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 Cheryl | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a wonderful experience and Ryan and Lungisani were great guides with so much fun and knowledg
Myself and three friends had a wonderful visit to South Africa and loved the safari with Ryan and Lungisani. The animal sightings were fabulous and I think we managed to see most of the big five as well as other smaller shy animals - honey badger, porcupine and so much more. Ryan's knowledge of the native birds and animals was amazing so we managed to get up his nose not remembering any of them - especially bush bucks. Wonderful trip - I'd recommend it to everyone.
ES
Email Sara and Javier | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome three day safari
We are so happy of choosing this company to do a three day safari at Kruger. I think it is the best option because of the price and all the good experiences that Adriaan and Benji have given to us. A big thank you for them!
We will repeat in some years for sure.
Email Alex Massey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic 10 Day Big 5, Bush and Beach Safari
We booked the 10 day bush and beach safari as our "once in a lifetime" family holiday and chose Wild Planet Safari based on all their positive reviews. We were not disappointed! Even before the trip they really looked after us with regular updates and messages. Our guide Ryan and his assistant Benjamin collected us from our hotel at exactly the appointed time and looked after us fantastically from then on.
We spent four days touring Kruger Park, travelling from north to south and staying at Letaba, Orpen and Berg-en-Dal. En route we saw all the Big Five (Big Six if you count Black and White Rhino separately!) as well as many more birds and animals. Ryan guided us excellently throughout, telling us not only about the wildlife, but also the geology and history of Kruger. He really knows his stuff and answered all our questions patiently, as well as regaling us with many stories over a glass of beer in the evenings! As a birdwatcher, I was pleased to find that Ryan is one too and he really helped me increase my life list, even stopping for the "small brown jobs" from time to time! We recorded over 100 bird species in Kruger alone. Ryan certainly has eagle-eyes and some kind of special intuition for when and where to find the wildlife. He helped us connect with some of the more unusual creatures too, such as porcupines, honey badgers, and a rock python.
From Kruger we travelled south through Swaziland and spent one night at Royal Hlane, where you get close-up views of White Rhino in particular at the waterhole there. We then continued south and spent two days in Hluhluwe, staying at Hilltop camp, where we saw plenty more rhino, as well as lots more other birds and animals.
After seven days on tour we ended up at Greenfire Lodge on the beach front in Umdloti, near Durban, where we spent two days relaxing by the beach and unwinding. There is wildlife there too - vervet monkeys in the town, and whales and dolphins in the sea, which we watched from the balcony of our room - fantastic!
We had an absolutely fantastic holiday - truly a "lifetime" event - thanks to Ryan and his team, and hope to repeat it again one day. We cannot recommend Wild Planet Safari enough - book your tour with them and like us, you will not be disappointed!
A great experience for a small group of six Aussie friends with Ryan and Thales' Wild Planet Safari
Our small group was fortunate to choose Wild Planet Safari to host our recent visit to South Africa and Kruger NP. Ryan and Thale met us in Johannesburg, took us to breakfast, helped organise our days sightseeing there and then collected us bright and early the next morning for the drive to Kruger. Ryan's knowledge of the birds, animals and topography is faultless and his obvious enthusiasm for locating likely spots for great viewing gave us up close photo opportunities. At one point we were surrounded by 17 lions..... (In total we spotted 29 different animals and 43 birds.) Not forgetting to mention Thales input and sharp eyes. Lungsani backstopping with preparation of meals etc made late morning breakfasts after (very) early safari welcome and dinners under the stars were great social times with Ryan and Thales extended family. We were made to feel very welcome and more than just paying customers.
Thanks from all your Aussie friends.
Regards Jim and Jan
US
Email Benson | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Attentive to all the details, customized and personal experience, and incredibly knowledgeable.
My partner and I absolutely loved our 5-day experience with Wild Planet Safaris. We started with four days on safari in two different camps in Kruger, followed by a day of exploring the Panorama route. Thale (Wild Planet coordinator) advised us on every aspect of the transportation, activities, logistics, and options.
Thale responded very quickly and professionally to our questions and requests while planning the trip. Before and during the trip, she helped incorporate everything we wanted into our itinerary.
Our guides, Chris and Sani, drove us on morning, afternoon, and evening game drives and shared their incredible knowledge of the bush. They tailored the drives to our interests, and took us to the best locations to see rare game. Because of them and their knowledge, we saw a huge number of animals and birds. Highlights included baby cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, vultures, lions (male, female, and cubs), and elephants galore! They even took us to the rare sighting of an elephant carcass with predators feeding at dawn. They also set up a night drive and a morning bush walk with the Kruger park rangers at our request. Both were incredible!
The service was excellent. They made sure we were comfortable with prepared meals four-times a day. We chose to camp during the trip, and they set up and packed camp quickly, allowing us to maximize time enjoying animals and exploring. They cooked almost every meal, and we especially loved the freshly barbecued bush brai, shared family-style. Sani's curry was a huge hit after a long day of adventure.
The five day package was great value, and we were lucky to have such an accommodating guide to plan our customized tour. We had a completely private tour experience. We slept in comfortable and warm cots in spacious tents, with electricity provided. I'm 6'5" and could stand up straight in the tent. All of the camp restrooms and showers were clean and well-maintained. Almost all meals were included in our package, and we spent very little money on the occasional lunch during travel days.
Our guides Chris and Sani were incredibly respectful and we enjoyed getting to know them and their backgrounds. They both were extremely gracious to us, helping us have the best experience possible. They were attentive to the smallest details, ensuring we ate with a table cloth and tailored the menu to accommodate our dietary restrictions. We felt very safe during the entire trip, both in terms of security, animals, and Covid 19.
We would absolutely use Wild Planet Safari again in the future and have already recommended them to our friends and family.
US
Email Christine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Safari Guide and Trip
We just finished eight EPIC days with Wild Planet Safari. Every day was an incredible experience due to:
1. Superior planning of the company (great rest camp locations within Kruger park with access to exceptional wild life viewing). They were easy to work with to develop an customized itinerary.
2. Exceptional guide. Chris has eagle eyes to point out the smallest of chamelions, bee-eaters or king fishers ... as well as wildlife incredibly camoflauged (leopards and cheetahs). We sweat he whispers to the animals to bring them in so close they almost kissed the vehicle.
3. Outstanding logistics. Hob the cook ensured we had more deliscious food then was needed, including breakfasts on the road so we did not need to return to the rest camp at the end of each morning wildlife drive.
We highly recommend this company for lovely intimate safari experience. Far exceeded all of our expectations.
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
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Kruger Park Tour
A personal tour for my wife and I. The aim was a hard-core photo safari and Wild Planet provided exactly what we wanted with plenty of pleasant surprises on top. Thanks to it being a personal tour we were able to see more species, get closer and take better photos than we have in any previous trips. Both the food and service was excellent throughout but the highlight was probably the night we spent at Shipandane Hide, where we had Hippos fighting in the river, Lions close by and a night time visit from a Gennet - it was pure magic.
We traveled in a customised VW Transporter Van so we had plenty of room to spread out and to take photos. The tents were surprisingly large (I could stand up in ours) which made camping easy. Because there was only the 2 of us we were able to take full advantage of our guide's encyclopaedic knowledge of Southern African wildlife so when we took a Park Service night drive it felt really "dumbed-down" compared to the wildlife masterclass we were used to. Overall we got exactly what we wanted and a whole load more for a very reasonable price.
We have already made a provisional booking for next year as after 10 years of visitig Africa no other trip we have taken even remoteley compares.
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Email Daniel Ricciardi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Kruger Safari
My girlfriend and I recently went on a four-day/three night Kruger tour with Ryan and could not have asked for a better trip. Driving past other tours carrying nearly 20 people with only one guide made us keenly aware of how lucky we were to be able to ask Ryan questions whenever we had them. Ryan's knowledge of the park’s ecology is constantly on display, whether he was talking about animals, insects, birds, or plant life.
Having our own private tour also gave us flexibility. We were able to customize our trip, allowing us to go out to see animals when, where and however often we wanted to. Whether we wanted to take an extra drive, go outside of the planned route to find a lion (success!), or drink Savannah Dry’s until passing out, Ryan was eager to do it. On our last day, Ryan drove all over known rhino routes because we hadn’t been lucky enough to see a rhino up close (which was literally the only animal in Kruger that didn’t practically approach our vehicle). When you are on larger group tours, that kind of personal touch just isn’t possible.
Behind every man is a great woman, and Ryan and Thale are no exception. Before arriving in South Africa, we were in constant communication with Thale despite the fact that she was in her third trimester. We were initially apprehensive about not being able to pay by credit card (extremely high fees) or PayPal (only works with one bank in South Africa), but Thale made us feel completely at ease throughout the entire process.
If all of that wasn’t enough, Ryan and Thale were kind enough to have us over for dinner the week after our tour for our last night in South Africa. We could not have asked for a nicer, more hospitable couple to show us around their beautiful country. They love what they do and it is evident from the moment you first contact them until they drop you off at the airport. We cannot recommend Wild Planet Safari highly enough. Thank you for making it an unforgettable trip!
Email Tony Bilbie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely Enjoyable 3 day - 2 night Safari
The communication throughout the process from the initial enquiry right through to the day before we were collected was quick and detailed. We were given a number of options of which areas to explore and different accommodation types prior to booking and everything was organised for us by Ryan and Thale.
We flew in from the UK and stayed overnight in a hotel close to the OR Tambo airport, Ryan then collected us from the hotel the following morning and we drove to Kruger (with a stop off halfway for 15 minutes), arriving at Skukuza just after 1pm.
When we arrived at Kruger mid afternoon, Ryan sent us off to grab some lunch whilst he went and checked us into our accommodation. When we returned around 2.30pm our luggage was already in the room and we were then took on an afternoon safari, seeing a large number of animals and birds.
Evening meal was BBQ steak and salad cooked outside the accommodation by Ryan and his assistant which was excellent and we sat chatting and drinking the local wines under the stars.
Morning 2 consisted of an early start where we saw most of the Big 5 and Ryan cooked us bacon and eggs breakfast at a picnic area overlooking the river, watching the monkeys play. A good long day of exploring, seeing many of the animals and birds. We then returned to the camp mid afternoon where we were left to chill out and top up the stock of beers and wine.
Again, a BBQ evening meal outside the accommodation where we were given ostrich sausages and a local veg dish which was good washed down with some local brew. We were then surprised to find out that Ryan had booked us on a night safari, a nice touch. We completed our Big 5 list on this night safari, seeing a leopard walking around the park, sadly we didn't take a camera.
Day 3 we again took an early morning safari, checked out of the accommodation and took a drive back to OR Tambo airport ready for our flight down to Cape Town.
The service we received from Ryan, Thale and the rest of the team was personal yet professional, and Ryan's knowledge of the animals and birds (mating habits/diets etc) was excellent and added to the experience we got from the trip.
I would certainly contact Wild Planet Safaris next time I am looking at exploring southern Africa's wildlife regions and would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone looking to experience it.