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
Email Alissa | under20 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Was an amazing experience, took scenic routes across Bwindi and Rwanda, saw huge family of gorrilas
Hannington was our guide and he made sure that we had the best safari. He accommodated all our needs and took time to ensure adventure, fun, and a well worth safari.
Email Nikhil | under20 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The gorilla trekking was just amazing, something different!
We had a really good guide and he explained a lot to us, including some of the history of Rwanda.
Email Sara | under20 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla tracking, scenic views, bike safaris and walks along amazing sites
The safari tour was led by Hannington, who gave us great information about Rwanda and Uganda. We got to see beautiful sites daily, and we had the opportunity to interact with gorillas and see the wildlife around us.
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Email Angela R. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An awesome adventure in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest gorilla trekking and interacting with the l.
Uganda is not only the “pearl” of Africa, but the “diamond!” Had 4 wonderful days at the Gorilla Safari Lodge with host and owner Christine. Beautiful views, flowers, impeccable service as well as delicious food! Our tour guide was Hannington from Crystal Safari who was a terrific and informative guide! He took care of all the logistics seamlessly and was fun to hang out with. We saw the Gorillas and did the community walk, visiting the local school, women’s group (taught us to basket weave) and met with the pgymies (the eldest was 101). I definitely will be back soon!!! An epic adventure!!!
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Email ANGELINA PAGLIOTTA | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A SURPRISING UGANDA, ORGANIZED BY AN EXELLENT TRAVEL AGENCY
I came back from a beautiful 14 days (27th May to 9th June) to Uganda with friends two weeks ago, impeccably organized by the Crystal Safaris agency. Great hotel accomodations and food.
Thanks to our guide Joseph a 28-year-old driver of great experience with an eagle view, we were able to spot during the morning safaris many animals, including many lions in the Queen Elisabeth Park and in the Murchison Falls Park and a leopard in the Lake Mburo Park with his little puppy in the jaws. Kind and patient he has made our trip unforgettable. Also the meeting of a gorillas' family in Bwindi impenetrable Forest was just as exciting and touching.
Thank you Joseph, thank you Barbara and thank you Crystal Safarys for allowing all this.
Angelina Pagliotta
Italy
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Email Abby | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely fantastic experience!
We just got back from a 7-day tour to Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Bwindi. The tour was wonderful and action-packed!
Highlights: the full-day habituation experience with chimpanzees in Kibale, seeing the tree lions (multiple times!) in Ishasha, elephants wandering through our camp during lunch one day in Ishasha, and, of course, seeing gorillas in Bwindi.
Our guide, Hannington, was with us for the full week and took exceptional care of us. He was a wonderful guide, checking in with us throughout the week to make sure we were happy and that everything was going well. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and a true pleasure to spend the week with! We were well-prepped each evening on what to expect the next day. It was great to have a single guide with us for the whole experience.
The Crystal Safaris team was also fantastic in helping arrange for transportation, transfers, and providing various options for what to do so we could create the exact tour that best fit what we wanted to do and stay within budget. I appreciated having a few options to pick from, although they all looked wonderful, and we had a hard time deciding exactly what to do! Barbara and team were very easy to work with. I received very quick responses to my email inquiries.
Of the places where we stayed, Crystal Safari's Gorilla Safari Lodge and the Ishasha Wilderness Camp were stand-outs -- the food, the accommodations, and the people were all so lovely.
I very much hope that I'll be able to visit Uganda again in the future -- there's so much more to see and do. If I'm able to return, I'll definitely use Crystal Safaris again and will request Hannington!
It was such an incredible and special experience -- I'd go back again tomorrow if I could!
Email Felicity | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing 3 day Tour
We booked a 3 day tour for a couple based on recommendations from a friend to visit Uganda.
The booking process was easy, however leading up to the tour, before departing our home country, we needed to request our itinerary, and when it was sent, we were really advised of how the guide / tour worked.
On arrival, we were greeted by our Guide Hannington. We then discovered our guide would be with us the whole time, which was a delightful surprise.
We have nothing but wonderful things to say about Hannington. His knowledge of the area, and the wider Uganda and Rwanda, along with his friendly personality made it such a pleasure to spend 3 days with him.
Once in Uganda we learned of all the amazing places to visit however sadly our flights and schedule were booked- our only feedback would have been great to know in advance all the other options to add on, as we could have spent 7 days in Uganda instead of 3.
We highly recommend requesting Hannington as your guide if you can - absolutely amazing!
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Email Anne | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Staff & Excellent Service
Our Crystal Safaris guide and driver, Hannington, was absolutely brilliant. His bravery and skill behind the wheel were instrumental to the success of our gorilla trek in Uganda.
Our stay at Crystal Safari's Gorilla Safari Lodge, on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Park was everything we'd hoped for and more. We've never encountered a more friendly, welcoming and helpful staff. They made everything a pleasure and their attention to detail was second to none. Every touch was perfection, down to the fires in the fireplaces, flowers and candles on the dining table, and excellent wines with our delicious meals.
We highly recommend this safari service and lodge.
NL
Email Reg and Roel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wild life in Uganda.
Wild life in Uganda.
The last years we travelled in several countries in Central America. We drove from place to place, seeing so many beautiful spots and attractions. We also visited National Parcs with their own wildlife.
This year we decided to do something completely different. We wanted to see the great wildlife of Africa, and the best country to discover this all should be Uganda! And it did!!!
Because hiring and driving a car ourselves wasn’t an option, we ended up by agency of our dutch safari specialist Mambulu Safaris with Crystal Safaris. They made a program for us which satisfied our wishes. We didn’t want to travel in a group, so we knew that the two of us should be together with our guide and driver for the upcoming 11 days, which made it a little exciting upfront.
Joseph Chiwa turned out to be a very save driver and an excellent guide, we had a very fine click with him. Together we cruised to the following National Parcs; Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest Reserve, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo National Park. In between we did a lot of game drives, we made a few hikings, a boat trip on the White Nile to see Murchison Falls and a canoe trip on Lake Bunyoni.
We saw so incredible many beautiful wild animals. We saw the big five, even the leopard (wich is very exceptional). We did see a lot more, like different sort of bucks and monkeys (like the chimp), hippos, giraffes, crocs, zebras and totaly unexpected the very dangerous puff adder. But biggest sensation of all was meeting the big silverback gorilla .... breathtaking ... never to forget...!
All the locations, all the trips with all their bookings and paperwork were pre-arranged. This made the travelling extra comfortable. We made so many pictures of all the beauty we saw, but more important, we stored all the beauty in our heads.
Our holiday in Uganda in one word: Incredible!
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Email Ryan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Honeymoon Gorilla Trek
My wife and I went on our honeymoon hoping for an amazing experience. Not only was it great but it exceeded our expectations. The service at Crystal Safari was top notch and our driver/guide Hannington was amazing! We felt safe and cared for the entire time. Hannington's big heart and knowledge about everything made our trip. You should ask for him! We consider him a friend for life. The Gorilla Safari Lodge is perfect for anyone wanting to see the gorillas. You would be a fool not to. My wife and I will never forget this!