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
NL
Email Floris van alphen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrible experience, safaris not as agreed on at all.
We had a very bad experience with Wildebeest safaris and Noah. The safari was not as promised at all. First of all, we had agreed on 4 hour gamedrives on the both first and the third day. Both these days we only spent only 2 hours in the national park. Secondly, our guide, Anthony, did not interact with the clients at all and did not treat the animals with respect. He went off road very often, which is prohibited, and disturbed animals by getting extremely close. Third, our 'semi-luxoury camp' had no electricity and no running water most of the time and if there was, the water had a brown colour.
When we emailed Noah to express our disappointment after our safari, all he did was offer us to go with his company again on our next trip, which is something I would never do again. Noah said he mixed up the itinerarys of a private and a joined safari, however, the itinerary he sent us before was named joined safari and he had confirmed about lengths of the gamedrives after I had specifically asked him. When we insisted on a partial refund for missing out on half of the safari time on two days, Noah simply ignored this and stopped replying.
I won't recommend anyone to ever use this company for a safari.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Floris,
Thank you for your feedback. As for joining safaris, different tour operators usually combine guests together in order to form budget group departures. Sometimes it becomes very hard to meet each clients interests/needs given that the demands are very high. Given the eventualities we stopped operating joining safaris to only concentrate on Private departures.
Kind Regards,
Noah
TT
Email Ron | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wildebeest Safaris 6-Day Tanzania Adventure - An Experience of a Lifetime!
My travel experience with Wilderbeest Safaris on their 6-Day Tanzania Adventure was excellent! My guide William was very professional and extremely knowledgeable. He was always very punctual and made sure we were on our way to the next destination early for best viewing, etc. We saw a tremendous amount of game and wildlife, including a very large wildebeest migration stampede. In short, he made every effort to ensure that I had the best possible safari experience, which I certainly had!
Noah who made all the arrangements at Wildebeest Safaris was friendly, efficient and provided excellent service.
The camps and lodges were very good, especially the Ang'Gata Migration Bolognia Camp which was an amazing experience! I also very much enjoyed the Lake Burunge camp and the Tloma Lodge!
Many thanks to Wildebeest Safaris and to Noah and William in particular. It was certainly unforgettable and a true 'experience of a lifetime'! I hope I can return again one day.
CA
Email jotravels | Experience level: first safari
Rock, Rattle and Roll
I have to say that Wildebeest was a disappointment for sure. Communication before our trip was excellent. I checked references and all was great. However, following our trip, and before writing this review, I gave Noah, the owner, a chance to respond privately to my concerns and he said he would look into it, but I have not heard anything.
1. Itinerary
My instructions about what we wanted was the Big 5 and the Migration. We did not see the Big 5--missed the rhino. We understood that seeing the actual crossing of the wildebeest is not guaranteed. However, I think that too many days were scheduled to try and see the crossing both in the Mara and the Northern Serengeti. We would have been better off remaining in the Mara for another day, rather than spending a day travelling to the Northern Serengeti--essentially wasted time. We saw thousands of wildebeests, but they did not cross when we were there. It was a very expensive part of the trip and I think, having had the experience, we would have been happy with just the Mara and skipped the northern Serengeti. As i said, it took a lot of travel time, and waiting around for hours on end, for the second time, became a bit boring. The other animals were not plentiful, the accommodations were not good. It also have been better spending more time in the central Serengeti and Ngorongoro. We had less than one day of viewing in each of them and in Ngorongoro we paid extra to extend our viewing in the crater as we were only scheduled for 3 hours. It was very badly planned in this respect. Also, I would recommend staying a second night in Ngorongoro, despite some extra costs. Again, we felt that we had too much wasted time travelling to a second lodge.
2. Vehicles
We had a number of concerns about the vehicles used. The first one, in the Mara, was okay, but the seats were permanently reclined--so not wonderful, but it was only a couple of days. The second vehicle which we had for 6 or 7 days was not up to par. We rocked, rattled and rolled---and though we did survive without a breakdown, the vehicle was below standards. It was old and literally rattled all the time so it was impossible to hear the guide unless you were sitting beside him. There were no seat belts in rear seats--which we believe was not legal. The windows did not operate well and were old and blurry--not good for viewing. The walkie talkie was not fully operational--and we think this had a significant impact on communications resulting in less viewings. We will never know! There was no cooler and water supplied was in huge bottles that got warm and were covered in dust. I had inquired from Noah about an air conditioned vehicle and was told it was not necessary because it was not the hot season. This was not correct. There were parts of the journey that we would have definitely closed the windows to avoid the dirt and dust, and this was not possible without the air conditioning, which was not working in the vehicle.
3. Accommodation
Our accommodation were all very nice except the Northern Serengeti where we were lodged in the Angata Migration Camp. The facilities were a bit too basic--not even an hand towel in the public bathroom and only tissue with no waste basket--kind of ridiculous in a place that was billed as "luxury". Also no hand towels in the room, rough floors, and extremely poor lighting. But most significant was that the bed netting was poor, it had holes and was dirty. This is in an area of the Tse Tse, so I spent 15 minutes every night re-arranging the netting. Food was okay at most places, but lunch boxes were not the greatest.
4. Guide/Drivers
We had two different guides. Eustice, in Kenya was very personable. knowledgeable, helpful, but very strict about rules, which we cannot hold against him! In Tanzania, our guide, who was a contractor, was very knowledgeable, but we had to ask questions to get the information. He was quite serious in personality and our main concern with him was his extreme confidence in himself which we felt prevented him from getting information from others. He also, without informing us, decided not to go to see some rhinos that were reported spotted, thinking they were too far away. He did not consult us and others at our camp were able to view them. He told us after we were back in camp! In the end, we never did see the rhino, and we do have some resentment over this. We would have said to go to see them for sure.
Email Paul M | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Got back today from a great six day safari
Just got back from a six day safari visiting Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara with my daughter, her friend and my partner. We had a fantastic time with Andrew as our guide. It's the third time that I have visited Kenya and this was the best trip of them all. Distances were long but with Andrew driving that was not an issue and he worked hard to make sure that we saw the Big Five and the Wildebeest Migration. The vehicle was a customised land cruiser which was great for the four of us enabling us to tackle the toughest terrain.
Communication was good with the company and I was able to pay part of the cost on a credit card for additional security. Overall the food and accommodation was great and the safari as good as I could have expected.
We had a great time.
DE
Email Tanja & Marcus | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure with very friendly staff
Although we were booking on short notice (a few days ahead) everything
went very well. We were picked up at the hotel right on time and got to
know our first driver who was very friendly and experienced both in
driving and the nature as was the second driver who we met half way of
our tour. We did a 7 days trip to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and
Lake Manyara. As we were the two of us only it was always up to us to
stop for taking pictures or to wait also longer time for watching
animals. The drivers knew where to stop for the animals and even took
care on stopping at the right place for pictures. The accomodations
proposed by the company were all excellent with very friendly staff. The
safari was a great adventure that we really enjoyed.
DE
Email Tanja and Marcus | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure with experienced and very friendly staff
Although we were booking on short notice (a few days ahead) everything went very well. We were picked up at the hotel right on time and got to know our first driver who was very friendly and experienced both in driving and the nature as was the second driver who we met half way of our tour. We did a 7 days trip to Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. As we were the two of us only it was always up to us to stop for taking pictures or to wait also longer time for watching animals. The drivers knew where to stop for the animals and even took care on stopping at the right place for pictures. The accomodations proposed by the company were all excellent with very friendly staff. The safari was a great adventure that we really enjoyed.
IN
Email Dr. Venu | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome once in a lifetime experience!!
We were a group of 27 (friends and families} from all over the world and had booked Kenyan Safari through Noah for a week. They sent us 4 Landcruisers and we did Amboseli, Nakuru, Masai Mara and Naivasha in that order. The vehicles were good, drivers were very experienced in road safety and knowledgeable about the flora and fauna, the accommodation and food excellent (we had booked Sopa Lodges throughtout). We saw the Big 3 on Day one at Amboseli and the rest 2 (Rhino and Leopard) at Nakuru on Day 2 itself. We saw the Big 5 again at Masai Mara, including the Wildebeest river crossing, crocodiles, hippos, a family of 5 cheetahs resting, another 2 cheetahs feasting on a wildebeest kill, etc. We were sad to wish them goodbye and depart after our Safari. I would certainly recommend them to anybody, and look forward to doing Tanzania next year with them. Kudos to our driver cum guides Eustace and Geoffrey who took excellent care of us.
IN
Email Krutesh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most amazing experience, best trip ever!!! Amazing!!!
The experience with Wildebeest Safaris Ltd. was just superb. Noah was very prompt in replying to all the emails, and even the staff were very nice and prompt. We had two different Tour Guides, Eusty and Enock, they both were just too good, very patient, very friendly and extremely informative about animals. The accommodations and the vehicles for safari were very comfortable, and even the entire package was reasonably priced compared to other tour operators. If you ever plan to do an African Safari (which you must do), you should definitely book Wildebeest Safaris Ltd.
IN
Email Vishal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They way they asked for the money spoiled all the positives
This review may put a new light to how this company wildebeest safari operates and i may be one of the unfortunate ones who have faced this immoral and shallow behaviour from the owner. As a background, i was in touch with Noah, the owner of wildebeest safari for a private 4 night 5 day safari package from nairobi including hotel booking etc. Good communication and the price was agreed and i paid 40% advance. His manager came to meet and greet us at the hotel and it was agreed that the balance payment will be made post completion of the trip. So no hesitation at this stage from Noah or anybody from wildebeest safari. Now on day 2 at flamingo camp in lake nakuru, i had a robbery in my room and usd 3500 worth of stuff gets stolen. Andrew was our guide and driver and was very supportive and a gem of a person. We did the police complaint etc and decided to continue the trip. Come last day and enroute masai to nairobi airport in middle of nowhere, andrew(driver) told me that i have to pay the balance before a certain town or he will drop us there and not take us to Nairobi. I was crossed like hell on this unprofessional approach and then when i talked to noah on this matter, he virtually harassed me to make the payment or the driver will take me to the police station and i will miss my flight etc. In short further misery to my already spoiled holiday. Now all this happened in a span of 2 hours on a lonely strech between masai and the nearest town. I was traveling with my wife and 7 year old son and got scared and out of fear paid the remaining balance. Now paying the money is not a problem but the way i was forced to pay the money was unreal, unprofessional and very shallow. Not sure if this is the was tourists are treated in kenya but that was my experience.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 28, 2023Dear Vishal,
Thank you for your feedback. Regarding the payment issue, we both agreed on email before your arrival that you will be paying upon landing in Nairobi. Upon been requested by your guide, you mentioned you are working on it. You proceeded with the tour. The driver/guide Andrew asked for the balance a day prior to end your Safari but your promised you will do it next morning which you never paid again. Our accountant asked the driver to make a stop for the balance to be paid before reaching Nairobi is when you settled it with him. Unfortunately this is not what we had agreed upon.
Kind Regards,
Noah
HU
Email Laszlo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great service, reliable company
We selected Wildebeest as a result of a thorough research. Owner/manager Noah was very helpful with prompt replies who really understands client needs and can read between the lines. As a family of 4 with two younger kids (8 and 11) we had quite specific needs and also clearly defined our budget. After a rather long iteration we designed our final itinerary with 8 days safari and 5 days beach in Kenya.
We started in Nairobi, then 3 nights at Masai Mara (Mara Crossings), 1 night at Nakuru (Sarova Lion Hill), 2 nights at Amboseli (Ol Tukai) and 1 night at Tsavo (Serena). After the safari we have been taken to the south beach for a 5 night stay at Sands at Chale before we flew back to Nairobi.
The entire trip was professionally managed with really minor discrepancies, so in general the service they provided was excellent. Our driver Joseph has 20+ years experince, great driver with deep knowledge of flora and fauna.
Do not hesitate to select Wildbeest, would opt for them again.