Bill William - our USA Representative and contact
Africa Adventure Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- NU & AUTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Africa Adventure Safaris was the perfect choice for the visiting the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda
I contacted Africa Adventure Safaris (DBA Rwanda Gorilla Tour) and two other more familiar tour companies to see what type of tours were available to see the gorillas in Rwanda and what the cost would be. Africa Adventure was the most flexible and was also less expensive than the other 2 companies. I eventually booked a 4 day 3 night tour with them and requested that they purchase a 2 day pass for me to go on gorilla trek. Because i was traveling alone i was somewhat concerned about whether a guide would actually show up at the Kigali, Rwanda airport to meet me and what it would be like depending on a complete stranger for 4 days. There was no need for concern. Enos was waiting for me when i arrived and made me immediately comfortable. By the end of the trip i was relying totally on him. He kept track of my camera, my backpack and sometimes even my passport. It was like traveling with a friend. He was always prompt to pick me up for the gorilla treks and where ever else we were going.It was nice not being with a group. The staff at my hotel was very friendly and were always quick to help out if something was needed. There were a wide variety of menu choices and i enjoyed everything i tried. After talking to other people that i met on the trek i think i would have preferred staying at a Lodge rather than a hotel but i spent very little actually hanging around at the hotel so it really didn't make a big difference - plus i know that the Lodges cost more.
The entire trip was smooth and relaxed. Other than the scheduled treks it was up to me to decide how i wanted to spend my free time and Enos was always there to accompany me. I recommend them and in fact have already given their information to two people who are interested in seeing the gorillas.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gorillas Rwanda and Uganda
My family returned recently (August 2014) from a 5 day gorilla trekking holiday in Rwanda and Uganda, organized by Olive from “Africa Adventure Safaris”.
About a year ago I began researching trips to the gorillas and I spent extensive time on the internet gathering as much info and insight into the dos and don’ts, as I could, from 4 different tour companies. I eventually settled on an itinerary and the hotels I wanted and put the same option out to all 4 companies for quotes.
Over all the time of researching, Olive from “Africa Adventure Safaris” impressed me the most – answering my many questions and adding valuable info to my queries timeously, efficiently and with a friendliness permeating the correspondence.
“Africa Adventure Safaris” came in very competitively with pricing and after favourable reviews from past clients, I settled on them to arrange my trip.
All the bookings were done as per my requests and payment via EFT went without a hitch.
William - our guide and driver- was great – very friendly and knowledgeable about the region.
The trip was fabulous, the hotels as described and my itinerary was executed exactly as planned. We had an amazing, “once in a lifetime bucket list experience”.
I can only commend “Africa Adventure Safaris” on their professionalism and friendliness and would without hesitation recommend them to others wanting to experience this unique region.
Jackie
South Africa
PS – we saw fabulous gorillas!
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The entire experience was great! From the planning to the guide and treking!
I would highly recommend Africa Adventures Safaris. They made the entire experience a pleasure. Olive was very helpful during the planning stage and Enos was a fantastic guide! He went out of his way to make sure everything went well. The gorilla trekking was an amazing experience. The guides and porters were very friendly and helpful!
AE
Email Tania Bam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing experience and a must do for all nature lovers
We just completed a 4 day Rwanda gorilla safari with Africa adventure safaris and highly recommend any nature lovers to do the same trip. William look after us really well and the experiece will be with us forever. Next time Uganda!
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35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exceptional Rwanda - Uganda weel long adventure!
We had the opportunity to work with Olive; she was excellent and able to ultimately construct just the agenda we wanted (which was a bit different than the pre-planned package). William was our guide. He was friendly, professional, organized, informative, and helpful. We stayed in wonderful accommodations (Garr Hotel, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, and Enganzi). Each place was different in style, but all had one important thing in common - friendly staff. As this trip was a celebration of Larry's 50th birthday, we were very surprised when the staff of the Garr Hotel came out with a cake and William, our guide, came out with a small gift. Wonderful personal touch! Our permits for the Gorilla experience were acquired via Olive - and that eliminated a large amount of worry for us. The food was plentiful and good. More than enough water was supplied each day. In 6 days, we interacted with Gorillas, visited a village, hiked a gorge, took a boat trip, visited a market, went on a safari, and visited places Dian Fossey frequented. The experience was authentic and fun! We have three suggestions for potential travelers. First, plan well in advance of your trip so that you can listen, learn and plan the best trip possible. Second, be aware of physical fitness and realistic about potential limitations. Enganzi, for example, had more stairs than we have ever seen at a lodge/hotel. The room and view were well worth the effort, but guests should be aware of these sorts of things. We also strongly encourage you to use the porter service when hiking for Gorillas. It is not expensive, and it is very helpful regardless of physical fitness. Third, realize that some things may be lost in translation and/or via e-mail communication. Be detailed in your expectations and ask for confirmation in writing of what you understand to be the case - it will help to eliminate any disappointments or issues on the trip itself. It is also a reason to start the planning process earlier rather than later.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Safari with Africa Adventures Safaris
We booked a ten day tour in June with Africa Adventure Safaris and have nothing but positive feedback regarding them. We dealt with Nicholas via email and found him to be helpful and accommodating from the outset. We did have our concerns about visiting certain parts of Uganda, particularly the areas along the border with DRC, however, Nicholas was able to provide up-to-date advice and assurances. We therefore arranged an itinerary including Murchison Falls NP, Kibale Forest, QENP and Bwindi Forest thus ensuring that we would be able to fully experience the variety of Uganda's natural environments and wildlife. Nicholas took care to provide an itinerary that would meet our requirements and provide us with the best possible experience, for example by recommending the Chimp Habituation Experience over the tracking. Prior to departing for Uganda we paid the full amount via Pesapal which seems to be the Ugandan equivalent to PayPal. This worked flawlessly and Nicholas was able to quickly confirm receipt of the payment. On arrival at Entebbe airport we were met by our guide and driver, Douglas who throughout the trip proved to be knowledgable, caring, humorous and above all extremely professional. Douglas advised that he had been working in the tourist industry for 20 years and his expertise and experience was apparent throughout the trip. He kept up-to-date with the situations in the national parks giving us the best chance of spotting all of the animals that we wanted to see (including giraffes, elephants and hippos in Murchison Falls and lions in QENP). Moreover, the relationships that he has established with locals over the years ensured that we received the best of service in all of the lodges etc: we were even given preference in terms of choosing the gorilla group that we wanted to track in Bwindi. Overall, we had an awesome adventure in Uganda and would highly recommend Nicholas, Douglas and Africa Adventure Safaris!
My Experience with Africa Adventure Safaris
This company seems to have a couple of different names, so that can be confusing. I dealt with Africa Adventure Safaris, but their email also indicates they have sister companies called Gorilla Trek Africa and Rwanda Gorillas Safari. I talked with a Bill, based in California, and also Nicolas who was the main guy, based in Kampala.
Overall, their service was reliable and outstanding. I was wary of sending them a lot of money upfront, so I put down a deposit and and paid the rest in cash when I actually met the driver who was bringing me to the Bwindi forest. As much as I didn't like carrying that cash around, paying online or by credit card meant additional fees, so I took my chances. That's a personal decision. In my case, I was picked up at the airport by my hotel (the Boma in Entebbe, also recommended) and kept the money in a safe in my room, so in my case it worked out fine.
I found Nicolas & co. to be extremely supportive and trustworthy before, during and after my gorilla excursion. They looked after me and had a genuine interest in my well being and getting the most out of the experience. They kept every promise; there were no disappointments.
Bear in mind this is Uganda, so you'll travel through a lot of poverty and drive on roads sufficiently broken up and bumpy as to require a four-wheeled-drive vehicle. But I also found amazing and surprising luxury at the end those roads.
I went to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in western Uganda, and stayed in the "deluxe" accommodations, which cost a little more than the basic package. The Gorilla Mist Camp was beautiful, serene and I had a great, expansive view of the mountains of southern Uganda from the terrace of my little hut. It was not "camping." The energy is solar. The hot water was plenty hot. There's also "luxury" accommodations; I can't imagine what that entails.
I kept in touch with Nicolas through much of my trip, even after they dropped me off after the gorilla trek. It didn't seem to matter they had already fulfilled the promise of the gorilla tour. Nicolas always responded and kept working with me. In the end, Bernard, who drove me to the gorillas from Entebbe, picked me up in Kampala and took me to the airport. Bernard and I had a nice dinner on Lake Victoria, and I was quite sad to leave that country hours later. Hi Bernard! Bill
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Email Martin Pomeroy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Africa Adventure Safaris made my Africa safari dream turn into reality!
Our 9 days adventure in Uganda and Rwanda organized by Africa Adventure Safaris folks surpassed other trip experiences in the rest of Africa. As a team of 5 friends, we begun our trip from Serengeti national park. Amani Africa team managed the first portion of our holiday successfully.
We flew into Kigali airport and met Enos, a guide from Africa Adventure Safaris. Enos is a humorous and knowledgeable folk. He is a fabulous and likable guide.
In Rwanda we stayed an overnight at Mountain Gorilla View. In the morning we converged with other gorilla trackers at the park headquarters for briefing by the park ranger. Our group was allocated Umubano gorilla group. We hiked through thick thicket with stinging nettles for over 3 hours. Eventually we met a silverback before an encounter with the whole family estimated to be 10 individuals. Our encounter and interaction with this group excited us and some of our group members could not hold back tears of joy! This is indeed the most exciting wildlife experience.
We later crossed the border to Kisoro and arrived at another fabulous lodge - The chameleon Hill Lodge overlooking a scenic lake called Mutanda. We tracked the Nkuringo gorilla family. This one, too, was interesting. The gorilla babies' antics still linger on my memory. The rest of the trip is a big tale.
I am so grateful to the Africa Adventure folks for organizing this experience for us. We had value for money.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
4 Day Rwanda Tour - Gorillas, Golden Monkeys, and Lake Kivu
Organising our tour through Africa Adventure Safaris was extremely easy and they worked with us to develop a full programme that timed in perfectly with our other travels. Given the time difference between Uganda and Australia, communications from Africa Adventure Safaris were always timely and they provided the answers or information we were seeking. Our tour guide, Enos, greeted us at Kigali airport and our first impressions were great. He was very friendly and throughout the tour courteous and willing to go out of his way to do anything for us. We were very comfortable with him. He was highly knowledgeable and took us on what can only be described as an absolutely amazing tour. 4 days was definitely not enough time to travel from Kigali to Musanze to track gorillas and golden monkeys, then down to Lake Kivu to experience such as a beautiful and relaxing place. The vehicle we travelled in was new, clean and comfortable. The hotels that we stayed at were all excellent and much better than we expected. The food was fantastic also. The trip went perfectly smoothly and we had no issues at all with the service. All of our expectations were surpassed and Rwanda is an amazing country to visit.
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Email Stacey | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Bucket List Experience!
We traveled overland from Rwanda to see the gorillas in Bwindi, Uganda with Africa Adventure Safaris. Olive was incredibly helpful from the start. She assisted with our booking and selecting our itinerary. Upon arrival, everything went as planned... our driver/guide was wonderful. He was incredibly friendly, knowledgable, and professional. The car was comfortable and we had no mechanical problems. We were very happy with all of the accommodations arranged. It goes without saying that the actual time in the forest with the gorillas was breathtaking. Definitely a bucket list trip and I'd absolutely recommend Africa Adventure Safaris.