The Wild Wings team - Loving Every Moment!
Wild Wings Safaris
- Offices In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & ABTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $232 to $1,988 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Keith | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A perfect first Safari the one that makes you come back for more
I wanted to personally thank Gavin at Wild Wings Safari for all the help in organizing our holiday in South Africa. I don’t believe this trip would have turned out as spectacularly as it did without your precise attention to detail and personal assistance to our needs.
From the start, when Simon picked us up in Johannesburg he proved to be a wealth of knowledge in Kruger Park and South Africa in general. He was not only a fantastic guide but he was as interested in the animals as we were!
It can’t be normal for any safari guide to take myself and my wife as his only guests out for the first afternoon for 5 hours (after driving 6 hours from Johannesburg), and then 12 hours for the second day, and 6 hours for the third and final day before driving us an additional 4 hours to our next destination.
Simon’s knowledge of the Kruger Park animal life could be summed up in just one of the many encounters we experienced:
As we were driving over a bridge, in which many other trucks and vehicles had crossed over that same day, Simon stopped and was listening to see what the excited monkeys were chattering about. Simon explained that he was looking to see where the monkeys were literally pointing out as if it was danger. As we gazed in the monkeys’ direction, Simon (and my wife) spotted in the horizon a leopard sleeping on the banks of the river. We appeared to be the only ones to have spotted this sleeping leopard. It was our second sighting of a leopard in just 30 minutes. Remarkable!
Nthambo Tree camp was another recommendation that you gave us, and it was a truly amazing experience that was just as professional and remarkable since it was conducted on a very personal level. Matt, Alex and Nadia of the base camp were attentive to our every needs while we were in the bush and in the camp. The comradery at the camp between the small group of guests and staff was much like it is in a family. (We guests even ‘friended’ each other on Facebook.)
The guides in Zimbabwe were everything we had grown accustomed to having during our trip: both warm and engaging. We will never forget the magnificence of the Victoria Falls, and the unique experience of riding those royal elephants for our Elephant Safari.
For the duration of this entire 2 week vacation, with the exception of the 1- 2 hours of clearing customs in Zimbabwe, everything went according to plan.
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Email Jacqueline | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect! Excellent! Exciting!
We could not be happier with our safari experience, it was honestly the time of our lives. We loved that we decided to spend half of our time in Kruger Park and the other half in Greater Kruger Park. Both were very different experiences and both had so much to offer. I really recommend that you offer this combination to anyone that wants to have the most well-rounded safari experience. In Kruger we saw the Big 5 in the first 1.5 hours. Simon, our guide, was so passionate about his job and really had every intention to show us as many beautiful animals as possible. We saw leopards and cheetahs and lions fighting over a buffalo kill. It was incredible! The food he prepared for us was efficiently made and very delicious. Off-roading in Greater Kruger Park was a whole different experience! Tracking and following paw prints was very exciting. Our driver Carl (Karl?) and tracker Lucky were amazing, informative, and very exciting. The accommodation at both camps was so beautiful! And the staff was friendly and helpful.
TH
Email Mary | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Safari
Firstly, I have never responded to an individual review before, but I must. I happened to be on the same safari as the person who wrote the previous one star review. All I can say, is that sometimes there is no pleasing some people. Anyone going on a safari must go with an open mind and the desire to learn from the experts without preconceived notions. This is not a zoo, it is real life, kills happen- it is part of the animal kingdom.
Simon is an experienced, knowledgeable, and most of all, passionate guide. My husband and thoroughly enjoyed our time with Simon, from the breakfast he cooked in the morning through to the dinners he cooked at night. In between, we searched for sightings with Simon and it was always fun and very productive. Our safari with Simon was one of the highlights of our month long trip to this beautiful country. Wild Wings support staff were there to answer every email and did an excellent job of organizing everything for us. ( we did a number of things through them.
I would highly recommend Wild Wings and plan to send my sister on this trip!
Email AdeleO | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another amazing safari experience!
This was my third safari with Wild Wings and yet again from booking with Gavin to pickup and drop off, it was an absolutely amazing experience. It was also my third time with Simon as a guide and his knowledge and passion for the wildlife of Kruger never ceases to amaze me. We had so many wonderful sightings thanks to Simon's expert eye and understanding of animal behaviour. If there is a sighting to be had Simon will find it!
A close encounter with a cheetah had eluded me on my previous safaris and was high up on my wishlist this time. I was not disappointed. We found one just minutes from camp and spent an incredible 40 minutes watching as it got up from resting to take a stroll down to the Sabie River bank for a drink. We had numerous lion sightings and a very special treat was seeing the famous white lion for the second time. Another amazing 45 minutes were spent in the company of a beautiful leopard enjoying some time in a tree and an incredible sighting on our night drive where another beauty walked alongside our vehicle for 10 minutes. Add to this white and black rhinos, elephants galore including a tiny infant suckling, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, warthogs - the list is endless as my 1000+ photographs prove!
Accommodation at Lower Sabie and Satara was great and Simon's cooking delicious - the ostrich steak was superb!
We have already booked a fourth return visit and cannot recommend Wild Wings highly enough. Definitely 5+ stars.
Email Kenny McColl | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An exceptional safari experience, with an outstanding guide.
We have just enjoyed a Wild Wings 2night/3day Kruger safari - and what an incredible time it was! As someone who has enjoyed previous safaris in Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania, I feel well qualified to comment on our experience. Every aspect, from the initial responses to our enquiries, through to the logistics and the transfers from Johannesburg to Kruger, the accommodation (at Skukusa), the catering arrangements, and of course the safari itself was excellent. But what made it exceptional, was the knowledge and expertise of our guide, Simon. I say 'guide', but he was also our driver and chef! His wildlife knowledge (birds, mammals, reptiles...) was incredible, and certainly I have no hesitation in saying that he was the best game guide (by some margin) that I have experienced in my 4 safaris. And he never switched off! Even on the journey back to Johannesburg, he was pointing out birds that we passed.
You can't judge the success of a safari trip solely by the wildlife encounters that you have , or whether you manage to see the Big Five; but even by that measure, our experience of Wild Wings was exceptional. Simon is courteous and considerate to other game viewers too - be they other safari guides or just members of the public who have turned up in their own vehicles...and asking what it is that we're looking at. By the way, you can self-drive in Kruger, but why would you want to? The place is vast, and without Simon's skills we would have seen very little. Yes, he is connected in to a number of other game guides who share their finds, so it does increase the likelihood of good interactions; but he has an incredible eye and ear for spotting the smallest movement, the faintest of sounds that can lead to a fantastic encounter. And as I said, he operates with courtesy and consideration to other users of the park, and most importantly to the wildlife.
In summary, the best endorsement that I can give is to say that if (when!) we return to Kruger, we will not be looking anywhere else: Wild Wings Safaris will be our first port of call.
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Email Lisa, Tim, Brianna & Kylie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream come true delivered with expertise and efficiency!
If you are going to go on a Safari in South Africa, then you need to be with a guide who loves animals, loves his job and knows where to go. Although it is his job, I don't think he really works a day in his life, with the exception of loading luggage and cooking amazing meals! Simon is the epitome of the perfect Safari guide. His vast knowledge and passion for Kruger Park are exceptional. There was not one question I asked during our 5 days with him that he could not answer. And while we all know that the ultimate goal is to see The Big Five, there is so much more to see and learn about. Simon did that for us. I came home with a video of a dung beetle rolling his fresh dung ball across the road. I watched as a group of grasshoppers crossed the road in front of us in a large cluster and then understood why as Simon explained this to us. Yes, it is exhausting, yes you are up early every day, and get to bed late. But you are on safari in Africa and if you want to see everything you possibly can and learn more than you ever dreamed, then this is the company to work with. Our family has the luxury of using pass benefits to fly. As a result, this trip was booked very last minute. We had been watching the flights to and from Johannesburg and were quite confident we could get there and back with no issues. On January 25th, we booked our 5 day Safari with Wild Wings. And on February 1st we departed for Atlanta due to a huge blizzard in Minneapolis. Our 15+ hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesbury left on Wednesday evening and we arrived at 5:30 pm on Thursday where Gilbert from AfricaSky House greeted us. Everything was perfect. Our room, our dinner and breakfast and then, Simon showed up at precisely 8am to drive the 6.5 hours to Kruger. He was professional, friendly and very, very efficient. Simon has been a Safari Guide for 14 years and 11 of them have been spent with Wild Wings. I don't think we could have been blessed with a better experience. Granted, some of the days were very long, but we saw so much, I really didn't care. Simon taught us so much and his passion and love for Kruger is incredibly obvious. We saw everything we dreamed of in just the first day, including a cheetah kill, lions, elephants, giraffes, hyena, cape buffalo, wildebeest and too many to name. We did a bush walk that was off the charts as we encountered a pride of lions with a fresh kill, we did a night drive and saw 3 male lions eating a hippo. All told we saw at least 47 lions during our trip. When we arrived at Satara, we were treated to a 3 night stay in the Frankl Guest house complete with 5 bedrooms and our own private watering hole. The pictures we took are phenomenal. Simon should be on NatGeo. He is that good. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Wild Wings. This really was a dream come true. I miss Kruger every single day and I will forever be thankful for the incredible journey we experienced with you.
CH
Email Elise | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Experience - Top Organization
It was perfectly organized. All information was shared in advance and the support from the team in the office was perfect. They answered all questions and offered easy & fast solution to any problem.
Simon (the guide) was extremely nice with interesting stories to share and great knowledge of the wildlife. He was always on time, well organized and reliable. In addition, Simon was a great cook!! We really enjoyed our breakfast and diners ;-)
Last but not least: we saw the most amazing animals!!! For a 3 days safaris during a heat wave (37°C: animals tend to hide in such circumstances), it was really a gift to be able to see that much. Some people will say it is luck, but I think is also relates to the guide. He knew his stuff ;-)
Thanks you Simon and Wild Wings Safaris team! We really enjoyed ourselves!!
Elise & Jean-Baptiste
Email Siobhan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Yet another awesome safari expertly organised by Wild Wings.
This was my third safari with Wild Wings. The trip was, as ever, superbly arranged and organised by Madi. We stayed in Skukuza Camp in south Kruger for a few nights and then transferred further north to Elephant Plains in Sabi Sands for the remainder of our holiday. Simon was our guide in Skukuza - his innate knowledge of animals and birds has, in my view, never been surpassed by any other guide I have been on safari with. We had amazing sightings (particularly the wild dog/hyena skirmish) and a lot of fun too. Elephant Plains was also fantastic and the leopard sightings we had there were beyond our expectations.
I honestly don't think we could better the experiences we had on this safari, but are already planning our next safari with Wild Wings - I can't recommend them highly enough. Thank you everyone at Wild Wings for such a fantastic holiday.
Email Kim Thomas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My family and I had a fantastic time on the Safari that Wild Wings recommended and booked for us.
Wild Wings Safari booked us on Safari at Elephant Plains lodge - it was spectacular! The personal service from the moment you arrived from staff and guides was outstanding. Not only was the tracking brilliant, but Dawi, our guide, was also really good at predicting which direction the animals would move and was thus able to often get a good spot ahead of them so often we could watch them ambling leisurely towards us. It was phenomenal. We saw loads.....up close! His off road driving was spectacular too. There were so many magical moments both at the lodge and on the drives. The setting was fantastic. The food was also fantastic. And eating outside in the evening was pretty special too.
Wild Wings also booked us into Hippo Hollow for New Years eve. The welcome and service there too was outstanding. We got to watch the hippos in the river and come up onto the grass while we having dinner. A new years eve to remember!
The planning and organisation of our trip was great - very efficient and professional. In the end, though, it is the recommendations that count for so much......so five stars and a massive Thank You to Wild Wings Safari for Elephant Plains and Hippo Hollow. A magical time for me and my family.
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Email Debbie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience, very affordable, with first class service.
We couldn't be more pleased with our safari experience booked through Wild Wings Safaris. Madi helped us decide where to go with very little advance notice and we decided on 2 nights each in Chobe National Park, Kruger National Park, and the San Sabi private game reserve. We saw much more than we ever expected and we were glad we visited all three as they were all different. All the transfers arranged by Madi worked flawlessly. We were especially happy with our guide, Simon, in Kruger. We stayed at the Skukuza Rest Camp, and though it's not as luxurious as our private lodge accommodations, it was plenty adequate. It was very nice to stay inside the park and not miss out on the early game drives if you have to wait to enter the park in the morning. Simon took care of everything, including cooking our delicious meals. He was very knowledgeable and we would not have seen 10% of what we saw if we had tried to do it ourselves. We felt very pampered and well taken care of. Madi also coordinated our days in Johannesburg with suggested tours and lodging in addition to a side trip to Victoria Falls. She was a wealth of information no matter what topic was thrown at her. I can't imagine you can go wrong booking with them.