Magic
The main reason for us to go to Uganda were the mountain gorillas. And we can say that the trip was only worth it. But we were very positively surprised how much more the country has to offer! Fortunately we also decided for a five day trip to the Rwenzori Mountains, at our special request HomeToAfrica adapted the offer accordingly. The landscape was really fantastic, it was often like in Avatar, so beautiful and strange were the plants and mountains to us in this area and we took countless photos on the way to Weismann Peak. The view from up there on Margherita Peak, the highest mountain of Uganda, was really impressive and as a moderately fit mountaineer you could feel the height of 4620m on the last meters of the ascent.
In general one can say that on the "normal" safaris there are unfortunately less animals than in some other African countries, but with increasing tendency the populations are obviously growing. In the past civil wars many animals either fled or were killed. The current rigorous protective measures are already bearing fruit. But the chimpanzees in Kibale and Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest were very impressive and could be admired and photographed at close range.
Despite his young age, our guide seemed very experienced, calm and confident. Like all the people we met in Uganda he was always very friendly and cheerful. We felt very comfortable with him, were a team.
The food was always very tasty, both in the luxurious lodges and in the sometimes somewhat rudimentary huts in the mountains - everyone tried hard to make this experience unforgettable for us.
As far as accommodation is concerned, our travel agency has really chosen very carefully selected spots for us, we find it very difficult to name a favourite.
We were lucky with the weather for the most part. Since we were on our way towards the end of the rainy season, it rained again and again, but often only in the evening late and at night. But we would travel again at this time of the year, because we met practically no tourists, and in the mountains none at all.
We were very happy that we were on the way with an off-road vehicle. There were always some places where four-wheel drive alone would not have been sufficient.
Finally, we would say that the holidays were very worthwhile even if they were very expensive for us. Full of beautiful memories and with a great collection of animal and landscape photos we could enthusiastically share our adventures with our family and friends.
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Email Tammy W. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a Lifetime!
Uganda was so much more than I ever anticipated. The wildlife was so abundant. I used Lifetime Safari. Eddie was my driver. He was amazing!!! So patient and was so concerned that I was getting the experience that I was hoping for.
As far as the Safari Bookings website. So user friendly! I loved it and have already recommended to many.
Tammy
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Email Diane | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
My safari in Uganda was simply fantastic! Every aspect was amazing!
My trip with Home to Africa was everything I had hoped for! I traveled to Uganda as a single women, on a solo trip and I didn't know what to expect. Home to Africa tours and Karim in particular were just perfect. Of course, the gorillas are amazing (you may be 6 feet away from them! Be aware, the trek to see them is not easy...be in shape and USE A PORTER!) Everywhere you look, wildlife abounds and this place is a birders paradise. My treks were everything I had hoped for. The accommodations were also very unique and special...and I mean this is a very positive way. I LOVED the variety of accommodations and the attention to detail. Ugandan coffee overlooking the game reserve as elephants walk by...does it get any better? Majestic hills, beautiful lakes where wildlife gather, crested cranes and towering trees surround you. Your dinner, served to you by candlelight many times, is superb. Every day on my safari was unique. You will travel far and wide to see all of Uganda, but it well worth the trek. After 6 days, I still felt there was so much to see and do. Home to Africa tours made my trip so special! They are responsive and are very good at adjusting the schedules if travel plans change suddenly. Ask for KARIM for sure! He is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. Truly, this trip was such a good time and I felt relaxed the entire time.
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Email Yasuyo Tsunemine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome!!!!
Uganda is a wonderful country. This is my fist time to visit Africa. I truly enjoyed time there and would love to visit there again. I highly recommend it!
PT
Email Maria Gameiro | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Must visit.
Uganda is realy the Pearl of África. Safe country, warm people, excelent landscape and wild life. Not very touristic yet.
SE
Email Andreas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla trekking and safari in Uganda
We spent 13 days in Uganda and 3 days in Rwanda doing safari, chimpanzee trekking, gorilla trekking, bird watching and cultural tours and visits, all with the travel agency Home To Africa.
We have previously visited Tanzania for a safari trip. Although the safari parks of Uganda are not of the same vast size as those in Tanzania, the low number of tourists in Uganda made our visit feel like a VIP tour. We spotted many animals, including all of the big five. The Ziwa rhino sanctuary is currently working on reintroducing white rhino to the national parks of Uganda. Here we got to get up-close on foot with a number of rhinos.
Our driver and guide Sam was extremely knowledgeable about the parks we visited and the animals living there. He also told us a lot about the history of Uganda and the culture of people living in different parts of the country. We had a great time together, and we really felt that he did his very best to give us an unforgettable holiday.
The highlight of the trip was the gorilla trekking in Bwindi NP. It was an amazing experience visiting a gorilla family in their natural habitat. We got to spend one hour watching them eat and interact with each other, before we had to head back to the civilization.
Uganda is also a great travel destination for birding. We photographed a number of exotic birds during our visit.
We were positively surprised by the quality of the food, which was excellent at all hotels we stayed at. We enjoyed a mix of local dishes and traditional tourist dishes. The hotels that Home To Africa recomended were all amazing boutique inspirerande lodges.
Overall, we are very happy with our trip and we recommend Uganda as an excellent travel destination off the beaten track. Home To Africa made it possible for us to see different aspects of this beautiful country!
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Email Brian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best trip of our lives
Our 12 day trip with Home to Africa was the best travel experience we have ever had. The trip planning with Elias was extremely efficient and he was quick and helpful with his responses. We were able to tailor our trip exactly as we wanted, including varying times of arrival and adding in a fishing trip for a couple of us. We originally planned a trip for 7 but 2 people had to cancel 30 days before and they were refunded appropriately according to the refund policy. The accommodations were fantastic but I should note that we upgraded them from the base accommodations (for a very reasonable price difference). In particular we really enjoyed the Marafiki Lodge, Arcadia Lodge, Isunga Lodge, and the 2 Friends Beach Hotel. We used a pop-up van which was very comfortable for 5 guests plus our driver and made it through some pretty rough roads without difficulty. Our guide, Derrick, was absolutely awesome. He fit in great with our group and we always wanted him to join us for meals and drinks so we could hang out more. He went above and beyond to help us try foods and pick up souvenirs that weren't readily available. When we stopped in crowded areas or were shopping he was always there acting in our best interest and looking out for us. Can't recommend him enough. The wildlife was fantastic. We had great experiences with the chimp trekking, where they sat on the ground with us for the entire hour, the gorilla trekking, and with the shoebill stork sighting. We also were able to get much closer to much of the wildlife than we expected and got some awesome photos. Our only disappointment was not seeing the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha but they had just done some burning there and the lions probably moved away for a short period of time. Certainly not the fault of the company. The food on the trip was way beyond what we expected. Every meal was fantastic, usually with multiple courses for dinner, and reasonably priced alcohol at the lodges. Considering how remote the lodges were, we were very surprised by how good and varied the food choices were. Staff at the lodges were all fantastic and with a much higher level of service than just about anywhere else we have traveled. One last piece of advice- make sure you stay at Arcadia Lodge on Lake Bunyonyi. I did not think there would be much of interest at the lake and almost wanted to cut it out of the itinerary but it ended up being one of the most mesmerizing views I have ever seen. But the beauty of the lake can only really be appreciated from the top of the mountain where Arcadia Lodge is located. Definitely worth the upgrade. I really can't say enough about our experience with Home to Africa. Everything was way beyond our expectations and for a very reasonable price compared to what many companies are offering.
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Email Ray Khan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Can't wait to go AGAIN!
We loved Uganda ... we were picked up from our hotel in Kigali and seamlessly transferred into Uganda. Obviously the Gorilla trekking was by far the most amazing thing. But we were lucky enough to see the Green-Breasted Pitta, a Leopard, etc etc. The people in Uganda are just terrific and Xerox might be the best breakfast food/snack ever. The only downside was the A/C (and therefore the comfort) of the vehicle - specially because the roads in Uganda are probably the worst among the 65+ countries I have been to.
My advice is to get online - and book your adventure to Uganda NOW.
IL
Email Shlomit | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We had a wonderful trip to Uganda, a beautiful country
We had a 12 day trip to Uganda with Gorilla Link Tours. Uganda has beautiful green scenery, quite different from other African countries we visited. The wildlife is unique as well, due to the presence of gorillas and chimpanzees, although other wildlife was also abundant and beautiful. The roads are quite bad, maintenance missing to make them even decent dirt roads. We recommend to take a jeep if possible since the safary vans are not so comfortable. The accomodations were all fine. Our guide, Mike, was very good and narrated Uganda to us, making also the long drives on bad roads part of the experience. The highlight of the trip was gorrila tracking in Bwindi impenetrable forest. We got very close to 4 gorrilas (silverback, female, a 2 year old and a 2 month old) and spent 1 hour with them, an outstanding experience. The hike to the gorillas is difficult, up hill off trail in a dense, damp forest. In our case the 1.5 hours to reach the gorillas were a good part of the experience, but glad it was not much longer. We recommend very highly hiring a porter. They are really helpful in the difficult parts of the hike, which people tend to underestimate before going. It also provides economic incentive for supporting conservation by the local, very poor, communities.
CH
Email Sarino Pascale | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Stunning!
We booked a 10-day safari in Uganda with Crystal Safari - and were not disappointed: Joseph, our daily guide, guide & driver was nice, funny, knew a lot to talk about & was always punctual (even too early in part).
He also responded to spontaneous special requests, which was great to see more of the local life.
The car and accommodations were great - especially the accommodations were excellent, from free laundry service, to food, hand massage etc.
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