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
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 Jane Doe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Okay
First things first, I prefer dealing with only one person while planning a trip from beginning to the end but this was not the case I ended up dealing with Sam then Chris then Francis which was a bit concerning because information was lost in translation and I ended up having to repeat myself quite a few times.
I would have loved a detailed breakdown of the itinerary in terms if what clothes to carry for rafting what kind of clothes and shoes to carry for the gorilla trek including the fact that porters are a necessity for the hike, the different levels of the trek in order to be well prepared..We had enquired from Martin our driver if we could stop to buy hiking boots and rain coats but he said there would be no need since we can hire these from Bwindi which was not even the case! But he managed to redeem himself by signing us up for the medium level trek which we thoroughly enjoyed. It would have helped if we also had a breakdown of the rafting itinerary in terms of breakfast is actually provided on site as opposed to us having to rush the hotel to provide a packed breakfast.
It would also have helped if we had been informed in advance that that we would be required to tip as a gesture of kindness starting from the rafting crew to the gorilla trek crew.
Our driver was constantly rushing us and this became borderline unprofessional.
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.
DE
Email Lena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very well organized - from pick up to drop off
I was in Uganda as a solo woman traveller, so timing was very important to me. I was picked up at the airport on time and my driver also called the accommodation where he had to drop me off to make sure everything was okay.
I can recommend using Encounter Africa's services.
Email Tizia and Nigel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A whole lot of fun
We had a great time on safari and our guide John was very accomodating and would stop for us if we wanted to see something or take photos. Communcation with admin was great too as we booked everthing online and via email and they were able to secure us two permits for the gorillas when other companies couldnt. Unfortunately our safari 4WD broke down about 4 times and we had to keep stopping and waiting for repairs but i guess it sort of added to our adventures...maybe a better working 4WD is needed with a good service before the next safari.
AE
Email Xin Xie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla Tracking in Uganda
The Encounter Africa Safari communicates efficiently when I reached them for the information of the Gorilla Tracking Tour. They provide enough genuine information about the trip, and the service is exactly as described in their e-mail. They provide airport pick up, hotel drop off. The driving to national park takes the whole day, and they can arrange the meals, accommodation and the local guides for the Gorilla tracking.
It is recommended that you should book the Gorilla Tracking trip in advance as there is a restriction on the number of visitors to each Gorilla Family every day. The trip requires good physical ability of hiking, especially for certain families happening to occur in high mountain on the visiting day. It can be labor-demanding to reach them but when you find the silver back family, it is totally worth it.
Email jimena | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Quick to answer and offer the service in quality
Was very good and the lodge Rushaga gorilla haven in bwindi is the perfect choice ..
CA
Email Andrea N | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience!! Just need more clear communication with the company/tour operators
Beautiful scenery, parks and accommodation. The accommodation was very beautiful and had warm showers and amazing views. We felt like royalty. We saw elephants, lions hippos, lots of birds, lots of monkeys etc. The food was delicious and you get ALOT of delicious food.
I would recommend better communication with the tour operators and the clients. Our itinerary was changed a couple of times without our knowledge and we were a little upset with this. One of the hotels was not available and they wanted to put us in a place that had bad reviews. We did get a nice place in the end but it was a little stressful. We also felt a little pressured to tip every single guide on the gorilla trek, chimp trek and multiple community walks we went on. We spent over $4500 for the tour and didn't think we would need to tip every single person we encountered. I would suggest the tour include tips if this is necessary for Ugandan customs and cultural norms. We didn't mind tipping here and there but every single hotel staff, trekkers, boat crews and cultural guides would have cost us over $1500 USD.
Overall, we had a wonderful time and Uganda is a very beautiful and friendly country.
FR
Email Judith B. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible country discovered. The guide (and driver) was incredible.
Communication was good prior. Asking as many questions as possible is essential to tailor the safari to one’s needs and expectations. Especially when it comes to accommodation. In retrospect, I should have pushed that a little more ahead of time.
Once on board with the guide (arrived by road from Rwanda and was dropped off in Kampala), it was easy, comfortable, safe. My guide for the week, Tolbert, is calm, knowledgeable, kind, constantly in the moment, had answers to any questions I had and has a knowledge of the places and people we come across which makes everything seamless.
He is a safe driver (and did we do some miles in various weather conditions on good and bad roads!) and when it came to places (geography), animals (game drives), and people and his country we had the most interesting conversations. The guide makes the safari experience and thanks to him, I left Uganda knowing I’ll be back one day. Thanks Tolbert!!