Philip and Martha
Wild Wind Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $111 to $518 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
excellent organisation and fantastic experience
Right from the very first moment of contacting Martha at WWS, all our queries and questions were answered swiftly and in detail. I largely used this company because of their fantastic reviews and the trip certainly lived up to expectations with Phillip as our wonderful guide. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending a trip with WWS.
US
Email AK | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip! Great Service! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Wild Wind Safaris made our dream come true by booking a customized tour in 24 hours, only 2 weeks in advance, in order to accommodate my husband's work schedule. In planning I reached out to the top 5 tour companies on this site. Wild Wind was the first to get back to me, they were the only company to answer all of my questions immediately and offered us exactly what we wanted at a very affordable price! This was the type of service we recieved throughout our trip! Philip, our guide was amazing. He was very knowledgeable about all the places he visited, and a pleasure to travel with. He had a great sense of humor and we genuinely enjoyed our time with him. Wild Winds was very flexible with us when we wanted to extend our activities beyond the scheduled time or when we asked to change the itinerary mid-trip. Philip kept saying "of course we can do that! it's your vacation!" He was also welcomed by name at all of the charming B&Bs we stayed at and most of the restaurants and activities we visited. The vendors seemed to genuinely enjoy working with him. This says a lot about company!! First class service every step of the way! He even went above and beyond to get back my husband's cell phone when he left it in the lodge in Etosha! Amazing company! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I'm happy to share more if you message me privately.
CA
Email Norm and Erika | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Wild Wind Safaris
We had a wonderful experience on our Etosha three day Safari. The weather cooperated, the animals were plentiful, way more than I ever anticipated, based on the reviews that I had read for this time of year, March 2015.
The pickup and return were very smooth to and from the airport and well paced. Everything is included except the purchase of water and alcoholic beverages at meal time. Even the lunches en route and on the return to your pickup point, in our case, the airport, were included as it is almost a 5 hours drive to the reserve from the airport.
The accommodation was superb and well worth spending the extra. We selected the premier waterhole bungalow (Okaukuejo rest camp), stunning accommodation and location. It was hard to decide between eating dinner and breakfast or just watching the animals as they came down to the waterhole at night and in the morning. On our last night it was fascinating to watch the rhinos come at their "slotted" time. We counted 9 that night. We had to force ourselves to go to bed. And the giraffes, 17 at the waterhole the morning of departure.
We saw a pride of 13 lions just off the road side and several elephants, a couple gigantic ones, one in particular, minutes after starting our safari upon arrival. Thoroughly enjoyed watching the springboks boing along and all of the babies at this time of year. Even saw the elusive honey badger. I kept count of our sightings, 37 different animals, very impressive.
Our guide was very accommodating. He backtracked en route, ensuring us views of our sightings, which we spotted along the way. He shared his knowledge of the animals with us and actively sought them out for us.
The food was excellent at the camp. The lunch at one of the camps though on our full day safari was very limited, but, on our return to the airport, the restaurant offerings and quality and quantity of food was fantastic.
Can't fault Martha's and Philip’s hospitality, advice and efficiency prior to our arrival. Offering payment via a credit card would certainly make it easier for travellers and insurance purposes if need be. They accommodated our 3 day safari during the week which from what I read is usually only offered on the weekend. This was an incredible bonus as we ended up having our own personal guide for our stay. I can't imagine though being in a vehicle with 4-6 other people (even saw a couple buses, egads!) and trying to take pictures along the way especially since you are not allowed to exit the vehicle at any point during the game drives. At first I was anticipating an open-jeep, but in retrospect we had an SUV/van, which I feel was better as we were so up close and personal with the animals as it was. It was common place to have an elephant walk 30 feet in front of you or come out unexpectedly from the brush or have lions within 20 feet of your car, so just as well, we were enclosed, as they are “wild”. During the high season, when the area is extremely dry and if it was windy, I would think that you would be covered in dust, in particular when passing or being passed by other vehicles. The best thing about going at this time of year was that oftentimes we were the only car on the road which allowed us to back up or turn around quickly to see the animals. I would think during high season, there would be considerable jockeying around to gain the best viewpoint at the waterholes where the vehicles and animals would congregate.
Overall it was an extremely exciting time for us, a once in a lifetime experience and almost surreal to see National Geographic come to life before your very eyes. Maybe we were just lucky to see what we did, at this time of year, but in the end, Wild Wind made this happen for us and within our budget.
CA
Email Mandy's Group | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Epic Trip to Namibia and Victoria Falls
A group of 8 friends spent 12 days on an epic lifetime trip travelling to the main highlights (Soussvlei, Dune 47, Big Daddy Dune, Doodvlei, Solitaire, Swakopmund, Etosha National Park) in Namibia and ended our destination at Victoria Falls. The natural untouched beauty of each place is breath taking, magical, extraordinary, amazing, enriching, stunning, majestic, unique and diverse.
David at Wild Winds Safari was the first to respond back after we contacted a number of tour operators. The level service is superb, organized and the booking process was seamless. Communication via WhatsApp was pleasant in that we were able to receive speedy response to our questions from David. Before confirming the booking, David had made sure that we were comfortable with the customized itinerary and that we were satisfied with the accommodations that we were staying at. The vehicle we travelled on was a 11 seater Land Cruiser with a trailer for all our luggage. It was comfortable and spacious. The top of the Land Cruiser opens up so that photographers had an opportunity to take a good shot of the wildlife from above. Due to technical delays with the Ministry of Tourism in Botswana, we had to change vehicle (Toyota Quantum) at the tail end of our trip before entering into the Botswana border. Unfortunately the trailer did not come with the Toyota Quantum so the luggage took up quite a bit of space in the Toyota Quantum so it was not as comfortable as we like it to be on our last leg of our journey.
Our outstanding guide, Rambo, made our trip very special. Rambo is super fun to be with and had lots of experienced. He would go out of his way to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves. He is knowledgeable about the land, plants, birds, animals and history of the country. He gave us a lesson on the stars and we now know how to look for the southern cross. Rambo had extremely sharp eyes in spotting wildlife at far distances and we could hardly see it until we see it through the binoculars. He went out and beyond in making sure that we had a perfect photo and video opportunities for example two giraffes walking across the field at sunset. Rambo became more than just a guide but a very good friend who was there for us. Thank you Rambo for making our trip so memorable and a wonderful experience.
We would highly recommend exploring Africa with Wild Wind Safaris.
PT
Email Antonio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent -- fun, efficient, and no-frills -- safari, and tour operator + guide
We (couple of 41-yr-olds) travelled to Namibia last April. We booked our safari with Wild Wind Safaris. All was arranged with no fuss, fully accomodating our must-sees. Philip (the tour operator owner) knows his craft, and he earns the excellent reviews! We did a 6-day tour to Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, and Etosha. And finally when the day came... we missed our arrival flight. Nevertheless Philip was there to meet us, truly friendly service with a smile. Our driver/guide was Elvis, who was very professional, courteous, non-intrusive, knowledgeable, considerate, and proved himself to be a master safari guide - both on the road and in Etosha, spotting animals that could barely seen by binoculars (!), checking where they here heading , and meeting them somewhere they crossed the paths - nothing short of magic. This being said, this was quite a trip - crossing the deserts to see the famous sand dunes, then again to the quaint and pretty town of Swakop, to Etosha where despite being the wet season, we managed to see a lot of different animals (highlights: lions, elephants, black rhinos), quite up-close (thanks again to Elvis). By coincidence, there were no other fellow travellers on 2/3 of our trip. The transport was comfortable and sturdy, quite suitable, and the food throught the safari was good; the accomodation near Namib-Naukluft Park (Elegant Desert Lodge) was quite good, in Swakop (Stay@Swakop) was OK, in Etosha (Halali Lodge) let's say that unfortunatelly the resorts are state-owned, and run-down. We returned home with a great experience and good memories. Overall I strongly recommend Wild Wind Safaris, and will reach for them next time I'm in Namibia!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable and most memorable experience
We had high expectations .... it was all of enriching, exilerating, exciting, tranquil and breathtakingly beautiful .... Exceeding all our expectations. Martha was the most wonderful tour organiser and guide .... we could not have asked or wished for better - she never ceased to care about us and every effort was put in to ensuring we had the best experience possible. Her knowledge, professionalism, friendliness and incredible attitude and approach should serve as an example to all tour operators. We will be back for more!!
NZ
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wild Winds Safaris provided us with a sensational safari to Etosha!
My travelling companion and I decided at the last minute to make the most of our work time in Namibia and go on safari to Etosha. We looked at a few tour operators but were immediately impressed with Wild Wind Safaris' emphasis on wildlife and their flexibility. I was so impressed by Martha, our tour guide. We liaised with her to make the last minute bookings and also to organise things around our flight times and she couldn't have been more accommodating. She was also, however, so enthusiastic and this was catching. I came away just wanting to do more and more safari trips with Wild Wind Safaris. She has such extensive detailed knowledge of the people, landscape and wildlife of Namibia (and beyond), but you don't feel like you are simply listening to a walking encyclopedia.
She is friendly and engaged and we had a lot of fun. She also helped make the most of photography opportunities and was very sensitive to the animals and their environment, which was very important to me. We went for the camping option and it was absolutely comfortable and the food was excellent. I can't recommend this highly enough and will be back for another trip.
Email Geoff | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Organization excellent .Tour guide, PJ ,outstanding
My Wife and I as well as 2 Australian friends , Spent 11 days travelling around Namibia. This included Windhoek Sousas Vlei, Swakopmund Skeleton coast Namib Naklif, Himba Villages , Etosha game park.
The tour overall was excellent ,well organised and interesting. I am an elderly South African Doctor and have visited Namibia on many occasions both in a professional capacity and as a tourist. I had however not been in Namibia for over 15 years.
The natural beauty of the place remains stunning majestic ,powerfull and unique. Etosha ,because of its openness remains as one of the best places in Africa to view the game on our subcontinent..
On the negative side . The roads are a disgrace . On many of the main gravel roads it is not possible to travel more than 30 km per hour. This means many long hours in a vehicle having ones teeth rattled.
Many ,especially European tourists ,do a self drive trip on these unfamiliar disastrous and dangerous roads. In our eleven days we witnessed two such incidences, one of which involved a mortality as well serious injuries. To those of you planning such a trip , I would strongly advise you to take a professional guide to do the driving, as well as knowing which roads to avoid.
From a societal point of view ,it is obvious that the health care system has collapsed. Education is also very much under threat.
FR
Email Jacques J. | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 13-days guided tour in Namibia with WWS
My wife and me were very pleased about our Namibian trip with WWS. Namibia is a superb country, very diversified, with fantastic landscapes and extraordinary wildlife. We visited Kalahari desert near Kalkrand, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund (marine cruise in Walvis Bay lagoon and 4X4 trip to Sandwich Harbour), Cape Cross (seal colony), Damaraland, Etosha NP and Waterberg Plateau. Martha from WWS was very professionnal in the quotation process. She was very reactive, drafting a program satisfying our needs and making valuable suggestions. The communication was very clear and precise at all steps. Philip was an outstanding guide. We felt very secure with him. He is a very friendly person and has a good sense of humour, cool and relax. Philip was at all times willing to satisfy our needs. We also had very valuable discussions with him about Namibia culture and way of life. For wildlife viewing, he put us in the best position for picture shooting, so we were able to see a wide range of animals.
I recommend WWS for a very valuable and stressless journey to Namibia.
Jacques J. (Paris/France)
HU
Email Tamas | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable memories about Africa & Wild Wind Safaries
Beyond all expectations and wishes Martha & Philip fulfilled our long-awaited-dreams in such a manner that topped-up the experience we enjoyed trough-out our 20 days Namibia-Botswana journey. When starving fully personal attention and friendly approach to your sometimes "mission impossible" itinerary plans go nowhere else than Wild Wind Safaries. Full satisfaction guaranteed, budget limitations met and follow-up during the trip like never before; warm heartedly recommended. Shall never forget you dear Martha & Philip