A fraction of Home To Africa Team.
Home To Africa Tours and Travel
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, APTA, AUTO & USTOA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $55 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Michael and Jacki Willette | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Experienced African-specialist travel agent recommends Home to Africa and extra-ordinary guide Karim
Our first experiences in Africa were wonderful itineraries sampling Capetown, wine country, and game parks, so this time we wanted to experience the Africa of the African people, but still have the experience of seeing amazing wildlife and landscapes. Uganda has 10 National Parks, richly populated and less-traveled wildlife reserves and a vibrant variety of cultures, like the Karamajong and the Batwa (pygmies). Uganda is one the safest countries we traveled through in Africa.
We had heard enough about Uganda to choose it, not only because the gorilla trekking permits are now half the cost of the more-traveled Rwanda, but Uganda offered so much more, including a thrilling afternoon in the forest with chimpanzees, and also a new opportunity to see a newly habituated community of golden monkeys (which might remind you of orangutans).
You will want a great guide and a sturdy vehicle to fully experience Uganda. I want to recommend a great company and remarkable individual with whom we spent three weeks. Home to Africa is the company and the guide I highly recommend is Karim. Karim was our driver, our teacher, our friend and our wonderful ‘mother hen’ for our three-week trip. Home to Africa crafted an itinerary that held surprises for us every day. We not only visited the ‘source of the Nile’ in Jinja but did so in a raft that crashed through thrilling rapids and then allowed us to float serenely in our vests. We spent fascinating hours in the vehicle and around the dining tables learning about Uganda’s history, culture and people from the scholarly Karim, only to experience it all in the days that followed.
DE
Email Nicole Schultz and Torsten Goly | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Uganda trip with Home To Africa
We were looking for a travel agency that is not only based in Uganda but also belongs to locals. We found Home To Africa!
Already on our first mail we received within one hour a detailed answer from Elias (Head of Home To Africa) and it was not
long and we had an individual tailor-made itinerary, which corresponded exactly to our expectations due to the valuable hints
and tips from Elias. That was first class! In the beginning of February we started and met our guide Tony, who led us through
Uganda for three weeks. Tony has a great knowledge of almost everything, he's a great driver and a very nice companion to
travel with. Thank you, Tony!
Our trip was great in every way. Very nice and friendly people, great landscapes and an outstanding flora and fauna. Chimpanzees
and gorilla tekking were just two of many highlights. Home To Africa did a wonderful job, from organizing the trip, choosing beautiful
lodges, to finding our forgotten clothes. Absolutely great again!
We have been traveling for 20 years and worked with many travel agencies, but Home To Africa deserves a special commendation.
This was not our last trip to Uganda (Rwanda, Tanzania) and we looking forward to further planning with Home To Africa.
But there is another important thing! Already during our trip, we noticed that Home to Africa has taken into account many social projects
and a large part of the travel price is donated to charitable institutions. For this we another star!
We thank Elias and Tony and of course all the other colleagues of Home To Africa! See you soon!
US
Email Brian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best travel experience of our lives!
Our 12 day trip with Home to Africa was the best travel experience we have ever had. The trip planning with Elias was extremely efficient and he was quick and helpful with his responses. We were able to tailor our trip exactly as we wanted, including varying times of arrival and adding in a fishing trip for a couple of us. We originally planned a trip for 7 but 2 people had to cancel 30 days before and they were refunded appropriately according to the refund policy. The accommodations were fantastic but I should note that we upgraded them from the base accommodations (for a very reasonable price difference). In particular we really enjoyed the Marafiki Lodge, Arcadia Lodge, Isunga Lodge, and the 2 Friends Beach Hotel. We used a pop-up van which was very comfortable for 5 guests plus our driver and made it through some pretty rough roads without difficulty. Our guide, Derrick, was absolutely awesome. He fit in great with our group and we always wanted him to join us for meals and drinks so we could hang out more. He went above and beyond to help us try foods and pick up souvenirs that weren't readily available. When we stopped in crowded areas or were shopping he was always there acting in our best interest and looking out for us. Can't recommend him enough. The wildlife was fantastic. We had great experiences with the chimp trekking, where they sat on the ground with us for the entire hour, the gorilla trekking, and with the shoebill stork sighting. We also were able to get much closer to much of the wildlife than we expected and got some awesome photos. Our only disappointment was not seeing the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha but they had just done some burning there and the lions probably moved away for a short period of time. Certainly not the fault of the company. The food on the trip was way beyond what we expected. Every meal was fantastic, usually with multiple courses for dinner, and reasonably priced alcohol at the lodges. Considering how remote the lodges were, we were very surprised by how good and varied the food choices were. Staff at the lodges were all fantastic and with a much higher level of service than just about anywhere else we have traveled. One last piece of advice- make sure you stay at Arcadia Lodge on Lake Bunyonyi. I did not think there would be much of interest at the lake and almost wanted to cut it out of the itinerary but it ended up being one of the most mesmerizing views I have ever seen. But the beauty of the lake can only really be appreciated from the top of the mountain where Arcadia Lodge is located. Definitely worth the upgrade. I really can't say enough about our experience with Home to Africa. Everything was way beyond our expectations and for a very reasonable price compared to what many companies are offering.
CA
Email Barbara and Jim Hollingworth | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Truly amazing 8-day gorilla treking adventure with an outstanding company and wonderful guides.
Elias, owner of Home to Africa, was on the button from the get-go - we think he must work 24-7!!! We were looked after from start to finish by Karim and Moses, who went the extra mile for us, including a 10-hour drive in the middle of the night to get two of our company, delayed by airlines, to the morning gorilla trek. Karim is incredibly knowledgeable, both in terms of the culture and the wildlife. The accommodations were all unique and had their own charm, the service was impeccable; the Mount Gahinga Lodge on the second to last night was exceptional - a five-star lodge with five-star service. I wanted to travel with a local company (20% of their profits go to local charities and initiatives) and I must say that this was the best company with the best service I have ever done eco adventures with - and this includes 2 trips to the Serengeti, and trips to the Amazon, the Galapagos and rafting the Grand Canyon. Finally, the gorilla treks and the golden monkey trek were amazing - just to spend an hour in the company of these wonderful animals was a privilege. I recommend this tour company to anyone who is interested in gorilla trekking and/or cultural tours in East Africa. Uganda is a beautiful country inhabited by beautiful, welcoming Ugandans!!
SE
Email Andreas and Malin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic custom made trip to the pearl of Africa!
We spent 13 days in Uganda and 3 days in Rwanda doing safari, chimpanzee trekking, gorilla trekking, bird watching and cultural tours and visits, all with the travel agency Home to Africa.
We have previously visited Tanzania for a safari trip. Although the safari parks of Uganda are not of the same vast size as those in Tanzania, the low number of tourists in Uganda made our visit feel like a VIP tour. We spotted many animals, including all of the big five. The Ziwa rhino sanctuary is currently working on reintroducing white rhino to the national parks of Uganda. Here we got to get up-close on foot with a number of rhinos.
Our driver and guide Sam was extremely knowledgeable about the parks we visited and the animals living there. He also told us a lot about the history of Uganda and the culture of people living in different parts of the country. We had a great time together, and we really felt that he did his very best to give us an unforgettable holiday.
The highlight of the trip was the gorilla trekking in Bwindi NP. It was an amazing experience visiting a gorilla family in their natural habitat. We got to spend one hour watching them eat and interact with each other, before we had to head back to the civilization.
We were positively surprised by the quality of the food, which was excellent at all hotels we stayed at. We enjoyed a mix of local dishes and traditional tourist dishes. The hotels that Home To Africa recomended were all amazing boutique inspirerande lodges.
Overall, we are very happy with our trip and we recommend Uganda as an excellent travel destination off the beaten track. Home To Africa made it possible for us to see different aspects this beautiful country!
DE
Email Mike Wochner | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great guys and very professional service
Home to Africa arranged our safari in Uganda, organized permits for Gorilla and Chimpanzee visits. Everything was impeccably planned and executed. Before and during the trip we always felt perfectly informed and well taken care of. During planning, Elias was highly flexible and created an itinerary tailored to us. Benon was a great tour guide with knowledge about all animals and birds we encountered. He is also a very likable person and we felt very secure with him all the time. We especially valued his punctuality and high standards of professionalism. Thanks again for the wonderful time and we can highly recommend going on a safari with this agency. Not least for the cool gift they extend to you at the end!
CH
Email Urs | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfectly well organized safari
From the beginning of the booking process until the end of the safari in Ruanda the manager of Home to Africa Tours was very responsive and took great care if my individual requests. Benon who accompagnied me during my trip from Entebbe via Murchison Falls National Park and Kampala to Rwanda was an excellent guide and a safe driver. The Murchison Falls NP experience was way well beyond my expectations - fantastic game drive and boat tour on the Nile. The Murchison Falls Lodge was a great basis for our excursions. I can fully recommend Home to Africa Tours to others who would want to make an excellent first hand experience of Uganda.
Email Kajal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
Very well organised.
Tony was a great guide, very knowledgable and helpful.
Gorilla tracking experience was amazing.
Accomodation was beautiful.
ES
Email Stefan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent service from first contact.
Fantastic trip, everyday was an adventure. Great service from Elias in the office, who always replied promptly and answered our questions. Our driver Karim was just excellent, experienced, knowledgeable, helpful , great sense of humour; nothing was too much trouble. He really made the trip special. Thank you Karim.
We did the 7 Day Murchison Falls, Budongo Chimps, Bwindi Gorilla Trekking. We also asked for a change in itinerary and went to visit the Polish Church near Massindi, this was done without any problem. Every day was different and a real adventure, there were some long drives but you never get bored seeing the different landscapes, the sights, the people and of course the wildlife. The accommodation and food was good, apart from Bwindi, where we had a change in itinerary and had a very basic hotel.
I highly recommend Home to Africa, we had excellent service from start to finish.
Email Lucinda | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic experience
Excellent and prompt communication during organisation of trip. Wonderful Tony was our driver and really looked after us. Everything happened on time. The accommodation far exceeded our expectations. The gorilla trekking was amazing! Thanks to the team!