Reviews of wild planet safari

Experience of a lifetime

Just wow, thank you Wild Planet Safari, Thale, Ryan and our amazing guide Raf. We were a party of three who booked a Private seven night safari, this trip far exceeded our expectations and we can't recommend the experience enough. From the first moment of enquiry with Thale to the final drop off by Raf, Wild Planet displayed fantastic customer service and attention to detail. Raf was a superb guide, cook and all round great guy, working tirelessly to ensure we had the best experience, he would find the wildlife with great expertise, ensure we were in prime position to observe all of the amazing animals, drove us to so many incredible sightings and beautiful locations. After a day of driving us around Raf would cook us the most amazing dinners which we enjoyed immensely as we all reminisced about the spectacular experiences of the day Our accommodation in all five places was spotless and very comfortable and the safari vehicle being open sided offered a very immersive safari experience. We saw an incredible number of animals and we were in awe of so many amazing sights, its hard to do justice to what we saw in words so all we can do is strongly suggest, if you have the opportunity to visit South Africa, you do so with a tour with Wild Planet Safari, they will give you a spectacular experience that will stay with you forever. Thank you

Sharon

Super lekker tour!

Are you unsure which safari tour to book (like we were)? Go for Wild Planet Safari! For four days, we travelled with Chris, Kagiso, and Ryan, who are outstanding guides, hosts, and cooks. They are deeply passionate about Kruger, respectful of all the animals (and our vegetarianism), and captivating story-tellers. In short: it was a super lekker experience!

Nada, Larissa, and Lennart

Everything was seamless, so we could really just focus on enjoying ourselves.

My girlfriend and I took a five day safari and absolutely loved it. We considered spending more money for what we thought would be a more "luxurious" experience, but are so glad went with the safari as Wild Planet Safari planned it. They were very patient with us asking a ton of questions during the booking process and once there, everything was perfectly planned. We felt incredibly spoiled as everything transfers, meals, check-ins; everything was handled seamlessly. The safari drives themselves were phenomenal. Our guides were incredibly knowledgeable and had a great sense for where we would have the best animal encounters. We've recommended this tour to all our friends and family back home. You won't be disappointed.

Justin

Marvellous days in Kruger!

Some fantastic days in South Africa this summer!Spent one week in Kruger, visiting camps I did not find time to visit last time I was in this wonderful park, and also a re-visit to some camps from which I have very good memories. All the time under the fantastic guidance of Ryan, and enjoying the company of his whole family and Wild Planet Safari customers from the USA. I loved the delicious food, and appreciated all the personal service. And I also was very happy with the closed vehicle on the cold winter mornings. Already looking forward to my next visit. It wo'nt be long!

Ragnhild Kolshus

an exciting and educational experience that way exceeds our expectations

We went on several salaries in southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe) in May 2019 and the safari with Wild Planet turned out to be the best overall -- in communications and service in lodging, food, transportation and game drive. One thing standing out with Wild Planet and we all appreciate most is the sharing of knowledge, from local tourist information, national parks, features and habits of different animals, hunting, animal control-management and people-animal relation, to politics, history, ethnic groups in southern Africa and so on. We were very lucky to have Lance as our tour leader and guide, who is exceptionally knowledgeable, willing, and able to share information about all these topics and to answer all questions we had. As a result, the entire tour turned out to be very educational. Lance responded to our needs timely and effectively; he went far and beyond to ensure that we have the best experience possible in this area.

Wendan

A great, tailored experience

My husband and I had limited time to see Kruger park, and wanted to avoid a large group tour. Wild Planet Safari were quick and efficient in communicating with us on email. We were greeted on arrival to Johannesburg airport, and transferred up to Kruger immediately by Ryan and Lungitani, and then back to our hotel in Johannesburg after the safari. Both of them provided us with a tailored service, flexing meal times and camp departure times to suit us, and making sure we saw every safari animal (and cub!) before we left - we even had the chance to sit and watch one of the big cats hunting! Above all, we appreciate the respect shown to these animals in the process, and the amount of information our knowledgeable tour guides were able to share with us. The camp accommodations were clean and safe and the meals cooked for us were outstanding, we had a great experience and would recommend Wild Planet Safari.

Maurice & Stephanie

Amazing!!!!

My wife and I recently did a 9 day ( 8 night ) safari with Wild Planet, and it was amazing.. Adriaan, our tour guides knowledge was second to none.. He answered all of our questions, about anything and everything.. And was a very good cook.. He's a very likeable guy! Benji was his assistant and he's got a lot of potential.. We loved every minute of it and would highly recommend Wild Planet to everyone..

Kyle

Exciting safari trip with nice and very fun guides

A perfect arrangement with 3 days in Kruger together with a very competent guide and fantastic staff. We got to experience the Big Five including leopard that we had not seen before. We want to give the best recommendations to the team at Wild Planet Safari. Thanks for some great days!

Magnus

Excellent experience and excellents professionals

It was a wonderful experience. All the plan was fullfield and we had an excellent guide that took us and answered all our questions and more. Highly recomended.

Susana Santos

Perfect trip

The team is very professional. We manneged to spot all animals thanks to Ryan an Lumi. They picked us up and drop us off at the airport on time and always on a good mood. They cooked for us delicious local food and wine. Besides the day we had pasta salad, everything was tasty. Highly recommend!

Debora

Great experiences with lots of memories.

We had plenty of questions before we even started with this safari tour and got a lot of help in advance as it was our first safari. The itinerary was extremely well organised by Wild Planet Safari. They followed closely the described schedule. We did not miss anything and were very satisfied with all the different kind of animals we spotted. We had comfortable resorts and enjoyed the self prepared cooking and even got the "ordered" red wine for dinner. As well we had very interesting conversations with our guide, not only about wild animals but also about South Africa, their people and politics, etc..

Iris and Bruno

The Best Safari Ever with Wild Planet Safari

We cannot thank you enough Ryan, Thale and Lungisani for our best safari experience. Absolutely marvelous seeing the Big Five almost everyday of our 4 day safari in Kruger National Park. The heavy rains that we must have brought to the Park when we arrived did not hamper the animals and we even saw the porcupines, mongooses, hares and millions of termites which were flushed out of their homes by the water. The animals and birds were feasting on the ground and flying termites. We saw the lions twice with three majestic males and the elusive leopards 3 times. One leopard was walking just next to us in the rain at the night safari ride organised by Satara camp. With elephants, giraffes and zebras eating and crossing the road (zebra crossing *) right in front and behind us, these wild animals did not mind us at all being so close to them. Thale organised the bookings and enquiries and Ryan and Lungisani carried out the safari for the 4 of us in a very personal and family experience from the moment we landed at Johannesburg Airport and cleared customs and immigration. They cooked amazing breakfasts, lunches and dinners with fruits, good wine and juices to go with them and joined us for these and other meals as well. Each day started at 4.00am and ended at about 10pm with 3 trips into the bush each day with enough time in between for a rest. Ryan's knowledge of and sharing on the African bush and plains and the animals, birds and other wild life that live in them also made the safari educational for us. Ryan brought all they needed for our enjoyment and their camping needs in the nippy little towed trailer which was left parked outside our two villa huts all the time and left unlocked. This is how safe and secure the Satara and Sukukuza camps are and also according to Ryan in the 10 years he has been operating Wild Planet Safari. I could keep on writing a book about our 4 day safari. Well Done Wild Planet Safari. May 2017 bring you more adventures with more thoroughly satisfied tourists/customers like us.

Gerard Vincent

Amazing Kruger camping safari

We had the best 6 day safari with our guide Eric. We chose tent camping (including 1 night Blyde River Canyon for panorama route, and 1 night rustic bird hide) and it was great. The tents and camp beds are comfortable, and campground amenities are good. Eric is a fantastic guide - knowledgeable about the wildlife (and history & culture), a great campground chef, and just fun to hang out with. We saw all the big 5 plus so much more, even a rare wild dog! I’m very happy with the private tour we booked with Wild Planet Safari, definitely recommend them, we can’t wait to return to Kruger.

Lauren

Better than we ever expected

Our guides Chris and Goodwill gave us the experience of a lifetime! We saw an amazing variety of animals in awe inspiring numbers thanks to their excellent spotting. Chris never seemed to run out of new information about what we were seeing. I have never eaten so much excellent food. I had high hopes for my dream trip to Africa, and this trip far exceeded my wildest dreams. Extra points to Chis and Goodwill for treating our rowdy group of 6 women like queens all week long.

Laura

We had a completely amazing experience from start to finish.

We LOVED our experience with Wild Planet Safari. The tour guide was incredibly trustworthy, friendly, and so knowledgable! He searched passionately for all of the different (and spectacular) species in the park. Because of his knowledge of tracking and species behavior, we found and saw things that none of the other visitors we spoke to had seen. It was an epic adventure! They also provided good, wholesome food, and thoughtful attention to detail. It was awesome! In addition, the administrator was helpful with every aspect of planning. When we had a hiccup in our flight plans, she even helped us secure a refund for our hotel!

Amanda

Amazing Safari Experience.

December 2015 will remain memorable for many years to come as this was our first time in Africa and our first animal safari. Right from the initial contact with Ryan and his wife Thale through to the safari itself we were super impressed with communications and organisation. On Safari with Ryan and his co worker was the most amazing experience. Ryan has a wealth of knowledge and passion about Africa and the wildlife. We were a party of 6 and spent 4 days in the Kruger National Park having lots of fun and seeing more wildlife than we could have wished for. Thanks Ryan we will be back in 5 years and will be in contact to do another safari.

Glenis Harrison & Yochanan Miller

Knowledgeable and Professional Team.

We had a 3 day safari with a group of 7 family members---Mother in law who healthy mid 80s but slowing down/a bit of a falls risk, 14 year old, 11 year old, and 4 adults all in our 40s. Communication via email with Thale was excellent and professional. He was the most accommodating of our family's needs and itinerary but advised appropriately about how that would change costs and also how feasible the different options would be so we could make an informed decision. The 3 day tour, inclusive of most meals and transportation, was reasonable. Our guide always prompt and we were never kept waiting for him. He always communicated the schedule clearly. The accommodations at the camp were basic but adequate/comfortable. Goodwill is a great cook! I appreciated our guide Eric and his assistant Goodwill. They were professional always--- I love my mother in law but at times she can be somewhat trying when she is less comfortable than she is used to at home (which of course is expected when you travel :0)!) and he handled it with admirable professionalism and all of us were still thrilled she was able to make the trip with us and her grandchildren. Generally, the rest of us are a pretty low maintenance group so long as we keep the 11 year old fed. We saw some great wildlife and saw all of the big 5 except for the leopard who seemed ever elusive but of course that, I understand, is very common. We saw a huge pack of endangered wild dogs which thrilled everyone but especially our 11 year old. Eric was knowledgeable about the wildlife we saw and able to add a great deal of context/education/respect for the animals to everything we saw. I did notice that Eric uses tobacco products only because I work as a family medicine physician at home and admit I sometimes can't turn it off--hah hah. He was always discreet/respectful with this and it never affected our family or enjoyment of the tour though I hope he quits someday for his own well health. All in all, the trip was worth every penny and a highlight of our visit in South Africa.

Anne West

EXCELLENT SERVICE

We enjoy the Safari and have great time with Chris and Benjamin. They are very professional. Chris went extra miles, even at the risk of penalty for lake coming back before gate closing, to chase the wild dogs. We were lucky to see 6 wild dogs which is so rare now all over Africa. Benjamin is a good cook. I am quite a big fan of his chicken curry and garlic bread. We also did the extra tour panoramic trail today to Blyde River Canyon which is great place as well.

HOANG

An unforgettable journey of a lifetime, a "must do" for everybody

It was so easy to book our trip (for my daughter and myself) with Wild Planet Safari. Everything was done online with Thale whose service and communications were excellent. Our guides Chris and Lungisani were friendly and courteous and great "spotters" of the wildlife which we saw in abundance. We were so lucky to see a pack of 12 wild dogs together, in addition to a group of six cheetahs in one sighting. We saw the big five plus more and were rewarded during our bush walk with a sighting of a pride of lions with cubs. It's difficult to mention a highlight of the tour, there were so many! I'll be back!

Pamela