#You Deserve An Adventure of A lifetime Experience
Wild Race Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $120 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CN
Email Yaxin | under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience!
1. I said we are a group of six. I found out that this company booked us 2 triple rooms intead of 3 double rooms. Simon, the boss of this company, first said that he had told me in email, which was not true. Then he said this is reasonable because I hadn't made it clear that I need 3 double rooms. Finally he said he need 136$ per person, which is 816 $ in total, to change it to double rooms for the rest 2 nights.
2. The first guide is not fluent in English and poor in experience. He took us to Masai Mara at 4.30 p.m. (it should be 3 p.m.) He first decided to take us to the lodge, then changed the direction and took us directly to the NR, so we again wasted a lot of time. He borrowed Shilings from us to buy tickets because he only had US dollar. He took us back to the hotel at 8.10 p.m. when we were super hungry.
Reply from Wild Race Africa
Posted on Mar 13, 2024Dear Yaxin,
I am truly sorry to hear about the challenges you faced during your recent experience with our company. Your feedback is incredibly important to us, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns. Rest assured, we take all feedback seriously and are committed to addressing each issue you have raised.
1. Regarding the room accommodations: I apologize for any confusion or miscommunication regarding your room bookings. It is never our intention to provide anything less than exceptional service.
We strive to ensure that all guest preferences are met to the best of our ability.
In this case, it seems there was a misunderstanding, and for that, I sincerely apologize. We will review our communication processes to prevent such occurrences in the future.
2. Concerning the guide experience: I am deeply sorry to hear about the challenges you faced with your guide during your tour. Providing knowledgeable and experienced guides is paramount to us, and it is disappointing to hear that this was not your experience.
We will investigate this matter further and take appropriate actions to ensure that all guides meet our high standards of service excellence.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience you encountered during your trip. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we are committed to making things right for you.
If there is anything else we can do to address your concerns or make amends for your experience, please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly.
We value your feedback and hope for the opportunity to regain your trust in our services.
Warm regards,
Sungu
Wild Race Africa Safaris Team
IN
Email Babra Saanvi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent
Title: Excellent Extraordinary safari experiences of a lifetime.
We recently got back from a 3 weeks East African Safari adventure with the unrivaled African Specialist (Wild Race Africa Safaris company) and the experience was just but awesome with a touch of excellence.
We did get in touch with the Simon Milambo through a referral from my good friend who had traveled with Simon’s company and kudos to Simon, very flexible, extremely friendly, exceptionally knowledgeable and highly experienced. We visited Kenya Uganda and Tanzania and no enough words can describe the feeling… The whole trip was combined to an excellent standard with everything considered and professionally executed. The choice of safari lodges was excellent; very clean, good fresh delicious food, comfortable African style beddings at some point we felt the lodge were absolute luxurious with the best service from a team of great people. Simon and Wild race Africa did a great job incorporating everything we wanted, and everything went off without a hitch. Our guide Phanuel was the best of all the guides have ever used before in Africa, very knowledgeable and flexible, entertaining and fun to be with. I would have no hesitation in recommending Simon Milambo and his team to source and deliver a first class luxury safari - they clearly understand this sector to perfection; Quick in responses, flexible, provides effective detailed information and most importantly reliable. We did not only get a touch of excellence but also value for money. Thanks, Simon and I will definitely come back....
IN
Email Radhika Bajaj | 20-35 years of age
Be wary of them, we felt cheated.
My husband and I booked with Simon Malimbo of Wild Race Africa Tours after finding him on Safari Bookings website. We were told that tour operators are generally trustworthy. So we booked with him for a 5 day tour to Nakuru (1 night) and Masai Mara (3 nights) which was an all inclusive trip - all meals, transportation, pop-up van and 6 safaris all paid. The safaris we were promised were - evening safari in Nakuru, next morning safari in Nakuru, evening safari in MM, two full day safaris in MM and then a morning safari in MM before we leave. We paid him 30% advance and the rest amount immediately upon arrival. Simon handed us to Obama who was to be our tour guide. Obama was accompanied by a girl who, we were told, was an 'intern' and wanted to be a tour guide, so we happily welcomed her.
Our first shock came immediately after we set off for Nakuru. Obama told us that there would be no evening safari, and if we would do an evening safari, there would be no safari the next morning. I spoke to Simon to ask him why, he had a response that - the entry ticket at Nakuru was not valid for 24 hours like Masai Mara and hence we had to choose. He apologised and and said it was a mistake on his part that he had included both safaris in our confirmation email and swept it off under the carpet. Though we were upset, we let it go thinking it was a genuine mistake.
Obama was extremely informative and intelligent and gave great insights into the animal life. The girl intern wasn't the least interested in anything remotely related to wildlife but we thought she may be shy and so simply ignored her.
We then set off for Masai Mara. We had made it clear that we wanted all the safaris we paid for - 4 to be precise. Obama promised us that we would have an evening safari that day. We reached at 4.30pm and as promised, he got out and bought three tickets at the gate (the girl intern was tired and got off to go to the hotel) and we set off for the Safari. Obama told us that the park is open till 6.30 and we will have to leave it by then. So we exited the park at 6.30.
Next morning we four (intern included) left for a full day safari. Obama waved the tickets from the day before (they didn't stop us to check) and they let us in. Obama told us we would leave the park at 5 as we would be tired. My husband smelt a rat because Simon had told us that Masai Mara tickets are valid for 24 hours. But he didn't say anything. The sightings on this day were amazing and the place was teeming with wildlife. There were also a huge number of cars everytime we spotted an animal. When we stopped for lunch, the girl intern lay on the carpet with her pant button and zip open. My husband and I found this behaviour weird but we didn't say anything. We left the park at 5 instead of 6.30 at the stauch insistence of Obama.
In the evening at our lodge,when Obama was not there, we questioned the girl intern about herr study course for becoming a tour guide, she told us that she was a hairdresser and had done courses in hairdressing. We again found this strange but didn't say anything.
Next morning Obama deliberately delayed our departure for another full day of safari. We eventually left around 8.30am. Today too the intern was tired and didn't accompany us. This time he told us that he was taking us in through a 'side gate' and this was 'rhino country' and the chances of spotting a Rhino are high here. We did not pass through any gate but after an hour he showed us a gate behind us and said that now we are inside the park. He did not show or purchase the tickets anywhere that day. All day we roamed about but this day the sightings were few and far in between and we didn't encounter any cars except very few. Obama said it was a dry day. He let us stay till 6.30. While we were leaving from the park, our car got stuck in sand but Obama refused to radio for help. While he was trying to get the car out, my husband checked the park entry tickets which Obama had kept in the front of the car. My husband found tickets of only the first day but none for the rest of the days.
When we reached the lodge, my husband decided to confront Obama about his intentions. Obama denied everything and became very emotional and called up Simon and spoke in Swahili (we don't know what). He kept telling us that he will show us the tickets of all the days but deliberately avoided to show us. Obama claimed that he had bought the tickets of all the 3 nights together and hence we didn't stop of tickets on the previous two days. He said this was normal practice. He then avoided it by saying that Simon will give all the tickets to us. We never got them. He pretended to be so upset that he said he was leaving us and arranging another car for us. This unprofessional attitude angered us and we told him off for wanting to leave the two of us alone in a jungle with no connectivity and wanting to run away. My husband was worried about me and then apologised and coaxed him to stay back. Maybe that prompted him not to abandon us in the middle of nowhere.
Next morning on our last safari Obama went through the gate. Before entering, he made a phone call in Swahili. While entering a female guard came out and checked our tickets and let us in. On our way out, before exiting, he again made a call and spoke in Swahili. At the gate, the same female guard came out and let us out. Then Obama told us that he had to collect the 'exit receipt'. And then he got out of the car and I saw him slip some money to the same female guard at the gate.
We are sure that Simon and Obama saved the money from the entry tickets - they paid only for one 24 hour safari.
All in all the wildlife was exciting and Obama was very knowledgeable. But Simon and Obama spoiled our trip by these underhand and shady dealings at Masai Mara and also denying us a safari at Nakuru. And we are pretty sure that the girl, whoever she was, was definitely not an intern for becoming a tour operator.
Please don't book with Wild Race Africa or Simon. Obama is genuinely knowledgeable but he was definitely involved in this business. We had great safari game drives and an amazing time in Kenya, the trip was so memorable and we saw the Big Five. But we felt genuinely cheated. So please don't book with them!
Reply from Wild Race Africa
Posted on Mar 13, 2024Dear Radhik Jaiswal,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We are truly sorry to hear about the challenges you faced during your tour with Wild Race Africa Tours.
It is disappointing to learn that your expectations were not met and that you felt cheated during your time in Kenya.
We take your feedback seriously and will be investigating the issues you have raised with Simon Malimbo and the team at Wild Race Africa Tours.
It is important to us that all our clients have a positive and authentic safari experience, and we apologize for any discrepancies in the services provided to you.
We appreciate your honesty and will take the necessary steps to address the concerns you have highlighted. Your feedback helps us improve our services and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. If there is anything else you would like to share or discuss further, please feel free to reach out to us.
Thank you for choosing Wild Race Africa Tours, and we hope to have the opportunity to restore your trust in our services in the future.
Warm regards,
Sungu
Wild Race Africa Tours Customer Support Team
US
Email Lisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari adventure in Tanzania
The safari brought us to the unequaled beauty of wildlife in four parks in Tanzania. The guide was very knowledgeable l and fun to be with. We encountered a few mechanical problems with the jeep, but the guide was able to resolve them without overly impacting our excursions. The lodges were very nice and comfortable. We loved the trip.
The one thing that was unexpected was that the manager of the safari office wanted US$ cash payment for the balance due before we began the safari, but we had been told that credit card payment was acceptable. As we had limited cash, we were able to agree on both a cash and credit payment, but this was inconvenient and not right.
Fantastic
We had a 10 day safari across Tanzania and Kenya that was organised by WildRace - it was seamlessly organised and one of the best trips we've ever been on
We saw the big five within a day and learnt so much from the knowledgeable guides - as well as being able to relax in nice surroundings and accomodation
Would definitely recommend Wildrace to friends
Email Hannah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari in Kenya and Tanzania - thank you Wild Race for the trip of a lifetime
Went on a 10 day safari in Tanzania and Kenya in August 2015 and had an incredible time. Wild Race Africa were incredibly helpful throughout the planning process, and helped us put together an itinerary that suited our budget and timescales. The guides we had on both the Tanzanian and Kenyan side (Godlove and Gordon) were both incredibly knowledgeable and helpful - we learned so much on tour. Saw the big 5 within the first 3 days (which is apparently very rare and lucky!) and also we were lucky enough to see baby leopards, baby cheetahs learning to hunt and a baby elephant less than 2 weeks old.
We stayed in a range of accommodation styles, from luxury resorts also to temporary private campsites. Personally, I felt the campsites were the most memorable and special - we were right in the heart of the wild (eg the Serengeti on the Tanzanian side), so could zebras and other forms of wildlife walk past the camp in the middle of the night. Felt completely safe and comfortable the whole time. The chef on site cooked up some amazing meals, and all of the staff ensured we were very well looked after. We could also sit outside the tent (which is fully furnished with a double bed and hot showers etc) each evening to watch the sun set and enjoy a glass of wine after a day of game drives.
Would highly recommend Wild Race. We specified our budget and requirements, and kept communicating with Simon until we reached what we felt was the right itinerary for us. They are very flexible and accommodating. Highly recommend. Thank you Simon, Japherth, Godlove, Gordon and the rest of the team - you guys were great :)
NL
Email rachel steper | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ecellent Best of Kenya Safari Eperience With apersonal touch!!
Want the best of safari experience that meets your desires and delivers to your expectations? Then superscript Africa safari and her team of excellent professionals is the company to walk you to the wild for an excellent wildlife safari experience.
We are a group of 42 students taking our research at edgerton university and then decided to have a taste of the African/kenya has to offer. We Gore to Simon milanbo through recommendation from my two great friends from Netherlands who had a safari experience with this mighty company.
Simon was very helpfully in array gong our 6days best of kenya luxury safari,vety swift in his mail responses giving detail by detail,flexible and most importantly the safari cost is very pocket friendly.
The massive Mara accommodation at the solar lodges was excellent and our guide phanuel and Derick were the best guides we could ever had for the entire trip. Very flexible, have great passion and love for their job. Very knowledgeable and explained everything into details leaving nothing untouchable from insects, birds,trees and animals. At some point we felt like we were taken back to the lecture room that was very much I.portant to us as it was online with our research topic.
We were the first to get to the animals,have best shots and then derick would communicate to the others to come have a shot too.
We saw almost all the big five just in one day and the rest of the day was just like a bonus. Each and every day we did get to learn something new.
Trip to lake nakuru/Naivasha was excellent,the accommodatio ns were excellent and located right at the heart of the park, we got so close to the Animals on foot in lake naivasha on a walking safari,bicycle ridind and more amazing part of it was the boat ride to the crescent island which is a paradise on its own.
The trip was amazing,excellent,very much accommodating team of staff full of great sence of humour.
Wildrace Africa exceeded our expectation and sure will always recommend this company for their kind and excellent work.
Keep it up Simon, when we get back home, we will send you our group in April 2016.
God bless you and your entire team till we meet again.
Cheers!
AE
Email Nikhel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A very professional yet caring service provider
I must confess that it was very pleasant dealing with Simon from the onset. Simon ensured that he was constantly in touch with us during all stages from initiation/ planning to the culmination of the trip. All concerns/ suggestions were promptly taken care. Accommodation at Amboseli and Masai Mara were excellent; Nakuru accommodation was satisfactory.
However, there remained few concerns which surfaced because of Naivasha accommodation and also a 2 hours waiting period before start of Masai Mara trip as plan to induct another group was not properly planned. After raising these issues to Simon, he apologized immediately and took sincere care that any more problem is not encountered and remaining trip remains spot-less. Based on the feedback, he ensured that Naivasha accommodation was not repeated for any more tourist.
In all, I can say that he was a very professional and caring host and I will surely recommend him to all my friends.
MY
Email Pervin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great trip
We had a great time. Simon was very helpful & our guide Gordon was excellent and we were lucky to see all of the Big 5 on our safari.
Email Colin Christensen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Awesome itinerary and service!
We used Simon's tour company when my wife's family came from the US to visit us in Kenya, their first trip to Africa! We really needed a memorable trip, as this was a once-in-a-lifetime visit for them, and Simon really delivered. They got us to everywhere we needed to go on time, and sent us two vans to accomodate us all comfortably - even though we didn't request this - and didn't charge us extra. The drivers/guides Gordon and Simon were really fabulous, very knowledgeable during the game drives and helpful during the car rides. They also put us up in a great lodge - Sopa Lodge. Simon will give you both a great price and a great experience.