Leslie and Kevin - Owners of Experience Uganda
Experience Uganda
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Anita | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Over the top fantastic!
I only had a short window of time and was looking to see if I could go gorilla trekking in Bwindi. From the first email inquiry to the completion of my trip, Kevin and his team were extremely responsive, provided complete and detailed information about the trip , answered all questions and tailored it to fit my needs. The lodgings and meals and service in Entebbe and Bwindi National Park were great. The guides, hosts and drivers were all very knowledgeable and over the top attentive and friendly. I cannot think of anything they did not think about or take care of throughout my 4 days with them. Made everything easy and relaxing. Being a single female traveller in a country I have never travelled to before, Experience Uganda instilled total confidence. ...oh and the gorillas were amazing! Thank you so much for a wonderful time and hope to be able to return.
Email Ian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent holiday with beautiful accommodations and service. Guide was very informative and helpful.
In the most, it was all I expected and more. Everyone I dealt with was extremely helpful and accommodating.
US
Email Ted Jacobsen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A wonderful experience with gorillas in Uganda thanks to Kevin Nicholson of Experience Uganda
Kevin's pre-trip advice and responsiveness was excellent! He couldn't have been more helpful.
We booked one day hiking for gorillas and a second day hiking through the Bwinidi Impenetrable Forest to Buhoma.
Our flights were on time and well organized. Our accommodations and meals at Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge were very good (they had some electrical problems which they resolved) - spectacular views. The hike to see gorillas was a great experience - very much up to our hopes and expectations. We hiked (downhill) about 90 minutes to the gorillas and spent a memorable hour with them assisted by porters, trackers and rangers. The lead ranger asked if he could use my camera. That was a mistake. He was a good ranger and hike leader, but he was an awful photographer. He probably took over 100 photos of which perhaps five are "good". My error. The hike back up the mountain was difficult (my wife and I are both 78+), but we made it.
The hike to Buhoma was pleasant and not too arduous, but the forest is so dense and shady that we saw very little wildlife - just some fleeting glimpses of a few different birds. We had hoped (perhaps naively) to have some good views of at least a few birds.
Our stay at Karibu Guest Lodge and our meals there were very enjoyable! Happy, hard working staff that went out of its way to be helpful to us. It is close to the Entebbe Airport which is very convenient.
A+ to Experience Uganda and Kevin Nicholson.
Professional, Friendly and Knowledgeable
We booked a 2 week safari with Experience Uganda for our honeymoon and wasn't really sure what to expect, we didn't know anyone who had been to Uganda before but the reviews from others who used them spoke very highly of their experiences so we decided to give it a go. The booking process was easy, we were apprehensive about sending money to Uganda so used a credit card to be safe but Kevin (The Managing Director) confirmed he received all of our funds without any issues and that our trip was booked. Communication with Kevin was very quick and he was able to get us answers to things straight away.
From the moment we arrived in Uganda to the moment we left, the team at Experience Uganda were amazing. We were welcomed at the airport by Patrick who took us to their lodge Karibu to meet the rest of the team. Brett and Bex were incredibly friendly and welcoming they really made you feel at home. We were shown to our room by the lovely girls who work at the lodge and given time to relax before meeting with Brett to go over our busy itinerary. He provided us with all the information we needed to know, from giving us maps for the places we were visiting, telling us what to expect at certain points in our trip and also giving us a lovely handcrafted book with our itinerary and permits in it that we needed.
We were picked up the following day by our driver/guide Kamya. Such a wonderful man! His knowledge of the areas we drove through and the animals that we saw on our trip was truly outstanding, there wasn't a question we asked that he didnt know the answer to! He made the long journeys between national parks bearable by telling us interesting facts about the areas and also comparing them to our life back in the UK.
All the game drives, boat cruises and treks that we went on in our time in Uganda were wonderful, it was all organised and they provided a professional but friendly service. Kamya even gave us the opportunity to try some street food which was delicious!
The itinerary we agreed on was full of lots of exciting things to do in each place we visited and there was also an element of flexibility in it, so some afternoons we could decide to either do a game drive or have the afternoon at out leisure, the choice was ours.
The lodges we stayed at ranged from luxury to economic, some being in the middle of a rain forest with baboons roaming the grounds, others being on the edge of a river where hippos come out and graze at night! Again the staff in these lodges were all friendly and happy to help in any way they could. Food was incredible and all lodges offered a meat or vegetarian option for their mains.
We will definitely be returning to Uganda at some point in the future, it is a truly amazing country, filled with beautiful National Parks and friendly people.
Thank you again to everyone at Experience Uganda for your hospitality!
ES
Email Chris and Richard | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding, every detail thought about, personal attention, excellent food and staff.
We were so, so happy with the personal and sincere attention. Anyone would have their work cut out trying to find a better experience of Uganda. The managers, Kevin, Brett and Bex were so attentive to every detail and really listened to you when you wanted to talk. Nothing during the whole of our 10 day holiday was disappointing. The food was scrumptious and the rooms spotless and cheerful.
Email Vicki & Ed | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most amazing experience!
We booked our fantastic 10-day Uganda experience with Kevin who answered all of our questions and concerns before we left.
When we arrived in Entebbe we were met by Keven, Bex and Brett who talked us through our trip and we had a lovely dinner and nights sleep.
On our first morning we were met with Kamye who was our guide through the trip. What he didn’t know about Uganda, it’s history and it’s wildlife isn’t probably worth knowing! He made all the journeys between stays enjoyable and knowledgable, with little stop offs along the way and interesting detours to our destinations.
We went to the Kibale Forest and the Gorge for chimp trekking, Queen Elizabeth park for game drives, stayed in Mweya lodge, and did the boat trip which was beautiful-I’ve never seen so many hippos! This was a definite highlight for me.
We also went to Bwindi and did the gorilla trek which was just the most amazing and humbling experience I will never forget!
I could go on and on about this holiday (and also our honeymoon). The company is brilliant and for anyone unsure about Uganda, I (Vicki) am not and ‘outdoor’ person at all, worried about creepy crawlies, trekking...everything, but once I was there I needn’t have worried. Thank you Experience Uganda team for such experience.
Email Davyth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Superb personalised experience
I was introduced to Experience Uganda through an intermediary, who arranged 3 quotes for a c.2 week trip to Uganda (one budget, one mid-range and one luxury - Experience Uganda was the mid-range quote). It was no problem for Kevin to re-arrange the quotation, including some of the best points of the other two quotes, as well as changing the dates. Kevin took into account my suggestions and was able to advise me when I wasn't sure about how many days to spend in each location. I was given lots of information beforehand about clothing, online visa application etc. and was kept in touch at all stages of booking and payment etc.. It ended up as a 14 night tour.
The holiday started in an excellent fashion when I was met the aeroplane side of customs by a representative who guided me through the process of getting the visa and helped me collect my baggage. Soon a car whisked me to Karibu Entebbe, Experience Uganda's guest house, which was very comfortable and well appointed. Seeing as I had arrived late at night and was getting up early the next morning to go on a boat trip to the Mbamba Swamp to see shoebills, Brett left the briefing until my return.
The next day I met Bahati, my guide for the 2 week anticlockwise loop around western Uganda. He was courteous, fun and very knowledgable, and we soon got on like a house on fire. He quickly made sure that he knew what my priorities were for photos etc. and spotted birds and animals where I hadn't seen anything. The lodges that had been arranged were with one exception excellent, and at the end of the trip, when I noted a couple of deficiencies with one lodge, Brett made sure he found out exactly what was my positives and negatives were with that accommodation for future reference. I had a last minute change to my itinerary for the last day, because I wanted to meet some in-laws, and Brett and Bahati helped arrange a meeting place, as well as a room for me to rest as my flight did not leave until late evening.
I cannot stress how good Bahati was as a guide, and he had contacts in various community projects who were experts in their field whom we would meet for birding walks etc. Bahati was flexible and would offer a choice about activities and time of departure etc.. I had booked 3 chimpanzee treks and 2 gorilla treks, which was a good idea as you are not guaranteed of seeing chimpanzees in particular. I was lucky the first trek in seeing 30-40 chimpanzees hunt, kill and eat a monkey. The second trip was a chimpanzee habituation where you can be with them for up to 4 hours. This time a chimpanzee passing overhead pooed on my back!. The third time I saw no chimps. I think the chances of seeing gorillas are nearer 100%, but by going twice I saw two different families.
The boat trips were arranged as private trips, meaning you have a smaller boat, more flexible itinerary and more personalised experience. The vehicle I travelled in (a Toyota Hi-Ace van which had been safari modified) was exactly what I needed. With the roof open I was able to get high up to take photos, and there was plenty of room for all of my baggage. Brett and Bahati were in contact every other day, checking that the arrangements were all in place.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for anything more from Experience Uganda. I had to travel solo this time because my wife had had a hip operation recently, but we intend to visit Uganda again, and I shall have no hesitation in arranging a holiday with experience Uganda once more.
US
Email Cilka | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Professional, honest, and knowledgable
I did extensive research before picking Experience Uganda. We went for 12 days around Uganda to Murchison NP, Bwindi NP, and Jinja. I was very happy with my experience. The person who owns it, Kevin, is extremely knowledgeable about Uganda and worked closely with me to customize my perfect trip. He was responsive, honest, and professional at every step. His suggestions (and guide selection for Murchison) added tremendously to our experience. Once we landed at the Entebbe airport we were taken care of from start to finish down to tiny details - the trip was seamless. Highly recommended.