Joseph,Our seniorguide always ready to welcome you
Crystal Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1996)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, ASTA, APTA, AUTO, SKAL, UTB & UTO
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $77 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Rocio and Mauricio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Uganda Chimp and Gorilla trekking
Absolutely wonderful trip!!!! exceeded our expectations : )
Upon arrival to Entebbe, we met our very friendly tour guide Hannington. We got to rest that afternoon, before leaving early the next morning to fly to Kibale National park. We stayed in a beautiful lodge at the edge of a lake, with extremely friendly and professional staff. The next day we did the chimpanzee habituation trekking: it was mind blowing; we loved...loved....loved the experience of seeing the chimpanzees interact so closely.
We then drove the next day from Kibale to Biwindi. We saw beautiful landscapes; we were so impressed how stunning Uganda is.
Upon arrival to Biwindi, we relaxed in the Gorilla lodge since we knew the next day was the dig day!!! We were soooo excited to do the Gorilla trekking, and the experience did not disappoint! Seeing the Gorillas in the wild was a once in a lifetime experience...we will cherish those memories for the rest of our days.
And then...it was time to head back home...
The entire trip was so well organized. Hannington made sure we felt safe at all times.
A big thank you to Barbara from Crystal Safaris, who adjusted our itinerary to our needs and always made sure we knew everything was confirmed and booked.
Thank you for the unforgettable trip...
MX
Email Sabina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Truly great experience, all my dreams accomplished!
Is the second time I use this company and am totally sure I will used again! I wanted a tour out of the box, very truly places, no tourist crowded places but still with a great level of comfort without leaving aside the adventure, well it was an accomplished dream !! We traveled 25 days in Kenya and Tanzania including Pemba and Zanzibar with the best guide ( and great friend ), Joseph. He made sure everything were more than perfect, his knowledge was shared with us in a genuine way, he always keep that smile that motivate, his love for Africa is contagious !! He is ready to support local people at any chance he has and is very proud of African culture, some values that you don’t find in tourism industry so easy ...
if you want a genuine experience of Africa including zafarís ( we say river crossing, leopards, Lions, rhenos, the big 5 and way more, we visited towns, we scuba dive, we saw flamingos, we learned about culture and traditions as well as normal life, best acomodations, best food, great ballon ride on top of a migration.. many smiles ... a great swimming day at lake natron ... I can not think of something else we could have done ! Thanks Barbara and Joseph for made this trip so especial !
Ps if you are planing to go to east Africa I recommend this company and of course request a Joseph as your guide, you can not be wrong with that !
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Email Ambrish Karvat | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best tour company ever
My family had a wonderful 15 nights in Uganda thanks to Crystal Safari.
Barbara had planning everything perfectly and taken care of the smallest things. She will immediately solve even the smallest problems for you all you have to do is let her know that there is a problem.
Best thing about Crystal is also that they are most value for money company.
I had contacted two other agencies from safaribookings and they ended up giving me a higher quotation ( a lot lot higher ) for pretty much the same itinerary and hotels.
And of course we had the best guide ever - Joesph. His animal spotting is exceptional. He can see things we just can’t. And he has such great relationships with other guides and people on the ground that you end up receiving a lot of help and benefit.
A word of advice - always listen to what Joseph tells you.
He will gently guide you once, if you don’t listen you will definitely be in a mess. His service and treatment has exceptional- from helping us out for the smallest things to ensuring that we see atleast that one big cat at Queen Elizabeth even if it meant him getting in to trouble.
Will definitely tour with them again for other countries they offer.
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Email Jennifer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Look no further - book with Crystal Safaris!
I just got back from a 3-day gorilla trek with Crystal Safaris and the answer is yes, go with Crystal Safaris! Barbara, who is the owner and also who we communicated with via emails, was always responsive via emails and incredibly helpful when we got there! She had let us know in advance that the Gorilla Safari Lodge was fully booked so she had booked us next door at the Icumbi Gorilla Lodge. Not only had she pre-checked the room for us, she came during our stay to make sure everything was okay! On top of that, the airline had lost my luggage (perfect timing) and I had trouble contacting the baggage department, so she had made calls to get a hold of someone for me. She spent quite a bit of time on the phone for me and I will always be appreciative of that as that is not something she needed to do.
Our guide was Hannington and when he came to pick us up in Rwanda, I thought he was just driving us to the lodge in Uganda. But we realized he was going to be our guide for the next 3 days - what a nice surprise! It's comforting to know that there is one person you can rely on and trust for your entire trip. Hannington is the perfect person for that job. He always watched out for us to make sure we were well take care of. For our gorilla trek, our group of 8 was supposed to start the trek at the top of a hill but because some individuals came in cars that were not equipped to drive up a steep incline, it was suggested the entire group start at the bottom of the hill and walk up. Hannington knew immediately that if my sister and I hiked that hill, we would not have enough energy for the actual trek. He ended up saving all of us by driving the whole group to the top in his vehicle. And boy, was I glad he did! He also knew how to get us across the borders and quickly :) Trust me, you'd want a guide to help you through that part (there are no signs).
As for the trek, I would suggest booking a room for the night after the gorilla trek. You'll be happy you did. You will come back with so much dirt and mud piled on you, you will be grateful to have a warm shower and somewhere to sit/relax after a strenuous hike. Get ready for an incredible experience - the gorillas were no more than 5 feet away from us! It will be an experience you will never forget.
DE
Email Han | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience so far
Ever since we first contacted Crystal Safari until we met Hennington at the airport, we were very well informed about the itinerary and the status of our trip. The lodge at Bwindi National Park provides all the comfort and rest we needed ahead of the Gorilla Tracking. The tracking itself exceeded all expectations. That experience was incredibly touching and we look forward to come back to Uganda.
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Email Calie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trustworthy professionalism that delivers a trip of a lifetime.
Crystal Safaris, and specifically Barbara, who we got to meet designs and arranges every detail perfectly. The Gorilla Safari Lodge, Ishasha and Crater Safari Lodge were great. She arranged our gorilla and chimp hikes and pur guide Joseph was the best. He tracked the tree lion tenaciously until he found it, was our liaison for every trek, and took perfect care of us. Highly encourage you to use this wonderful company and kind professional capable people. You will have an unforgettable time.
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Email Michelle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Crystal Safaris Ltd. is an incredibly generous hospitable beautiful place to stay & experience!
Crystal Safaris is a lovely place to stay as you plan your adventures into the Bwindi jungle in search of mountain gorillas. The accommodations are very clean, food was very good and service impeccable! Barbara was very thoughtful and thorough helping with our trip plans & accommodations! She is amazing!
Joseph was our driver and guide for the week as we trekked mountain gorillas, safaried in Queen Elizabeth's National Park & went on the chimpanzee hike. Joseph has vast experience as a Tour guide - we nicked named him "Magic Man" as we often experienced many fun surprises as we were on safari. The tree climbing lions were no where to be found, yet Joseph was relentless until we found them! He knows every short cut to get to his destination as well! Such an adventure! Joseph also was an incredible advocate for me talking to our trekking guide & porter. I had previously had esophageal surgery and was concerned about the hike. Joseph made sure we were well taken care of. It is evident Joseph cares about you as his client, he is genuine & an authentic. My porter Jeffrey was a jewel as well! We certainly will be coming back to Uganda and Crystal Safaris will be our first choice
Best vip service ever
My tour guide was named Joseph he was extremely professional and knowledgeable about the entire country and would answer every question that I had without it hesitation and it did not sound like he was making it up he knew his stuff any new everything about this safari and how to find animals and where to find animals and it was a very fun experience hanging out with him for about 7 days. Joseph also drives very safely and knows how to make sure that you're taken care of and that the people take care of you while you are in his custody
Email Jenita | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We had an amazing experience from Kigali to Kivu to Bwindi national park
Our guide who drove us to kivu, Kennedy was good. Then our 2nd guide Hannington took us from Kivu to Mwindi Uganda. He was very knowledgeable calm and helpful always.
We really enjoyed our gorilla trekking experience
Email Sabira | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tour guide n operator review
A very experienced and knowledgeable tour guide Hannington did an amazing job of managing our trip and guiding us as required and working with us to meet our changing requirements given that we were a large group.
The vehicle was decent but could benefit from some investment as we did have a low battery situation once and the vehicle needed to be pushed...part of the adventure but need not have to happen...
Hannington has great personality and is very easy to get along with and is very sensitive to people's moods and adjusting the tempo accordingly. Very important to have good EQ.