoko, as I like to have a sufficient buffer before moving on to the bush, just as protection against potential flight cancellations or other travel delays. This was our second stay at The Emakoko, and we were warmly welcomed back.

A funicular has been installed to help guests more easily access cabins on the upper portion of the hillside above the reception and dining areas, which is very helpful. The cabins are spacious, well-maintained, and luxurious. The staff is very friendly, and the food is excellent. Dining is at separate tables, which makes sense here, as this isn’t a place where guests remain for prolonged stays leading to bonding.

Nairobi National Park is worthy of our support, in my opinion, and it’s always a nice introduction back to Africa. It’s an excellent place to see rhino, both black and white." See all these reviews: 14n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

1 sighting

Eland

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Sandra
Ottawa

"The Emakoko Review"

1 night Arrived 12 Nov 2019
"Overall, an excellent stay. However, can be somewhat uncomfortable for those with a fear of snakes when the owner brings a snake to the reception area.

The driver (Sammy) who brought us to the lodge was very patient with us, stopping numerous times for picture opportunities. Elizaban was also very accommodating." See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

1 sighting

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Eland

2 sightings

Giraffe

2 sightings

Lion

3 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

Lynn H
Edmonton

"Emakoko review"

1 night Arrived 12 Nov 2019
"What an amazing way to end an amazing experience!

We so enjoyed everything about The Emakoko, from the hosts to the staff, it was a wonderful capstone for our trip!

And we saw black rhinos!" See all these reviews: 12n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

3 sightings

Zebra

2 sightings

Dr R.
Colombo 5

"The Emakoko review"

2 nights Arrived 9 Oct 2019
"The food, facilities and location were excellent.

The guiding was good, although our guides knowledge of birds, although good, was not as exceptional as we had experienced at other camps during our trip." See all these reviews: 9n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

4 sightings

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Eland

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Lion

4 sightings

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

White Rhino

2 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mrs L
Suffolk

"The Emakoko review"

1 night Arrived 7 Sep 2019
"It was good to stay here at the end of our trip.

I thought the road to enter the National Park was terrible and the last part of the road to get to Emakoko was also bad. Very steep and bumpy.

We saw a surprising amount of animals in the Park." See all these reviews: 11n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Giraffe

2 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

Deb & J-M
Australia

"The Emakoko - Our special place"

1 night Arrived 4 Sep 2019
"We visited twice with a two night gap at The Giraffe Manor in between.
Both visits were wonderful.

The Emakoko was our favourite place to visit from all the places we stayed across Africa in the month we were there.
We think it was the very special people who work there that made the difference, as we stayed in many beautiful lodges and accommodation types across Africa.

Rooms: The accommodation for our first visit (Room #10) was superb. Very clean (& i am very particular), special touches galore, view, layout, 'wow factor' all there in spades. I would not change a thing nor was there anything to fault.
During our second visit the room was low & close to the lodge... can't remember number? 3 perhaps? and was not as special.
A bit dark. Couldn't use bath as it was so badly damaged, safe didn't work, no battery in walkie talkie, view not as spectacular. However, the cleanliness, attention to detail with the special touches ie flowers, 'welcome back' message and the care taken to keep the fire going so it was always warm whenever we arrived at our room, made this visit very special also.

Food: Fresh, innovative, tasty, plentiful and the wonderful, warm & friendly, professional service team made it all the better for eating. 5 star.
Lawrence & Patrick and their teams seemed to be able to predict and be one step ahead of us in respect to anything we may wish for ie more bread, a wine top up etc. J-M's dietary needs were very well addressed and he enjoyed all the alternate dishes made with care just for him. Some Swahili lessons (we asked for some tips) were very much welcomed and enjoyed by us both also.

Personnel: 11/10
Everyone made us feel at home and so welcome. Nothing was a problem. Any slight request or inquiry was acted on straight away, even when we didn't expect it. The team at the Emakoko are proud of what they do and how they do it and it shows. They are warm, genuine and very friendly people and seemed as happy as we were to see us again when we arrived for our second visit. it was like 'coming home'. Very professional, organised and always a step ahead. The team are always looking for ways to do that little bit extra to make you feel special and surprise you & it works. It was very sad to leave.

Game drives:
10/10
The knowledge of our game drivers and sightings we saw were amazing.
Both had a wicked sense of humour. Elizban particularly had a perfect sense of timing and knew just when to stop and for how long... his sense of timing was almost as good as his sense of humour!
We were very fortunate with each drive to see something very special eg 2 lionesses and 5 cubs, family of hippo (mum, dad & baby) 'water dancing' just on sunset, white rhinos etc." See all these reviews: 3n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

4 sightings

Buffalo

10 sightings

Eland

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

White Rhino

5 sightings

Wild dog

5 sightings

Wildebeest

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Showing 41-50 of 116
97%
116 reviews of The Emakoko by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
100
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