Reviews

Average User Rating
4.9/5

Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 73
  • 4 star 5
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0

Sort By: Date Most Helpful Rating 1-10 of 78 Reviews
Immy Potgieter   –  
Australia AU
Visited: October 2024 Reviewed: Oct 21, 2024

Email Immy Potgieter  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Helpful, knowledgeable, organised, friendly and made us feel comfortable and safe at all times
5/5

Wow, what a trip we had! We completed the four day gorilla and chimp trekking experience in Uganda and absolutely loved every minute. Buyaga Safaris (pronounced “woo-yaga” Safaris and means cool breeze in local language) organised a trip that ensured we could squeeze so much excitement and diverse experiences into our four days. Our accommodation and the activities organised were all incredible. As we went through our journey, our guide, Simpson, was an expert at making sure there were no hiccups and everything went according to plan - smooth sailing! All we had to do was sit back and enjoy it all. Simpson was an incredible guide who made us feel so comfortable, safe and happy at all times. He started off our trip saying that we will be friends rather than him being our guide, and great friends we were! Any question we asked of Simpson he answered. We learnt so much about Ugandan life, culture and the communities. There was a lot of driving in the four days but the Ugandan country is so stunning we enjoyed every moment. We would highly recommend this tour company to anyone looking for a genuine, seamless and exciting journey through Uganda. Thanks again Buyaga Safaris and especially, Simpson! 😁

Scott & Karen McEwen   –  
Canada CA
Visited: September 2024 Reviewed: Oct 9, 2024

Email Scott & Karen McEwen  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

An Incredible Bucket List Experience!!
5/5

We spent 5 days travelling through Uganda with our amazing guide, Simpson. Our tour consisted of a safari through Queen Elizabeth National Park, a trip to the Equator, Chimp Tracking and Gorilla Trekking. From the very beginning of the process Peter was incredibly responsive and helped curate a trip that was in our budget, including everything we wanted to see. Even when we were having trouble acquiring our visa to get into Uganda, Peter stepped in and finished the process for us without hesitation.

All of the accommodations we stayed in were absolutely beautiful!! Although our first stay at Elephant Hab was changed last minute it was replaced with a fantastic stay at the Aardvark lodge. The food throughout the trip was absolutely delicious and the service throughout all of our stays was top notch.

Our guide Simpson really made our trip a 5 star experience. His incredibly kind and funny personality mixed with his knowledge about his home country was everything you could ask for in a guide. He is someone we will continue to keep in touch with and he quickly changed from just our guide into our friend. If you are booking this trip with Buyaga we hope you're lucky enough to experience it with Simpson!!!

Look no further and book with Buyaga Safaris.

Thorsten Bussmann   –  
Germany DE
Visited: September 2024 Reviewed: Oct 7, 2024

Email Thorsten Bussmann  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Professional, friendly and simply amazing experience
5/5

We had a very pleasant experience with our guide Eric, who took amazing care of us.

Everything worked out as discussed. Seeing the Gorillas was astonishing and the drive was safe and as comfortable as one can be on the cravel roads.

We also got some nice insights from our guide about Uganda an West Africa in general. Accommodation was really, really nice and comfortable.

Simon   –  
Belgium BE
Visited: September 2024 Reviewed: Oct 1, 2024

Email Simon  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Unnecessary fear in advance
5/5

I did some research on the different tour operators for a safari in Uganda and noticed the amount of 5 star ratings Buyaga received. I was suspicious, did they buy those, or were they genuine?
It turns out that they are genuine, at least what our experience has proven. Like I read before, Peter the owner, is very quick with responding on emails and keeping track of what has been requested (before). When we made changes to the initial 10 day Uganda safari and wanted to add Rwanda to the tour and extending it with a couple of days, as I wanted to cycle there, we got a new itinerary within hours. Unfortunately, the hotel on the second day in Rwanda turned out to be below the requested quality, but this was resolved within a few hours and a new itinerary was created where we could avoid the second night in that hotel.
Then our guide Derrick. When we booked this trip, our first time we took a guide for such a period, we were afraid that being together with a stranger for 2 weeks would become uneasy and overwhelming. After 2 weeks we didn't have that feeling at all. Derrick has been the whole journey polite and positive towards us.
He was always on time and knew exactly at what time we would arrive somewhere.
He is not intrusive and does not impose himself. He felt when to keep a distance from us.
He's also been flexible, just like you, when we were not happy with the lodge in Gisenyi. Flexibility has also been shown yesterday when leaving Kigali and we wanted to visit the Rwanda Art museum first.
He's a good, safe driver. We never felt afraid, despite sometimes the high speed feeling you get in this giant Toyota Landcruiser.

LE DOUJET REGIS   –  
France FR
Visited: September 2024 Reviewed: Sep 30, 2024

Email LE DOUJET REGIS  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Very good organization (excursions, lodge, car driving, security) etc)
5/5

The entire organization was perfect from start to finish in complete safety
Our guide Anderson was very discreet, very professional and relevant in his advice and his Ugandan knowledge.

Belinda Bauer   –  
Germany DE
Visited: September 2024 Reviewed: Sep 23, 2024

Email Belinda Bauer  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Unforgetable experience; i highly recommend it
5/5

This tour was hands down one of the best in my life! Seeing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is a once in a lifetime experience.
The Tour was very well organized and Peter always responded quickly. I paid via Wise (make sure that you enter the right currency).
I had a wonderful Guide Simpson. I felt very safe the whole time and he explained a lot about Uganda!
We were lucky and found the gorillas after 20min. There is a search group who will look for them in the early morning. The track takes place at ca 2500m altitute. I did not get issues regarding altitute sickness.
Be aware that you spend ca 10 hours in the van. You will see a lot of nature and how people live along the way. The road is quite bumpy. If you get sick I recommend taking a pill and sit in front of the car.

Viera   –  
Slovakia SK
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Sep 5, 2024

Email Viera  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Amazing experience
5/5

This experience was really great! We saw a lot more animals than we expected. Our trip included Gorilla trek in Bwindi (best experience ever), Chimpanzee trek, Game drive in Queen Elizabeth NP including Ishasha, Bunyonyi and Victoria Lake experience.
Peter was very helpful and supportive. He always answered all our questions very quickly and provided us with all the information we needed. He went above and beyond standard care to help us with the delivery of our delayed luggage. He arranged everything at the airport and traveled over 9 hours to deliver it to us. This helped us to fully enjoy the whole trip.
Our guide Richard was very helpful and friendly. He did everything to make this trip successful and wonderful.
We also had the opportunity to meet tour guide Osman, who provided us with an unforgettable safari in Queen Elisabeth Park. He is really an expert and a very informative and communicative person.
This tour was absolutely fantastic! I really appreciate the professionalism of the whole team and I fully recommend them to everyone.
Thanks again and I wish you all the best.

Onur   –  
United Arab Emirates AE
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Sep 2, 2024

Email Onur  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

7 day Gorilla Chimp Safari
5/5

I enjoyed my trip with Buyaga Safaris. My guide was Eric. I did a 7 day safari tour including chimp and gorilla trekking.

Food, accommodation, activities, everything was organised very well.

Adrian   –  
Hungary HU
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Aug 19, 2024

Email Adrian

Excellent service and all around amazing experience!
5/5

I had a great time with my guide Mr. Anderson, he paid attention to my needs, gave me interesting information about the country and culture, we bought a lot of delicious fruits on the way and had interesting conversations. Peter was always available and fast to respond to my enquiries, communication was easy and straight forward. Due to health issues I could only do half of the tour, but once I recovered I was able to finish the other half as well, during this process Peter was very understanding and helpful. The lodges booked for the tour were excellent with great service. The conditions were much better than I had experienced in other East African countries, and the experience with the gorillas, chimpanzees and rhinos makes Uganda my favourite place for safaris. I can definitely recommend this tour company and especially going on a safari with Mr. Anderson!

Scott and Kerry Hemstad   –  
Canada CA
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Aug 19, 2024

Email Scott and Kerry Hemstad  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Buyaga tour was excellent from beginning to the end.
5/5

We did the 10 days holiday with gorillas, chimps and wildlife safari. It was amazing from begining to the end. Peter (the ownver/operator) was quick to respond to all our questions before and after booking. The trip was exactly as described. The accomodations were comforatble and in some cases amazing. Each lodge has a different feel and comfort level. The best accomodation was the Murchison Falls Lodge. Be prepared for no AC or fans, spotty wifi and electricity in most of the lodges. We didn't mind, it added to the adventure! Every lodge offers washing services at a fee per item. Each part of the tour had new scenery, animals, and experiences. We were surprized how the landscape changed throughout. (savanah, hills, mountains, forest, farmland) We got to see the Big five and got extremely close to the chimps and gorillas. The guides all communicate with each other while in the national parks, so you have a better chance at seeing the lions/leopards. The chimps and gorillas were the highlight! Both my husband and I were grabbed by juvenile gorillas!!!! Don't worry it was safe. Be prepared for a possible 90 minute hike through dense at times steep forest to see the gorillas. The park rangers use machetes to cut the trail along the way. The chimp trek was a much easier trek.
The vehicle was an older land cruiser, comforatble but not luxurious. Water bottles were supplied along the way. It had working ac, but we drove with windows open instead all 10 days. Don't expect high end. Bring binoculars, as the guide only has 1 pair.
The food in the restaurants in the lodges was just okay. Unfortuantely, the lodges have americanized their menus. Each lodge allows you to choose between 2-3 items for breakfast, lunch and supper. Each lodge had bar and at addional cost you could enjoy most types of alcohol. Don't expect ice.
Our guide (Derek) was outstanding! We highly recommend requesting Derek as your guide. He is a young, knowledgeable, punctual and hardworking guide. He had a good sense of humour and tried his best to meet our needs/requests along the way. He has been a guide for 6 years and knows each area very well. Derek could spot the animals meters away hidden in the tall grass. Derek was a very careful driver, we felt very safe along the busy, occasionally bumpy, narrow roads.
Go to Uganda, do this tour. You won't be disappointed!

Average User Rating
4.9/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 73
  • 4 star 5
  • 3 star 0
  • 2 star 0
  • 1 star 0
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