Andrew will take you to remote places
Wildebeest Safaris
- Located In:
-
China
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1997)
- Member Of:
- ETT & TRA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
PL
Email Piotr Poznan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
6 Days Big Cats Safari pro and cons.
I have booked by them 6 Days Big Cats Safari Package.
2 nights Samburu National Reserve - Samburu Sopa Lodge.
1 night Lake Naivasha - Lake Naivasha Country Club.
2 nights Masai Mara - Zebra Plains Mara Camp.
Communication wit the company before the trip was fast and efficient. I made them full prepayment for the trip.
Before the trip I have informed that it is very important for me to start all activities just after sunrise and finish just before sunset as I am interested in photography. JUs before the trip they have changed the accommodation by Lake Naivasha for Kongoni Lodge. I have informed than that tis lodge have some negative comments on Tripadvisor and they answered that all lodges there have similar quality.
Samburu Sopa Lodge - Samburu NAtional Reserve.
I can only recommend this park and this lodge. On the first day we saw the pack of 7 wild dogs and leopard.
On the second day 4 leopards, 1 cheetah and 5 lions. Lodge was very good with good restaurant. In in the park however to the places we saw animals it takes 30 minutes of drive. Food at lodge was great. WIFI available only in restaurant area was slowly. In the rooms was available European plugin to recharge the batteries.
Kongoni Lodge.
First of all the drive from Samburu to Naivasha took 8,5 hours. Much more than planned. We arrived at 15.30.
I did not like this place. It is very remote place. Additional 30 minutes drive. They charged me 50 USD for the boat trip close to the lodge. In the itinerary they wrote me that the boat trip cost 25 - 30 USD. In this lodge they do not give food for drivers. So the driver did not get dinner and breakfast.
Lake Naivasha boat trip. However overpaid it was interesting 2 hours. I saw hippos from very interesting photography perspective. @ giant kingfishers, many pied kingfishers, Nubian woodpecker, many pelicans, spoonbills, African fish eagles and sandpipers. The trip was OK.
Zebra Plains Mara Lodge.
The place was nice. Restaurant good. WIFI available at the restaurant area but was slowly. Minus was that it takes up to 25 minutes to come to the gate of the park.
Masai Mare - very good plac to spot predators. In 3 days I saw 2 prides of lions with the kill. Once with wildebeest second with buffalo. First day 5 cheetahs and on the second day the same 5 cheetahs and one female. Disadvantage of this park is that there are plenty of tourist and if any predators are found immediately are many cars around.
David was very good driver and guide. He was able to find many of animals. He had the radio in the car so he easily communicate with others drivers if they found something. It was really pleasant to travel with him through Kenya.
Cons - on the second day in Masai Mara at 17.00 driver informed me that we must finish the safari for today. In fact he used the limit of petrol. I lost 1,5 hour of the day in the very good afternoon light for the photography. This was the question of refilling the car for additional 15 liters of petrol - 1500 schilling - 15 USD..... He solved the problem for next day and we started at 6.30 a.m.
Second small minus was travel time. The way from Samburu to Naivasha took us 8,5 hours. So we have been almost late for the boat trip. There were no issues on the road. So simply travel time was planned unrealistic.
Overall - the itinerary of the trip was very good. I saw and took pictures of all big cats and as bonus of wild dogs.
The driver David was very experienced and saved the trip. The company organized the trip with some minuses. I would suggest if you are photographer to underline with them how important is for you to be just after sunrise and before sunset in the park. If you simply want to see the cats it is enough to come a little later because thank to the radio the will find them all. Also do not agree to change the lodges from those which are in the original plan. If you ask me if I would book with them again I would answer yes. But confirm precisely all details.
FR
Email Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical first safari
I recently booked a very last minute private safari with Wildebeest following a work trip to Nairobi. Noah was extremely helpful from the outset, providing a customized itinerary on short notice and allowing me to pay via a bank transfer rather than in cash even though I only booke a day out (meaning the cash only arrived after I was 2 days into the trip). The camps booked by Wildebeest were absolutely stunning, excellent food and service, and very reasonably priced compared to all the other quotes I received.
The safari itself was everything I had hoped for. I did the 3 night/four day trip to Lake Nakaru and the Masai Mara both of which were incredible. My driver Jeff was a total gem. Very friendly, happy to adjust the itinerary to whatever times I wanted to leave/return from game drives, make extra stops along the way, and also spent four days patiently responding to all of my questions about which animals eat which.
If booking with Wildebeest I highlight recommend requesting Jeff. I'm a 30 woman who travelled solo and felt totally at ease the whole time and really enjoyed his company.
Thanks again to Wildebeest for a magical first Safari!
IN
Email Minhaj Ahmed | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Every this was totally perfect, had a awesome trip with wildebeest safaris
At first Mr Noah interactions was really good he replied to each and every msg, and after when we reached Nairobi every thing was given as promised. We loved the accommodation, food , game drive, and the guide Mr Martin he was so good with us.
Would love to go back again, keep it up Wildbeestsafari
NZ
Email Deb | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experienced driver who I felt was just doing his job.
Despite several emails as we had changed the pickup day to a Friday they never showed up on time.
Excellent driver ,answered our questions but not forthcoming with information.
Overall loved the Safari
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Deb,
Thank you for your review. We made a lot of changes with our ground operations. Be rest assured of great services from our guides in the near future.
Kind Regards,
Noah
Email Larissa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing weekend trip to Amboseli
Two friends of mine and I went to Amboseli National park with wildebeest safaris and it was an amazing experience. Noah and his team are great and ensured that our trip was perfect. They responded immediately whenever we had any questions and Paul, our guide, was very knowledgeable, accommodating and fun. I’ll definitely book my next tour with them as well and can highly recommend them.
Email Bekran | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mixed feelings
We booked a 3 days/2 nights safari with Wildebeest Safaris in September 2019. The booking process was straightforward and we were really happy with the accommodation that was offered. We were picked up by our driver Joseph who was also our guide on the whole trip. First two days, we had a great time in Masai Mara National Park, we were lucky to spot the Big 5. Joseph did everything he can to find rare animals such as leopard and rhino.
The last day we set out to go back to Nairobi where we had a flight in the evening. Soon after we realised our driver was feeling very sick. He asked me to drive the safari jeep which I did. On the way, we stopped by a local clinic to make sure he had treatment. He was feeling better after two hours, so we moved on. The journey back to Nairobi was very long and because I wasn't familiar with that type of vehicle, so I struggled with driving it. We were supposed to go to Lake Naivasha and pay a visit to Masai village on that day, but Joseph again became sick and we had a plane to catch so we just drove on. We didn't want to take a break to eat or use toilet to waste time, yet again, Joseph stopped us at a souvenir shop which he had an agreement with. We then were stopped by a local policeman on the road who gave us a hard time, luckily I had my driving licence with me and he let us go after a while when he was convinced that our driver was sick. The whole journey took us 11 hours and when we arrived in Nairobi we had 2 hours left to our flight. Joseph asked us to pull over at their office where we were greeted by Noah. He had no idea what had happened, so when we said we were late, he immediately found a car to drive us to the airport. Unfortunately, the traffic was crazy in the city and we made it to the airport only 15 minutes before the check-in was closed.
We wish all the best to our driver and understand the challenges of ending up sick in a remote place. I tried to help him as a doctor and also as a friend. But it was a very stressful last day for everyone and the little things that happened there left a sour taste in our mouths. There was clearly miscommunication between the driver and the agency as they were not aware of what was going on. I hope Wildebeest Safaris take this review as constructive criticism and not allow the same thing to happen again.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Bekran,
Thank you so much for your feedback. We are glad that you enjoyed our services apart from the moment your driver/guide Joseph fell ill and unable to drive with no communication at all coming from him to the office. We had a meeting with him and agreed to improve his communication skills between the office and while on duty in the field with our guests.
Again, we really appreciate your feedback.
Kind Regards,
Noah
Email Patrik Anderson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Masai Mara Safari
Our guide Dennis was great. Always on time. Great driver and wildlife guide!
NZ
Email Rosie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wouldn't use this company again
We were picked up 2 hours late as the owner hadn't communicated the correct pick up date to our driver. The first nights accommodation was absolutely disgraceful. Our driver only spoke when spoken to! He didnt interact with us at all. He was however good at driving and got us where we needed to go. Also at our last camp we discovered the owner hadn't even paid for the camp, poor form.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Rosie,
Thank you for your safari feedback. Sorry for the pick up delay on Day 1. The flight arrival timings were provided to your driver/guide but miss communicated hence the delay. We had to send a different driver for the assignment.
Kind Regards,
Noah
US
Email Allison | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible safari with outstanding guides, amazing animals, and beautiful lodges
We just recently returned from a 12 day safari to Kenya and Tanzania. We booked through a company based in Tanzania and our time in Kenya was contracted out to Wildebeest Safaris. We were met at the airport by Mark, who was incredibly friendly and he took us to our hotel. The next day we met Rasheed. He took us to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Giraffe Center. He was super patient with us as we stayed longer than most vistors. Rasheed also gave us a great recommendation for lunch that was just perfect for our group.
The next day we met Frank, our tour guide for Amboseli, Maasai Mara, and Lake Nakuru. Frank is extremely knowledgeable about the animals, was kind, courteous, and professional, as well as funny and conversational. He was also extremely patient with us, as we could not get enough pictures and videos of any of the animals that we saw. He kept in contact with other guides so that he would be able to show us as many animals as possible. He picked up quickly what our group was interested in seeing and tried to make sure we saw those animals. He knew the parks inside and out and was able to give us recommendations for picnic spots, the best locations for pictures, and restroom locations. He was conscious of the roads as well and tried to make the ride as comfortable as possible. We could not have been happier with Frank as our guide!
The lodges where we stayed were also wonderful. The staff at the locations were extremely friendly, outgoing, and courteous. We enjoyed our conversations with them and the beautiful views. The food was also very good.
Overall, we could not have been happier with our safari experience with Wildebeest Safaris. We had an absolutely amazing vacation due to their staff members. Incredible people! Thank you so much!
SE
Email Vivi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unpleasant experience and cheating happens
We had an UNPLEASANT experience in Wildebeest Safaris LTD. One of our tour guide, Peter, said he had the card issue for the payment, then he borrowed 300 USD dollars from us to pay the ticket fee for Masai mara National Park, which has been included in our travel fee. He guaranteed that he would return the money to us when we was back to Kenya 3 days later, but we have NOT gotten our money back until we finished our trip. During the trip, we waste a lot of time and stand under the sun to deal with this issue. After the trip, Wildebeest Safaris LTD said they will deal with the money issue and give us money back. BUT each time we asked for the money issue, they always have an EXCUSE, such as bank issue.
Wildebeest Safaris LTD does not regulate their staff properly, they even give all the money to the tour guide (including salary and traveling fee) before trips start. So in the worst condition, guides may throw all the clients away before the trips start and take all money away. SO for you guys want to travel in Kenya, you should take the consideration whether you want to take the RISK of using the service from Wildebeest Safaris LTD. And the guide can work for many companies, so they might take your money without any concern of losing job, like Peter in our case. Besides, communication between Wildebeest Safaris LTD and tour guides is very BAD. Two of our tour guides did not know our schedule at all.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 27, 2023Dear Vivi,
Kindly confirm you received the refund via your PayPal account.
Kind regards,
Noah Kuti