Reviews
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Email Tamara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A meadly of Wonders
It was a pleasure to go on Safari with Cheetah. All around it has been a great trip. The organisation before was very good an flexible and they adapted the program as it fits for us the most. The accomondations were chosen very well and we had a great time. Rooms and food was always very good. Apart from this our driver Robert and all the other people were very friendly and cared about us very well. Thank you for showing us the Pearl of Africa!
UA
Email Andreas Wenninger | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Uganda!
After more than one year of preparation and organisation of this unique trip with Cheetah Safari Uganda and my friend Robert Ntale we started on New Year´s Day 2019 from Vienna to Dubai and arrived on January 2nd in Entebbe which we decided to be our first overnight base in Uganda. John Mwesigwa was our personal guide and driver for these remarkable days through Uganda and to Kigali, where we took my wife to the airport after the first week of travelling. Thanks to the organizers we could plan our very special trip individually. It was our first holyday without our 4 year old son, who stayed with his grandparents in Vienna meanwhile. And we got a WIFI-router in the car to stay connected the whole trip with our family in Vienna. Big thanks to John! He was a great help for us from early morning till late evening and he never seemed to be tired.
Facing a tight schedule of game drives and cultural program we started the same day with visiting a dancing performance at the Ndere Centre for Development Theatre, which was constructed by a grant from the Austrian Development Agency. We experienced an amazing evening at the open air performance with dancers and music of different parts of the country, which was a warm welcome and pleasant introduction into culture, people and country.
The next six days passed in a flash. Places like Bigodi village, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kisoro and Mgahinga National Park where our destinations in this first week. - A lot of highlights in this short time. A challenge for photographers, but fortunately with enough batteries and suitable adapters packed. John stopped our car, wherever I asked him to, to take some pictures or to buy some souvenirs our fruits. On the first day traffic seemed to be a little bit dangerous because of a lot of bodabodas and local manners of driving, but the roads where in excellent condition most of our driving route.
Bigodi village is situated in the highlands of western Uganda, in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains, the famous “Mountains of the Moon”. This community is located about 40 kilometres outside of of Fort Portal, that we passed coming from the East and at the borders of Kibale National Park. In Bigodi we learned how handcrafts and baskets are made, coffee is roasted, Matoke – a typical local food - is prepared and Gin is made out of bananas.
Winston Churchill was absolutely right: “For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life — bird, insect, reptile, beast — for vast scale — Uganda is truly “the Pearl of Africa.” Yes, it is a pearl! From morning till evening we could we were astonished about flora and fauna of this beautiful and picturesque country. The beauty of flowers, trees, birds, even the geckos I met in one of my lodges were fascinating. Absolutely highlights were our booked tours of Chimpanzee-tracking in Kibale Forest and Gorilla-tracking Mgahinga National Park. In Kibale Forest it was our guide Jeniffer Nsabe who took us successfully after a two hours walk to a big family of chimps guzzling and munching on high fig tree in the forest. We took amazing pictures, also when they climbed down with their babies.
In Mgahinga National Park we started early morning to get up to base for Gorilla-tracking, what seemed to be a little bit exhausting for me. I asked a porter for help with my photo-equipment and water bottles, not knowing that even after another hour of walking through the bush we should meet a Gorilla family with three silverbacks and a couple of juveniles sunbathing on glade. We took fantastic photographs with a picturesque background of Virunga Mountains. Pictures we won´t forget our whole life! And as the oldest guy in our group I got a certificate as the “Sliverback of the Day”!
The boat cruise on Kazinga Channel will be also unforgettable for us. I never saw such a huge amount of different birds and animals so close on one place. Only at home, when I checked all my photographs of water birds, I recognized some Nile monitors in the background of my pictures. Different Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters, Cranes, Crowned Plovers, Common Sandpipers, Grey Herons, Great Cormorants and hundreds and hundreds of birds. And of course hippos, elephants, buffalos, crocodiles and antelopes came down to or into the water of Kazinga Channel.
After a one day break in Kigali in Rwanda, visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial and taking my wife to the airport, we continued our trip in Uganda at Buynonyi Lake, visiting the pygmies-village, a school and a medicine man. Most impressive were two things to me: firstly the view down onto the lake from my Acadia-Lodge. It was so fascinating that I did not want to leave my lodge for breakfast. I cannot remember happening that before. Secondly the people on the islands we met. I took a lot of great portraits especially of children playing. People were so kind and beautiful everywhere we came.
On the road we took a lot of great pictures. We crossed twice the Equator, we stopped at some colourful markets, coffee and tea plantations, a drum maker and souvenir shops, were we could buy tasty Ugandan coffee and some beautiful handcrafts and textiles for friends at home.
Another three highlights of the second part of the trip were the Lake Mburo National Park, the Rhino-tracking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and my stay at the Nile River and the trip to the Murchison Falls and through the Murchison National Park. Also a huge number of animals and the first time I saw a lioness chasing an antelope and catching its prey. Kampala, the capital itself was a one-day-stop including a visit of the huge Gaddafi-National-Mosque, which was donated by Muamar al Gaddafi and opened in year 2007 officially.
Last but not least I want to recommend two sights in Entebbe which I visited on my last day of my stay: The Botanical Garden and the Wild Life Education Centre. - Both worth seeing and not far from the airport.
Retrospectively time in Uganda was too short for me and I have to come again soon. Of course highlights will be different: Golden Monkey tracking and the lions climbing up the trees will be a must for next time. And I will focus on the big variety of birds, which was really fascinating. To do the Ruwenzori Volcanoes would be great, but depends on my physical condition. And I would like to spend more time among people of Uganda. They were hospitable, friendly and beautiful!
Big thanks to Cheetah Safaris Uganda, Robert Ntale and his wife Jaquiline Mutesi, to John Mwesigwa and all our guides and rangers who made this trip possible for us!
Andreas and Hilla
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Email Papa Michael | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Trip, Unique Experience
Very personal treatment, aĺl our special wishes were fulfilled.
Perfect organization - everything worked out fine.
Great experience with the primates and on our safari.
Interesting adventures and fun.
We found new friends in Uganda.
Thank you - see you again !
Email Laurent | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful trip, friendly atmosphere and professional organisation!
Every time we contacted Cheetah Safari Tours, they replied very quickly and professionally. The programme of our trip (8 days in western Uganda with 2 children) was tailored exactly to our wishes, and everything happened just as planned. Our driver and guide Sam was very friendly, knowledgeable about the Ugandan culture as well as about the fauna and flora we met. Excellent driver, and excellent at spotting animals during the game drives!
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Email Franz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Uganda!
A wonderfull trip to this beautifull Country.
We saw a lot of wild animals, a lovely landscape,
lakes, waterfalls and the Nile!
The Organisation, the accomodationes and
the Food were perfect.
Thank you Robert for this nice days in your Country!
Franz.
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Email Fritz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice country
It was a nice tour where we saw many animals such as lions, rhinos, elephants, hippos, buffaloes, zebras, antelopes and many birds.
The highlights were chimp and gorilla trekking.
Allover the journey we had an excellent Guide, Mr. Robert.
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Email Ruth | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best trip ever - an amazing time in Uganda with Cheetah Safaris!!!!!
We spent two weeks in Uganda and it was an amazing trip - planned, organised by Robert and Jacqueline and accompanied by Robert as our guide and driver. Starting with the first contact everything worked perfectly well - the program and the price - we got all information in time and our plans were fulfilled.
We stayed in very nice lodges - nice and clean rooms, very good food- and Robert fascinated us with his knowledge about Uganda in general and in particular the wildlife and nature of the parks.
At the moment we are planning our next trip to africa - certainly with Cheetah Safaris again!
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Email Gerald Wurm | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We have been several times in africa before, but with Robert Ntale it was the best of all!
The tour was perfect planed and carried out. Robert organised wonderful lodges with delicious food. He is an extreme friendly man with much experience and acknowledge. He is a very good and save Driver! It was our second time in Uganda, but this tour was much better than the first. We saw all what we had expected, the landscape, people and animals .And last but not least wen had a very relaxing and funny tour.
We can recommend this Company by 100%!!
DK
Email Lone Raundahl | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Brilliant service from the moment you make the reservation until you are home from your holiday :-)
Robert did make a perfect programme planned out from our wishes. And he gave us the best driver/guide we have ever had - John.
I always got a very quick reply from Robert and from the very first moment I knew that I could rely on him. Very proffesionel.
I can only recommend Cheetad Safaris Uganda.
A visit to Uganda will affect your mind and heart and will put your life into another perspective
NL
Email Albert en Lineke | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Relaxed Uganda experience.
We had a wonderfull trip during 3 weeks through Uganda with Robert. He organized a trip according our wishes and budget. From the beginning of our booking he responded quick at our e-mails. No questions was to much. During the trip Robert unfold as an excellent driver, good spotter for wild annimals and birds. He can tell you a lot about nature and culture of Uganda. Robert is Nice company to travel with. Next time we travel to east Africa we will ask Cheetah Safaris to organize our trip again.