AITO: The Association of Independent Tour Operators
Wildlife Trails

Wildlife Trails Traveller Reviews

Reviews of Wildlife Trails

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Reviews Submitted: 138
Reviews Accepted: 138
Reviews Rejected: 0
138 reviews
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Big 5 small group Kenya Safari by Louise, 1 Nov 2017
Holiday Rating:

Amazing safari in the Massai Mara

We travelled to Nairobi in October 2017 and spent 5 nights at Entim camp in the Massai Mara. This was a fantastic trip. The camp is exceptional and absolutely nothing is too much trouble for the helpful and friendly staff. Entim is in a great position and we had outstanding wildlife sightings, helped by knowledgeable, and enthusiastic guides. This trip far exceeded our expectations.

We travelled to Nairobi in October 2017 and spent 5 nights at Entim camp in the Massai Mara. This was a fantastic trip. The camp is exceptional and absolutely nothing is too much trouble for the helpful and friendly staff. Entim is in a great position and we had outstanding wildlife sightings, helped by knowledgeable, and enthusiastic guides. This trip far exceeded our expectations.

Rating for tour operator:

Kirsty and Allan again made sure that we had an amazing holiday. The itinerary was perfect, the camp was better than we every imagined, and we can't wait for them to plan our next trip.

Wildlife Trails responded to this review on 01 Nov 2017:

We are huge fans of Entim Camp, but even we didn't expect you to have so many amazing wildlife encounters in the Mara - including incredible river crossings - in the middle of October. So happy for you both!

Big 5 small group Kenya Safari by JacquiT, 4 Oct 2017
Holiday Rating:

interesting and exciting trip

The trip was very well organised. The accommodation was very good, food good, very clean and tidy lodge and the staff were helpful at all times.

The trip was very well organised. The accommodation was very good, food good, very clean and tidy lodge and the staff were helpful at all times.

Rating for tour operator:

Alan and Kirstie are always very helpful and accommodating and I would not hesitate to travel with them again.

Botswana Photographic Safari by Chris, 28 Sep 2017
Holiday Rating:

Wild Botswana Experience

This was a wonderful mobile camping trip visiting several areas of Botswana. It was my first time mobile camping and I absolutely loved it - even the 'long drop toilets'! To sit outside under the stars with no light pollution was incredible. We had some brilliant sightings, especially the elephants who we watched playing in the water for ages. Trips in between camps could be long but it was more like an extended game drive and didn't bother ...

This was a wonderful mobile camping trip visiting several areas of Botswana. It was my first time mobile camping and I absolutely loved it - even the 'long drop toilets'! To sit outside under the stars with no light pollution was incredible. We had some brilliant sightings, especially the elephants who we watched playing in the water for ages. Trips in between camps could be long but it was more like an extended game drive and didn't bother me in the least. The trip started off at Thamalakane River Lodge where we had a beautiful sunset over the river. It finished at Chobe River Lodge where we went on a boat trip - once again with wonderful sightings - and watched the sun go down. I could honestly have gone immediately back and done it all again!

Rating for tour operator:

Kirsty and Allan of Wildlife Trails arranged this brilliant photographic tour for us and I will hopefully return again in the not too distant future. I thought the quality of both lodges and the mobile camp was excellent. We would go for a game drive on the morning of our departure to another camp and by the time we got to our new site the old camp had been dismantled and was re-assembled, ready for us to use, as soon as we got there - with food and drink awaiting! The staff were absolutely amazing and our chef created excellent food with seemingly no effort. This was extremely well arranged by Wildlife Trails with nothing being too much trouble for Allan or Kirsty.

Big 5 small group Kenya Safari by Chris, 28 Sep 2017
Holiday Rating:

Wonderful Masai Mara Experience

Wildlife Trails arranged our recent trip to Masai Mara. The first week was arranged with wildlife photographers Andy and Sarah Skinner and was based at Intrepids Camp. Wildlife Trails also went out of their way to get us a very good deal with Entim Camp for a second week. The wildlife sightings were extremely good and the drivers knew just how to best position our vehicle for good photographic opportunities. Both camps were very good, especially ...

Wildlife Trails arranged our recent trip to Masai Mara. The first week was arranged with wildlife photographers Andy and Sarah Skinner and was based at Intrepids Camp. Wildlife Trails also went out of their way to get us a very good deal with Entim Camp for a second week. The wildlife sightings were extremely good and the drivers knew just how to best position our vehicle for good photographic opportunities. Both camps were very good, especially Entim and the staff at both camps were wonderful - very friendly and helpful. Food also was very good. If I had one complaint it would be that I didn't want to come home!

Rating for tour operator:

Allan and Kirsty of Wildlife Trails went above and beyond to make sure our trip to Masai Mara was all we wanted. From start to finish they kept us fully informed of everything we needed to know and more. I will certainly travel with Wildlife Trails again - and in fact did so a few weeks later when they arranged a trip to Botswana.

Big 5 small group Kenya Safari by marysden, 20 Sep 2017
Holiday Rating:

Excellent

Kenya: June 2017 with Allen and Sarah: Masai Mara - 8 days. Being able to stay in the same camp makes all the difference. We really got to 'know' the area and the animals. Which added a personal component. The planning was excellent from arrival to departure. Wonderful. The camp was comfortable. The food appetizing. The service personal. The DRIVERS really knowledgeable.

Kenya: June 2017 with Allen and Sarah: Masai Mara - 8 days. Being able to stay in the same camp makes all the difference. We really got to 'know' the area and the animals. Which added a personal component. The planning was excellent from arrival to departure. Wonderful. The camp was comfortable. The food appetizing. The service personal. The DRIVERS really knowledgeable.

Rating for tour operator:

Allen and Sandy were wonderful leaders: amenable, approachable, informative, and supportive. Very good attention to travel details as well as photo tour experience. Absolutely No complaints.

Wildlife Trails by Paul, 19 Sep 2017
Holiday Rating:

Fantastic tailored holiday to North America the itinerary and arrangements were first class, Allan was a huge help in sorting everything ot perfectly

Our slightly unusual request was to cover certain National Parks in the US and then visit British Columbia with the focus on Whales and Bears all within a restricted time slot and to ensure both parents an teenage girls could be entertained on the way. Our experiences will give us life long memories we will treasure, we enjoyed every aspect o the trip and saw amazing wildlife, the experiences surpassed our expectations.

Our slightly unusual request was to cover certain National Parks in the US and then visit British Columbia with the focus on Whales and Bears all within a restricted time slot and to ensure both parents an teenage girls could be entertained on the way. Our experiences will give us life long memories we will treasure, we enjoyed every aspect o the trip and saw amazing wildlife, the experiences surpassed our expectations.

Rating for tour operator:

Wildlife Trails were fantastic in ensuring our arrangements and itinerary fitted perfectly with our requirements and the logistic went completely smoothly. Allan was flexible with us changing our mind on a few major thing before we finalised the tour and helpful in ensuring we had everything we needed both before and during our trip. THe service was first class.

Wildlife Trails responded to this review on 01 Nov 2017:

Clients and friends and with kids of a similar age; we find it easy to get into the adventurous mind set of Paul and Sally and help them create special holidays. This was certainly different from the wildlife focused holidays we have prepared for them in the past; but it looks like a self drive of national parks in the west of the USA, followed by a wildlife adventure on Vancouver Island is a superb combination. We are delighted that it was such a success!

Grizzly Bears and Whales Katmai by Treehugger, 10 Aug 2017
Holiday Rating:

An action packed wildlife tour of Alaska

We travelled in dependently using a car, flights and the Alaska Marine Highway. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. Car hire and all accommodation were excellent. The itinerary worked well considering it was so packed - but we did have some independent down time. Some outstanding bear viewing at Brooks Falls, Pack Creek and AnAn. Loved it. Can't wait to go back

We travelled in dependently using a car, flights and the Alaska Marine Highway. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. Car hire and all accommodation were excellent. The itinerary worked well considering it was so packed - but we did have some independent down time. Some outstanding bear viewing at Brooks Falls, Pack Creek and AnAn. Loved it. Can't wait to go back

Rating for tour operator:

Allan and Wildlife Trails offer a really personal service. Never ending patience as we nailed down all the details with numerous emails and calls He knew the area and offered good advice. The price was also competitive and allowed us to do so much.

Wildlife Trails by Freybird, 8 Aug 2017
Holiday Rating:

Just fantastic!

Safari based around two camps, Topi House & Little Governors. Topi was fantastic especially to catch up with a guide we've met before, Salaash, 8 years was too long but boy did he deliver. Accommodation, staff & food were outstanding. Different experience at Little Governors with 17 tents but again everything was to a very high standard, would go back to either tomorrow!! Wildlife experience were almost unbelievable we had to keep pinching ...

Safari based around two camps, Topi House & Little Governors. Topi was fantastic especially to catch up with a guide we've met before, Salaash, 8 years was too long but boy did he deliver. Accommodation, staff & food were outstanding. Different experience at Little Governors with 17 tents but again everything was to a very high standard, would go back to either tomorrow!! Wildlife experience were almost unbelievable we had to keep pinching ourselves.

Rating for tour operator:

I'm full of praise for Allan @ Wildlife Trails, we suffered a setback last year when my partner was diagnosed with breast cancer, Allan helped us tremendously in re-arranging this trip and making my life easier, would highly recommend him and WT to anyone.

Wildlife Trails responded to this review on 08 Aug 2017:

Sometimes in life when obstacles are put in our way and we overcome them - as Geoff did and his family - it is even sweeter to suspend reality, take a holiday and enjoy all that beautiful Kenya has to offer on a safari holiday. We are honoured and happy to have been part of the process.

Brazil wildlife tour Pantanal by AvJH, 4 Mar 2017
Holiday Rating:

A Pantanal adventure

Having just left feedback for our last trip, I realised that I had omitted to do so for our trip to the Pantanal in Brazil last October. So better late than never, I aim to put that right now. We re-visited the Pantanal having enjoyed a previous trip so much. This time, with Eduardo as our guide, it was truly an adventure. His enthusiasm and excitement about all of the wildlife is so infectious. We had some fabulous sightings of jaguar, some ...

Having just left feedback for our last trip, I realised that I had omitted to do so for our trip to the Pantanal in Brazil last October. So better late than never, I aim to put that right now. We re-visited the Pantanal having enjoyed a previous trip so much. This time, with Eduardo as our guide, it was truly an adventure. His enthusiasm and excitement about all of the wildlife is so infectious. We had some fabulous sightings of jaguar, some totally exclusive to us. Eduardo is equally keen on all that the Pantanal has to offer & energetically pursues experiences for his guests to share. He & I had the most amazing encounter with a giant anteater with a baby on her back. His excitement for this was palpable & it greatly enhanced my experience. We also had some very special daytime tapir viewings and this is entirely due to his observations of their behaviour and the likely directions they may take. So for this and the giant anteater sighting, the viewing was extended by his ability to predict what might happen next. Even staying at his lodge (JER) was a continuation of wildlife experiences as he actively seeks to find all the creatures that he can. Plus I found his lodge delightfully quirky & fun. Eduardo took great & very personal care of us & he was a joy to be with & very knowledgeable.

Rating for tour operator:

Allan & Kirsty Blanchard make Wildlife Trails perfect for our needs. They have got to know us over time and the experience of working in partnership with them to plan our trips means that our holidays come to life through the planning process. So by the time we set off we can feel confident that our trip will be exactly what we want. Thanks for doing such a grand job.

Bespoke Tanzania in the south by AvJH, 4 Mar 2017
Holiday Rating:

A feast of Tanzanian wildlife

We have just returned from 2 weeks in Tanzania, visiting Selous, Mikumi, Ruaha, Morgoro & Saadani. Our experiences with Wildlife Trails are always positive & this trip was no exception. Despite the rains coming a little early in places we still had wonderful sightings, sometimes maybe because of the rain. For example, the day we left Mikumi we went for a short drive in the park to try to see the pride of lions we'd seen the day before with a ...

We have just returned from 2 weeks in Tanzania, visiting Selous, Mikumi, Ruaha, Morgoro & Saadani. Our experiences with Wildlife Trails are always positive & this trip was no exception. Despite the rains coming a little early in places we still had wonderful sightings, sometimes maybe because of the rain. For example, the day we left Mikumi we went for a short drive in the park to try to see the pride of lions we'd seen the day before with a kill & 3 small cubs. It had been raining most of the night & was still very damp. Not only did we see that pride again & another with bigger cubs, a lioness with a fresh wildebeest kill and another single lioness & all of them looked well fed. Our trip often dealt us pleasant surprises like in Saadani, the 50 - 60 strong elephant herd one afternoon , several large buffalo herds at various times and the leopard racing across the track in front of us on our last drive there. All the places we stayed were delightful in there own different ways, with really nice staff and great food. The whole trip was a great success, thanks to our lovely driver/guide, Charles & Allan Blanchard's attention to detail in setting up the itinerary. Many thanks, Allan. From Avril & Brian

Rating for tour operator:

Wildlife Trails understands our needs & desires and always delivers exactly what we ask for. The personal service we have from Allan & Kirsty Blanchard, wherever we go, helps us feel that we are dealing with friends who really care that we have a great time.

Wildlife Trails responded to this review on 18 Apr 2017:

Every time a new enquiry arrives in the inbox from Brian and Avril, we very much look forward to designing a special tour which will meet with their approval and ultimately deliver a wildlife safari they will enjoy and remember for years to come. We also appreciate their input and ideas and merge that with our own thoughts and knowledge, to produce a wildlife holiday that has genuinely been tailored towards their needs. Always a pleasure to deal with and we look forward to planning the next wildlife adventure together!