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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:
-
RWUG
- Price Range:
- $50 to $300 ppper person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Monika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Encounters with gorillas a must
Our tour which covered both Uganda and Rwanda, was quite big - 14 days which dragged on with little to do. The highlights were definitely the gorilla and chimpanzee encounters. I wouldn't recommend the national parks in Uganda as very little to see. Make sure your tour guide is experienced and has knowledge of the area and animal tracking.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really wanted to like them, left some things lacking
I went on a 3 day Rwanda gorilla trek with Encounter Africa. While I really want to like them, there are a few things that were lacking.
Pros:
1. The driver was nice and friendly. He also spoke good English and very helpful.
2. The car was good and comfortable for the two of us.
3. Accommodations were but clean, safe and hotel staff was friendly.
4. Price: The price was fair.
Cons:
1. Communication troubles: Not sure what it was but the office was extremely responsive at first via email which I why I wanted to go with them initially. But then fell radio silent. So I followed up on skype and had some challenges getting a hold of them. They said that there were issues with their email, so may that is fixed?
2. Quoted a price, and then told us that they didn't have any more availability at the lodging and then wanted put us in a lower quality hotel. Ended up paying the original price for a lower quality hotel. The hotel was fine, but the experience of that change was frustrating.
3. Finally, the biggest issue was that the driver was 2 hours late for the initial airport pickup! This was extremely inconvenient because we did not have Rwanda phones and had no way of contacting the driver. For a minute, I thought we had been completely scammed. He came in the end, but this resulted in us driving back in the hills in dark, getting to the hotel extremely late, and missing a proper dinner (that we had paid for in our room/board).
However, what frustrated me most was they claimed that it was the Uganda / Rwanda time difference that caused the delay. However, Uganda time is 1 hour ahead, so of anything, they would have arrived an hour later rather than 2 hours late. When I mentioned this to them, they then said that it was because they had to pick up the permits. If that were the real reason, then tell the truth the first time. Do not lie or try to pull one on me.
So all in all, I'm mixed on this group. While the rest of the experience itself was incredible (highly recommend the gorilla trek to anyone), there were logistical things that were a lacking and the lying about being 2 hours late was a huge detractor.
Email Emma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely Rude Guide for Gorilla Trek
I cannot begin to express how disappointed and frustrated I am by the way our guide, treated me. I was very polite to him until I could not take it anymore. He made constant misogynistic jokes that were clearly a poor cover for his personal insults about my appearance and when confronted with his behaviour then made frequent jibes about 'mzungus' (whilst complaining about previous 'racist' clients). He only seemed interested in whatever meal he was going to get next. There was almost no communication except on the night before the trek and insinuated I would not be able to do it (after carrying on about requiring expensive equipment that was not needed anyway and not bothering to let me know when I could have bought it on the way). He then continued to repeatedly laugh and humiliate me after I achieved the trek. This man is a disgrace but he appears to be highly valued by his employers because he was training another guide. We were also taken back to our accommodation extremely late because my companion was talked into going on a very expensive walk around a resort in a national park. Avoid this organisation at all costs in case you are stuck with your dream of encountering gorillas being potentially ruined. This organisation gets 2 stars because of the accommodation chosen which was lovely.
Disclaimer
- All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Encounter Africa Safaris, not SafariBookings
- The tours offered by Encounter Africa Safaris are subject to their terms & conditions