Philip and Martha
Wild Wind Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $112 to $525 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Judy Rogero | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Company and would highly recommend them to plan your entire trip.
Wild Wind Safaris was exceptional. They put our entire 21 day trip together and met all of our expectations. We did Etosha National Park, Sousvlei and Deadvlei tours. We also did Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. Best company I have ever worked with from start to finish.. You will not be sorry if you use this company. Very Organized, Professional, and humorous. Made sure our every need was met and that we accomplished everything we wanted to do in style and grace. Thanks so much Wild Wind Safaris we will be back.....
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Email Michel A Puckett | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Ethnic Namibia-Cultural Experience 17 Days A WOW of a Trip:-)
Where to begin? Years ago the Himba people were pictured in a travel magazine and right then their lives peaked my interest. In 2014 three of us traveled to South Africa and of course, had a wonderful time. Upon returning I started to look for a way to get to Namibia since it was right next door to South Africa.
I came across Philip and Wild Wind Safaris on this Safari Bookings website then, of course, had to see what was written on Trip Advisor about his Safari Company. Upon emailing Philip and his rapid response our trip to Namibia was set in motion.
We returned just yesterday and are still unpacking, but have to share this marvelous experience with those who count on Trip Advisor like I do to find out the tour operators who are the best of the best.
We three did SO much that it would take many, many pages just to tell all so I will be a bit more brief and try to hit the highlights of the journey. First, Philip, he is witty, fun, informative, laid back, patient, knowledgeable, easy, a dear friend and so much more. He met us in Windhoek February 6, 2016 and then dropped us off February 22, 2016.
Highlights include: Sossuslei and Dead Vlei, and yes, we needed to climb Big Daddy sand dune on a day that the temperature was over 100 degrees F. We then traveled on to the next highlight of the Damara tribe's Living Museum.
Of course the visits to the Himbas was well worth it and we actually made two separate visits to two separate villages. Fascinating for sure. We also visited a school near the Epupa Falls which I loved since I am a retired teacher. So impressed with the students and the teachers.
We stayed two nights right next to the Epupa Falls and fell asleep each night to the sound of the water coursing over the falls.
Next up was Etosha National Park and the nature at its best. Philip took us for day drives and we took one night drive offered by the Park. During the night drive we saw at least 6 black rhinos and 3 male lions plus the usual assortment of the park animals.
The last of the major highlights was the visit to the Bushman tribe. It was so hot (around 100 again) but the Bushman put on quite a show for us. They were very comical and fun to watch.
The places we stayed, the food, the comradery, the green of the landscape (the rains had come and everything was vivid green), the desert in bloom, Philip and his stories, made for the perfect trip. It was SO wonderful that we three are planning another trip with Philip in 2017 to Zimbabwe and Botswana.
excellent organisation and fantastic experience
Right from the very first moment of contacting Martha at WWS, all our queries and questions were answered swiftly and in detail. I largely used this company because of their fantastic reviews and the trip certainly lived up to expectations with Phillip as our wonderful guide. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending a trip with WWS.
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Email AK | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Trip! Great Service! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Wild Wind Safaris made our dream come true by booking a customized tour in 24 hours, only 2 weeks in advance, in order to accommodate my husband's work schedule. In planning I reached out to the top 5 tour companies on this site. Wild Wind was the first to get back to me, they were the only company to answer all of my questions immediately and offered us exactly what we wanted at a very affordable price! This was the type of service we recieved throughout our trip! Philip, our guide was amazing. He was very knowledgeable about all the places he visited, and a pleasure to travel with. He had a great sense of humor and we genuinely enjoyed our time with him. Wild Winds was very flexible with us when we wanted to extend our activities beyond the scheduled time or when we asked to change the itinerary mid-trip. Philip kept saying "of course we can do that! it's your vacation!" He was also welcomed by name at all of the charming B&Bs we stayed at and most of the restaurants and activities we visited. The vendors seemed to genuinely enjoy working with him. This says a lot about company!! First class service every step of the way! He even went above and beyond to get back my husband's cell phone when he left it in the lodge in Etosha! Amazing company! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I'm happy to share more if you message me privately.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unforgettable and most memorable experience
We had high expectations .... it was all of enriching, exilerating, exciting, tranquil and breathtakingly beautiful .... Exceeding all our expectations. Martha was the most wonderful tour organiser and guide .... we could not have asked or wished for better - she never ceased to care about us and every effort was put in to ensuring we had the best experience possible. Her knowledge, professionalism, friendliness and incredible attitude and approach should serve as an example to all tour operators. We will be back for more!!
CA
Email Norm and Erika | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Wild Wind Safaris
We had a wonderful experience on our Etosha three day Safari. The weather cooperated, the animals were plentiful, way more than I ever anticipated, based on the reviews that I had read for this time of year, March 2015.
The pickup and return were very smooth to and from the airport and well paced. Everything is included except the purchase of water and alcoholic beverages at meal time. Even the lunches en route and on the return to your pickup point, in our case, the airport, were included as it is almost a 5 hours drive to the reserve from the airport.
The accommodation was superb and well worth spending the extra. We selected the premier waterhole bungalow (Okaukuejo rest camp), stunning accommodation and location. It was hard to decide between eating dinner and breakfast or just watching the animals as they came down to the waterhole at night and in the morning. On our last night it was fascinating to watch the rhinos come at their "slotted" time. We counted 9 that night. We had to force ourselves to go to bed. And the giraffes, 17 at the waterhole the morning of departure.
We saw a pride of 13 lions just off the road side and several elephants, a couple gigantic ones, one in particular, minutes after starting our safari upon arrival. Thoroughly enjoyed watching the springboks boing along and all of the babies at this time of year. Even saw the elusive honey badger. I kept count of our sightings, 37 different animals, very impressive.
Our guide was very accommodating. He backtracked en route, ensuring us views of our sightings, which we spotted along the way. He shared his knowledge of the animals with us and actively sought them out for us.
The food was excellent at the camp. The lunch at one of the camps though on our full day safari was very limited, but, on our return to the airport, the restaurant offerings and quality and quantity of food was fantastic.
Can't fault Martha's and Philip’s hospitality, advice and efficiency prior to our arrival. Offering payment via a credit card would certainly make it easier for travellers and insurance purposes if need be. They accommodated our 3 day safari during the week which from what I read is usually only offered on the weekend. This was an incredible bonus as we ended up having our own personal guide for our stay. I can't imagine though being in a vehicle with 4-6 other people (even saw a couple buses, egads!) and trying to take pictures along the way especially since you are not allowed to exit the vehicle at any point during the game drives. At first I was anticipating an open-jeep, but in retrospect we had an SUV/van, which I feel was better as we were so up close and personal with the animals as it was. It was common place to have an elephant walk 30 feet in front of you or come out unexpectedly from the brush or have lions within 20 feet of your car, so just as well, we were enclosed, as they are “wild”. During the high season, when the area is extremely dry and if it was windy, I would think that you would be covered in dust, in particular when passing or being passed by other vehicles. The best thing about going at this time of year was that oftentimes we were the only car on the road which allowed us to back up or turn around quickly to see the animals. I would think during high season, there would be considerable jockeying around to gain the best viewpoint at the waterholes where the vehicles and animals would congregate.
Overall it was an extremely exciting time for us, a once in a lifetime experience and almost surreal to see National Geographic come to life before your very eyes. Maybe we were just lucky to see what we did, at this time of year, but in the end, Wild Wind made this happen for us and within our budget.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia, Bostwana , Victoria's Waterfall
It was amazing trip, with beautifull landscape and more beautifull nature. Philip is a wonderfull person and travelling with him was realy interesting, safe and unforgetable. I would like to travel wth him again and we recomand exploring Africa with Wild Wind Safaris.
PL
Email Elka Z | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
competent and friendly care while watching the best places in Namibia
Jeżeli do Namibii to koniecznie z Wild Wind Safari. Philip zorganizował dla naszej 7 osobowej grupy fantastyczną wyprawę , taką jaka sobie wymarzyliśmy. Spaliśmy w domkach i pod namiotami, jedliśmy w restauracjach i grilowaliśmy przy ognisku (oczywiście dziczyznę !). Wszędzie było nam cudownie: miejsca bardzo ciekawe, a noclegi jak w "Pożegnaniu z Afryką". Nigdy nie zapomnę "spektaklu" wschodu słońca odsłaniającego piękne rude wydmy koło Sossuvlai , czy też wodospadu Epupa, potężnego i zadziwiającego kolorami o zachodzie, rewelacja! W Etosha Parku widzieliśmy dosłownie wszystkie gatunki zwierząt: lwy , nosorożce, gepardy itd i to dzięki doświadczeniu Philipa , który widział i słyszał wszystko. Jeszcze raz szczerze polecam wyjazd z Philipem.On kocha to co robi , kocha kraj , w którym mieszka i chce się tym podzielić i dlatego to wyprawa była tak udana.
Marvelous trip in Namibian desert and Etosha
We booked our 11-day trip to Namibia quite late. Still Wild Wind Safaris by their owners Philip and Martha did everything they could to fix the best accommodations and the most perfect camping spots for the entire trip. The communication between us and them was very good and they answered our questions very fast and with good details. The price of the trip was very reasonable and we mixed camping and staying in lodges. When the flight was one day delayed, due to weather problems in Europe they managed perfectly to adjust our trip.
Our guide Philip was perfect company and very skilled driver and made us feel perfectly safe and comfortable, We visited Sossusvlei dunes, Dead Vlei, Swakopmund, beautiful Spitzkoppe area and Etosha National Park. The entire trip was wonderful and really fulfilling. Philip, who was very knowledgeable and told us very interesting facts about the areas that we passed, people, animals and could answer all of our questions without hesitation. He could spot the animals and had the patience to sit and wait for a herd of elephants to come closer or to observe resting or drinking lions. He knew when the animals acted differently and something out of the ordinary was to be expected, which made our experience even better. He also found the perfect photo opportunities for us during the trip.
Philip was also a perfect chief and served us very good meals along the road. One of us is sensitive/allergic to certain foods and Philip made the perfect effort to fix proper food considering the allergies, which made the whole trip even better.
We would really like to recommend Wild Wind Safaris to everyone and we are thinking about making the next trip to the area with them as well. Thanks guys and hope to see you soon again.
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50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
13 days, 4,000 Km, wildlife, culture, countless memories...and a new friend!
My friend and I were fortunate to spend 6 weeks in Southern Africa this summer. While we traveled with a small group for the 1st half of the trip, we decided to engage a private guide for our travel in Namibia. We wanted a small, family run outfit, rather than a mega safari operator. I selected 3 from safaribookings.com. Marta, with Wild Wind Safaris responded quickly, and from our initial email interaction, I had a positive feeling.
As we would be spending almost 2 weeks together, it was very important that we be comfortable with one another. She was clearly knowledgeable and experienced, and eager to understand our hopes and expectations for the trip, and to clarify any limitations. I outlined our primary interests, and she promptly developed an excellent itinerary, encompassing all the important places and experiences. Importantly, she was also flexible enough to make some changes as we went along.
She was careful to establish the type of accommodation we preferred, and without exception, all her choices were most satisfactory, some excellent. I should also note that WWS prices were competitive with other quotes, frequently lower.
I’m happy to say we had at least as much enjoyment out of our time with Marta as we’d had with the travel group in the previous 4 African countries….and it was a more personal experience. While she was always professional, it felt more like traveling with a friend than a guide. One of the most enjoyable aspects of her personality was her enthusiasm. She seemed as excited as we were to catch the perfect sighting!
We put in some long days! We traveled 4,000km together, most of the time on gravel roads! Marta wanted to be absolutely certain we got the most we could from our Namibian experience. She never ended the day at 5 pm, rather we had exciting adventures many evenings as well.
I would recommend WWS most highly, without reservation. It is my hope to return to Africa before too long, and I look forward to again traveling with Marta.