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
NL
Email Rene | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
2 day trip to Lake Mburu NP
Great trip to Lake Mburu with 2 gamedrives (evening and morning) and a boat trip on the lake with hundreds of hippo's. Very good guide/driver. Highly recommended!
Email April and Ian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable gorilla trekking experience
We had an unforgettable gorilla trekking experience, which we booked through Encounter Safaris. Great communication made the booking an easy and straightforward process. We were picked up from Kigali, driven to Uganda, and did two days of trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - this worked really well for us. Our guide, Jason, was very friendly, had great local knowledge, and made sure we got the most out of the experience. We were very happy with their recommendation for accomodation at Rushaga Haven Gorilla Lodge. Everything was well organised, and the trip ran completely smoothly from start to finish. We couldn’t recommend Encounter Safaris (or the gorilla trekking experience) more highly.
BR
Email Leandro Rezende | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A lifetime experience
We had a very nice gorilla trekking with Encounter Africa safaris, which provided us very good acommodation, transportation, food and a very helpful guide (Alex). Certainly a lifetime time experience. Very recommendable!!!
FR
Email Yana mihailuka | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Africa experience
Chris in the office did a great job accommodating all our needs and changes of plans. Jason our guide/driver was wonderful. We did gorilla tracking in Uganda and safari in Akegera NP in Rwanda. We felt totally safe and welcome the entire time. I highly recommend them!
US
Email Daniel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience, great company to work with and our guide Obed was the absolute best.
Communication was great. Service was great. Definitely lived up to expectations. The suggested activities were exactly what we wanted and the itinerary was logistically well planned out. Best of all was our guide Obed who went out of his way at every turn to ensure we had the most amazing and memorable experience possible.
US
Email CJ K | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic 9 Day Adventure seeing all Uganda has to Offer
First and foremost, I would attribute our fantastic experience to our wonderful guide Obed. He was knowledgeable, experienced, responsible, kind, attentive to our needs, went above and beyond many times, and FUN! Chris from the office was also great and also very quick to respond to our questions and needs, he was very helpful creating our 9 day itinerary and provided us a nice detailed plan before we left. The staff from Encounter Africa were professional and timely. Now, the trip itself was absolutely AMAZING! We got to see gorillas, chimpanzees, lions in the trees, lions on the ground, lots of different animals with hooves, hippos, zebras, and a gazillion birds! Uganda is a beautiful country and we plan to return to see more of the National Parks. We will absolutely use Encounter Africa in the future when we return.
CA
Email George | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
High quality Gorilla trekking experience with comfortable accommodations - exceeded expectations!!
We had a fantastic three day tour from Kampala to Rushaga (in Bwindi) and back with Simon from Encounter Africa Safaris. First, - Chris at the office was very helpful an responsive in arranging our trip.
The day prior to the trip - we were contacted by our guide and agreed to a 7am start time - and sure enough Simon was there at 6:50am despite unpredictable traffic in a very comfortable and solid 4x4 vehicle. We thought the 9 hour journey to Bwindi would be long, but on the drive through Uganda it was very interesting to see all the towns and villages along the way. Simon highlighted so many points of interest and all the different foods that grow in Uganda. Some highlights included a mini game-drive where we saw impalas and zebras and our stop at the Equator. We also spotted Uganda cranes. Overall - the drive felt more like part of the tour than a drive to get from point A to B.
When we arrived at our lodge (Rushaga Gorilla Haven's lodge) we found it was fantastic. The staff were welcoming and the view over the valley to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was amazing. The room itself was very nice and comfortable and the food was excellent!
Day 2 was our trekking day - we were lucky to get a great gorilla family with 3 silverbacks, 2 (or more) females and a number of children including one that was just a few months old). After our trek - the lodge staff took us for a walk around the village - it was fascinating to see Uganda life up close including a visit to an orphan school where the students performed some beautiful, moving songs for us.
Our drive back to Kampala on Day 3 was great too. Simon again pointed out interesting things and we made a couple of stops at markets along the way.
Thank you Chris and Simon for making the once-in-a lifetime gorilla trekking experience truly fantastic.
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.
Email albert carnicé | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice experience in Uganda with Encounter Africa Safaris
We can just say good things from our days in Uganda with Encounter.
Before going there, it was very easy to be in touch with them and customize our trip as much as we liked it.
We spoke with different companies before our trip. And also we spoke with other tourists once in Uganda and we can also conclude that the prices were very competitive.
We met in Kampala, went to Bwindi, spent one night in Bunyonyi and our guide and driver left us in Fort Portal.
Silas, our guide and driver, was very close, professional and with big knowledge of the area and the animals. It’s important to have someone nice when you spend that much time in the car.
JP
Email Masumi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gorillas were fantastic, the accommodation was comfortable, the staff was kind and friendly!
We joined gorrila trekking in Bwindi N.P. We saw silverbacks and gorrila children. This experience amazed me. The accommodation we stayed was very comfortable. Especially the mosquito nets and hot water pack were great. Lastly, driving staff Obedi was very kind and friendly. Thanks to him, I understand many things about Uganda. In addition, he always took care of us. If you are interested in wildlife animals, you should go to Uganda and make contact to Encounter Africa Safari
