Amakula African Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- TUGATA, USAGA & UTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Darius | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Encredible safari with Amakula Afrcan Safari guys
We have just finished a 4-day Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking safari with Amakula Afrcan Safaris. When we contacted having seen their profile seriously they are young and brilliant guys, yes they have so far operated for one year and they opened up to us and seriously they are true guys to deal with. We have previously done the “Big 5” in Tanzania, so we can now say we have done the “African Big 6” with Gorillas in Uganda!
Amakula African Safaris was an excellent choice to deliver our experience. Communication from home via WhatsApp with Simon was always efficient and timely, and the program they put together for us covered off everything we wanted to see an experience. They are a highly professional outfit to deal with, and they took the stress out of planning by explaining the different options available.
Arthur was our driver/guide/problem solver (and at the Rwandan land border crossings there seemed to always be something unusual to deal with!). He was so personable, friendly and willing to share information about life in Uganda that it felt like we were on a road trip with an old friend. He kept us on schedule and properly prepared for the next days’ activities. Many thanks my brother!!!!
As for the treks themselves, we started with the Golden Monkey trek, and it was amazing to see these creatures in the only place in the world they can be found. But the real deal was trekking for Gorillas in Bwindi. We were 4 very fit hikers and it was a tough 4-hr trek to find them, but so worth it! Absolutely amazing to see these beautiful animals - an experience unlike anything you can imagine. There are easy, moderate and difficult treks (ours was moderate and I would not like to imagine hat the difficult one would look like!), and you are an experienced guide and an armed security escort (to scare off any threats - not to harm them). It is a very well-run operation, and we felt completely safe at all times. These guides work very hard, and in our high-end hiking gear we could only marvel at them doing this in rubber boots. Please remember to bring Ugandan Shillings with you on the treks to leave them a meaningful tip, as trust me they earn it. If not for them, the only gorillas you will see will be at souvenir shops.
I would absolutely recommend Amakula to anyone looking for a safei planning company. They are efficient, courteous, professional, and very competitively priced. All lodging and meals were top notch.
FR
Email Claudine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful & very professional tour
We were in a 4 day's tour with Simon and Arafat.
We went to Bwindi forest, lake Bunoyi and Mburro national park. It was an amazing experience.
The team took us to the bests places and wonderful lodges
IT
Email Lian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was great facing eye to eye with the gorillas
It was such a nice feeling tracking the the chimpanzees and trekking the mountain Gorillas in Uganda with amakula African safaris team .we thank you so much for being honest and entertaining.
US
Email Kaks | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Beautiful primates in Uganda
It was a great experience getting closer to the gorillas at Bwindi impenetrable national forest and chimps at Kibale with Amakula African safaris guys
CH
Email Raji Sundaram | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable and client oriented
Amakula Safaris organised a great two week trip for us in Rwanda and Uganda. From the outset Simon was very responsive and would reply to emails promptly. He was very reliable and catered to all our needs. The few hitches we had during the trip were sorted out quickly and efficiently. Julius, our driver /guide was excellent and a real asset to the company. The trip itself was wonderful with many unforgettable experiences.
IE
Email Holly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I cant rate them highly enough! Experience of a lifetime!
I honestly can't speak highly enough of my experience with Amakula African Safaris. From the very start, Simon was extremely helpful and responsive to my (often many!) emails and queries that I had regarding the trip, and very kindly assisted me with the visa application process. He was also happy to alter the itinerary to my requests, which allowed us to include a trip to Mabamba Bay to see the Shoebill Stork.
Julius was my tour guide, who was genuinely amazing over the entire trip! He did everything he could to make sure I had the best experience possible, including making some last-minute calls to park rangers in Nyungwe National Park to ensure I had the best chance of seeing chimpanzees, and getting me in with the trekking group for seeing the best gorilla family in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi National Park, which has 3 silverbacks and 2 babies!
Julius was brilliant company on the road trips between each activity, and was so knowledgeable about the culture, history, wildlife, and everything else you might like to know about Rwanda and Uganda. Every question I had was answered! Many days we spent 5-6 hours or more in the car, taking in the gorgeous scenery, having the chats and with great music to keep us both uplifted the entire time. He was very attentive, and was brilliant in communicating each step of the itinerary, with realistic time frames of how long each road trip, trek, hike, etc., would take.
He arranged the check-ins at each accommodation, and the registrations at each activity. I was looked after and felt extremely safe the entire trip. He was happy to stop at any moment for photos of the stunning scenery, and was able to spot various wildlife along the roadside, including Black and White Colobus Monkeys that we were extremely lucky to see while driving through Nyungwe NP!
The accommodation overall was fabulous, particularly the last 2 nights (Bakiga Lodge and Mpogo Safari Lodge), and the food was also amazing. Some of the activities, such as the Mount Bisoke hike and Gorilla trek, required a packed lunch, which the accommodations were happy to arrange with multiple meal options available to choose from.
Simon called to check in regularly to make sure everything was going well and that I was happy with my experience. He also made a huge effort and managed to meet us on the last day of the tour for a section of our road trip to Entebbe, so it was lovely to meet him in person and get to hear about his life and passion for his business.
This trip/itinerary with Amakula African Safaris is something I had been looking at on and off for over a year. It stayed in the back of my mind the whole time, but I kept talking myself out of it as its a long way to travel for just one week and would take a lot to save up for it. However, it was still the best value week-long itinerary I could find that covered Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking, amongst many other activities. I finally talked myself in to taking the plunge and booking the tour, and my god am I so so glad that I did! I think in Simon and Julius I have made some great friends for life! A once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget!
US
Email Jennifer | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgeable, extremely kind, lots of laughs and fun surprises, the absolute BEST.
Our 15 day safari with Amakula Tours was the most amazing experience of my life. From the beginning Amakula was quick to respond, and booking was smooth. They were also very helpful during the planning phase of our trip. There was a great variety of experiences including white water rafting, nature walks, game drives, community & school visits, wildlife trekking, coffee plantation, making banana gin, basket weaving, and dancing. We learned about Ugandan history, culture and customs and had fun interacting with the native people. Simon and Arafat were fun to be with, very knowledgeable, and extremely kind. We had the pleasure of meeting several other team members, and they too are great people. I highly recommend Amakula Tours and hope you have your adventure of a lifetime.
CA
Email Paula | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amakula African safaris is a deal.
Thanks so much Simon the team leader at Amakula African safaris. You guys made my work so easy to book for my 15 days trip from Rwanda and Uganda. I will dearly miss the fun, eating the Rolex(Chapati and Eggs). I recommend you guys for anyone to book with you.
Email Pat | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They were very easy to deal with and quick to respond to any changes to itineraries
Amakula offer great adventures in beautiful countries. They were very easy to deal with and changing/updating itineraries was no problem at all. Simon was a great organiser and Julius was superb as our driver/guide. Next time we visit we will certainly travel with them again.
US
Email Scott Vogt | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very, very good, would do it again
Our tour lasted two weeks in Rwanda and Uganda. Very good tour and would definitely choose this company again. Not sure if I will go again (too many places to visit) but if I do, I will use this company. Our guide, Julies, was very knowledgeable and great to be around. We had many questions about wildlife and local culture and He answered everything or if he didn't know he would just say that. No bs.
The company was very flexible and customized our trip for us. My traveling partner tacked on a last minute change so he and his wife could see the gorillas in Rwanda, which normally takes some time to arrange, and Amakula made it happen on short notice.
If I do this again, I would take more time at each park. 3 days or so instead of just one. Would be good to get some hiking with one of the park guides who were all excellent and knowledgeable about the wildlife there. Highly recommend Amakula.
