Typical Ugandan operator by Richard Tusasibwe
Gatatu Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $65 to $710 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience with gatatu
After a few problems in the beginning of the first day the trip changed very fast into a great experience. We had a 5 day trip with gatatu to the Queen Elizabeth n.park, Kalinzu forest for chimpanzees, Biwindi forest to the Gorillas, and the last day to lake Bunyonyi. We visited the school, which they built with the money from the tours. Unfortunately the children were on vacation. Our guide and driver DEO was super friendly and very flexible! Also Richard was very friendly and answered to all of the million questions i had before we came to uganda! The prices of the tours are fair, the accommodations and the food were very good. I really enjoyed the time with them and i would book a tour with gatatu again! Many thanks to Richard and DEO for the short but very nice time in Uganda, looking forward to see you again!!!
Email Liz Walton | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A superb safari led by an expert guide determined to meet all the various needs of our small group.
We booked our three day safari to Queen Elizabeth Park at the Gatatu office in Kabale, explaining to the Director, Richard, that each of us had different priorities, ranging from serious wildlife photography to extending knowledge of birds gained on many previous safaris to a botanist's interest in plants and a first encounter with African wildlife and birds. Quite a challenge we set them! Our guide, Shindishi George Mugabe, met the challenge beyond our expectations.
The vehicle was spacious and ideal for game viewing as we had 360 degree vision. Shindishi has the eyes of a hawk and spotted animals and birds which we would never have seen ourselves, including leopard on two occasions. He showed immense patience and courtesy throughout the trip and we had wonderful views of lions, elephants, hippos, buffalos, Ugandan kobs, waterbucks and warthogs. Our friend who had never done any bird watching in Africa totalled up over 70 birds she would now recognise.
We took the excellent boat trip on the Kasinga Channel from Mweya Lodge where we had adequate budget accommodation in the nearby hostel and very good meals in the main lodge. We thought this excellent value for money.
We would certainly recommend this company to anyone wishing to book a tailor made safari.
Email Rob | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic tour by a really passionate team!
My friend and I went on a fantastic 6 day tour to Queen Elizabeth park on safari, trekking with the chimps and gorillas, and then to Lake Bunyonyi Richard was great with communication and planning, and our guide/driver Deo was a legend! Safari was great fun, but it was the trekking with the chimps and gorillas that was the most impressive part. Lake Bunyonyi was then an excellent relax at the end of the tour. Accommodation was a great mix, with more budget places right near the safari at the beginning and then fancier places at the end - but I believe they are happy to tailor to people's preferences.
Most impressive though was the real passion these guys have for conservation, education and Uganda as a whole! Hearing them talk about the protection of animals in the parks or describing the work the company does supporting local schools - it was very moving. Keep up the great work you guys, and I would 100% recommend them!
DE
Email Isabell | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience with friendly driver, always feeling safe&comfortable
We had a really great time in Uganda - definitely worth visiting! Our 6 day tour was great: we visited Queen Elizabeth NP, saw chimps and gorillas and went on a boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi. Another highlight was visiting a local school financed by Gatatu - the kids were really great!
Gatatu Safari is a very good company - reliable, flexible and with very friendly people!
CH
Email Frederic L | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible experience in Uganda
Gatatu Safaris organized a 7-day safari in Western and Southern Uganda, with visits of the Kibale and Queen Elizabeth National Parks, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the lake Bunyonyi. The tour was super well organized with a crescendo of experiences and wonders. First, a close contact with chimpanzees, then sightings of great mammals (elephants, lions, buffalos, hippos, water kobs, gazelles) and birds, and finally an encounter with mountain gorillas, the highlight of our tour. To relax a bit, we spent a day at lake Bunyonyi, visiting a local school and a pygmee village. Our guide Jasper was exceptional, knowing many people and always finding the right place to be. During the trip, he always had interesting insights into the places we were driving through and also gave us insights into Uganda life, politic and economy. The organization of all permits, hotels and other logistic was done masterfully and we, as tourists, never felt that things were improvised. Bravo to Richard of Gatatu and Jasper, our guide. We can only recommend Gatatu for anyone who wishes to visit Uganda and experience the wonders of this welcoming and safe country.
DK
Email Nina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect Uganda holiday
We highly recommend Gatatu Safaris as they fulfilled our holidays dreams in Uganda! We travelled in Western Uganda with Gatatu Safaris for 4 full days, but had we known how much Uganda has to offer, we would have stayed even longer. Everything Gatatu organised worked out very well, and our guide and driver Steven went out of his way to show the best of his his country.
When we landed in Entebbe (Kampala), Steven picked us up and drove us to a nearby hostel where we spent our first night in Uganda. Next day, we went to Kibale National Park to do a trek to experience the chimpanzees which was an incredible way to start our trip. Steven also recommended us to go on a guided tour in Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary which was not in our original plans but which we enjoyed as we got to see a lot of birds and different monkeys and the guide was very knowledgable.
On our second day, we went on a private boat safari in the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elisabeth National Park and were overwhelmed by all the wildlife we could spot from the boat: War hogs, water bucks, elephants, crocodiles, buffaloes and soooooo many hippos! In the afternoon, we went to Lake Bunyonyi which was also a place that Steven recommended which we had initially not considered - we are so glad he took us there! We spend the night in the Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort which is situated on one of the 29 islands in the lake and it was truly magical. We arrived in a canoe from the mainland and were greeted by zebras and antelopes that live on the small island. We were the only guests in the resort so we got an excellent service from the team and enjoyed the sunset first from the shore and then from the terrasse that has a beautiful view of the lake.
We spend our third day in the Mgahinga National Park in the company of Golden Monkeys which are listed as endangered and can only be seen in three countries. We were the only tourists on our trek and our guides did a great job of guiding us to where we could get the best views and pictures of the monkeys that were really active and moved around a lot.
The highlight of our trip was the Gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on our last day where we got to spend a full hour with a gorilla family, including two silver-backs and various baby gorillas. It was an incredible experience to see the gorillas climb, sleep, eat, cuddle and play in the wild!
Overall, our trip in Uganda was fantastic – we got so many memorable experiences short time and we always felt in safe hands with our guide Steven and the owner of Gatatu Safaris, Richard. If you are planning on going to Uganda, choose Gatatu Safaris!
Email Matt | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic safari from start to finish
Gatatu safaris were an excellent choice to arrange our safari . From our initial inquiry Richard was incredibly helpful with any questions we had , and the excellent service continued when we arrived in Uganda. Our guide stephen was fantastic and went out of his way to make our trip memorable. I would highly recommend using this company
NZ
Email Alison and Chris Spurdle | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Travelling through Uganda with our guide from Gatatu Safaris was the highlight of our trip.
The company kept in very good contact with us throughout the planning stages of our trip and delivered on every level throughout our travels through Uganda. Our guide was extremely good and he could not do enough to make sure that all our expectations (and then some) were met. He was extreme;y knowledgeable and navigated us expertly through the gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. He was very personable, communicated really well and we felt comfortable being in his hands throughout our trip. We would thoroughly recommend using this company if you are thinking of travelling through Uganda. It was hassle free and really rewarding in terms of great value for money and professionalism.
Email steven | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing!
A great life experience with gatatu safaris!
treated very well but richard and stephen! very good hospitatilty .i would thoroughly recommened there tour to everybody
SI
Email GRegor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience
The owner was very flexible, the driver Fred was a cool guy. We saw almost all game exept the ceetah.
Only misfortune was the weather and the mud. We laost a few hour when we got stuck in the mud with AWD. But this is just a part of experience