Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours

4.6/5 – 14 Reviews

$501 pp (USD)

2 travelers   on   Start date
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Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours Specialists

Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours Specialists

Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours

4.6/5  
(14 Reviews)
Office In:
Uganda Uganda
Size:
1-5 employees (Founded in 2023)
Member Of:
USAGA, UTB & UWA
Tour Types:
Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
Destinations:
Kenya KE
Rwanda RW
Tanzania TZ
Uganda UG
Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours Specialists

Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours Specialists

Based on our experience and passion for the Safari industry, we believe that travelers have different taste and feel, so we customize our Safaris and tours in East Africa to suit your requirements and interests that’s to say you choose your time frame, where you want to go, where you want to stay overnights, and Our Specialized Tour Consultants will custom design an itinerary (a day by day program ) to suit your specific style, interests and budget as well.

Reviews14

AVOID - they ruined our holiday!!
1/5

Highly unprofessional agency with aggresive and impolite customer rep. He was only nice by the time I confirmed booking and paid for gorilla permits online. Later the catastrophe started.
Our tour was: Kigali-Akagera (2nights/3days) - Lake Bunyonyi (1night) - gorilla trekking in Bwindi (1night) - back to Kigali

They overcharge and do not stick to agreements and arangements. I asked few times for final price and inclusions&exclusions because I realize we could be scammed.

Final Price:
The final price for this safari adventure is $1898 per person. This price includes all the inclusions mentioned in the itinerary, including gorilla trekking permits, park entrance fees, game drives, and more.

The final offer excluded :
1. Accommodations in Akagera and Lake Bunyonyi
2. International flights
3. Tips
4. Personal items
5. Government-imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
6. Soft drinks

So other things and fees were included as agreed. It looked similarly in other agencies I dealt with. Here it turned out that they forgot about $80!! processing fee. All companies I talked to included fees in the final price (sometimes they charged even 150USD !!) but SEMU was different in the end (probably scam to get more money). They forgot to exclude it and wanted us to pay although it should be already in the price. So be ready for surprises and as a result aggresive staff who cannot admit to make mistake and apologize for it!

Unfortunately it was not the only surprise. During our tour :
- day 1 – our evening safari was planned for 2,5h but lasted only 50minutes where 30 minutes took the way to hotel, so effectively safari lasted 20 minutes instead of 2,5 hour included in the Plan. I immediately complained and got no answer. No sorry or refund or provide other activity.
- day 4 – company was bullying at me from early morning, all the time calls on whatsapp, I could not relax at Lake Bunyonyi. If you are looking for aggresive and impolite customer rep, this is the place ! He started to threaten us and I was really scary if the tour will get to the end or maybe we will have to look for transport to get back to Kigali. If you look for these kinds of challenges when you pay $$$$$ SEMU is definitely good call :)
Moreover our Plan included - Activities in Lake Bunyonyi:
- Bird watching
- Swimming
- Visit a local market
- Hikes
- Village visits

Except bird watching during boat tour nothing was provided. We did not visit local market or hiked. Boat tour lasted 2h and it was the only activity.
- day 5 – creme de la creme :) I found out that we are making troubles at lodge booked and arranged by SEMU because.... we asked for price of lodge!! although we had not asked anyone from the lodge. I asked driver and lodge staff for clarification and no one could help. The only price we asked was of beer (btw it costs 8k UGX). Customer rep offended me many times and was inventing stories that did not take place.
Moverover our plan included :
Day 5:
- Gorilla trekking
- Tea plantation experience (if time allows)
And when I asked for tea experince it turned out it is just stop by the road and look at tea leaves, if we want to visit plantation we need to pay extra $25 per person.
- overpriced hotels offered by SEMU – SEMU loves charging hefty fees for arranging even lodge :) full customer friendly attitude. Fees are 40-100 USD per night :)
Their offer :
For Lake Bunyonyi, we'd be happy to recommend some accommodations for you. Here are a few options:

1. BirdNest Resort Lake Bunyonyi: $190 per night (Double/Twin room) on a bed and breakfast basis. Meals like lunch and dinner would be an additional $40 per person. - booking directly is $120
2. Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort: $200 per night on a full-board basis (lunch, dinner, and breakfast) – booking directly is $155 full board,
3. Arcadia Lake Bunyonyi: $300 per night on a full-board basis (lunch, dinner, and breakfast). – price $230

- last thing - data protection - they do not care about your personal data! They sent me data of other customers to prove they charge extra fees!! If you really like you data to be spread widely in Africa do not hesitate to book with SEMU Gorilla. Problems are guaranteed!!
Also they took picture of us without our consent for compercial use!!

They charged us over 1000USD just for service and offended us, threaten us, were aggresive and impolite and did not allow you to enjoy our holidays.
THEY JUST RUINED OUR HOLIDAYS!!! I cried few times and wanted to end this tour as soon as possible because I did not feel safe and secure. I was afraid they will leave us somewhere on the road.

Definitely when you pay so much money and want to have unforgettable memories the service should be at least fine. Here your experience will be unforgetable but not in the way you expect it !

Semu Gorila Safaris
5/5

It was a great experience in Africa, the trip was personalized, I was the only tourist, my guide was very kind, smiling and patient, I value your great experience and knowledge, took me to various places of interest, was very punctual and contributed to making my experience unforgettable. Although it was a few days, I managed to see Girafas, Lions, Elephants, Panthers, monkeys and other animals in their inhabitants, many of them through binoculars as in the park they do not walk very close to humans.

Jimmy was an amazing and wonderful guide!
5/5

We loved our trip. We did a 3 day safari in Murchison and then decided to do the Gorilla trekking. We visited the Rhinos and saw many animals in the Park. Put accommodations were amazing. Our guide (Jimmy) was very knowledgeable on everything. We were able to see the Gorillas after a short walk off of the road, which was very helpful due to some physical limitations that we had. We were so impressed and he made sure we had the most excellent accommodations and a lovely time which we did. I would highly recommend Semu Safari.

Very good!
5/5

We travelled to Rwanda and Uganda in september 2024. We booked a trip with Semu Gorilla Safari and Tours. We were on a trip for 21 days.

We wanted to have a specific travel route. Not the standard route and Semu Gorilla Safari and Tours helped us to create our best experience ever! They were so helpfull and kind! The communication with Edison was excellent from the beginning till the end. He made sure that we would have an amazing time in the beautifull coutries of Rwanda and Uganda.

We also had an amazing guide and driver. His name is Jimmy. He made sure we would see everything we wanted. Jimmy is a very kind man with a lot of humor. He had so many stories about the country, the culture, the people of Rwanda and Uganda and the animals. He made sure all our wishes came true.

Rwanda and Uganda is a must see for everyone. The people are very kind and helpfull. We have seen a lot of different types of animals in different area's. The nature of Rwanda and Uganda is very beautifull and breathtaking.

We could not make a list of our most beautifull experiences in Rwanda and Uganda, because every experience had his beauty in a different kind of way.

We totally recommend to book your trip to Rwanda and Uganda. And don't forget to book it with Semu Gorilla Safari and Tours. You will not regret it!

Lots of love,

Davey and Minou

Semu has a very good guide in Jimmy!!!
4/5

Had a two day tour out of Kigali (Rwanda) to Uganda to see the gorillas! Guide Jimmy Mukasa did a very good job in driving, in explaining about Rwanda, Uganda and the region (their wildlife, nature, economy and their history) and in telling all kinds of stories about the things we encountered. Very cheerful guy! I wholeheartedly can recommend him!

Other Safaris & Tours12  – Offered by Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours

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Disclaimer

  • This tour is offered by Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours, not SafariBookings.
  • This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
  • If you request changes to this tour, the advertised rates will likely change.
  • The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
  • If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
  • This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours.