The Wild Wings team - Loving Every Moment!
Wild Wings Safaris
- Located In:
-
United Kingdom
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- SATSA & ABTA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $1,658 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
TH
Email Mary | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Safari
Firstly, I have never responded to an individual review before, but I must. I happened to be on the same safari as the person who wrote the previous one star review. All I can say, is that sometimes there is no pleasing some people. Anyone going on a safari must go with an open mind and the desire to learn from the experts without preconceived notions. This is not a zoo, it is real life, kills happen- it is part of the animal kingdom.
Simon is an experienced, knowledgeable, and most of all, passionate guide. My husband and thoroughly enjoyed our time with Simon, from the breakfast he cooked in the morning through to the dinners he cooked at night. In between, we searched for sightings with Simon and it was always fun and very productive. Our safari with Simon was one of the highlights of our month long trip to this beautiful country. Wild Wings support staff were there to answer every email and did an excellent job of organizing everything for us. ( we did a number of things through them.
I would highly recommend Wild Wings and plan to send my sister on this trip!
PH
Email Mari | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They made all efforts to get the booking that we wanted at a very reasonable price.
Communication-- our consultant, Madi was always quick to respond to our queries
She was also very patient in booking us in the accommodation that was suitable for our party
Transfers- very efficient; always on time
Safari-- GOMO GOMO was a very cozy & idyll lodge as it was very private & had a watering hole to boast.
Even in between game drives, we were treated to hippos in the lodge by the watering hole.
Staff was very friendly & accommodating! Food was good & plentiful. Special mention to our ranger , Werner and tracker, Dominic, who made sure we saw the BIG 5 even if we only had 5 game drives!
Email AdeleO | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Another amazing safari experience!
This was my third safari with Wild Wings and yet again from booking with Gavin to pickup and drop off, it was an absolutely amazing experience. It was also my third time with Simon as a guide and his knowledge and passion for the wildlife of Kruger never ceases to amaze me. We had so many wonderful sightings thanks to Simon's expert eye and understanding of animal behaviour. If there is a sighting to be had Simon will find it!
A close encounter with a cheetah had eluded me on my previous safaris and was high up on my wishlist this time. I was not disappointed. We found one just minutes from camp and spent an incredible 40 minutes watching as it got up from resting to take a stroll down to the Sabie River bank for a drink. We had numerous lion sightings and a very special treat was seeing the famous white lion for the second time. Another amazing 45 minutes were spent in the company of a beautiful leopard enjoying some time in a tree and an incredible sighting on our night drive where another beauty walked alongside our vehicle for 10 minutes. Add to this white and black rhinos, elephants galore including a tiny infant suckling, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, warthogs - the list is endless as my 1000+ photographs prove!
Accommodation at Lower Sabie and Satara was great and Simon's cooking delicious - the ostrich steak was superb!
We have already booked a fourth return visit and cannot recommend Wild Wings highly enough. Definitely 5+ stars.
Email Kenny McColl | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An exceptional safari experience, with an outstanding guide.
We have just enjoyed a Wild Wings 2night/3day Kruger safari - and what an incredible time it was! As someone who has enjoyed previous safaris in Zambia, Botswana and Tanzania, I feel well qualified to comment on our experience. Every aspect, from the initial responses to our enquiries, through to the logistics and the transfers from Johannesburg to Kruger, the accommodation (at Skukusa), the catering arrangements, and of course the safari itself was excellent. But what made it exceptional, was the knowledge and expertise of our guide, Simon. I say 'guide', but he was also our driver and chef! His wildlife knowledge (birds, mammals, reptiles...) was incredible, and certainly I have no hesitation in saying that he was the best game guide (by some margin) that I have experienced in my 4 safaris. And he never switched off! Even on the journey back to Johannesburg, he was pointing out birds that we passed.
You can't judge the success of a safari trip solely by the wildlife encounters that you have , or whether you manage to see the Big Five; but even by that measure, our experience of Wild Wings was exceptional. Simon is courteous and considerate to other game viewers too - be they other safari guides or just members of the public who have turned up in their own vehicles...and asking what it is that we're looking at. By the way, you can self-drive in Kruger, but why would you want to? The place is vast, and without Simon's skills we would have seen very little. Yes, he is connected in to a number of other game guides who share their finds, so it does increase the likelihood of good interactions; but he has an incredible eye and ear for spotting the smallest movement, the faintest of sounds that can lead to a fantastic encounter. And as I said, he operates with courtesy and consideration to other users of the park, and most importantly to the wildlife.
In summary, the best endorsement that I can give is to say that if (when!) we return to Kruger, we will not be looking anywhere else: Wild Wings Safaris will be our first port of call.
SE
Email Matz Larsson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Christmas safari exceeding all our expectations!
The communication with Madi at the office was always rapid and alert, flexible and nice in all contacts. Booking process went smoothly and effective.
Services were efficient and very high standard. Our guide, Simon, was more than service-minded, and he was also one step ahead when it came to planning. This made our trip very pleasant, we were treated in a calm and caring way and Simon always had a smile on his face. He also drew were safely and he even stopped several times making possibilities for everone to take their perfect photo.
The meals were also a treat, and this counts for breakfast, brunch and dinner. Christmas dinner was ever so nice with gifts, extra fine laying of the table and colored lights. Simon did always lay the table very neat and even though we were at a camp, the table with cloth looked just like in a restaurant. Another thing to mention is that he also cooked different course due to our demands without complaining.
As the title of our review implicates we were more than satisfied. A more knowledgeable guide is not to be found on this planet. Simon knew so much about nature and how the ecosystem works. His knowledge in animals seemed to be enormous and he shared this with us in perfect portions. Even though we looked at giraffes several times, he always had something new to tell us. He answered all our questions and tried to make us understand the way animals in the savannah live. We made many game-drives and ever time he showed and taught us something new. Sometimes we almost thought he had bribed the animals to come to the road and greet us.
The thing we appreciated the most, was however that it shows how much Simon loves the animals, the birds and the whole of Krugerparc. We were lucky to see an enormous amount of animals and birds, including the big five, many more than one could dream of, but the way Simon worked, with his expertise and his experience was what made this trip totally unforgettable.
US
Email Daisy Pham | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Experience--Wonderful Guide, Delicious Food, Good Accommodations
Wild Wings Safaris vastly exceeded our expectations--from communication and setup with Madi to the guided experience with Simon. My fiance and I did the 3-day/2-night safari in Kruger National Park with Simon with origin from Johannesburg. Simon was very knowledgeable about wildlife and travel, and has an eagle's eye in spotting wild animals while also driving the open safari vehicle. Further, he knew the routes well and communicated with other guides to head toward an ideal location for spotting big game. He also prepared delicious barbecue-type/bush breakfasts and dinners for our group of 8 people. Everything went very smoothly and we cannot rave about our experience enough.
The only suggestion, unrelated to Wild Wings in particular, is to bring layers as the game drives can get pretty cold in an open vehicle, especially in the morning, and to also bring binoculars which are noted in the itinerary we were provided with ahead of time. Also, we stayed at Skukuza rest camp, and the internet at the restaurant was very poor, but overall, the accommodations were great considering we were staying in the park itself and could wake up and get a jump start on the early morning game drives.
CA
Email Terry L | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Now that was a great trip!
Our group of 13 has just returned from a wonderful 4-day safari experience with Wild Wings Safaris. It was an easy process right from the beginning working with Cathari, our reservations manager. She was always prompt with replies and answers to questions. All of the pre-trip arrangements regarding dietary needs, pick-up location, etc., were met without any problems. Our shuttle from Nelspruit to the Kruger Gate was waiting for us on arrival, as were our two guides, Rufus and Edward when we arrived at the park gates. They were terrific - friendly throughout the trip, were good at spotting the wildlife and providing information for each animal, and they went out of their way to provide good viewing opportunities. The accommodations in Skukuza Camp were excellent, as were the meals that were prepared by Jacques. And the wildlife did not disappoint either. Everyone saw the Big 5 (more than once), as well as many other varieties of animals. Thank you Wild Wings Safaris.
US
Email Gary | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
The experience was awesome, fantastic and very interesting.
Madi made all our arrangements that turned out to be perfect in every sense. Simon really "made" our safari adventure in Kruger with his enthusiasm and eagerness to show us the animals and birds, knowledge of animal habits, cooking ability and great personality. We couldn't have asked for a more meaningful adventure. It not only lived up to our expectations but far exceeded it. Would recommend it without hesitation to anyone. First class service and experience!
We should also mention that Madi additionally made arrangements for us in Victoria Falls and Cape Town along with various pickups to and from airports. All worked exactly as scheduled and was done with class. What more could anyone ask!
US
Email Lisa, Tim, Brianna & Kylie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream come true delivered with expertise and efficiency!
If you are going to go on a Safari in South Africa, then you need to be with a guide who loves animals, loves his job and knows where to go. Although it is his job, I don't think he really works a day in his life, with the exception of loading luggage and cooking amazing meals! Simon is the epitome of the perfect Safari guide. His vast knowledge and passion for Kruger Park are exceptional. There was not one question I asked during our 5 days with him that he could not answer. And while we all know that the ultimate goal is to see The Big Five, there is so much more to see and learn about. Simon did that for us. I came home with a video of a dung beetle rolling his fresh dung ball across the road. I watched as a group of grasshoppers crossed the road in front of us in a large cluster and then understood why as Simon explained this to us. Yes, it is exhausting, yes you are up early every day, and get to bed late. But you are on safari in Africa and if you want to see everything you possibly can and learn more than you ever dreamed, then this is the company to work with. Our family has the luxury of using pass benefits to fly. As a result, this trip was booked very last minute. We had been watching the flights to and from Johannesburg and were quite confident we could get there and back with no issues. On January 25th, we booked our 5 day Safari with Wild Wings. And on February 1st we departed for Atlanta due to a huge blizzard in Minneapolis. Our 15+ hour flight from Atlanta to Johannesbury left on Wednesday evening and we arrived at 5:30 pm on Thursday where Gilbert from AfricaSky House greeted us. Everything was perfect. Our room, our dinner and breakfast and then, Simon showed up at precisely 8am to drive the 6.5 hours to Kruger. He was professional, friendly and very, very efficient. Simon has been a Safari Guide for 14 years and 11 of them have been spent with Wild Wings. I don't think we could have been blessed with a better experience. Granted, some of the days were very long, but we saw so much, I really didn't care. Simon taught us so much and his passion and love for Kruger is incredibly obvious. We saw everything we dreamed of in just the first day, including a cheetah kill, lions, elephants, giraffes, hyena, cape buffalo, wildebeest and too many to name. We did a bush walk that was off the charts as we encountered a pride of lions with a fresh kill, we did a night drive and saw 3 male lions eating a hippo. All told we saw at least 47 lions during our trip. When we arrived at Satara, we were treated to a 3 night stay in the Frankl Guest house complete with 5 bedrooms and our own private watering hole. The pictures we took are phenomenal. Simon should be on NatGeo. He is that good. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Wild Wings. This really was a dream come true. I miss Kruger every single day and I will forever be thankful for the incredible journey we experienced with you.
Email Ollie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Would give 10 stars if possible!
I visited with my wife in September 2015 as part of our honeymoon. It was a once in a lifetime experience.
As Safari novices, I put out a few quotes (through this site) several months back and was instantly impressed with Wild Wings. Gavin in the office, put together a great package from us and we both felt confident in the company even before the Safari. Gavin was even helping us out with connecting flights and definitely seemed like he knew what he was doing.
The Safari itself was incredible. Our guide Simon was incredibly experienced, and even though we were apparently lucky, we managed to see the big 5 (several times) plus Cheetahs, Wild dogs, hyeinas, honey badgers and all kinds of other wildlife. Simon's pretty modest, but alot of what we got to see was because he knew were to look and knew the park like the back of his hand.
Our accommodation was basic but very comfortable. We spent so little time there that it genuinely didn't matter. The beds were comfy and that's all we cared about! All the food we has was delicious.
I would definitely recommend Wild Wings. I think me and my wife will go again and they are the only company we would book with now.