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.
SO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was great, from the beginning to the end.
Good service, nice people and excellent and friendly driver!
Recommend for sure!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastically planned 6 1/2 weeks in Africa
Encompass Africa was fantastic in the planning of this epic safari. We just let them know the dates we wished to travel and the places we would like to visit. From there they articulately planned everything for us. Everything was planned to precision from the pick up transfers, internal flights to the individual safari camps, an exclusive tour of Tanzania for just 2 of us and a small group tour with 6 of Namibia.
We travelled from Kenya through Tanzania (including Zanzibar), Namibia, Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls), Botswana and South Africa. The accommodation booked was great and we were also staying amongst the wildlife in luxury tents (the very best of glamping I would say) and luxurious guest lodges where the staff were very friendly and hospitable.
We cannot recommend highly enough the way in which Jonathon Wilson and the team at Encompass Africa made our African Epic Safari such a memorable holiday of a lifetime.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Journey
Allan arranged a complete 7-days safari. Even the timings were too tight, the overall experience was fantastic thanks to Simon our guide/driver and best friend for a week!! The program was not realistic with the driving distances considering Kenya's traffic and roads’ quality. Simon was the superhero who was driving from Tsavo to Naivasha for 6h and still have energy to find the rhinos and make us laugh!
Our choice combined luxury and budget palaces which all of them were as expected. We only missed to have a cooler box to store water in the van and some guide books to get more info of the fauna and flora. We will certainly repeat the trip with Simon, but I strongly suggest spending at least 2 night in each place to have time to rest and enjoy the Loges facilities which are amazing.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
First class both in 2014 and 2018
every thing organised by Wild Africa met or exceeded our expectations.