US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect honeymoon in Tanzania
We had an amazing experience with Orongai Safaris and they planned the trip of a lifetime for our honeymoon! Martha was wonderful to work with. She responded immediately to any questions that I had and worked with our budget to create an itinerary that visited all of the places that we wanted to see. Upon landing in Arusha, we were warmly welcomed by a ride service though Martha. The driver was so friendly and knowledgeable that we mistook him for the actual tour guide. We got in late at night and it was already dark. We were tired from our travels and not sure exactly what to expect - strangers in a new place. Martha met us and explained the details of our weeklong tour including accommodations and transportation, as well as all other questions and concerns that came up in the conversation. She made a point of saying how we would become “friends” with our driver, as we would be with him all week, while being very friendly herself - asking us about our wedding, our travels, and making an effort to get to know us personally. We didn’t think much of that as everyone we had encountered to this point had been hospitable and welcoming.
Our tour guide, Andrew, took us to three major stops throughout our week with him. He was friendly and welcoming from the minute we met him to the final hug and handshake at the end. A lot of this trip involved transportation to and from different areas. Our driver broke up the trip by teaching us everything we could possibly want to know: the different areas we were going to, the animals we would see, how the change in season changes animal behaviors, the towns/cities we drove through, Tanzanian culture and history, etc. He made stops at all the major points of interest and identified many great picture spots for us. Throughout the tour, his ability to sense and find animals and behaviors never ceased to amaze me. There were times I felt like he was in contact with the animals as his leading was so accurate. We saw every single thing we asked to see, even a lion hunt, which we were told are not very common. He was also helpful in guiding us through animal behaviors that we otherwise had no clue about, such as where they lived and if they would hunt, move, rest or interact, at times being able to anticipate these patterns before they developed. At the same time, he was always accommodating us - making sure we weren’t too hot or cold, making sure we could go to the bathroom, getting us vegetarian meals, and always allowing us to have a say in where to go or how long to stay in a particular place. Sure enough, by the end of the week, we were sad to go our separate ways from the driver and do feel that we became friends with him. If we were to return, we would specifically request him as our driver again.
The lodging accommodations were incredible, and each place is worthy of its own review. Martha placed us in three completely different places, each with a unique charm and offering of Tanzanian culture and people. We were even upgraded to a nicer place that we had anticipated staying in on the first night of our safari. The one consistency was the hospitality of all the staff we met, so much so that even with the exotic animals and amazing landscape, one of the strongest impressions of Tanzania I am left with is how nice the people were. As I said, Martha made efforts to get to know us personally. The first night of the tour was my birthday and as a complete surprise, Martha informed the staff working at the lodge. During dinner, the staff (every member of the staff) came out in a line, danced through the crowd and sang songs. They stopped at our table when they sang Happy Birthday to me while giving me with a cake with candles on it. The food was great at all three places and each catered to our vegetarian diet with no problem.
At the end of the trip, Martha visited us late Friday night on her own time to check in, see how our trip was, and make sure we had transport to the airport. She greeted both of us with a hug, and at that moment, the “you will be made friends” mentality she introduced to at the beginning of the week made perfect sense. She did a wonderful job giving us a great, unique experience - visiting a variety of locations, staying in great lodges, giving us a great tour guide, and making sure we were comfortable throughout the trip. The trip was priced very well. I would (and already have) strongly recommend this exact trip to anyone, at any age, interested in safari in Tanzania. We have already made informal plans to revisit during the wet season.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
trustworthy people
It was a 10 days private tour for me and my wife. The initial communication with Halid was smooth. The itinerary and accommodation arranged by Chris all turned out great. Our guide Halid had been most friendly and knowledgeable. He knew where best to go within the enormous parks and would always on his own initiative move to the best position for us to watch and take photographs of the interesting creatures. It rained very heavily on several occasions and some of the roads were extremely bumpy but Halid always drove safe and as steady as possible. It was really great value for the package tour we chose
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exciting Cultural Adventure in Uganda with Terrain Safaris with Paul as our Guide
Travelers coming to Uganda need to do their homework on the country first. Do not expect all the comforts of the USA while in Uganda. It is a country trying to recover from years of fiscal and emotional abuse from a brutal dictator. Many Ugandans live their lives without the luxury of electricity or running water, not to mention any technology advances. However, the people of Uganda are gracious, nice, caring people. Paul, our guide, from Terrain Safaris did a really good job showing us his beautiful country. The value of our 16 day safari trip was good. We were deeply immersed in Ugandan culture, touring small villages and eating in local restaurants. The tour of Kampala at the end of the tour was nice. The lodging was not as impressive as more visited neighboring countries like Kenya or Tanzania, but after spending days in the country I understood why. Edith's communication with us before and during the tour was very timely. I would suggest she visit more of the lodges in person before booking for clients. The only lodging I had problems with was Trekkers Tarven with no hot water, extremely poor lighting, and safety issues. BUT, the workers at the lodge were very friendly and even baked a delicious birthday cake for two of the travelers in my group. That accommodation was the worst, but with the trekking of the gorillas from there turned out to be the best. I would highly recommend Paul and Terrain Safaris as a great Uganda Safari tour operator. DO NOT EXPECT LUXURY! EXPECT GOOD VALUE FOR THE MONEY. Thank you, Paul!
IT
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
excellent organization, constant attention and assistance for the customer, excellent,
beautiful and refined hotels excellent food good organization of the games
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rwenzori Mountains, Car Transfer, Murchison Falls, Jinja
Edris the manager was always efficient at communicating and one of the reasons I chose this company was because Edris would take the time to reply quickly and provide more than enough information to my questions.
I had booked to climb the Rwenzori mountains first which was a day trip. This trip was more intense than I expected. I will say to anyone doing this expecting to climb the hill casually it will not be the case. We went to Ruboni Hill and climbed 2300 m in 3.5 hours and descended in 1.5 hours. The pace was very quick for a novice like me who has not walked up to this distance. I ended up feeling very unwell and had a tour booked the next day to to the crater lakes. I did not feel well enough to go and Edris understood this and cancelled my tour providing me with a refund even stating that my requirements were more important than cash. During the week he even checked to see I was okay.
The main tour I had booked with him included 3 nights at Murchison River Lodge, 2 nights at 2 Friends in Jinja and 1 night at Eureka Place Hotel in Kampala. First we visited the Rhino Sanctuary and we were really lucky to have seen lots of Rhinos that day.
Murchison River Lodge is really nice, but what you don't know is that you actually stay in a posh tent style place but the connecting bathroom was one of the best I had all week. The food is all included and water too. However the one downside with drinks is that the water is kept in the drivers car, and unless you remember to take some bottles for the evening you end up having to buy extra water with your dinner. I think that they should make sure they give you a few bottles each night or at least make it accessible to go to the car to get some. The game safari is great and the driver Vincent who was our driver all week knew lots about the animals and the spots that had less cars around too. The boat trip, and waterfalls were also great and Vincent was able to drive us to the top of the waterfalls as my dad was unable to trek to the top from the boat. This was great as it meant we didn't miss out on any parts of the trip. My favourite part was Budongo Forest looking for chimpanzees and I could have happily spent more time there.
The ATV ride in Jinja was great but the boat trip to the source of the nile lacked a spark. There is nothing to see apart from the sign that says the source of the nile so maybe something else could be incorporated here. The hotel at Jinja was nice too and so was the restaurant however here the driver had the money to pay and it wasn't directly included so you had to arrange a time with him to have dinner so he could pay.
The only negative of the week was the last day where all we saw was Sezibwa waterfalls and drove to Kampala. The hotel stayed in was poor, including service and food where half the menu even a sandwich wasn't on offer. However, I have informed Edris of this and his communication and dealing with the matter was very prompt and professional.
One thing for sure is that unlike other tour companies this company pride themselves in customer service. Even Vincent managed to listen to my dad talking non stop and took him to a street so he could take pictures for a friend. They go out of there way to make sure you are happy. Would definitely recommend this company.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
They are good at what they do and they delivered their services very well.
Recently we visited the Mara, the experience was awesome. We spent at Ol Moran camp and it was a lovely camp. We look forward to booking our next holiday with them.
It was a well organised trip. Our driver/guide John was extremely competent and considerate.
We were very well taken care of. The organiser and the driver needs special mention. It was a dream safari trip. Thanks!
US
35-50 years of age
I had a great experience with Gorilla tours and would highly recommend them.
I had a great experience with Gorilla tours. The Gorilla Valley Lodge was great, Ronald was awesome and even the driving was not too bad and afforded an opportunity to see some of Uganda on such a short visit. Punctual and professional service, an appropriately robust vehicle, accommodating and friendly driver, plenty of water and even a stop at a village market.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An extremely beautiful camping-safari.
The first safari started in Arusha National Park. A wonderful green park, here we went on a leisurely safari-hike with a ranger. We stayed the night at the campsite of this park. We were welcomed by giraffes which were walking in front of our car on the campsite. The next area was Monduli Juu. We took a beautiful walk with a Maasai guide. We spent the night at the Monduli Juu bushcamp. The next day we went to a Maasai village which was very impressive.
Next, we left for Tarangiri National arkP. We stayed two nights at this campsite. By day we enjoyed the game drives. We saw a lot of wildlife (amongst others: wild dogs, cheetahs, lions and a leopard.)
The next park was Serengeti National Park. We stayed at the campsite for three nights. It was a lovely variable environment. During the game drives (also at sunrise) we saw many active animals. It’s wonderful to see how animals live in their own surroundings. The last night was spent on the Ngorongoro crater. Here it was quite a bit colder than at the Serengeti. The following day we did a game drive in the crater.
All of the game drives were splendid and well organized. We saw many wild, big and small animals. Also the various birds were very impressive. It was quite an experience to sleep in a little tent at a campsite, surrounded by the sounds of animals. Our Maasai guide, Olly, was a good guide who could tell a lot about the animals and the flora of the parks. Very informative. He always gave us plenty of time to observe things very well. Our cook, Danny, provided us with delicious meals which differed every day. It was a trip we will not forget and that is why we recommend African Wild Cat to everyone.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic!
We went on a 2 day tour to Murchison Falls NP and the Rhino Sanctuary at Ziwa and absolutely loved it. We stayed at the Murchison River Lodge, which we would definitely recommend. We really loved the hike up to the falls, the game drive in the morning and the visit to the Rhino Sanctuary. David was our tourguide and one of the best we have ever had, would definitely recommend booking this trip with Grassrootz.