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
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Email Will Sherman | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Overall--A Few Issues
Positive: Noah works with you to customize and he does it all at a very, very good price. I asked for Luxury hotels/lodges and all were wonderful, including a few we requested specially. Our driver was smart and well-informed and affable. We saw all the same stuff everyone else saw, possibly even a little more as Mike was pretty in the know and has been doing this 10 years.
The initial (and all) Communication with Noah was great--he is very responsive and willing to take a lot of time. The downside was that maybe I didn't ask all the right questions or get across to him that I wanted to spend the least amount of time in the car. As such, our route involved a bit of backtracking and as one is in those cars on bad roads enough as it is, the backtracking sucks. In the future I would fly to Serengeti and go one way to Arusha (or vice versa) if you have the money, hitting all the parks on the way. Also, spend 2 nights at each hotel if you can afford it. Hotels are nice with good food and it makes the trip less rushed and more relaxing--just my preference.
A few Downsides: The vehicle is old and sort of a POS. When it rained, our stuff got soaked--even in the suitcases. And when it rained or was cold, since neither the air or blower or wipers worked, it was sort of a disaster. As it is an old model, the windows are shorter so it is tougher to see out comfortably. I think it may be time for a vehicle upgrade and I would pay more for a company with a better vehicle and one cleaned a little more often.
Driver/guide Downside: Again, Mike was overall very good, however he talked loudly a lot on his cell phone both during game drives and even in our hotels. Was really, really annoying. I think in the future I would also request a non-smoking guide, but I really liked Mike and probably would go with him again anyway.
Other Downside: They were not waiting to pick us up when we arrived at the airport to start the safari. No big deal, but when I called I felt the reason they gave--too much traffic in Arusha (??)--was not credible. They were 45 mins late and everybody else seemed there on time. Not very apologetic about it either. I think they forgot we were coming on that flight.
But overall, a good experience at a good price and I would recommend Wildebeest (with a few modifications (car and routing) next time).
You spend a whole lot of time in the car on rough roads in these safaris, so I was hoping to minimize that. We ended up doing a lot of backtracking and as I had no idea of the area, I think they could have helped me avoid that. (Tip: Fly to Serengett if you have the $ and then backtrack to Arusha (or vice versa) and fly out from there. The round trip is too much driving.
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Email Josh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing guides, a couple hiccups with the booking
We did an 8-day, 7-night safari through the Masai Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro. It was an amazing trip, and our guides, Eustace (in Kenya) and Abu (in Tanzania) were incredibly knowledgeable. They also were obviously passionate about the wildlife. When your guide is as excited about the trip as you are, it makes a big difference, I promise.
There were a couple of issues with the booking, however. Before finalizing our booking, we added one extra night at the beginning so we could stay at the Giraffe Manor outside Nairobi. We received the revised itinerary, paid, and received confirmation. But when our guide arrived, we went to the hotel only to learn that the company had booked the wrong itinerary and the Giraffe Manor was completely full that night. We had to scramble to figure out an alternative plan, and in the end decided to start the safari a day early. Noah, the owner, refunded the price difference for the alternative accommodations, which I thought was a fair solution, but we were still disappointed (when else will we be in Nairobi to return to this legendary hotel?). Then, on our last night, we arrived at our hotel in Ngorongoro and tried unsuccessfully to check in. Wildebeest had accidentally booked us (and paid) for a hotel on the other side of the crater, an hour drive away. We called Noah to tell him we weren't leaving, and he eventually fixed the reservations (thankfully, that hotel had vacant rooms), but the process still took over an hour with us sitting is suspense in the lobby.
I give them credit for working to correct their mistakes, but when you pay so much money, you want to avoid mistakes like that altogether. I would still recommend Wildebeest--their guides cannot be beat and we had an amazing time--but you should really call each of your accommodations before you leave home to make sure they are expecting you.