Instinct Safaris
- Located In:
-
Switzerland
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, USAGA, UCF & UCOTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $750 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Jay and Meg | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic team with a great mission...Created a trip and experience of a lifetime...Outstanding
My wife and I booked our trip to Uganda with Instinct Safari with the primary purpose of seeing the Mountain Gorillas. We contacted several tour operators, and after much hand wringing, we decided to go with the Instinct Safari largely based on the superb communications and just the overall sense of purpose and mission exuded by the Instinct Safari team. I would highly recommend Instinct Safaris as a safari operator.
Our initial communications with Niels were excellent as he provided prompt and candid inputs as we put together our itinerary for a 9-day safari in southwestern Uganda. We were met on arrival at Entebbe by Rabani and Rogers, our guides with a Toyota Landcruiser. Both are extremely knowledgeable, and perhaps more importantly, personable as we spent the next week with both gentlemen. Our next 9 days were exciting as we saw and experienced southwestern Uganda. All of the activities were very rewarding, some of the highlights...chimpanzee habituation trek, game viewing at Queen Elizabeth Park, an early morning hot air balloon excursion with bush breakfast, a trek across the Bwindi Impenetrable forest (complete with a vigorous rain shower...that is putting it mildly), a paddle in a dugout canoe (abrato sp? in the local language wakiga) once again with a bit more rain, and of course the crowning jewel, our two gorilla treks. During our excursions we had, in addition to Rabani and Rogers, Emma and Issa as guides accompanying us to provide greater depth and background to cultural interactions within the local communities. In addition to the gorillas and chimpanzees, we saw many different animals...most striking for us was a leopard sighting, always a magical moment for this most solitary of beasts, and we saw the rather famous tree lions. We greatly enjoyed our time spent in the communities and we even had a chance to briefly visit a local school. I could go on endlessly over all the small details and adventures that encompassed this very enriching experience, but alas there is not enough space.
I wish we could return, as I consider Rabani and Rogers, and the entire Instinct team to be friends. I truly appreciate and applaud their company's mission, particularly the sustainability and community-based aspects. Keep up the good work...Jay and Meg
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Efficient team, fast responses, amazing animals
I did not book one of the safaris this company currently offers on safaribookings, but I wanted to find a way to review this Ugandan Eco-Cultural Safari Company somewhere, so I ended up here :-) Let me get right to it.
My wife and I wanted to see the mountain gorillas for years and earlier this year, we finally had the chance to do so on a safari in Uganda and Rwanda. After an initial search on the internet, trying to find tour companies which also have a proven social impact, we reached Instinct Safaris. Their answers always were fast and precise, and their knowledge about the area we would visit was really impressive. So we decided to choose Instinct Safaris early, even though their price tag was a little higher than other companies. In the end, however, this was really worth it.
Our itinerary took us from Kigali, Rwanda to southern Uganda for two mountain gorilla tracks, one in the Viroonga mountains and one in Bwindi. Later, we hiked through this rain forest on our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This hike - leading over rivers, through waterfalls and massive tree roots - was really a thing for itself and our guide picked us on the other side of the forest. Then we proceeded to see a lot of animals in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where we had two special occasions with a lion family that was very interested in us! We later visited Kibale National Park for the chimpanzees and travelled to Murchison Falls National Park before returning to Kampala and then leaving the country.
From beginning to end, the team of Instinct Safaris really exceeded our expectations and presented itself as a capable young and flexible team. We would definitely choose them again!
35-50 years of age
My Highest Recommendations
Instinct Safaris, namely Niels, made it possible for me and my girlfriend to hike the Mt. Nyiragongo volcano in DRC about a week ago. I understand the park has just reopened, so I am glad how smoothly visa approval and all important bookings went. After visiting DRC from Rwanda, we further connected to Uganda (Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi National Park, and Kibale National Park) for more wildlife and a second mountain gorilla track. Our guide was helpful and knowledgeable throughout :-) We recommend this company and if we travel to the region again, they are certainly the agency we will go with.
Markus