Joseph,Our seniorguide always ready to welcome you
Crystal Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 1996)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, ASTA, APTA, AUTO, SKAL, UTB & UTO
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $77 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Sheila | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Safari in Uganda and Kenya
We booked a one night gorilla safari to Bwindi National Park from Uganda with Crystal Safaris. Absolutely incredible. Barbara was very responsive in communication. Everything was exactly as promised. Ivan picked us up on time in Kigali, he was a very safe driver and very knowledgeable guide. The Gorilla Safari Lodge was beautiful with excellent food. Cottage was very nice, clean, and comfortable beds. Good internet in reception area. Great massage, interesting visit to the village. The trek to see the gorillas was incredible!!! Wish we could have stayed longer.
We also booked a 7 night safari in Kenya on very short notice after our safari with another company had been cancelled. I did not realize when I made original booking that Crystal Safaris also would organize a safari in Kenya. I contacted Barbara and she responded immediately and worked very hard to put together a safari at the last minute within our budget. Our guide, Johnson, was waiting for us at the airport upon our late arrival and drove us to our hotel in Nairobi for our first night. Johnson was an incredible guide. He was a safe driver, extremely knowledgeable, always on time and very flexible to make sure that we were happy with our safari. He made sure that we saw the "Big Five" along with much more wildlife and the Wildebeest migration. We visited Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, and Lake Naivasha. Two of the lodges were incredible - AA Lodge Amboseli and Naivasha Kongoni Lodge. Absolutely beautiful. The other two were average - Jarika County Lodge and Mara-Aardvark Lodge but we were on a limited budget. We were actually pleasantly surprised with our upscale accommodations at Amboseli and Naivasha. I would highly recommend this company and also feel confident that no one would be disappointed with Ivan or Johnson. An excellent guide is the key to a great safari and both Ivan and Johnson went above and beyond!
Email D/M Leadbeater | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The BEST Ugandan honeymoon with the BEST Safari Guide!
The number one most important thing about any safari is your safari guide - when my husband and I booked our honeymoon to Uganda with Crystal Safaris we did not realise just how lucky we would get - Hannington - our safari guide went above and beyond to make our honeymoon the most special time of our lives! He was extremely knowledgeable, professional and as a well respected tour guide - he had great connections - meaning we were able to see even the most rarest of animals during our game drives. Crystal Safaris and Hannington ensured each lodge we stayed in were aware it was our honeymoon and we were never disappointed - we had cakes made especially for us at each lodge, a traditional Ugandan song dedicated and sang for us by the staff at Gorilla Safari Lodge in Bwindi (also owned by Crystal Safaris!) and a private candlelit dinner outside our lodge overlooking the lake at Crater Safari Lodge (also owned by Crystal Safaris!). In terms of our safari, we saw all the animals we could have wished for - Elephants, Giraffes, Lions, Leopards, Buffalo (many types), Antelopes (many types) and a huge variety of incredible birds (including the rare national bird of Uganda!!). In addition to all of this, Crystal Safari organised our Chimpanzee and Gorilla trekking experiences - both of which were once in a life time experiences. We really were very happy with our safari and most of all with meeting Hannington and having him as our tour guide and driver as we feel we have a safari guide for life! Hannington is an exceptional tour guide and I would highly recommend asking for him specifically when booking through Crystal Safaris - he is always high spirited (even after an 8+ hour drive!), makes great conversation ensuring you learn not only about the animals but also about what life is really like in Uganda and really cares for you during your holiday, we were very lucky to have had him as our guide for our honeymoon!!
MX
Email Sabina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excelent Guiding true Beautifull Uganda
We had a great time on our Gorila experience, you can not get wrong with this company, make sure you request a Joseph Chiwa as your guide and you will have a terrific time!
CA
Email Cynthia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very Good experience
We were 4 adults for our trip in uganda. Our guide was Hannington. I really recomand this guide and the compagny crystal safaris. We had a nice stay in the gorilla safari lodge. The hike with the Gorillas was unique. We will keep very good memories if this trip.
Hannington was very polite, calm and I felt like he wanted us to have the best trip possible.
Thank you
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Email Sharon | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic guide perfect for gorilla and chimp tour
Our guide, William, was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information about the people and culture in addition to the wildlife. We did the 5 day gorilla habituation and chimp trekking. The drives between the parks were very long (the first one, advertised as 9 hours, took us 12), but having a fantastic guide made them enjoyable. We were able to pass through many towns and villages and get a feel for life in Uganda. My mom needed to make frequent stops, and William accommodated us and was very kind and helpful to my mom (he called her "Mama" the whole time). One tip: I brought a mini bluetooth speaker which we used during the drives as the vehicles have no radios.
CA
Email Tony | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip! Beautiful Country
My wife and I just returned from a 12 day tour in Uganda with Crystal Safaris. The mid range lodges exceeded our expectations. Our guide was very good, although his english needed some work. The vehicle we had was a few years old, and experienced a major mechanical issue (not surprising given the state of the roads!!). However, a replacement vehicle was delivered later that evening, so the breakdown had very little impact on our trip.
We booked the Chimp Habituation experience, thinking we would spend more time with the chimps -- this was not the case, and we had to alter our itinerary as we booked a chimp tracking the following day which was much better for people having never seen Chimps!!
We stayed at 2 Crystal Safari lodges, and Crater Safari Lodge was beautiful, Gorilla Safari lodge was nice!
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Email Tarak | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best organized tour with wonderful service that resulted in a truly great experience
I wanted to thank you for the most amazing experience on our Gorilla trekking expedition in Uganda. Here are some observations
1. The overall experience was very smooth from booking, to pickup and dropoff. I really appreciated all the help their team provided.
2. The car and guide (Edward) were of the highest quality and made it a memorable trip. Edward is knowledgeable, friendly and was considerate throughout the trip. A truly great experience.
3. The hotels, lodging and food were excellent and exceeded our expectations.
4. Uganda is a beautiful country with some of the prettiest scenery, beautiful green countryside and mountains. I wish I had known about this and I would have gladly spent more time here. Hopefully another time.
5. The gorilla trekking experience was better than even imagined. Even though it is quite strenuous, the time spent with the Gorillas is unforgettable
IT
Email Renato & Marinella | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Adventure
I have just returned from a 10 day safari with Crystal Safaris in Uganda. Barbara, helped me to create my tailor trip that was personalised to my interests She answered to my many questions quickly and she told me whatever I have to know before starting my trip.
Our guide, Jonah, is a very good guide, he told us about all the wildlife we saw, about the areas we were visited and about life in Uganda.
The vehicle we had it was spacious with a pop-up roof that was ideal for game driving.
I stayed at 2 of their lodges The Gorilla Safari Lodge in the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where I went on a gorilla trek, and The Crater Safari Lodge near Kibale National Forest where I went on a Chimpanzee trek . Both lodges are nice, staff has been very kind and nice with us and careful to our necessity.
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Email Drew | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Experience in Africa
Crystal Safaris is amazing - I saw both the mountain gorillas and chimps with them in Feb 2018! This has been by FAR the best experience I've ever had in Africa, and I've been to 15 countries on the continent! The staff is very friendly, and the are very efficient at planning/organizing tours. It was such a great & memorable experience, that I'm already planning my next trip back!
Satisfactory safari provisioning
I chose Crystal Safaris after reading reviews and comparing prices for safaris on this website. They seemed to be solid value for the price, which was the case. I had booked for 3 days to Murchison Falls, then expanded to 6 days. My email interactions with Barbara were fine; she responded quickly with information. However, I wish that more information about the hotels would be included in the package description. I was not prepared for the quality of the room in Paraa Lodge - I expected to have AC and a view, but neither was provided. Knowing more about the hotel prior would have allowed me to manage my expectations, and not be disappointed.
Our driver, George, was very good and attentive to our needs. He did a great job on the game drive to find nearly all animals present in the park - the only one he couldn't find was the leopard, which is not surprising. On our last day with the tour, in Entebbe, George was needed for another tour, so we got a different guide. This guy must have been new to the company, because he did not have quite the same skills and personability as George.
Overall I was satisfied with the tour and would recommend Crystal Safaris.