Wild Africa Trek questions

[WickedMom]

We are debating doing the Wild Africa Trek for our August trip.
From what I can tell from reviews you seem to get behind the scenes views of the crocodiles and rhinos but I'm wondering if you also get to see some of the other animals such as the lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, etc beyond what you see on the regular safari?
Also, is it customary to tip your guide(s)?

 

[PatMcDuck]

We saw the crocodiles (or alligators?), Hippos (not rhinos), and then the savannah animlas like giraffes, zebras. Not those others that you mentioned.

We loved the experience. Our day was in May, very hot but they got us thru it fine with water, and cooling towels. We booked the 12:30pm to get a discount.

I cannot remember if we tipped or not. I am not sure if that is usually done? (Our tour was many years ago).

 

[Stephy811]

We just did this in May…the hippos and crocs are the only up-close experiences you get out of the safari truck. The other animals you can see from the vehicle…sometimes closer than the regular safari ride and they will stop and let you take pictures. As for tipping…I didn’t know what to do so I just watched everyone else in my group and no one else did do we didn’t…I know, not the best strategy. But they don’t say anything at any point about gratuities…not even an inconspicuous sign or anything.

 

[PalmettoPath]

You get to see everything because you do go out on the safari, but in your own unique vehicle and we got much closer to those other animals vs. the guests riding the Kilimanjaro vehicle. So there are two parts: the walking part and then the riding part.

 

[brightlined]

There was a discussion about tipping for Wild Africa Trek yesterday:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/wild-africa-trek.3874290/page-2

Short answer: people don't seem to tip, and there was a PlanDisney answer from 2015 that said that the guides aren't allowed to accept gratuities.

 

[WickedMom]

Thank you everyone!
How funny that there was a thread with the same topic yesterday and of course since I've searched numerous times over the last few months to see if anyone ever mentioned tipping for WAT I didn't bother searching this morning before posting!

 

[dmunsil]

I asked our guide on our recent (end of May) Wild Africa Trek, and she said they can't take gratuities. Overall, a great experience.

 

[Tinkerbellmom43]

I just did this in April and loved it! Our guides were awesome, very helpful and supportive (I'm terrified of heights but didn't let it deter me.) The croc pictures are taken when you cross the bridge and they stop to view them. We also spent time in the hippo area where they show some of the training used to get the hippos to react. It's completely dependent on the animals whether or not they respond. They like to sleep lol There's lots of info given on each of the animals. The food was really good too. It definitely was a fun way to do the safari privately. You can bring a camera but I didn't even need it. They take pictures of the group and individually, At the end of the trek you get a PhotoPass card and all of the pictures show up in your MDE.

 

[EmilyGahr]

Is park admission required in addition to paying for the tour?

 

[StageTek]

Is park admission required in addition to paying for the tour?

Yes.