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
DE
Email Gabriele | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very caring tourarrangement
Hi, it was great to have this tour with encounter africa for 3 days to the mountain gorillas .
Already during booking correspondence and also along the actual trip they cared excellently and very considerate with much flexibility. Great !!
Their consideration includes also the animals we are visiting and the sourroundig, the local people. I enjoyed it thouroughly.
Well trained staff. Thanks a lot !
Email Peet Venter | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An unforgetable Experience with Encounter Africa Safaris
The arrangement of the Gorilla trekking and the booking of the accommodation was done in time and well situated. Although the distance travelled from Entebbe Airport was tiring the stops along the way was well planned and refreshing. The drive through the Entebbe/Kampala area was also alive and unforgettable adrenaline rushing experience with the rush day(hour) peak traffic (rush day traffic - because I think the traffic in this are never slows down) The cultures was explained to us. The history about Entebbe(meaning Chair) was shown and enlightening. The other thing I must mention here is that Uganda/Bwindi is absolutely a beautiful country and park to visit. Now regarding the gorilla trekking:- The following needs mentioning .
1. They guides was experienced
2. The trackers helped a lot in finding the Gorillas
3. Without the help of the porters can I only say this.. Pay the porter fees it is worthit . they are strong , helpful, and you will thank me later if you did hire a ported to carry your lunch/water/pack
4. We were lucky to find the Gorillas within the first hour of tracking and enjoy the hour interaction and photo shoot of the gorillas with a couple of scary interactions with the 2 x silverbacks, mothers, youngsters and 2 x baby's( needles to say me camera was running in overdrive -- shoot +/- 4250 photos with 3 x cameras (head mounted go-pro camera , Canon SLR and 1 x small digital camera) What an experience --
This was a life long dream of mine that realized. Thanks to Encounter Africa Safari, Jones the gorilla guide, Tolbert our dedicated tour guide and driver and Chris the man behind the scene at the office.
Email PM Karsten | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 day Gorilla Trekking Tour
Due to some last minute flight changes we arrived at the airport much earlier than arranged. Our tour guide, Tolbert still managed to pick us up 15 minutes earlier than arranged with them and still apologized for being late, which he of course, wasnt! He is a experienced and knowledgeble driver in what proved to be overwhelming peak traffic conditions to us. He without fail pointed out important land marks and wild life to us. He was very informed on all the cultures and shared fascinating facts with us about the resourceful Uganda people we encountered.
The lodging that was arranged for us was of the highest quality in the most beautiful surroundings. We mentioned one small problem we had to Tolbert and he immediately got onto the resort to sort it out for us.
The gorilla trekking was of course the highlight of our short tour, and we left Bwindi park in a state of utter awe of the guides, the porters and of course the beautiful creatures that blessed us with their presence. It definitely was a once in a life time experience I will never forget, and all of this was made possible by the efficient and friendly services of the staff of Encounter Africa, thank you so much!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Gorilla Trekking =)
The booking was unproblematically, they answered fastly every question we had. They were very customer-oriented and they considered all our wishes regarding accomodation and others.
The guide was always on time and well organized. He had good knowledge about the animals we saw. He was very attentive regarding pee breaks and photo stops.
All in all we had an amazing trip.
KW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Adventure
From the outset, communication with Encounter Africa was superb. They were extremely accommodating with our requirements and created a perfect package for our needs.
Once we arrived at the airport, our driver was there to meet us and we didn't have to worry about a thing. Communication was excellent at all times and when it came to safaris he was fantastically knowledgeable about all forms of wildlife.
The accommodation chosen for us was lovely, the vehicle was comfortable and the adventures we had were awesome. Thank you once again!
EE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience in seeing Mountain Gorillas
We really loved the tour of Gorilla tracking, especially enjoyed having it during low rainy season. It gave a truly memorable experience tracking the mountain gorillas on 6 hour route up the mountains with pouring rain - someone might say that it doesn't seem an enjoyable trip but that's what made the tracking really memorable for us. When you finally reach the gorillas, all soaked with rain and tired, you are just blown away of the sight. We managed to see a family of 12 with young babies and teenagers:)
I really recommend on taking the time to visit the gorillas and Encounter Africa Safaris made the trip even more memorable taking care of us on throughout the whole week-end.
US
Email Michelle H. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An adventure of a lifetime
The service, provided by Encounter Africa and specifically Tolbert, the guide was phenomenal. He knew what he was talking about and helped easily navigate all of the local areas we visited, Bwindi, Kabale and Jinga. Patient with endless questions great with special requests a trooper of a guide. Expert at showing what a beautiful country Uganda is. The places I stayed worked with Tolbert and were friendly and helpful. Home a day and I already want to visit again. Next time I want to introduce my grown children as well. I would absolutely book the trek through Encounter Africa. There is so much raw beauty in Uganda. The land, animals and people provide a mesmerizing adventure. Their country is a gem and Encounter Africa helps make sure the navigation is easy and that you truly get the most possible from your time there!
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What a wonderful experience!
We had such an amazing trip! Our lovely driver Tolbat was so informative and friendly, we had such a lovely drive out to the Lake, followed by a life changing encounter with the incredible Gorillas. So glad we found this company to facilitate this beautiful experience! Thank you so much!
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.
20-35 years of age
Film Crew Fixer Services- Excellent Experience
I engaged Encounter Africa Safaris to help has arrange various services, including media permits, kit bond (for customs clearance), ground transportation and security for a television shoot in the Kampala area.
Right from pre-production, Chris in the office was very helpful in providing information on what permits we would need and the process to obtain these. Communication was very clear and Chris responded to my emails quickly and was always available on the phone.
Once our shoot started, the crew were met at the airport by Paul and Tolbert who cleared the kit through customs and drove the team to the hotel. Throughout the shoot they were very helpful and flexible, which is key as a shooting schedule is always changing!
I massively recommend Encounter Africa Safaris if you need a fixer in Uganda, my experience with them was consistently professional and efficient!