Mega Wild Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $570 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Christopher J | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very accommodating and helpful
We really enjoyed our safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Recommend!
FR
Email Quentin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime experience
What a wonderful adventure with Mega Wild Safaris. Thanks so much to Onan and Dalson who were perfect guides for this amazing trip. So many great memories with animals and people who will live in my mind for a long long time. Many facilities to suit our preferences. If you are looking for a good company to discover Uganda and its border countries: go for it!
IT
Email Michele Gallizzi - Mike | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
in few words... it was simply perfect!
A long and exciting journey of over 20 days among the wonders of Uganda was possible thanks to a careful, meticulous, patient and extremely professional organization. Mega Wild Safari's ability to cope with all requests and needs was flawless. Onan and James were not only two very good guides but also two traveling companions able to share with me their views on their magnificent country! thank you very much ... see you soon again!
Mike
Amazing experience and excellent service!
Wonderful experience and excellent service all around. Highly recommended!
CA
Email Emily | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Expect the Unexpected On Your Exciting Tour Of Murchison Falls with Mega Wild Safaris
I think the tour was very well done. The tour guides were knowledgable and gave us very interesting information as we passed by various ecosystems and animals. They even told us fascinating history of along the whole route from Kampala to Murchison Falls area. I learned so much, and they had answers to all of our (sometimes strange) questions like "Do giraffes sleep standing up?"!
The tour of the game park was AMAZING! It was so cool to see the animals in the wild... and the guides had a good eye for finding and pointing out the animals. We weren't lucky enough to see any lions or leopards, but it was our own groups fault for delaying to get out of bed on time... haha. We did a boat tour as well along the Nile, which had us an arms-length away from hippos and crocodiles... it was SO COOL! I would definitely recommend this.
The tour guides kept us safe, and also were able to improvise well using machetes and manpower when the unexpected came up (such as when trees had fallen to block our path in the game park or when the bus decided to slip around on the road). It made for a fun filled trip! The drivers were also very skilled in their job haha, navigating a large bus like it was a quad.
The company made the experience fun with our tour group, by sharing in dinners and drinks and conversations after long days in the National Park. Overall it felt like they really cared about our experience and knew how to make sure we got the best views, took cute photos, and gave us a unique experience. They also made the journey comfortable with stops along the way to use the washroom and stretch.
I would definitely recommend a tour with them!
IT
Email Giuseppe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Tour!
We travelled to Murchison Falls National Park and had a great time with them. Despite the challenges of organizing a tour in this post-lockdown Mega Wild gave us a wonderful treat.
Very competent and friendly people that treated us as loved guests!
They really know the park and helped us to spot all the animals in it and the best views!
Highly recommend!!
Email Ian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and professional tour operators with good prices
Mega Wild Safaris had a great deal for a first after lockdown trip to Murchison Falls which we definitely don't regret taking. It was fun and we met a lot of nice people on our trip. What I appreciated was how knowledgeable our tour guide was and that everything in the trip was catered for (all activities, accommodation and meals). Would recommend!
Email Melanie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
I just want to thank Mega Wild Safaris for an experience of a lifetime.
Getting to see the gorilla's up close all the while feeling safe with our knowledgeable guide.
The lodge was clean and well run and we had all we needed. Everything was booked and paid for in advance so on our arrival there was no confusion, we were immediately shown to our room.
I would definitely recommend Mega Wild Safaris to my friends.
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Email Jerry Hsieh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Once in a lifetime experience with a top notch Safari operator
It''s a difficult time for all the travel operators around the world. We booked a 7 days private luxury gorilla and chimpanzee tour with Mega Wild Safaris in mid January. The trip was due to start in Mid March. In late Feb, Covid-19 hit the world, we were worried that we may not be able to start our trip in Mid March. Fortunately, we were able to get in before lock down. We were one of the few guests to see this beautiful countries before everything shut down. Initially, there was a small mixed-up with itinerary, but it did not affect the trip much. Overall, the trip was well organized and the tour guide was very experienced. The tour had exceed our expectation. We loved everything and we were really happy with our choice. I have dealt with other African safari companies before and I can tell you this is a very honest company which is very important when we are under Covid-19 pandemic. At moment, the last thing you want to worry is a dishonest tour operator. If you are planing to come to Uganda or East Africa, I will highly recommend you to use their service.
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Email Kim | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
COVID19 Cancelled our trip and this company took advantage of the pandemic
I do not recommend booking with this company. Anne was very friendly, but the savings of a few hundred dollars turned out costing us thousands. We had a safari scheduled for early June 2020, which we chose to cancel due to COVID19. We cancelled 3 months in advance. We chose not to wait it out because we feared losing all of our money if this safari company decided that COVID19 was not a good reason to cancel and to be honest it turned out that they didn't feel a pandemic was a good enough excuse to cancel anyway. Their policy of a 75% refund less the gorilla permits was better than losing the total $6600 I spent.
However the upsetting part was that I emailed Anne asking how they planned on dealing with COVID19. I was nicely told they would give full refund less the Gorilla permit that they tell you aren't refundable (which is not true by the way.). Needless the say when I took her up on her kind offer of giving full refund.... well, there was radio silence for over a day. So I emailed again and then she finally replied telling me... Oh sorry that full refund I mentioned we could do, well we can't because i talked to people who told me I can't give it. IT IS HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO DO THAT. Also their website states that they give 90% refunds if canceled more than 60 days in advance but their written policy doesn't say that. Also, please check out this link and never use a tour company like I did to book your Gorilla permits- Uganda Wildlife Authority does give refunds. It's just another way for these tour companies to SCAM you. https://www.bwindiimpenetrablenationalpark.com/gorilla-permits/cancellation/
After arguing with Anne over email that it was not okay to tell a customer full refund and then change your mind. I finally accepted the refund they would give and filed a dispute with my credit card company. The crappy part is my credit card company is so bogged down right now with other travelers. Anne failed to mention to them that she had told me full refund and then took it back. She also failed to mention, I never signed a contract. She failed to mention that the Uganda and Kenya are closed right now due to COVID19. Failed to mention that it's not possible to go on a trip right now.
Overall, my experience is I got scammed. When I didn't want to rebook my trip and took her up on her offer I think she freaked out and then said, oh no... By the way, rebooking the trip would have cost me more money. Why you ask? Because the Gorilla permits cost more next year and there is a fee to reschedule. And don't forget they aren't refundable. They are refundable, just not to you if you book with this company or one like it.
So the moral of this story is, I'm totally bummed I had to cancel my trip. Yet, there are better companies out there to work with. These guys are not fully honest. The policy stated on their website versus the one given to you are different. They can decide when they feel like it if they don't want to honor something they tell you.
I will likely not win my dispute for the other half of my refund, but I have not given up. One thing I've learned in all my travel is that you need to fight for your refunds. I travel a lot. I'm a digital nomad. I'm writing this review in hopes to save another person from this experience.
COVID19 or not... I would not trust this company. They have some good reviews and it's why I went with them, but don't be fooled. You could have a great trip with them or you could get total ripped off and scammed just like me. The choice is yours. I wish you all well.
Reply from Mega Wild Safaris
Posted on May 11, 2020Dear Kim,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry that we failed to meet your expectations. Please kindly note that Uganda Wildlife Authority(UWA), the only body responsible for issuing gorilla and chimpanzee tracking permits, does not offer refunds for unused gorilla permits and Chimpanzee permits but rather offers reschedules incase a customer is not able to track on their comfirmed dates. As such, the company was unable to offer you the refund for the already purchased permits because Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) did not offer us a refund for the permits we had already purchased for your tracking. Please understand that the Company issued you a refund in accordance with the refund and cancellation policy that was clearly stated on your invoice and agreed to by yourself prior to you sending the payment for the trip. We are however sorry that your experience did not match your expectations and we'll strive to do better.