Encounter Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Joanna Cary | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Incredible Ugandan adventure - 6 day tour with Encounter Africa
I was organising a solo tour of Uganda and spent a long time researching online for potential tour companies. I settled on Encounter Africa after reading many positive reviews and in the end I couldn't have been happier. It felt like a bit of a gamble paying a lot of money for a gorilla permit and the tour company fees on the back of internet reviews, so it was a big relief to find my guide Hannington waiting for my at the Kihihi airstrip. From that moment, there was no stress whatsoever as Hannington was the perfect guide and driver and took care of everything. Each day was marvellous - with particular highlights being the gorilla and chimpanzee trekking and the Kazinga Channel boat cruise. The accommodation was all fabulous. I booked 'mid-range' and most of the places were small eco-lodge style places with personal service and all included meals. The food was consistently outstanding. I stayed at Buhoma Haven Lodge (incredible views of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest), Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge (incredible views of Queen Elizabeth National Park) and Mountains of the Moon. Mountains of the Moon was a big hotel and completely different style to the other accommodation. I only stayed there as the usual place Encounter books was full. Although it was a good hotel, it lacked the intimacy and personalised attention of the other places. I found Encounter to be highly professional - Chris was always very prompt and helpful when responding to emails and Hannington was always punctual and responsive and everything ran like clock-work. Hannington made sure that I got on the morning chimpanzee trek, was a very safe driver and ensured I had the trip of a lifetime.
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Email Tamara x 5 | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Plan your trip, then sit back and enjoy!
After reading other reviews, Encounter Africa Safaris was one of three companies that I inquired with to put together a custom tour for 5 friends. They were the first to respond, were very professional, and addressed each of my requests. They also did a very good job of matching my requests with available activities and accommodations. Although I never met Chris in person, he was very good at taking care of the details from the office. Tolbert was our driver/guide and hero in Uganda. He was very perceptive and did a great job anticipating our needs, accommodating our requests, and keeping us on track. He was informative, sincere, and a fun member of our group! Abdul took care of our transportation needs in Rwanda. We had a special request to visit an area well off the beaten tourist track. Having never been there, Abdul even made the special effort to scout it out in advance of our arrival! He was sweet and had a soft paternal, protective presence. Our itinerary did have a couple of small glitches, one from our group's side, and one from a miscommunication on the company's side. The beauty of it is that Encounter Africa quickly remedied these things before they ever became an issue, making for a very enjoyable and nearly seamless trip. I definitely recommend them and will use them again next time!
Email Megan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Mind Blowingly Beautiful Tour of Uganda!
Wow! This was my first time doing any sort of safari package and I had no idea what to expect. From my very first emails with Encounter Africa's staff, I was impressed. They were very accommodating and the activities, driving routes, food and lodgings that they have organized for their guests were all amazing.
Of special note was our fantastic tour guide Hannington; he was fun, informative, and extremely reliable and professional. I imagine having a full time guide with you for five days could end up feeling awkward... but Hannington was an instant friend and made the whole experience unforgettable.
In our particular safari, we hiked with both the mountain gorillas and the chimpanzees, and, obviously, this was a once in a lifetime sort of opportunity. So incredible. But what surprised me was how extraordinary just the drive through the villages and mountains was as well. Not too mention the friendliness and service from EVERYONE we met along the way. All in all, it was a beautiful experience.
Thank you for sharing your country with us!
Rwanda/Uganda Gorilla Adventure with Jason! AMAZING EXPERIENCE
My husband and I just came back from our 3- day Rwanda and Uganda adventure. Planning the trip was incredibly easy. In planning, Chris was extremely responsive to my questions, often replying to emails within an hour. When needed, he offered several options to address our concerns including a late evening pick-up to accommodate our flight.
But who really stole the show was our driver Jason! From the minute we arrived (1:00am) he was there with a smile to accommodate our needs. We visited several genocide museums in Rwanda, ate local Rwandan food, and seamlessly went through customs into Uganda. We even stopped to take several pictures along our drive to Bwindi including the beautiful flame tree and crested crane. Jason was a wonderful conversationalist during our travels often giving us cultural, socio-economic and geographical information that was relevant and well thought out. Our second day started with an early rise, and Jason met us for breakfast to provide a thorough briefing about the experience include recommendations for attire, photography and explanations about hiring a local porter. The gorilla tour was an incredible, once in a life time experience that I would highly recommend to any individual. After the tour, Jason organized an impromptu visit to a local village tribe (BATWA) where we got to sing and dance with the locals. Our return voyage back to Rwanda included opportunities to talk to locales about the genocide and eat delicious food. The land, the people and the animals of both countries will remain in our hearts and minds forever.
I would definitely consider returning back to Rwanda/Uganda and requesting Jason as your driver. The country and people are beautiful. Jason's leadership, attention to details and safety is unmatched and went a long way in creating such amazing memories. Thank you.
FR
Email Francisco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
100% perfect
We 100% recomend Encounter as they are very professional, reactive to all our emails and provided us with the service that we booked without any bad surprises. All went perfect. Special thanks to our driver Simon. He is a save driver and also great trip companion with very entertaining conversations about Uganda and any other theams. Thanks!!
CA
Email sean | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience!
Our guide Jason did a great job! Recommend him to anybody!
Email Eden | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!! Jason looked after us really well.
Really good communication with Chris, responsive emails and very helpful. The gorilla tour was an incredible, once in a life time experience that I would highly recommend. Accommodation and overall tour was put together well and we really enjoyed our stay in both lodges.
HK
Email Dora | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trustworthy, responsive, professional, planned per client’s expressed needs
Pre trip:
Chris the responsive front line contact with whom I worked out the itinerary was an indispensable asset. He was the first to respond to my email enquiry sent out to several companies. Having a whatsapp call the same day helped to understand from the start what I wanted and more importantly, allowed exchanges on options and constraints and setting realistic expectations (this is afterall Africa!) I asked for 8 days, But after more research and discussions (not pressure from Chris) to 12 days. Chris often responded in his middle of the night or wee hours due to international time differences!
Itinerary:
We ended up starting from Kigali to Kampala. Started with golden monkeys (very enjoyable; saw lots close up), then the AMAZING Bwindi gorillas (one hour trek awesome, and 4 hours habituation trek totaled 9.5 hours up and down steep dense mountains); Queen Elizabeth National Park (long drive, no lions on trees sighted but amazing boat cruise and relaxation with beautiful views and pool at riverside hotel), followed by chimpanzees (thanks to Tolbert and Martin who suggested changing from early habituation trek to a normal one starting 11:30 mid day so we saw many interesting chimps of various ages feeding on the ground rather than just swinging high up between trees - this is priceless tip!!); then Murchison Falls (amazing game drive and boat cruise with sights of giraffes, lions, elephants, crocodiles, hippos, tobies, etc etc), ending with adventurous white water rafting at Jinja. So glad we included Murchison Falls and Jinja as both proved to be wonderful experiences despite the hard drives.
Accommodations:
I asked for between budget and above average accommodations and compared them from the listings provided by Chris. Most important was to read through reviews and decide what I wanted and was prepared to pay for.
Tips: eg air conditioning is hard to come by in lodges in the wilderness, water from showers often small, sometimes need running to wash out the brownish, maybe colder than wished, expect mosquitos and maybe ants or insects, rooms perhaps further away from main lounge, solar power could run out, fewer power sockets, unavailable or unreliable network and WiFi ... All this is part of safari adventure!
Also some preferred lodgings were on wait list so expect last minute changes.
Transport:
We had two very clean Toyota vans, one for four and another for two people which worked out very well. I am happy to lie flat on row of seats due to poor back and very bumpy roads (called “African Massage”). The driver guides Tolbert and Martin were great drivers on the challenging roads especially in Uganda! They also pulled skills to catch greater sights of lions and other wildlife.
Tip: ask for vans with padded sides along the game viewing top. Also suggest Encounter Africa provides cushions for sitting on top in front for greater comfort for vans with such fittings.
All in all, a super, memorable safari adventure with Encounter Africa who was very professional. Very flexible, responsive and kind. We had lots of fun and laughter together with Tolbert and Martin. Would recommend highly and will use them again in the future.
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Email The Moon Family | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exploring the Beauty of Uganda
We worked with Chris at Encounter Africa. He responded immediately to our initial request for information, listened carefully to our interests, suggested supplemental activities, and designed our final itinerary that exceeded our expectations. In the planning stages, Chris was extremely responsive to our questions, often replying to emails within an hour. When needed, he offered several options to address our concerns. In the end, we had a customized itinerary that showcased the beauty of Uganda. Our tour guides/drivers (Martin and Tolbert) were professional, informed, and friendly, and made decisions that optimized our experiences. For example, when observing the chimps in Kabale, rather than attempting to join early morning trekking groups, they suggested we wait and join the late morning/early afternoon groups; as a result, we were able to see the chimps on the ground (as opposed to in the trees) and to spend time with them up close. In another instance, Martin and Tolbert located and drove us to observe a few lions. When we arrived, there were close to a dozen other vehicles there with visitors enjoying the view. It was amazing and after a bit, the other cars left, but Martin and Tolbert stayed sensing that something might happen. They were right; the "few" lions ended up being an entire pride of around 10 lions (including cubs), and they were stalking a nearby group of water buffalo. The ensuing encounter was exciting and unforgettable. We enjoyed other adventures (e.g., mountain gorillas, white water rafting on the Nile), and by the end of our 12 days on the road, Martin and Tolbert were like family.
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Email Alison and Mitchell | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience
The entire experience exceeded my expectations. From the very first inquiry I sent Chris, every question I had was answered quickly and thoroughly. Via email, Chris customized our 8 day tour to my exact specifications. We skipped things I wasn't interested in seeing and added things I didn't want to miss. Chris suggested accommodations but was willing to change them when I found a place I liked better.
The service was exceptional. Our driver, Edward, met with us the night before at our hotel to review the itinerary and answer any questions we had. He picked us up at 7 the next morning at our hotel in Entebbe and took care of us for the next 8 days. Edward was very knowledgeable regarding all our questions about Uganda, the plants, the animals, and the people. He was very patient with my photo-holic husband's constant requests to stop to get the perfect picture. He was also fantastic at finding and pointing out wildlife our untrained eyes would have missed. We were fortunate and thankful to have him as our guide.
We visited Murchison Falls for two days, Queen Elizabeth for two days, Bwindi for two days, and Lake Mburo for the last day before returning to Entebbe after a morning game on day 8. Murchison Falls was our favorite park. In hindsight, we would have spent an extra day there. Be sure to take a boat ride to the bottom of the falls and hike to the top. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi was amazing and not to be missed. That part of the country is beyond beautiful, and we loved staying at Broadbill Forest Camp. I would have liked more time there as well. Lake Mburo was also fantastic.
There were absolutely no negatives to mention. It was the trip of a lifetime. I highly recommend Chris and his team to take care of all your needs and wants.
