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
MX
Email Pamela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guides but little support from management during Safari
I have mixed feelings regarding Wildebeest Safaris. The first part of the trip was absolutely perfect, communication with Noah and Samuel at the beginning was very good but sadly everything changed towards the end.
Our trip started in Kenya where we met Jeff, our first safari guide. Jeff is the absolute BEST! He ensured we could see all the animals we wanted, he was very caring, funny and made sure we were having a good time at all times. He took us from Nairobi to Lake Nakuru and then to Masai Mara, accommodations in both places were amazing, they felt very luxurious and staff was very helpful and friendly.
From Masai Mara we went to Serengeti where we met Hamza, our 2nd driver and guide. Hamza was great, he is very experienced and knows A LOT about animals, plus, he knows great spots for photos ;) Both Jeff and Hamza drove 4x4 Land Cruisers, perfect vehicles for safari.
The issues started in Tanzania. One day before reaching Serengeti, the agency contacted us to inform that they had made the booking on the wrong dates so we didn't have valid accommodations anymore. Luckily we are not the kind of people who freak out and only asked for reservations at similar lodges, however, I do have to say that this was an unexpected situation and it was a bit stressful since they noticed only a day before! In the end they fixed it and booked alternative camps for us but one of them didn't have basic facilities like hot water.
From Serengeti we drove to Ngorongoro Crater and then back to Kenya's border to go to Amboseli. When we crossed the border, our 4X4 Land Cruiser was changed to a Mini Van, this was more than a huge disappointment because this type of vehicle is not made for safari, nor the roads in Kenya/Tanzania (way too bumpy + fishtailing when going at more than 20km/h, hence you have to go really slow and takes double the time to cover the same distance), most importantly is that is not the car Noah promised on the very first email he sent me. Our 3rd driver (Peter) tried to contact Noah to find a solution to this problem but we had no luck, he never answered. I also tried contacting Noah and Samuel by email... and we also didn't get any response, we were just ignored (up to date we haven't received any sort of explanation). We had to stick to the Mini Van the last two days of the safari and it became so uncomfortable that we decided no to go on a safari drive the last day.
It's a pity that a trip that started so well and that could have been rated a full 5-star was just thrown away because of poor management at the end.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Pamela,
Thank you for your review.
On the issue regarding change of Vehicle on the last 2 days of your Safari. Please note that in most cases we usually use a Minivan at Amboseli since the roads are not as bad compared to Masai Mara and Serengeti. But after reading your review we switched from Minivan to Land Cruiser to avoid such complaints in the near future.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Noah Kuti
SD
Email Ricardo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Responsible and professional
The agency is very professional and willing to satisfy the client’s requests.
The tour guide Filbert went the extra mile several times to ensure we were having the best experience and was very knowledgeable on fauna and flora.
Overall the experience was very professional and well planned except for one detail while booking the entrance to the Serengeti that made us loose almost half a day of the overall tour, that could have been resolved if the booking was done by head office instead of the tour guide on field. In any case, the tour guide helped adjusting the tour to ensure that we get the best experience posible and trying to recover the lost time.
IN
Email Amit | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good bookings and tour guides but need to be more professional
We booked our first African safari with Wildebeest. Noah and Samuel were the point of contacts. They are very knowledgeable on the safaris and hotels. Kamande our safari guide was extremely cordial and experienced. We had a very good safari viewing. Kamande ensured that we were able to see all the animals and really put effort that we got the best views. However I feel the team can be more forthcoming. Our trip was fantastic because we had literally done all the research ourselves, right from the day wise plan on basis of what we saw on different websites. Wildebeest mostly helped us with the hotel and safari booking deals. They weren't very forthcoming on recommending what is best for us- many times I had to ask them multiple times if they, as locals, thought this was the best way to do the tour. We spent an entire day at Naivasha not knowing that the tour gets over in an hour!
We had asked the team to do our bookings for Mombasa as well, and they misplaced our train bookings which meant we lost almost an entire day waiting to travel (since there are only 2 trains everyday). I think they could have been more helpful on that. So I would recommend you go with them only if you are absolutely sure of what you want. Don't rely on them to guide you
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Sep 18, 2019Dear Amit,
Thank you for your feedback we truly appreciate as this helps us to greatly improve our services.
Regarding Naivasha, we usually have optional activities which our guides usually brief guests on spot on the amount involved. I spoke to Kamande your Driver Guide but he mentioned you wanted to relax.
On the issue of Mombasa tickets, you were fully booked and confirmed for the morning departure until Ticketing office called and informed us that the schedule changed and you will be going with afternoon Train. We are really sorry regarding this issue as it was beyond our control. We took the responsibly given it wasn't our fault and provided Mombasa City Tour at no extra charges just to ensure you enjoy your stay with us.
Thank you so much.
Yours Sincerely,
Customer Service Department,
Wildebeest Safaris LTD
US
Email Jake Jacobs | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An over the top experience seeing wildlife at Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara
The staff at Wildebeest was cordial and helpful during the safari planning phase. They communicated effectively...emails were always answered promptly and thoroughly. They also offered helpful advice as to Nairobi hotels and the tourist visa application process. Timothy Rashid, my guide, was a pleasant fellow and extremely knowledgeable about all topics Kenyan! He had an intimate knowledge of the terrain at Lake Nakuru and Maassai Mara which enabled us to score amazing views in each area! My visit to Kenya was an remarkable experience which I will always remember fondly!
US
Email Morgan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Peter was friendly, flexible with our time together, reasonable, and helpful in making decisions.
Wildebeest were swift in communicating with us the expectations of our logistics and coordinating the best accommodations and itinerary based on our budget. They paired our group with a wonderful tour operator and guide, Peter, who was understanding of our time and what we wanted to do, and helped adjust our itinerary as needed.
SE
Email Hanna | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice but way too many hours in the safari vehicle driving between the parks!
Unfortunately I can not recommend this tour (5 days Kenya Safari). We were spending considerably more hours in the vehicle going between the three parks than being on an actual safari. Very unexpected I must say... It was a 9,5 hour drive between Lake Nakuru and Amboseli (although our guide told us we would be there "before lunch" as we were starting our journey in the morning around 08:00 hrs...) and once we got there, exhausted, hungry and dusty, there was no time for a safari. Huge disappointment as we were supposed to go on a safari that afternoon. The following day, a few hours safari as we rushed through the park and then headed back to Nairobi (another 6 hrs drive). We had lunch in the vehicle as there was no time to go back to the camp.
All in all; very nice conversation with the tour operator before the safari, nice and friendly driver (who unfortunately rushed through the parks to keep the schedule together) who was also a good driver which we appreciated, and we also liked the vehicle.
The lasting impression however was that we were rushed through the parks and that we paid a lot of money for spending most of our time on the Kenyan roads and highways.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Sep 1, 2019Dear Hanna,
Thank you for your feedback and we truly appreciate the same for improvement. I spoke to the driver regarding the same and he advised there was too much traffic and traffic police were were along the roads hence causing delays.
We have had a good number of departures for this particular tour and clients have been enjoying it in the past and present. I guess it was just one of those days during your visit in our Country.
On the other hand we truly appreciate and your feedback.
All the best.
Kindest Regards,
Customer Service Department
Email Eddie Bekker | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful unforgettable ten days in Kenya and Tanzania arranged for us by Noah and his amazing team.
We thoroughly enjoyed our safari. Should we go on another safari in East Africa we will most definitely use Wildebeest Safaris again. Noah planned the safari with us from the start. He communicated with us all the detail. When we arrived he was at the hotel to welcome us personally. Our guides Jeff (in Kenya) and Humphrey (in Tanzania) assisted us and tried to ensure that all our expectations were met. They were flexible and so helpful. The accommodation, safari vehicles were up to standard. We were well looked after.
Email Charlie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Polite staff and great value
Communications were initially very good and provided an excellent break down of a proposed itinerary. Subsequent communications were not so good and took some time for a response.
The service was great. We got picked up from Nairobi and then driven out to Maasia Mara in a mini-van. We had the van to ourselves and our driver was very polite and knowledgeable. The tented camp that we stayed in was perfect for our needs.
The tour itself was great too. Our driver was polite and knowledgeable and made the trip far better.
In all, a fantastic experience and one that my family will remember for years.
US
Email Guang | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Straightforward planning and booking experience, excellent driver/guide
The planning and booking process was straightforward. The sales representative Noah from Wildebeest Safaris answered every single one of my questions in a timely fashion. What can be improved, perhaps, is attaching a few photos of or links to camps/hotels/vehicle at this stage of email communication.
When we arrived at the Nairobi airport it was already getting dark. So it took us a couple of sweeping around to spot our driver with a hand-written sign of our names, among a few dozen other drivers standing outside the airport. In the meantime I also tried to contact the tour operator but both cellphone numbers were unanswered. In addition, it took us some time to figure out the driver who picked us up were not the same driver/guide for the rest of safari trip. In retrospect, all of above can be improved with better email communication beforehand, in order to minimize customer apprehension. But things got sorted out quickly so it did not negatively affect our airport pick-up experience too much. The hotel at Nairobi is decent and safe, which is important as the first stop of our ten-day safari tour.
Our driver/guide Dennis is great. He is energetic, polite, knowledgeable about wild animals, local culture, road condition, and also attentive to our needs during the entire safari trip. His wife was due to deliver a baby girl two days before the end of our safari trip. So he had to make and/or receive phone calls during the trip. But this was totally understandable and it never really got in the way of our safari experience. During game drives Dennis was focused. We were able to get many well-angled shots including leopard eating its game behind thick tree branches, five cheetah brothers lounging around together, lions mating, rhinos fighting, etc. etc. There were a couple of minor vehicle issues (including a broken passenger side window at the start of our trip) but they all got taken care of within a couple of days. Overall it was a reliable vehicle that served us and the driver well for the entire trip.
The camps/hotels selected during the safari are satisfying in general. Some are better managed than others, but more so on people side rather than location/hardware side.
US
Email jd patel | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
poorly organise and managed.
very poorly oganised, and managed.hotlel resevation asked for perticular lodge not provided.park fees not paid in advance also comunication was big problem. every where we went we have to call for reservation . also resevation done at wrong lodges. driver provided excellent custmer service. i would suggest before you go and paid deposit please make sure all services provided are confirmed and paid.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Jd Patel,
Thank you for your feedback. As for park fees we usually pay on the spot upon arrival at the gate. We have since improved our communication skills between operations and our office and lodges are paid in good time to avoid last minute rush.
Kind Regards,
Noah