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
US
Email Professor Kelly Phelan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A Tourism Professor in Uganda- I couldn't have asked for better!
I am a professor of Tourism. I have traveled to over 50 countries and taken 100s of tours over the last 30+ years. I was so impressed with Encounter Africa Safaris. I have recommended them to countless friends and hope I will have the chance to go back and take another tour with them. Tolbert (our driver-guide) was excellent. He stopped every time we asked and was very patient with our many requests and questions. Tolbert made sure we went with the best guide when we were doing our gorilla tracking tour. Also, everyone in the office was so helpful when we were planning our trip. Honestly, we could not have asked for a better experience. I wrote several posts on my blog about my experience with Encounter Africa Safaris. Here are is a link if you would like to see a few pictures and read a little bit about it: http://drphelanipresume.blogspot.com/2013/11/gorilla-tracking-part-2.html
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Email Tonje & Ole | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip!
We are so happy that we chose Encounter Africa Safaris! This trip was so well organized, and we had no issues at all, which - to be honest - really surprised me. But what a nice surprise :)
Day 1: Arrival
We got picked up from our hotel in Entebbe early in the morning, and started the long drive to Bwindi forest. Our driver, Hassan, was super nice and knowledgeable. We had lots of questions on our way to Bwindi and he answered them all very well. He told us about plants, animals, culture and the life in Uganda. The trip took about 10 hours, but it really didn't feel that way. We arrived in Bwindi late in the evening, and was welcomed by the staff at Nkuringo Gorilla Camp. They served us a delicious 4-course dinner and some nice wine.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
We got up early and had a really nice breakfast. Then the ladies from Nkuringo Gorilla Camp gave us our packed lunch, then we were off. We drove for about an hour to attend the introduction meeting we had to have before the trekking. We then drove back towards Nkuringo, and started our trip up the mountain. We walked for about 2 hours before we found the gorillas. I am still amazed by the moment when I first saw the gorilla. And it wasn't just a gorilla - it was a beautiful silverback! My heart pounded so hard for the next 3 hours - I was that excited. In the end, we saw 2 silverbacks and 12 other gorillas, even a little baby :)
After the trekking, we went back to Nkuringo to have dinner which was even more amazing than the day before. We were sitting around the fire talking about our gorilla experience for hours and hours.
Day 3: Departure
After breakfast we started on the long way back to Entebbe. We stopped on the way to take photos of the zebras that Hassan pointed out for us, and even got a sightseeing trip in Kampala before going to the airport, because Hassan felt sorry for us (our flight was not until 5 AM) and wanted to let us stay in the car for as long as possible (the EBB airport is really not great... :/). When we got the airport we sat down in the waiting area, and after one hour we suddenly saw Hassan coming in. We didn't understand why - his job was done so why wasn't he at home? Turned out we had left our GoPro in the car (he found out when he got home), so Hassan drove all the way back to the airport to give it back to us. What a great man :)
So thank you Encounter Africa Safaris for making our trip amazing, especially Jerry who has helped us from day 1. Our only regret is that we didn't stay longer.
But, we will come back, and we will definitely use Encounter Africa Safaris then as well!:)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Gorilla Safari
The guide Paul was excellent and took care of us very well. The whole experience was definitely one of a kind!