Water experiment at the Equator -Uganda
Katona Tours & Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 20-50 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- AUTO - Association Of Uganda Tour Operators, UWA - Uganda Wild life Authority & UTB - Uganda Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $70 to $700 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Loni greenspan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable experience that everyone should experience
What an experience. From the first time I started my research into visiting the mountain gorillas to the end of my adventure,, katona tours was outstanding. Jaquka was there answering every question I had before I left the U.S. upon arrival, Richard our guide and now friend, was there to take care of our every need. Answer our many questions . He could find the leopard in the trees, the sleeping lions, and he knew so many of the people in each town that we felt like family everywhere. I loved all the unique lodges that Jaquka suggested,too. Listening to hippos at night at ihamba lodge. Watching the kingfisher birds fish. Elephant moms and their kids along the channel and especially the gentle gorillas I highly recommend this company.
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Email William Morris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime....
From booking to seeing my first gorilla it was an amazing experience. Richard was an excellent driver and guide. Over time he became a friend. I am sure that I was less than fun to drive some days, but he never showed it. The troubles we faced were never his fault and he always dealt with them professionally. He made me feel comfortable and welcomed at all times. Jaclie was great in dealing with my booking and answered all of my question, and thete were a lot! She even called to check how things were along the way. Five star service even on my three star budget.
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Email Brian & Becky Smith | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding 7 Night Gorilla Trek/Chimpanzee Trek/Safari
We took a 7 day Gorilla Trek/Chimpanzee Trek/Safari provided by Katona Tours in May 2014. We were extremely satisfied with the great job done by Katona in planning and conducting our trip. Our trip included Bwindi, Queen Elisabeth NP, Kibale NP, and Murchison Falls NP.
Katona (Jackie in particular) was extremely helpful and responsive to all of our questions. We were nervous about trying to coordinate a trip from the other side of the world, so we had many questions in the months leading up to it. One of the reasons we selected Katona was their quick and thorough answers to our emails and calls. In our planning, we made inquiries with several tour agencies, but Katona was clearly the best in this regard.
We had the same guide (Richard) for the entire week. He was cheerfully waiting at the airport for our late arrival (near midnight), drove us to all of the parks, conducted our game drives, and got us back to the airport in time for our flight. Richard was enthusiastic, friendly, and very focused on making sure we had the best experience/adventure possible. In addition, he provided good advice and interesting information about Uganda. And finally, he did a great job of driving on a lot of rough roads.
The lodges selected for us by Katona had some of the best food and definitely the best service we have had anywhere. By the time our day activities were completed, we were able to relax comfortably and safely. There are detailed lodge reviews for the places we stayed on TripAdvisor.com, which I believe are accurate. Our lodges were Trekkers Tavern (Bwindi), Twin Lakes (Queen Elisabeth), Kibale Forest Camp (Kibale), and Fort Murchison Lodge (Fort Murchison).
Katona was also a great help in compensating for several failures by our airline (Delta/KLM). Delta delivered us to Entebbe 24 hours late and lost one of our bags. Despite our late arrival, Katona was able to make sure we were able to see all of the things we had planned. They were also able to get our bag to us as soon as the airline finally shipped it. This was a very difficult task because we were about a 6 hour drive away from Kampala/Entebbe when the bag arrived. We can’t thank Katona enough for the help.
In summary, we would highly recommend Katona. The primary reasons were the quick and thorough responses when planning the trip, our satisfaction with getting to see everything we wanted, their ability to assist when we had severe airline problems, and our great guide/driver. Uganda is a much different world than where we live, and Katona made sure we had a great adventure.
US
Email Brian & Becky Smith | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Day Gorilla Trek/Chimpanzee Trek/Safari
We took a 7 day Gorilla Trek/Chimpanzee Trek/Safari provided by Katona Tours in May 2014. We were extremely satisfied with the great job done by Katona in planning and conducting our trip. Our trip included Bwindi, Queen Elisabeth NP, Kibale NP, and Murchison Falls NP.
Katona (Jackie in particular) was extremely helpful and responsive to all of our questions. We were nervous about trying to coordinate a trip from the other side of the world, so we had many questions in the months leading up to it. One of the reasons we selected Katona was their quick and thorough answers to our emails and calls. In our planning, we made inquiries with several tour agencies, but Katona was clearly the best in this regard.
We had the same guide (Richard) for the entire week. He was cheerfully waiting at the airport for our late arrival (near midnight), drove us to all of the parks, conducted our game drives, and got us back to the airport in time for our flight. Richard was enthusiastic, friendly, and very focused on making sure we had the best experience/adventure possible. In addition, he provided good advice and interesting information about Uganda. And finally, he did a great job of driving on a lot of rough roads.
The lodges selected for us by Katona had some of the best food and definitely the best service we have had anywhere. By the time our day activities were completed, we were able to relax comfortably and safely. There are detailed lodge reviews for the places we stayed on TripAdvisor.com, which I believe are accurate. Our lodges were Trekkers Tavern (Bwindi), Twin Lakes (Queen Elisabeth), Kibale Forest Camp (Kibale), and Fort Murchison Lodge (Murchison Falls).
Katona was also a great help in compensating for several failures by our airline (Delta/KLM). Delta delivered us to Entebbe 24 hours late and lost one of our bags. Despite our late arrival, Katona was able to make sure we were able to see all of the things we had planned. They were also able to get our bag to us as soon as the airline finally shipped it. This was a very difficult task because we were about a 6 hour drive away from Kampala/Entebbe when the bag arrived. We can’t thank Katona enough for the help.
In summary, we would highly recommend Katona. The primary reasons were the quick and thorough responses when planning the trip, our satisfaction with getting to see everything we wanted, their ability to assist when we had severe airline problems, and our great guide/driver. Uganda is a much different world than where we live, and Katona made sure we had a great adventure.
CZ
Email Jiri Sana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
we got exactly what was agreed
We experienced 11 days travelling with Katona Tours and Travel. Our guide was Richard. We can recommend their services. Our first plan was for 7 days and we were so satisfied, that we extended our trip by another 3 days. Richard was great guide, very helpful and kind. Jackie planned everything as we had required. Having a guided tour is reasonable solution in places like Uganda and Katona is definitely trustworthy choice. Ask for Richard as your guide:-)
Jiri Sana, CZE
Email Julia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Effecient booking, reliable service, excellent driver/guide - would recommend & use them again
Everything went very smoothly and we had an incredible and exciting holiday. The mid range hotels were charming and in excellent locations. Gorilla trekking is SO worth the money and we loved the chimpanzee trek too and all experiences suggested by the company. We were well looked after by our driver/guide who was intelligent, amusing and very keen for us to experience much that Uganda has to offer. My only negative comment is that he ate all our meals with us so he was with us all day, every day. Perhaps Katona should allow guests breakfast and dinner without the guide.
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Email Lisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Less than expected for a custom tour
Communications with the agency were prompt and polite and included the attractions I wanted to see but I paid for a custom tour (I was the only client), expecting a great guide to tell me all about the land, flora, fauna and people along the way of my 5 day trip. My "guide" was a driver, not a guide and on long stretches of driving (some up to 8-9 hours), he did not engage me unless I kept asking specific questions. They didn't have wildlife or bird guide books in my vehicle to help me make sense of what I was seeing. I also had issues with the rude guide they handed me off to in Bwindi to see the Batwa people, who tried to steer me to a Bachiga village instead of the Batwa one that I had specifically asked to go to.
The attractions themselves did not disappoint: Kibale for Chimpanzee tracking was great--I was dropped off at the park and a ranger took over from there. The Kazinga Channel boat tour was superb, the experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for gorilla trekking with their rangers was an incredible.
In all fairness I contacted Jackie at the main office and let her know my concerns and she was very apologetic, so I assume she has fixed the problem(s). Perhaps if it had been a group, I wouldn't have these issues, but as a solo traveller, I felt I had paid a lot for a lesser level of service.