Reviews of wild planet safari

8 nights in Kruger

This company was recommended to us by people who had been on over a dozen safaris. They said this was the best they had been on, so our expectations were high. Our expectations were in fact exceeded! Ryan and Thale are wonderful hosts, guides and now friends. It is an overused expression, but I can honestly say this was a holiday of a lifetime. Recommended.

Pete and Larissa

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

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

Awesome safari trip!

This is one of the best trips we ever had, and big thanks to Thale and Ryan (wild planet safari) for showing us South Africa! South Africa is a beautiful country, and we got to see alot! In the national parks we saw the big five many times! Even saw hippos fighting, that was so cool! The service was always good, and these two guids knows everything! If you have a question i bet you $100 they will give you the correct answer! And Ryan(eagleeyes) will spot all the animal, although the animal is hidden far away! This whole trip was an amazing experience, and it's not the last time we're going with Wild Planet Safari on a trip! Thanks guys! :) Magnus and Christer!

Magnus

I had a great time with Wild Planet Safari!

I had a great experience with Wild Planet Safari! Adrian was our guide during 4 days in a tour to the Kruger Park. He is very friendly, drives and cooks very well and knows everything about the animals. We had great time and strongly recommend Adrian and the Wild Planet Safari!

Ana Carolina

Awesome safari!

First of all, we really had a good time! Chris and Lungi are great guides: we’ve spotted lots of animals thanks to them. Also we learned a lot from them about the flora & fauna in the Krugerpark. We even saw a wild dog and a cheetah! :-) The food was perfectly prepared by Lungi. He thought of every detail. It was delicious! Chris and Lungi were always on time. They were very helpful and their information was clear. They did all the preparations very well. It felt like a real holiday :-) Chris and Lungi form a good team. We hope that they will keep up the good work! At the moment we can’t think of any improvements.

Marloes Vesters

Very professional but laid back.

Thale handled our booking and replied promptly to all our questions and provided a clear itinerary for our private tour. Ryan picked us up from Hoedspruit Airport and we were straight into wild animal spotting as we drove to our first camp, Skukuza. Bungalow here was all we could want. Ryan then turned into a bbq chef and cooked a lovely dinner which we ate under the stars. Next day we did a slow animal spotting drive to the center of the park to spend two nights at Satara camp, the bungalow here was even better with a great bbq and outside dining area. Before sun rise he had us waiting at the camp gate to open, serving hot coffee as we waited. We spent the day zig zagging around the park spotting every imaginable wildlife, Lions, Zebras, Hyena, Giraffes, Wilder beast, elephant Hippos, Leopard with baby, crocodile and many birds to name just a few. What amazed us was Ryan would always spot the animals before we did and he was driving. I think if we had been driving we would have missed many of the animals. On the last day he drove us back to Hoedspruit where we caught a minibus to Johannesburg. This tour was without doubt the highlight of our holiday which had started with a cruise from Singapore to Capetown.

Chris & Donna Parkinson

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

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

Probably the best 3-day Kruger Safari available on SafariBookings

Broadly, the Safari was as described on the website. Minor adjustments here and there based on weather/availability etc. Adrian is a terrific guide who's extremely knowledgeable and is also a good cook. Lungisani and Benjamin were also really helpful. Lungisani is pretty good at spotting animals from a moving car. We were able to view the Big 5 (leopard on the night drive conducted by Kruger) as well as many other prominent fauna in the park. All in all, it was a great experience.

Sandipan Dutta

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

Fantastic safari with the greatest guides :-)

An absolute perfect safari. Wild Planet Safari guided us through Kruger in an entirely exemplary manner. Perfect service, always with a smile, good food and 100% professinal at all time. No doubt that they possess a vast knowledge about the animals, Kruger park, the country and the environment. They guided us to all "the big 5"and many many more animal.......missed the cheetah!

Bjørn Ole

Fantastic 10 Day Big 5, Bush and Beach Safari

We booked the 10 day bush and beach safari as our "once in a lifetime" family holiday and chose Wild Planet Safari based on all their positive reviews. We were not disappointed! Even before the trip they really looked after us with regular updates and messages. Our guide Ryan and his assistant Benjamin collected us from our hotel at exactly the appointed time and looked after us fantastically from then on. We spent four days touring Kruger Park, travelling from north to south and staying at Letaba, Orpen and Berg-en-Dal. En route we saw all the Big Five (Big Six if you count Black and White Rhino separately!) as well as many more birds and animals. Ryan guided us excellently throughout, telling us not only about the wildlife, but also the geology and history of Kruger. He really knows his stuff and answered all our questions patiently, as well as regaling us with many stories over a glass of beer in the evenings! As a birdwatcher, I was pleased to find that Ryan is one too and he really helped me increase my life list, even stopping for the "small brown jobs" from time to time! We recorded over 100 bird species in Kruger alone. Ryan certainly has eagle-eyes and some kind of special intuition for when and where to find the wildlife. He helped us connect with some of the more unusual creatures too, such as porcupines, honey badgers, and a rock python. From Kruger we travelled south through Swaziland and spent one night at Royal Hlane, where you get close-up views of White Rhino in particular at the waterhole there. We then continued south and spent two days in Hluhluwe, staying at Hilltop camp, where we saw plenty more rhino, as well as lots more other birds and animals. After seven days on tour we ended up at Greenfire Lodge on the beach front in Umdloti, near Durban, where we spent two days relaxing by the beach and unwinding. There is wildlife there too - vervet monkeys in the town, and whales and dolphins in the sea, which we watched from the balcony of our room - fantastic! We had an absolutely fantastic holiday - truly a "lifetime" event - thanks to Ryan and his team, and hope to repeat it again one day. We cannot recommend Wild Planet Safari enough - book your tour with them and like us, you will not be disappointed!

Alex Massey

Fantastic

Thale and Ryan. Thank you for giving us a fantastic experience in South-Africa. We were taken care of from landing in Johannesburgh till we left the country 11 days later. We visited places like Pilgrims Rest, Talana museum in Dundee and Drakensberg mountains. In Kruger Park we were driven around to find animals we had never seen before outside the zoo. We think Ryan know every road in the park and where to find the different animals, and he know everything about the animals, birds and flowers. And - the food , if Thale and Ryan wantet to do something else, they can start a restaurant. South-Africa, history, culture and nature fill our mind when we are back in Norway, memories that will follow us the rest of our lives. Thanks for a fantastic stay in South-Africa. Randi og Erik

Randi og Erik