Team Wild Planet Safari
Wild Planet Safari
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & FGASA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $410 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
Email Bronny | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Efficient, helpful and flexible.
An amazing time on a 7 day private Safari, staying both inside Kruger in 3 camps in ensuited Bungalows with airconditioning (which we needed), and outside Kruger in a private gamepark, so we had the best of both worlds. Because of our timeline and where we wanted to go we had to use a tour operator that could organise this. I had concerns about that but with a few emails back and forth Thale had everything planned for us. The experience of a private tour was good. We flew from and back to Johannesburg rather than do the road trip to Kruger. Rafael, our guide/driver inside Kruger was so knowledgeable about everything, plants, insects, birds and the animals. The big animals are what most people come to see and we did have great success with that but birding (which was of interest) was great too with our guide. Through Kruger the days were long. We had gamedrives at 4.30am and then often moving between camps so drives through the day and then evening also but there is always the excitement of seeing wildlife. It was also very hot when we were there. We saw the big 5 but also much more. The gamepark allowed for a different perspective with their group drives and experiences. Don't hesitate about booking a trip with Wild Planet Safari.
Email Paul Smith | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
from inquiry to drop off back at the airport, everything was more than expected.
When making an inquiry, you communicate directly with Thale the director. Everything is made clear and easy to understand, no surprises on the tours with no additional costs or expenses. The vehicles are owned and driven by Wild Planet Safari employees so there are no additional people or third parties you need to communicate with. You get all transport sorted and dropped off where you need to be in good time. The food is good enough and theirs plenty. The accommodation is what you want according to your budget. The pace is as fast or slow as needed. The tour guides are with you and accommodate everything needed. the financial deal was better than i could get anywhere else and having been on safari's before, great value.
DE
Email Bena | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect!
I got an offer for this Safari on safari bookings and booked in a few days. The service was fast. The brochure well written and communication clear.
The safari vehicle was also very clean and Rafael and Hope were amazing guides. Hope cooked fantastic meals and Rafael knew how to make my teenager feel safe. He is also a walking encyclopedia of animal insight!
I highly recommend and we saw all the big 5, plus lots lots more. It was fun, safe and exciting.
Loved it.
Email Sharon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
Just wow, thank you Wild Planet Safari, Thale, Ryan and our amazing guide Raf.
We were a party of three who booked a Private seven night safari, this trip far exceeded our expectations and we can't recommend the experience enough.
From the first moment of enquiry with Thale to the final drop off by Raf, Wild Planet displayed fantastic customer service and attention to detail.
Raf was a superb guide, cook and all round great guy, working tirelessly to ensure we had the best experience, he would find the wildlife with great expertise, ensure we were in prime position to observe all of the amazing animals, drove us to so many incredible sightings and beautiful locations. After a day of driving us around Raf would cook us the most amazing dinners which we enjoyed immensely as we all reminisced about the spectacular experiences of the day
Our accommodation in all five places was spotless and very comfortable and the safari vehicle being open sided offered a very immersive safari experience. We saw an incredible number of animals and we were in awe of so many amazing sights, its hard to do justice to what we saw in words so all we can do is strongly suggest, if you have the opportunity to visit South Africa, you do so with a tour with Wild Planet Safari, they will give you a spectacular experience that will stay with you forever. Thank you
CA
Email Jim | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
One more off our bucket list and would do it again
The park is wonderful and we saw lots of every kind of animal there was except a leopard. (we think we saw 2 cubs at quite a distance away but not totally convinced it was leopards). The best part of our 4 days had to be the guide Mr Ker and Chef Mr Hope. They did everything they could to make this Safari memorable, comfortable (there was an unusual cold snap but blankets and rain gear were made available). The food that Hope made using outdoor grill was excellent and with myself being a vegetarian, I was impressed. The huts we stayed in were basic but comfortable with 2 bed, AC and a private bathroom/shower. I think there was good value for the cost ($1755 CDN each for 4 days). The only thing that could have been better was the initial transfer from Johannesburg. We were late getting to pickup spot at the airport because our prearranged pickup from our Airbnb was not give clear instructions as to where to meet the transfer van for Kruger. It worked out in the end as they waited for us. We real enjoyed this experience and would do it all again in a heartbeat.
US
Email Laura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Safari Experience
I had been dreaming of an African safari for years, so when the opportunity arose, I had to jump on it. I have to say our guides, Chris and Goodwill, gave me the experience of a lifetime! They were extremely knowledgeable about all of the animals we came across, spouting out random facts throughout the game drives. We saw an abundance of animals throughout the 8 day safari. I still can't believe how Chris managed to spot our first leopard. These guys really do have hawk eyes!
Mealtimes were wonderful, taking into account our meal preferences and providing us with very well prepared dishes. The wine in the evenings was much appreciated. And I think I can speak for everyone in my group that the comradery provided during our meals was wonderful!
I highly recommend Wild Planet Safari for your Kruger National Park adventures.
Email Gary | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant
First class, fantastic value for money, great service
Email Joelle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wild Planet Safari delivered a once in a lifetime experience
I opted for a private safari for the 3 of us. After some fumbling on my part with dates and pick up points, Wild Planet Safari arranged a great itinerary for us. They even deducted some money from the bill because we started at one of the Kruger's airports rather than from Johannesburg. Any email was replied to promptly. They provided information about the weather, what is advisable to wear and what to expect when on safari. They also arranged for a bush walk and a night drive for us in the 2 resorts we stayed on. Raphael - the safari guide (or is it spelt Raphaele?) - was a great guide, patient, attentive and really good at spotting all kinds of animals as well as being personable and fun to be with. He also knew an awful lot about the animals and birds in Kruger. We loved him and are really grateful to him for enhancing our experience!
US
Email Wanda Stevens | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Education, excitement, and full-on exhilaration, all in one package.
Thale Kolhus put together a great lodging package. Each lodge was unique to the park's varied areas. She then matched us up with knowledgeable drivers who educated us on not only the wildlife and their habitat but also an inside on the people of South Africa and points of interest. Thale added the Moholoholo Rehab Center to help raise awareness of how endangered these animals are. I would not change a thing and would recommend Wild Planet Safari to anyone, and any family looking for a trip of a lifetime.
US
Email Katarina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not suitable for a couple's getaway
My fiancé and I booked a 6-day Kruger safari with Wild Planet Safari and we were so excited! Unfortunately, we were disappointed and ultimately, I do not recommend this company.
I will say that the safari guide was super knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions regarding wildlife.
I think the biggest problem we had is that we went as a couple, and it was not specified that all three meals would be eaten with the guide and his assistant. We were looking for a more intimate experience at dinnertime under the stars with a bottle of wine.
In general, we also had problems with the included food; the “friendly coffee gatherings” – as to quote the day-by-day itinerary– in the early mornings, for instance, consisted of instant coffee served in tin cups. (All coffee drinkers will agree that instant coffee is terrible). I had pictured sharing a hot thermos filled with freshly brewed coffee. There were coffee shops at the camp sites, so this could’ve easily been arranged.
Some of our food and drink requests (which were approved prior to the safari) were not met; and there were no crackling fires and bonfire glows at nighttime, as to quote the safari description. The owner (who was very defensive when I emailed her afterwards) told me that because of a cold front (which only started at the end of our safari), it got very windy and they could not risk lighting bond fires. She also said our opinions were molded by the cold weather when we had packed long layers, gloves, jackets, etc. just to be on the safe side.
Whoever wrote the safari description is a fantastic writer because we didn’t even think about asking questions re: coffee and fires (etc). I really fell for the beautiful, idealized descriptions of the itinerary.
There were a couple of other little things, such as a missing bottle of wine, some terribly overcooked steaks (I find that mind boggling, because the cook asked us how we wanted it prepared and we said “rare” and “medium”, yet everything steak came out identical); and I still don’t know what happened to a dinner salad that supposedly went bad. I eat TONS of fruit and veggies, so yes, it was THAT important to me.
They do get 5 stars for providing us with great wine in the evening though :).
So if your heart is set on visiting Kruger, I strongly urge you to choose another company.
Reply from Wild Planet Safari
Posted on Oct 31, 2024Hi Katrina and Marc
Thank you for joining Wild Planet Safari on your 6 Day Kruger Safari, I am terribly sorry that we were not able to provide you a 5 star experience.
I am glad that you were happy with your guide, Chris, and that overall your wildlife sightings were very good and it seems that you did enjoy the Safari part of the trip.
It is unfortunate that you did not enjoy the parts of the trip that you were not on safari. With regards to your biggest problem that you went as a couple, and it was not specified that all three meals would be eaten with the guide and his assistant. This is one of the most important parts of the safari and one of the things that our guests enjoy the most apart from viewing the amazing wildlife. It is such a big part of what we do as a company and guests really enjoy getting to know their guide and listening to all his stories and the guides really enjoy learning about our guests and hearing their different life experiences. In 14 years of owning and managing Wild Planet Safari this is the very first time that we have received this complaint and to find out it was your biggest problem comes as a shock to us. There are hundreds of reviews where guests have specifically mentioned how they enjoyed sharing meal times with our guides and the chef.
We will certainly not be changing this and for anyone that is reading this review, please be assured that while on Safari with us your guide and chef will join you for all the meals that they prepare and you will all get to enjoy this experience going forward. One more point on this, if you had mentioned to Chris that you would prefer to eat your meals on your own, I can tell you with absolute certainty he would have accommodated this request, and your biggest problem would have been sorted. There is nothing we can do or that your guide can do after the trip has concluded.
I apologise the coffee we supply was not up to standard, we try to supply top quality instant coffee, in the range of Jacobs and Douw Egberts. Going forward we will get a stainless-steel French press for each vehicle and provide top quality locally manufactured filter coffee as well as instant coffee options. The friendly coffee gatherings occur at 5:30 in the morning and at that time the coffee shops at the camps are not open.
We operate mobile Kruger Safaris and we carry all our equipment with us, we have to have equipment that will withstand the bumping and bashing that happens in the trailer on safari, for this reason we cannot possibly have anything that is made of glass, porcelain or ceramic and we have to use items that are stronger like stainless steel coffee mugs.
Your safari was operated at the end of the dry season and there is higher risk of fires spreading at this time, all the roofs of the accommodation units are thatch and made from dry thatching grass, these roofs are very vulnerable to fires. Your guide, Chris made a call that it was too windy to make a fire for you to sit around, he made a fire to cook on, but decided a bonfire was not appropriate. Just 3 weeks after you were on safari with us, 3 accommodation units in Kruger were set on fire from people making fires that were too big. I stand behind my guide and his decision with regards to this.
I am sad the chef, Goodwill, over cooked your steaks, I will provide him with more training on this and get his standard up going forward. The guide and Chef were both told to provide extra vegetables and fruits with every meal as you requested, unfortunately they did not carry out this request, I do apologise for this. I wish you had asked, they would have provided you with any extra fruit or vegetables that you they had, and they were sent with additional supply.
With regards to your heading `Not suitable for a couple's getaway`, a big majority of our tours are private tours for Couples and nearly all of our reviews for these couples tours are 5 stars. We have had so many couples on safari, even loads of honeymoon safaris, we do not market Romantic Getaways or anything in that range, I believe this was a very unfair heading for your review and we strive to be the best option for a couples getaway to Kruger National Park.
Best Regards
Ryan Ker