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
Email David Knight | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional and very knowledgable guide
Apart from being one hour late for pick up at hotel, it was a marvelous experience. We were well looked after.
US
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.
In general very happy with the service
Everything was very good specially the driver-guide and cook.
The only issue we had is when we were entering Serengeti we had to pay the fees of the park which was about 600 USD. Everything was supposed to be included and payed in advance. However, Noah return the amount payed the day after through Paypal.
However, as I said before, apart from this issue, everything was very good.
AE
Email Suzana & Lutz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was a great experience and Iwould recommend it to my friends with pleasure.
Everything was great.
We managed to see 3 out of 5, but it was a great fun and excellent time all in all.
US
Email Mohammed A | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful, fun experience!
We booked a 5 day Kenya safari via Wildebeest, and had a wonderful experience! Noah was very professional, was patient with our many questions, and provided the best price among all operators we've reached out to. Esty, our tour guide, was always on time, friendly, and very knowledgeable of the animals and parks. The jeep was in good shape, and had no issues during the tour. The only hiccup was at the hike of Mount Longonot. The hike (including going around the carter) took us 6 hours, and due to the lack of preparation we had no food, very little water, and when we got back to the car there were no lunch boxes either. It would have been a more enjoyable hike if we were better prepared.
Overall, we loved our vacation, took many many pics, and really enjoyed our time. Thank you Noah and Esty!
SE
Email Abir | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable safari and very professional guide
I communicated with Noah over a month before our safari and he was very responsive, professional and helpful. Denis our guide and driver was a very nice and professional guide. We had an unforgettable experience and the lodges were fantastic! Well worth the money. The car was big and could take on bad roads. Highly recommended!
AE
Email Phil | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very helpful and friendly.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Hamza of Wildebeest safari. He was knowledgable friendly and flexible. He was friendly with many of the other drivers as well which benefited us in terms of seeing so many animals we may well have missed. We managed to see all of the animals we had hoped and Hamza was very flexible in positioning the vehicle for best results in terms of photographs. The views and experiences were incredible.
We stayed in some absolutely stunning camps and lodges. This was due to internet research and the advice of Noah who has direct contact with these places and negotiated us some good deals. Noah also helped us out with payment issues allowing us to pay on arrival as the final booking was too late for a credit card.
We saw plenty of shiny 4x4's really packed with people and baggage whilst we cruised past just the three of us. Plenty of room for cameras packed lunches and stretching out. Maybe not the newest vehicle but perfectly functional and very roomy. As with all a pop up roof and plenty of chargers (uk 3 pin) for electric items.
I believe that an East African safari is a must do for those who can. Tanzania and Wildebeest Safari served us very well in a never to be forgotten holiday. Thank you Hamza and Noah.
Email Andrew, Deborah & Rhiannon Davies | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, a memorable first time safari in East Africa!
We took a 13 day Kenya/Tanzania Safari with Wildebeest including Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Amboseli (with stopovers in Nairobi). From the beginnings of our communication, Noah was always extremely prompt and helpful in his correspondence with us. He was very flexible and allowed us to change the itinerary multiple times based on our needs and budget. Upon arrival, we were met at the airport by our first driver Dennis, who drove us through the first Kenyan leg of the safari. Dennis was always enthusiastic and cheerful and ready to share his knowledge. He met all the challenges of the journey, always trying his best to ensure we still got the most out of our trip, and making sure we were well taken care of.
We did have some mechanical troubles with the 4WD during our time with Dennis - his car was well worn to say the least! While he was very focused on ensuring we got our time in the parks, it would have been more beneficial to have the car completely fixed and ready to go, avoiding several break downs in the middle of our drives - this was probably the most trying element of our safari, but ultimately something that couldn't really be avoided or foreseen.
Upon our arrival in Tanzania we swapped over to a new driver Hamsa, who was always friendly, helpful and had great knowledge of his surroundings. While it was a nuisance to cross the border so far from the Mara (due to border restrictions), we were treated to some fabulous scenery in Tanzania, en route to Serengeti. Hamsa was always very flexible with the itinerary to suit our needs, and his vehicle was thankfully in a better state of repair!
When back in Kenya, we spent just a few days with another driver Eustace (this time in a minivan with a pop-up roof). Once again, Eustace was a great driver, friendly, helpful and knowledgable. He went the extra mile on our last day, making every effort to drive us back to Nairobi (from Amboseli), getting us there just in time to visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage during its limited opening hours (something that wasn't on our itinerary, but we'd hoped to do). We were collected by Noah on our last day in Nairobi for our transfer to the airport. It was great to finally meet him, and really helped not to have to worry about arranging our own transfers.
Overall, our safari with Wildebeest was a great experience, we were able to see all of the Big Five, and enjoyed some great animal sightings throughout our stay. The accommodation was a bit of mixed bag, ranging from budget to very nice, but was always exactly as we had agreed. We were very well treated wherever we went, and were lucky to be upgraded in quite a few places. We would certainly recommend Wildebeest for a quality for money, mid-range safari tour.
Packages are fairly cheap, tour guides good. Vans clean and reliable. Time keeping good
Communication was perfect, services throughout the safari was fine and hotels booked for my family was worth the amount I paid.
HK
Email Isaac | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A joyful trip
Overall, a good trip.
Noah, the owner, did responded quickly throughout the very initial planning stage and during the trip and very helpful in arranging my special requests although I have no idea what it turn out to be as we have missed.
Bad thing (go away) first, we lost half a day and stuck in Kenya/Tanzania border due to mechanical problem of car and could not enter Serengeti as it was too late and we have to change our lodge. Given the size of the company, it maybe more difficult to eliminate this chance, but Noah managed to rectify the lost AFTER we ask for it. This show the good will and is important for tour operator.
We was taken care of by 3 driver/guide throughout the trip,
Hamsa in Tanzania was wonderful, without him, we would have missed the most beautiful view of leopard for the entire trip and so many other things.
Dennis in Kenya was also good and took us to see lion, cheetah and black rhino within 30 mins in our first day in Masai Mara and river crossing the other day!!!
I believe the third one, who took us to Amboseli, is relatively new, as we have to ask him to stop the engine a couple of times while we were taking photos.