Reviews of wild planet safari

Excellent and knowledgeable guides enabled perfect viewing of the Big 5

Communication and service were great, and overall enjoyed our experience. Ultimately everyone's goal is to see the big 5, and we saw them all and more thanks to the determination and expertise of our guides. They understood the tricks and necessities to navigate the park at the right time as well as the right places to see the different wildlife, while avoiding super crowded areas. Certain services, such as walk-about and night drive, are not allowed by private guides within Kruger - but Ryan arranged these tours on our behalf with the in-house park rangers. Accommodations were exactly as expected - however, we were completely blow away and happily surprised by the additional hospitality when our guides prepared our meals the entire time we were in the park. The overall logistics were convenient and helpful. They picked us up in Jo-burg, transporting us all the way to Kruger National Park. The drive and scenery and additional information along the journey were wonderful. They also drove us back to Jo-burg and dropped us off at the airport with plenty of time to catch our flight. One downside was being in an enclosed vehicle the whole time, rather than the perceived experience of "open vehicle safari"; however, the enclosed vehicle enabled them to provide the Jo-Burg pick up and drop off, so that was a trade-off we proactively chose. Ultimately, the enclosed vehicle did not prohibit our views nor the overall experience of the safari. We were very happy with our experience and would recommend to others looking for a great safari experience within the national park.

Joe

Fantastic once in a lifetime experience very professional

Wild Planet Safari gave us a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone was very professional and knowledgeable. We were treated extremely well and they were very accommodating. I have referred this company to several friends. I would not have changed a thing.

Jeff Ross

Good viewing - poor guiding

The booking process was easy and Thale was a pleasure to work with. Very accommodating. The accommodations were as advertised and decently comfortable. It was on overall good value for a private tour, with food included and in those accommodations. I enjoyed the food, great cooking by Lungisani! My problem and reason for 3/5 is the guides. I honestly don’t know if Isaac can see well enough to be guiding tours. He was knowledgeable when we spotted an animal, but he never saw them. Lungisani would spot all the animals and tell Isaac to stop (his driving wasn’t great either). On the 2 drives in which Lungisani didn’t come, Isaac didn’t even stop the vehicle once because he didn’t see anything (even though we did). Also he didn’t speak once to us. When they were both there, on the drives and at camp/during meals, they just spoke to each other in their own languages or were on their phones, which made it very awkward and uncomfortable for us. Very little conversation with us and getting to know each other. Although we saw lots of animals, and the park was incredible, the guides detracted from our experience a lot. Overall, would I go back to Kruger? Yes, 100%. Would I use Wild planet safari? Possibly, but it would totally depend on who the guides were. Service levels while spending 5+ full days with someone needs to improve drastically.

Bryan

Kruger Park Tour

A personal tour for my wife and I. The aim was a hard-core photo safari and Wild Planet provided exactly what we wanted with plenty of pleasant surprises on top. Thanks to it being a personal tour we were able to see more species, get closer and take better photos than we have in any previous trips. Both the food and service was excellent throughout but the highlight was probably the night we spent at Shipandane Hide, where we had Hippos fighting in the river, Lions close by and a night time visit from a Gennet - it was pure magic. We traveled in a customised VW Transporter Van so we had plenty of room to spread out and to take photos. The tents were surprisingly large (I could stand up in ours) which made camping easy. Because there was only the 2 of us we were able to take full advantage of our guide's encyclopaedic knowledge of Southern African wildlife so when we took a Park Service night drive it felt really "dumbed-down" compared to the wildlife masterclass we were used to. Overall we got exactly what we wanted and a whole load more for a very reasonable price. We have already made a provisional booking for next year as after 10 years of visitig Africa no other trip we have taken even remoteley compares.

Neil

The best visit to Kruger ever (out of 15 to 20 visits)

Upon reflection, having done +/- 15 trips to Kruger, I believe this was overall the best. The convenience (you guys handled everything) was fabulous but the eating interactions (once again your cooking skills) enhanced the experience past just seeing animals. Whilst there may have been a couple of things I may have preferred different, they are insignificant in the enjoyment of the whole experience. The range of information and the intangible extras such as the friendly interaction was appreciated, too. My compliments and thanks to yourself and Lungisani for all this and my regards and thanks to Thale for the administration and fantastic attitude in dealing with the plans. I have a number of people wanting your details. If all come you will be busy !. Once again, thank you all for a wonderful trip. This was my first holiday for 12 years and it exceeded my expectations.

Howard

Great communication and organization, excellent knowledge of the area, very friendly and fun.

Four of us (friends) travelled together and had an amazing time visiting three national parks in 11 days. I would recommend this family company without hesitation. If anyone would like to contact me for further details, it’s no problem.

Angela

a perfect customized trip in a friendly ambience

Thales and Ryan proposed a safari tour which responded perfectly to my expectations. Everything was well organised although my request was at very short notice and with little flexibility from my side. They are very well organised, with new and safe material which made me feel relax. I appreciated their good knowledge of wildlife and birds of South Africa. Without them I would'nt have been able to discover all what I saw and it was a pleasure to travel with them. I warmly recommend!

Marie from Belgium

Unforgettable Experience with an Amazing Team!

We were on a 3 night, 4 day tour to Kruger with Ryan and Lungisani. They are extremely professional and run a very smooth operation. My wife and I had an absolute fantastic time and are looking to book our next South Africa Kruger Tour with Wild Planet Safari. In addition to seeing all the Big 5, we had an amazing culinary experience. Along with their customer service and witty banter, this is what also stood out. I can't thank them enough for introducing us to all the wild animals, and in such a great knowledgeable and informative manner. These guys were awesome and I recommend that 1,000%!

Dan

The tour operators are dedicated to this kind of work!

This was our first time in South - Africa. This vacation become quite special since it was planned together with the tour operator and it was made specially for us. We have learned a lot about different animals, both nature and culture, and we were impressed by the knowledge of this by the tour operator. The tour operators are dedicated to this kind of work! We will recommend this kind of holiday to those who wish for a special experience. We thought that the atmosphere, communication and the tour operators hospitality was very good during our stay in South-Africa. We are very satisfied with this type of vacation.

Per Ødegård and Nina Holm

Great Safari experience at Kruger

Dear Safari friends The tour with Thale & Ryan from Wild Planet Safari was awesome. They made us feel welcome and home from the first minute. They just cared for everything pick-ups, transfers, food and of the best camping spaces available. The tents provided were big enough to stand upright and very spacious. Their knowledge about the animals, birds, trees and plants were overwhelming. I never expected to see so many lions and rhinos - and Ryan even spotted cheetas for us - even though they were far far away. We saw lots of things we would never have seen while driving by ourselves. Being able to look at lions while they were feeding themselves with a buffola was a great experience.. especially seeing how people may react seeing something sensational like that.. Thale is an excellent chef and she spoiled us with delicious meals. And as they were baking own bread with a bread maker carried around in the van.. we did not even miss delicious bread! We enjoyed the trip very much - going home was very hard! But as we missed wild dogs and leopards ... there is always a reason to come back ;-) .. - I will for sure be back sometime to share another tour with you! Thank you very much Thale & Ryan.

Maria

Above and beyond to find us the best sightings of all of the animals

We just did a 5 day private safari and Eric was the best guide. We saw the Big 5 on our first day! We also saw 3/5 rare five which we didn't even know about! Eric was so knowledgeable (he's been a guide for 20 years and it shows). We saw more than we ever would have thought and everything was so close to us. We had a lot of luck but a lot of luck was created because our guide knew when to go, where to go, and how to create luck. He went above and beyond to find us the best sightings of everything. We did the private tour and it was the best decision! Not only were we not packed into tour trucks like everyone else was, so we had good views from both sides of our truck, but we also had direct access to our guide to ask questions. He knew what we saw every day and what we were interested in, which made it easy for us to prioritize our time and where we were going, which wouldn't have been as flexible on a tour with other people. We also were able to extend some of our drives because we were feeling up for it, which made all of the difference. Private was so worth it and I truly believe we had a better experience than some of the luxury safari tours other people were on. I wasn't expecting him to have so much knowledge on the animals, but he offered up such great information without being overwhelming or boring and was able to answer every question. He cooked for us and ate with us for each meal which was a fun bonus to really feel like we had this family like vibe on Safari. Cannot recommend enough. Thank you Eric!

Jocelyn M.

Outstanding Safari Experience

I had been dreaming of an African safari for years, so when the opportunity arose, I had to jump on it. I have to say our guides, Chris and Goodwill, gave me the experience of a lifetime! They were extremely knowledgeable about all of the animals we came across, spouting out random facts throughout the game drives. We saw an abundance of animals throughout the 8 day safari. I still can't believe how Chris managed to spot our first leopard. These guys really do have hawk eyes! Mealtimes were wonderful, taking into account our meal preferences and providing us with very well prepared dishes. The wine in the evenings was much appreciated. And I think I can speak for everyone in my group that the comradery provided during our meals was wonderful! I highly recommend Wild Planet Safari for your Kruger National Park adventures.

Laura

Best experience ever great for kids

We went on a 4 day/3 night Safari with Ryan, Thale and their son Felix. We have two young children age 7/5 which is one of the reasons we choose Wild Planet Safari as they were so flexible and accommodating. We had the best experience ever from the information received before we went and a great time during our stay. We had the safari all to ourselves and as such were able to taylor it to our needs. We went to an elephant sanctuary on the first day which I would highly recommend where we paid to interact with elephants including riding them. Kruger park is an amazing place made even more interesting by Ryan who's passion and knowledge is never ending. Ryan was always able to spot everything from animals in the bush, birds in trees and even tracks in the road. Also the meals we had cooked by Ryan and Thale were amazing giving us a real taste of African cuisine. We will hopefully return one day when the children are older and can enjoy a different experience if we do we would choose to go with Ryan again I can't imagine anyone being as amazing as he was throughout our stay. Thanks Ryan and Thale for an amazing holiday.

Michelle

No more zoos for this family.

Our experience with Wild Planet Safari was perfect from beginning to end. Our guides Chris and Benjamin helped to make our first safari amazing. Chris was just as invested in finding all of the animals, and shows that he has a passion for the bush. We asked for a leopard, and Chris found us a leopard. We asked for a honey badger, Chris said it was unlikely but found us a honey badger. We asked for an animal eating another animal, and Chris found us a leopard eating an impala in a tree. Eventually, our family started calling Chris "magic" because he delivered every animal we asked for despite the unpredictableness of the animals. Benjamin made delicious food and every meal was a treat. We couldn't wait to go home and try to repeat his amazing recipes. He worked hard throughout the whole trip, and brought so much laughter to our family. We never had to lift a finger to help clean or cook, and he worked so hard to make us a table full of food at every meal, and even dessert after dinner. Together, Chris and Benjamin added humor and knowledge to our trip, making our safari unforgettable. These two guides, and the company as a whole, will make sure your trip is perfect too.

Pat M

You will not just do a Safari, you will live the best Safari experience ever!

What an incredible experience with Wild Planet Safari! First of all, Thale is a very professional, she adapted the Safari trip to our needs and to our flights! Once we arrived in Skukuza, our guide, Rafael was waiting for us to start our Safari. Rafael was very professional. His goal was not only for us to see the animals but to experience the Safari journey! He was always available for us, gave to us all the explanation about everything and always showed to us how to respect the animals! He was also in charge to cook for us (breakfast, lunch and diner). He is an amazing cooker, you will not regret! Rafael always wanted to be the first in the gate so we could enjoy as much as possible outside! He was always with his eyes open, to be the first to find the animal! With his skills, we were able to be the firsts to find for example a leopard with an impala on a tree! He tried always to have the best position for us to enjoy the nature and the animals. With his help and with positive mindset we had our best experience. Be ready to find all the Big 5 (we saw lots of lions male & female, 3 Rhinos, 3 Leopard, etc) but also to enjoy other animals that make the Safari in Kruger an amazing experience! Thanks a lot to Wild Planet Safari for all the help! Special thanks to Thale, which helped us to organise the Safari and to our wonderful guide which helped us to have the best experience of our lives! You will not regret this experience with Wild Planet Safari!

Bessa Carlos

Best way to see Kruger

When we decided to visit Kruger we were looking for a company that would spend the entire time in the park . On previous visit to South Africa I had booked a mini Kruger safari only to find we were booked into a private game reserve on the edge of the greater Kruger area and only spent one day in the park itself. Right from our first enquiry Wild Planet were so helpful, e-mails were answered straight away so we were able to do detailed planning from our home in New Zealand. We were able to incorporate a drive along the Panorama Route, Blyde River Canyon and a visit to an endangered species centre as well. We told Wild Planet what we wanted to do and they did all the planning for us. The actual safari was way beyond our expectations, our driver/guide Chris worked tirelessly to make sure we saw as much as possible, ably assisted by Benjamin our cook/guide providing delicious meals under the stars listening to the sounds of the African bush. We covered huge distances and saw as much of the park as time permitted. We were rewarded by sightings of the big five plus numerous other species all of which thrilled us. Africa is a place that gets under your skin, we will be back, and certainly will use Wild Safari again ! Thanks guys.

Dave Cherry

Friendly guides who helped us see lots of animals within Kruger

Friendly guides who helped us see lots of animals within Kruger

Andrew Turner

from inquiry to drop off back at the airport, everything was more than expected.

When making an inquiry, you communicate directly with Thale the director. Everything is made clear and easy to understand, no surprises on the tours with no additional costs or expenses. The vehicles are owned and driven by Wild Planet Safari employees so there are no additional people or third parties you need to communicate with. You get all transport sorted and dropped off where you need to be in good time. The food is good enough and theirs plenty. The accommodation is what you want according to your budget. The pace is as fast or slow as needed. The tour guides are with you and accommodate everything needed. the financial deal was better than i could get anywhere else and having been on safari's before, great value.

Paul Smith

Knowledgeable guides who would do anything for us

I was contacted by email to set everything up. Once we arrived, we were introduced and told the schedule. We had two guides, one driver and the other the cook. We enjoyed dinner made on the coals by our lodges. Excellent menu. During the safaris, we were taken to the best spots to see so many animals. I really enjoyed my time and would go with this company again. Thank you!

Linda