US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had a fabulous time but communication with the company was a little limited
The safari itself was everything we expected. Our tour guide Kim was awesome and very knowledgeable. The accommodations and food were good also. The tent camps are cool and they have electricity and bathroom and shower in them. I never received a packet from odyssey and some things aren't very clear. You definitely need to bring your yellow fever vaccination card...Kenya and Tanzania will need to see it but that wasn't on the list of things to bring. Also get your Kenya and Tanzania visas online prior to going so you don't have to carry that cash and wait in longer lines. If you do those things prior to going, things should go smoothly and you will have an amazing time :)
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall it was very easy to book the trip. All questions were answered and suggestions were made.
The overall experience was awesome. The one thing I found fustrating was on the first day when we arrived, wet had recieved an email saying what we would do each day. I noticed that it said in the afternoon we would go out on a game drive and a bush Braii for dinner. We asked our driver from the airport what time we would meet and he didn't know. We go to Kruger and asked someone there and he didn't know. We knew absolutely nothing was will very annoying as we didn't want to miss out on any activities. I think that you could avoid this in the future by the drivers letting us know where we meet and what time for the first activity. Once we had figured it out the trip ran smoothly.
US
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.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Saiwa Swamp National Park by Lori Carlisle
We went here specifically to see birds and we were not disappointed! A nice park with an easy trail system for walking.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Tsavo East National Park by Russell Corbett
I had a lot of luck spotting birds. This was a great place for elephant viewing.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Amboseli National Park by Russell Corbett
It was great to see elephants and hippos in the water. There were a lot of water birds.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tsavo West National Park by Nancy Wambui Michuki
Long drives before you could see any animals..
Maybe in August there is more to see.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was fun and I felt that I could relax because things were taken care of.
It was a very nice experience with only good surprises. The place was beautiful and the guide was very good, fun, and knew a lot. I would do it again and recommend it to others.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Pilanesberg Game Reserve by Harold Klein
Smaller park with easy access from Jo'burg airport hotels...a real satisfying suprise. Definately worth the day trip!!
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good and enjoyable one-day safari in Pilanseberg
Very good operator - I was able to organize my one-day safari for Saturday and started only after 2pm on Friday and used e-mail only. Operator called me in the hotel to confirm and check whether I've received all information. They picked me up from hotel, driver was very informative. Safari itself was very good as we were able to spot 4 of big 5. One drawback is that the one-day safari the game drive itself is a bit too late - I was lucky enough that we started one hour earlier than regular tour, otherwise at the end it would be a bit too dark. Overall I can only recommend the Go Safari.