We'd rather take your smile to the bank!
Lush Africa Safaris
- Offices In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
The Best Trip You’ll Ever Have
The front office’s customer service was great, our local guides’ knowledge and skills in the field were impeccable, and the whole travel experience was excellent. I fully recommend Lush Africa Safaris especially if you’re looking to combine a number of countries. And I don’t know if you can hand-pick guides but Derrick in Uganda and Rwanda is impressive, Peter in Kenya is a champion and Joseph in Tanzania is heaven-sent. We couldn’t have been luckier to get three of the best!
I spent 18 days in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania with 5 other friends and we had a blast, felt safe, taken care of and we saw many amazing things. We never wanted the trip to end because we were having a lot of fun, learning from the best Africa has to offer. As a lifelong Arizonan, the African sun was never a problem for me, but I must tell you the gorilla place Bwindi can get really cold at night, as if it has its own winter system. We were so lucky we saw the big 5 plus the chimpanzees, gorillas, lots of primates and the boat ride in Queen Elizabeth park is quite a highlight. We chose gorilla habituation over the standard tracking because we wanted to stay longer with the gorillas. I saw my favorite animal, the cheetah, in Masai Mara and Serengeti. At that point, my safari was completed. But we also saw many giraffes, lions, black & white colobus - another of my favorites, leopards, crocodile, many hippos in Uganda, rhinos in Kenya, we even saw a honey badger tussling with a pair of jackals in Ngorongoro.
Our trip began in Entebbe and ended in Kilimanjaro. The airport transfers were handled expertly by Lush. Their prices are fair, and they got us very nice midrange accommodations everywhere.
Email Lanna Wing | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Accommodating and Professional
We booked a trip from Entebbe to Bwindi for a Gorilla Trek as part of our 25th Anniversary. Steven, our driver was on time and professional throughout the entire trip. We also kept him as our driver for a week after for a Mission part of our trip in Busia. I can not say enough good things about how safe Steven made us feel and how accommodating both Abbey and Steven were for our entire time in Uganda. Communication was easy and we felt like valued customers. We will be traveling back to Uganda in January with a group of 7 and will re-book with Lush Africa Safaris' without hesitation. The service and value are top notch!
TW
Email Angry Traveler | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bad and dangerous experience
Bad and Dangerous Experience
- Lush didn’t book our flights between Rwanda and Kenya. They had to change our itinerary last minute while we are in the forest.
- We almost couldn’t go gorilla trekking because they messed up our reservation with the national park.
- Dangerous driving in the mountains at night. No AC no seatbelts in the cars.
- Communicating with them was a nightmare
不要訂快跑！
Email MIHAELA | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Amazing trip
I had a great trip in Uganda and Rwanda. It was all done by road. Even though the roads are not the best in Uganda everything went according to plan. The distances are not that long but as the roads are not very good you need patience, it is Africa not Europe. The guides were very good, especially Steven my guide in Uganda. He knew the roads very well and planned the transfers from one lodge to the next very well. He was very flexible also in terms of activities. I would fully recommend Lush Africa Safaris for your holiday. As there are many lodges to choose from both in Uganda and Rwanda to avoid disappointment I would suggest you let Abbey know what you are looking for in terms of size and remoteness of lodges. Some are very big others only have up to 10 rooms. Also if you want less tourists consider travelling at the end of the rainy season.
Email Paul Fulcher | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great overall experience and an amazing trip.
We really enjoyed our time and overall experience with Lush Africa Safaris. We did a 12-day Rwanda/Uganda Trek to see the Mountain Gorillas (Uganda) and Golden Monkeys (Rwanda) followed by a Safari in Nairobi National Park --> Maasai Mara --> Serengeti --> Ngorongoro Crater --> Amboseli. The only thing is I wish we would've added just one more day onto Serengeti, but the overall trip was amazing. Our guides Yves, Julius and Daniel were amazing. We got all of the Big 5, entire Prides of Lions, Kilimanjaro views one morning, and true upclose and amazing experiences with the gorillas and monkeys. We did the Hot Air Balloon in northern Serengeti (well worth it).
Also -- don't get too hung up on bringing a camera -- we used our iPhone / Samsung Galaxy and the pics were AMAZING. Didn't use our camera at all actually.
Email Spencer Coleman | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top tier
I started looking at various tour operators about a year ago but was constantly running into the issue of not being able to do everything I wanted with one operator. I had just about given up when I found Lush African Safaris. Abbey was able to organize a trip that had every destination and activity (some less common than others) I was looking for, without going outside of my budget. We went back and forth for a couple of weeks discussing locations and accommodations before we built the perfect adventure. Can’t thank Abbey enough for all of the time he spent on this.
Fast forward several months and I arrive in Kigali and meet Yves. He was kind, punctual and knowledgeable on every topic I could think of asking about. He was also able to fit a few activities that I wanted to do but weren’t discussed prior to my arrival to Rwanda. Once we got to the lodge Yves was also able to negotiate a larger room with a better view and a balcony without any extra charge. I can’t recommend Yves enough.
Next up, I fly to Nairobi and meet my Kenya guide, Jackson. He is a super cool dude who waited without complaint an extra few hours outside of the airport for me while the airline looked for the walking stick I used while gorilla trekking in Rwanda. The airline wasn’t able to find the walking stick (they did after we left- so we went back later on). Upon finding out that they lost my walking stick, Jackson gifted me his- very cool, I know. He was able to accommodate everything that I wanted to do (including a request he had never been asked before). Jackson loves animals so he wanted to see everything at least as much as I did which meant he was willing to stay in the park from opening to close and never tried to waste any time. At the lodges I would regularly speak to others that were on safari that had only seen 1/10th of what I had.
Last but certainly not least, I meet my Tanzania guide Lordlugard or Lordie for short. Lordie is basically a scientist working as a guide who could tell me the binomial nomenclature for just about everything we encountered. We talked a lot about animal behavior and it didn’t take long to see the value in this. We would do things like go to the opposite side as other safari vehicles of a rock outcrop and at first not be able to see anything but suddenly we’d have the best seat in the house as the lion or leopard moved right in front of us for a better view of its surroundings. Lordie was also happy to stay in the park from opening to close which was exactly what I wanted.
A safari is only as good as your guides and all 3 of mine exceeded all expectations and left me thankful for the adventure of a lifetime!
Email Tina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Avoid Lush Africa Safaris – Poor Management, Broken Promises, and Unsafe Vehicles
I do not recommend Lush Africa Safaris. Abbey, the owner, was terrible about communication unless it involved asking for more money. He would outright lie, claiming things were booked when they weren’t, and failed to follow through on commitments and providing pertinent information. I had to repeatedly remind him about details, and his last-minute scrambling caused us significant stress and lost sleep.
The vehicle we were given in Uganda was awful—not a “luxury” vehicle at all. The seatbelts, AC, cooler, and even the armrest didn’t work. On our very first day, before we had even started the safari, we got a flat tire on the highway. Then, two days in a row, we had a dead battery, which nearly caused us to miss our chimp trekking. We lost hours dealing with these issues and waiting for a replacement vehicle. When I raised these concerns with Abbey, he dismissed them with a simple “sorry to hear about your situation with the vehicle.” This is HIS company, and according to one of our guides, he owns the vehicles. He knew—or should have known—that what he provided was neither the luxury safari vehicle he promised nor even a safe vehicle for such a trip.
He also didn’t book our flight from Kigali to Nairobi until just 36 hours before departure, despite assuring me it had been booked more than two months earlier. This caused us to have to change our itinerary at the last minute as he didn’t put us on the flight he told me we would be on. On top of that, he forgot to book our hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti—even though it had been paid for nearly a year in advance.
The one positive: the tour guides themselves were excellent, especially Derrick in Uganda. He was outstanding, and I truly hope he finds another company to work for—he’s far too good to be tied to someone who caused as much stress and disappointment as Abbey did.
CA
Email Olga | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication, easy to book, amazing guides!
We had the trip of a lifetime with Lush Safari. From the very first email, Abbey made the planning simple and safe, customizing our itinerary and always responding quickly.
In Kenya, our guide Peter felt like family — patient, kind, and always finding the best views, from lions by the road to the Great Migration crossing. In Tanzania, Patson shared his 16 years of experience with us, driving safely, spotting incredible wildlife, and telling great stories. Thanks to him, we’ll never forget the elephants less than a meter from our car and hundred of baboons passing our vehicles.
Every day was unforgettable — from luxury camps to rustic tents, from lion cubs to endless herds of wildebeest. If you’re considering a safari, book with Lush Safari and ask for Abbey, Peter, and Patson. They made our dream trip a reality.
P.S. if you booked any extra services like Ngorongoro crater walk, for example, make sure to confirm with your guide
MX
Email Lucas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Delivered above & beyond!! Gorillas a MUST see!!!
When I started looking for an African operator I was a bit nervous and went by the reviews so I hope this one can help others.
Whatever I can say of Lush Arican Safaris will come short. I had the best experience posible with them. I'll break it down.
Communications: Back and forth with Abbey was always smooth, clear and most importantly quick. Either by email or WhatsApp, he was always reachable and answered back. You can feel he knows every trip is special and treats it that way, very personal and warm. From the first quote, to the very last day and even beyond (they helped us recover my daughter's AirPods and took them to our hotel in Nairobi, thank you Flouzine and Jackson!) So I can say that they are TOTALLY RELIABLE.
Value for money: obviously African safaris are a bit on the expensive side but every dolar we payed was totally worth it. The experiences we had were unbelievable and once in a lifetime. They even upgraded us in a couple of hotels and lodges.
Service in Africa: This is also something that was just perfect and I might come short on my praises. The whole team is very profesional. The guide/drivers we were assigned in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania were just the best! They really know what they're doing and not only they treat you great, but they put us once and again in the best spots to enjoy the different sights and spectacles. Specially Derrick in Uganda and Joseph in Tanzania were not only real pros, but I can definitely say that we struck real friendships with them.
Finally, we took a12-Day Great Migration & Great Apes Safari (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). I might say that if either because of time or budget concerns you are deciding whether or not to visit the Gorilas in Uganda, it is a no brainer GO SEE THE GORILLAS. This was definitely the highlight of our whole trip, really something words can't describe and an experience that will forever remain in our minds.
Email Jeff & Irene Wilkins | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lush Safari delivered a wonderful primate trekking experience in Rwanda & Uganda.
We did a 10 day primate trekking safari in Rwanda and Uganda. A few of the highlights:
We started in Kigali. The first stop was golden monkey viewing in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. The mountainous terrain and fertile soil was stunning.
We visited Bwindi for gorilla trekking. It was simply amazing to spend an hour watching and observing them up close (literally feet away). We also visited a village neighboring Bwindi. We loved meeting the children and seeing their school. We were greeted by one of the men in the tribe and one of the oldest residence. They showed us their homes and way of cooking. They performed traditional music and dance.
Queen Elizabeth National Park provided a big five experience. We also spent an afternoon on the channel between Lake George and Lake Edward. It offered great hippo, elephant, crocodile, water monitor and bird viewing.
Kibale National Park provided an up close and (too) personal view of chimpanzees. It was probably the wildlife highlight of the trip.
A tour is only as good as its guide. Our guide Derrick was wonderful. He ensured that the trip ran smoothly and comfortably. He is very knowledgeable and a wealth of information. On more than one occasion, Derrick altered the itinerary to accommodate weather impacts so all activities were completed.
Finally, here are some impressions on Rwanda and Uganda. Uganda is called the 'Pearl of Africa'. A visit will make clear why. The landscapes are stunning and the people are very, very friendly. The soil is so rich that everything grows in abundance. After our tour, Derrick dropped us in Jinja. We highly recommend spending some time here touring Lake Victoria and the Nile before returning home.