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
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Email Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
These guys know what they are doing
I was in Uganda for business. My job there depended on Encounter Africa Safaris being on point, on time, and on location when needed. Tolbert was all of these things and more. In addition to making sure our time there was smooth and as productive as possible, Tolbert also provided tons of useful information about people and places that we otherwise would not have known. I can not recommend them more for either safari or for news transportation services.
Email Nicole | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommend!! A+++
Right from the start, the communication between myself and this company was outstanding. The consultants English was highly satisfactory, and return time via email was very speedy. Everything that needed to be known was written nice and clearly for me to understand. They were helpful, friendly and genuine.
This company organised everything for us that we needed ie airport transfer, hotel, full board etc which made the organising process much less stressful. This carried right through to the end of the tour - no stress at all because they took care of our every need. I dealt with Chris and Tolbert in particular, thank you guys so much for everything you did for us, you went above and beyond!
Will definitely return one day to do it all again!
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Email Laurel Hawton | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing experiance
Booking on line was a bit shaky and because of the huge time differences it was difficult to contact the office by phone. But when I did get hold of Talbert he was very polite and helpful. Joseph met us at the airport and he was a gem throughout the entire trip. He went out of his way to make sure our every need was met. Joseph's knowledge of each area and the customs was outstanding as was his knowledge of the birds and animals. His driving skills on some difficult roads was amazing.
Our accommodation was basic but comfortable and the food was good. Some of the hotels were a little far from the activities which required early morning starts. Both the gorillas and the Chimps were an awesome experience with super guides. The guide, Leo, we had on the swamp walk was excellent his knowledge and enthusiasm was amazing.
Joseph was a remarkable person with a fabulous sense of humour and he really made the trip so special for us. He showed us Uganda in its entirety, it is a beautiful country with any different facets. We came to love Joseph like family and we were all sad to say goodbye.
I primarily used their Fixer/Driver for Video Production - No Safari
As noted we used the "Fixer" portion of their business but Paul was very helpful in navigating the tricky Ugandan traffic. Most importantly we had no problem getting about $70,000 worth of production in and back out of the country without hassle. He was also very patient as many days he was on call for us but we didn't have much for him to do. It was a little hard to pay them initially but once we used Pesapal it was quite easy.
Email Lynneth Francios | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
African Encounter Safari went out of their way to make our trip pleasant, safe and memorable,
Our tour guide Joseph Kalanzi was superb, he did his utmost to make us very comfortable, his driving ability is in the highest regard, his sense of humour had us laughing on many occasions. His knowledge of the wildlife and the country in general is exemplary. Accommodation, although the guest houses were clean they were very basic especially the Crater Bay Cottages which were maybe one up from camping. The only thing to recommend this dwelling was the setting which was beautiful. The bathroom was appalling the bedroom not much better. The distances from the accommodation to the Chimpanzee and Gorilla camps was too far resulting in very early starts. The guides on all our excursions were very helpful and pleasant. All in all a very memorable and enjoyable trip.
A great experience and very flexible!
Encounter Africa is a great choice for gorilla trekking, they put together fantastic packages, have an above and beyond staff and we're incredibly flexible at meeting our needs. Definitely recommend.
Email Martina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you
Tolbert was a very pleasant, humble and friendly driver. Well organised, always on time, and super patient with all our requests and needs.
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Email Hanna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime experience
I had an amazing time in Uganda thanks to Encounter Africa Safaris! Chris was extremely helpful in the booking process of the trip and even found me some other single travellers to join my itinerary. Joseph was a great guide with a big sense of humour and great knowledge about this beautiful country and its amazing animals! If you're looking for a company to trust, to adapt to your tailor made itinerary and individual wishes, you are in very good hands with the team of Encounter Africa Safaris!
BE
Email Isabel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience, perfectly organiseed by Encounter Africa!
Here's my thoughts on our recent holiday in Uganda:
1. First of all, if you are hesitating whether or not to travel to Uganda .. don’t, please just go! It's an amazing experience in a beautiful country, with warm and friendly people. It's not unsafe at all (taking the ordinary precautions when travelling in Africa, South America or Asia for that matter). It’s not too touristy (yet) so the other tourists you meet there are generally very also very nice and open-minded people.
2. I struggled to find decent reviews of safari operators causing me quite some stress given that you have to book your permit through the company (and gorilla spotting is not exactly cheap!). I spent hours looking for reviews online. We ended up choosing Encounter Africa Safaris (mainly by luck I think) and could not be happier with our choice. Its strengths include: fast response times to emails, very clear and to the point communication, great value for money proposition and perfect execution at destination. We corresponded with Chris re the booking, which went very smoothly. He also helped us at destination to get a nice(r) hotel (with pool) for our last night at a reasonable price. Joseph, our driver/guide, played a very big role in making this trip an unforgettable one. Impeccable timing. Made sure we got into the right groups and had the best guides to see the chimps and gorillas. Truly went above and beyond to ensure we enjoyed our holiday. Very knowledgeable. Gave the relevant level of detail/information whilst travelling (you don’t want too much information nor do you want too little, right?!). And also .. just a really nice, funny and friendly guy (important when you spend ca. 10-12 hours a day together). Encounter Africa also booked us into very nice accommodation (we did the mid-range travel but they got us an upgrade by lake Bunyonyi) and we had lunch/dinner in great restaurants.
3. I don't have experience that allows me to compare our gorilla tracking in Uganda with a tracking in Rwanda, but my impression is that you get a tracking in Uganda is more genuine (including the drive through the Bwindi forest which is amazing as such and definitely puts you in the mood!). Don't believe any claims that the percentage of seeing gorillas is higher in Rwanda than in Uganda - it's not. Our team in Bwindi was extremely professional and well-organised. Whilst there are no guarantees when you want to spot wild (albeit habituated) animals, considering how well the families are tracked/monitored, I think the default position is that you see them. No words can describe it when you do ... it's simply amazing.
4. One last tip: if you do go to Uganda, don’t limit yourself to just seeing the gorillas. There’s also other primates (Kibale is the best place to see chimps!) and beautiful nature (source of the Nile, hiking in the East, secluded animal parks in the North etc.). We were however told to avoid Kampala due to its manic traffic.
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Email Regina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic trip with experience of life time.
I really appreciated an excellent driving and care provided by the assigned guide/driver. His knowladge about the areas and overall a history of his country. The places whuch Encounter booked are fantastic, and I keep a wonderful memory of Ineke 's place RuwenZori in Fort Portal , and the lovely lake wiev from the balkony of Birdnest in Bunyonyi. Meeting gorillas is unforgetable experience, and touched my deepest feelings. I recommend to all the services of Encounter when planning your meeting with gorillas and chimps.