West Wild

Highly responsible, well organised, and hegenuinely exceeded our expectations

Before booking, I spoke to probably 10 to 20 different safari companies, and West Wild was the easiest one to communicate with. They actually listened to what I wanted instead of repeatedly trying to sell me a standard itinerary. That may sound like a basic requirement, but after speaking to so many operators, I realised it is not as common as you might expect. This was one of the main reasons I eventually chose them.

For example, I did not want to take a small domestic flight, so I asked whether the original route could be changed. They understood my concern straight away and quickly came back with a better alternative. They also explained clearly which days would involve longer drives and which days would be easier, so I knew what the itinerary would actually be like before making a decision. They did not just show me the most attractive parts of the plan, and I could tell that they understood the route well.

They were also very organised during the booking process. They explained which hotels were the hardest to secure, which ones needed to be booked first, and how the rest of the reservations should be arranged. The whole process was clear and logical, rather than feeling rushed or confusing.

Before the trip, they told me that they usually try to provide more service than clients expect. To be honest, because I had never worked with them before, I was not completely sure whether this was just something companies say when they are trying to get a booking. I remained a little doubtful until the trip actually started, but in the end, they really did follow through.

The clearest example was when Kenya Airways left my suitcase behind in Kenya. This had nothing to do with West Wild and was not really their responsibility, but they still kept following up for me. They were helping to track the luggage at around 3 a.m., and they were answering calls again at 6 a.m. They monitored the next flight, contacted people on the ground and kept pushing for updates until the suitcase finally arrived. That was when I really felt that they were reliable and genuinely willing to do more than they had to.

The trip was also very good value for money. All of the hotels were of a high standard, and one of the luxury safari lodges was especially memorable and became one of the highlights of the trip. Before booking, I compared quotes from quite a few other companies. For similar itineraries with hotels of roughly the same standard, many of them were around USD 1,000 to 2,000 more per person, and sometimes even more. West Wild’s pricing was much more straightforward. I did not have to spend a long time negotiating back and forth just to reach a reasonable price, which made the whole process much easier and saved a lot of time.

Overall, the trip was well planned, the communication was easy, and the service was genuinely better than I had expected. I was cautious at the beginning because we had never worked together before, but by the end of the trip, I felt that they had earned my trust.