Peter Amanya and our guide in the safari van
Buyaga Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- UTB & AUTO MEMBER
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $450 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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for a custom tour
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If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Mevan R | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Efficient and organized
Buyaga tours office personnel were in touch with me and coordinated with me. The driver was Erik and he was very good. Everything went off very well, given the high degree of uncertainty there is around tracking and spotting Gorillas (uncertain movement of the animals, uncertain weather in the mountains, uncertain terrain to cross). Overall a great experience. I would say that not all the tourists in our group were in great physical shape, so some of them did struggle at the end. But Im sure everyone agrees that it was well worth the unique experience of seeing them in the wild.
CY
Email Osho divyang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable memories
My wife and I had a trip of 9 days of safari with buyaga. The owner, Peter was so good at responding everytime we needed anything. He was very nice and helpful. Our guide Derrick was very experienced in his work. We had a very adventurous and unforgettable time with him. In 9 days we visited Ziwa rhino sanctuary, Murchison falls, Chimpanzee tracking at kibale national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Gorilla tracking at Bwindi impenetrable national park and lake mburo national park
Email Rachael | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good value, enjoyable tour
I chose Buyaga because they offered the itinerary I was looking for at better value than other companies. Peter was very quick to respond to my many questions before the tour started which was really appreciated.
Overall a really enjoyable tour. Uganda is a beautiful country. Sometimes the timings weren’t as described in advance or in the itinerary but after the initial mismatch my guide made sure we went through the next days itinerary at dinner. He was also always concerned that the tour was going well and I was enjoying it. Some really lovely hotels on the way - not luxury but almost and with some amazing views and lovely people. I would definitely use them again.
NL
Email Sarah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good value for money
Safari
Initially me and my friend wanted to do a gorilla trekking only in Uganda but later on decided to extend our trip with a safari. We knew the price of a weekend gorilla trekking would be at least $1000, because the permits are expensive and since we were gonna be in the country anyway, we decided to extend the trip with other activities as well.
We chose this operator because it included all the activities we wanted to do at the lowest price. Other operators were at least $500-$1000 more expensive. The value for money is good. The accommodation you will be staying in will not be luxury, but that’s also not what you payed for. You are able alter the itinerary yourself and we did so with one of the accommodations. We felt as though our guide did not like the accommodation we chose as much as his initial pick, but we were very pleased with our change. It’s therefore good to know you can alter it, but the guide may have a few bad comments regarding your pick.
Peter is a very friendly guide. Especially in the preparation phase, he would respond to messages very quickly. My friend celebrated her birthday during the trip and Peter made sure a (gluten free) birthday cake was prepared and even bought a few gifts for her, which was very thoughtful.
The safari itself was great. We did not expect we had to wake up at 5-6 am so many times, so that was a bit of a shock and resulted in us being exhausted by the end of the trip. That’s why we do recommend to alter the itinerary slightly and have a few more relaxing mornings or afternoons in the schedule, because it’s currently fully packed with activities. We did not expect it to be this tiring, otherwise we would have put a few relaxing moments in beforehand. Additionally otherwise you are together with your tour guide 24/7 (all the activities + meals) and you feel as though you have no quality time with your travel partner able to relax.
The only disappointment activity wise were the lions at Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. One of the reasons why we chose this operator (besides the price) was because it included the famous tree climbing lions where others didn’t. Well during the trip we found out there was a reason other operators did not include the lions, it’s because they are no longer alive unfortunately. We were very shocked to hear this news and even more so because we did not think it was fair that it was included in our itinerary, when they are no longer there. When we expressed this disappointment to our guide, he did not understand. So be prepared that the famous tree climbing lions are no longer there. The park you visit to supposedly look for them, is great to visit anyway! They should however write down in the itinerary that the famous lions are no longer there.
Overall it definitely was a once in a lifetime trip and we were very happy we traveled with Buyaga. The tour it private so you don’t have to share your bus/car with anybody else, which means you always have the best seat to spot animals. Peter made sure he always hired rangers to join us in the car, who were very knowledgable on the area and the animal whereabouts. They even made us go off track sometimes to see lions up close, which was great.
Would definitely recommend this tour and operator!
DE
Email Daniela | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
had a good time with them
I went on a 5-day tour as a solo traveler with Buyaga Safaris and had a great experience. I went with the itinerary details and choice of lodges as proposed by them and was quite happy with it. Unfortunately some unforeseen car issues caused some disruptions along the way, but my guide was always looking for solutions without compromising my experience.
From the get-go I felt that I was in good hands with Buyaga Safaris. Thank you Peter for this fun and interesting trip!
PT
Email Rui | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Intense
What an experience!
A dream come true. I would never have imagined this possible. A huge financial effort but it was worth every penny and support, especially the Anderson guide, made it all possible.
Anderson was without a doubt the best guide I had on all my trips. Very friendly, understanding, in fact the best compliment I can give is that I genuinely felt like I was with a friend. And how important it is to have a guide like this when we travel hours and hours.
Tireless, always attentive to our needs, and careful with details.
Uganda surprised me positively as a European we only hear about bad things but I found exactly the opposite. A green, clean country with friendly and very welcoming people.
I loved the experience. I describe the trip with a guide and what I felt in the country because I have no words to describe what I felt with the gorillas. We don't deserve this planet. Incredible
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
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! 😁
CA
Email Scott & Karen McEwen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Incredible Bucket List Experience!!
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.
DE
Email Thorsten Bussmann | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional, friendly and simply amazing experience
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.
BE
Email Simon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unnecessary fear in advance
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.
