Andrew will take you to remote places
Wildebeest Safaris
- Office In:
- 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)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
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.
It was really good, they went out of their way to accommodate our wishes, especially our guide Iain
They're really great and I would recommend them to family and friends
PT
Email Nuno Barbosa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trustworthy
Muito bom
Everything is ok !
we had Martin as driver ! Great fantastic guy! The trip was ok , everything went according to plan - no scams.
Noah actually gave me a contact in Zanzibar to guide us there and he also was reliable !
5 * treatment
Would book again with them
NL
Email Paulus & family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A must-do when in Kenya!
We booked a short, action-packed 3 day tour to the Masai Mara national park, at the Sarova Camp facilities. It was a fantastic experience. On the 1st afternoon after our arrival from Nairobi we already saw 4 of the Big Five! The food at the camp was excellent and the service very friendly. Our driver and guide Dennis did a great job, and made us feel safe all along the journey. If only the stretch of road from Narok onwards to the Masia Mara would be asphalted.....
Design your own safari
The ability to negotiate accommodation type & level and means of travel allowed us to choose to suit our budget and time schedule. We chose to have a personal vehicle which allowed us to choose how we spent our time. Eustace, our driver, was a very safe driver, personable, and interested in making our experience wonderful. We would recommend this company highly.
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.
EG
Email Kevin Roy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
We had a wonderful time traveling with Wildebeest. The best part of the safari, outside of the obvious siting of a multitude of wild animals, was the privilege of being guided by Hamza, our wonderful and knowledgable driver and guide. His patience and knowledge of the flora and fauna was outstanding. You don't often remember guides in the long run, but Hamza is tops and if it's possible to request a guide and driver, ask for him. Our lodgings were good to great, the food was good, and all in all it was a great experience. Thanks.
Amazing Experience
We had an awesome experience with Wildebeest Safaris. I would highly recommend booking with them! Before the trip our emails were answered promptly and in detail. Everything that was promised on the itinerary was delivered-we were even upgraded on two camps. There were no hidden fees once we arrived. Everything was taken care of from transfers to and from the airports, food and lodging.
We visited Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and finished off with Zanzibar. The land in Africa is far more beautiful than we ever imagined. We were in constant awe of the landscape. Plus, the animals! We saw lions, black and white rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, thousands of zebra and wildebeest, hundreds of giraffes, plus so much more.
We found the guides to be very knowledgeable and friendly. We were never put in an environment in which we felt unsafe. They knew an extensive amount about the animals and interacted well during the game drives. They each spoke fluent English and were able to educate us on local customs, traditions and people as well as local wildlife.
I found the camps were always great and the workers very friendly. The food was always fantastic, the hospitality was amazing, and I felt very safe at each stop. With this being my first time in Africa, I will look back fondly on the places we stayed and our experiences at each tented camp and lodge.
Truly a once in a lifetime type of experience.
Email AnoopAkanksha | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Worst experience ever
DO NOT BOOK. We just visited Masai Mara and after seeing the reviews booked it with Noah. We experienced a lot of trouble as both the tour guide and Noah were just trying to fleece money out of us. They did not pre book anything and would not accept card payments. We were not informed till the day of the tour that they could not take card payments. On top of that, they did not check if we had resident status and charged us non resident prices while paying the hotel only resident rates. When we asked them to reimburse the difference, Noah started yelling at us. The guide (Youstas) seemed experienced but very disincentivized because we found out how they were cheating people. He did not have a radio like other cars and did not tie up with other drivers. We are very dissappointed overall and would not recommend them.
Reply from Wildebeest Safaris
Posted on Mar 29, 2023Dear Akanksha, as always we do appreciate our clients feedback after Safari. Please explain to our readers how we tried to fleece money out of you. We are really ashamed after all the negotiations we did with the hotel in order for them to extend resident rates to you. We also went ahead and upgraded your transportation from Minivan to Land Cruiser at no additional charges. We had done bookings with the hotel please do not mislead our readers again. As earlier explained to you on email, we required 100% full payment before Safari but you insisted on email on paying 50% and the balance after Safari it never works out that way. No company accepts those terms. Then again about credit card, yes we do accept payments by cards but our agreement was for you to pay by cash in the morning before departure as per the below email you had sent us.
from: Akanksha
to: Wildebeest Safaris
date: Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 1:51 AM
subject: Re: 3 Days Masai Mara Private Safari
"Thanks Noah. Could we then do either US$300 per person- since the last day we are leaving earlier than the other tours which leave after lunch at 1pm or alternatively could you arrange it for me and husband to leave after lunch, after finishing a morning drive, at US$400 per person.. we can pay advance cash at pick up".
I would like to take this opportunity to assure our future guests and those who are in the process to travel with us that we are very keen when it comes to customer service delivery and pricing without compromising on quality.
Again, thank you so much,
Kind Regards,
Noah Kuti
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.