Natural World Safaris

Gemma at NWS was extremely helpful and answered all questions comprehensively. We received all relevant material in good time and she was extremely friendly both on the phone and with her emails. Well done Gemma and thank you for your attention to detail. This was a brilliant trip with a great guide (Dan) who went out of his way to ensure everyone had a memorable time. The NWS app was also a great help, both before and during the trip. We now have many memories and loads of photos to look back on fondly for years to come.

Brad Josephs lived up to his reputation, and was excellent in all ways. His knowledge of specific bears enabled him to put us in exactly the right place to get great views of the bears fishing and we think very good photos. Linda Himelbloom, was knowledgeable about Kodiak, very helpful and went above and beyond in what she did. We understood that we wouldn’t be met at Kodiak airport - as it was before the first day of the trip. She did meet us and it did make a big difference. There were some differences - (for the better) between what we had found out before the trip and what happened. The best bits were the close-up views of several bears fishing and running through the sea. The poorest aspect was the Kodiak Inn (not terrible).

The team at NWS were very helpful and the trip was very well managed by White Desert.

NWS answered every question, got the balance between chasing paperwork and supplying information absolutely right. 10/10 is a fair score (no, really!) Of course, there is always room for improvement, but it soon became clear when I got on the ship that I had all the necessary documentation sent to me well in advance - this was via proactive email communication. So, I had all the correct documentation well in advance (others had not). The actual journey itself was superb from start to finish and the guides and crew were the best in the business without a doubt. They are all (every single one) very, very good at their jobs. This is my 2nd trip with NWS and I always feel that nothing is too much bother for the NWS people. Every question is answered, the team are helpful and the attention to detail is superb.

I had the most amazing time with NWS in Svalbard; the expedition leaders Mats and Hadleigh were great and got us really close to the wildlife and landscapes - the bear encounters were incredible (close and were able to watch them for literal hours demonstrating all sorts of behaviours), as were the opportunities to see walruses, seals, foxes and all sorts of birdlife. The ship was awesome, the open bridge policy was great and the crew were all lovely to chat to. The regular app updates on flight information, being able to see the travel docs etc. whilst on the boat (i.e. with no wifi) was also really useful.

Our trip was brilliant. Everything ran smoothly and our wildlife encounters were incredible! We'd love to travel again!