Encounter Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
From the booking process to the actual tour, they did a professional and very competent job. Great!
The entire trip was planned via email communications with Chris. His response time to my questions was usually in the same day. This was a 4-day gorilla trek- they took care of everything from pick-up, transportation, lodging, food, etc. My guide was Tyson, and he was excellent. I felt well taken care of and in very good hands. He picked me up at the airport and took me to a nearby lodge for overnight. The next day we drove to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest from Entebbe- a nearly 10 hour drive. Tyson helped to make it interesting and fun. We stopped along the way for lunch, shopping, and sightseeing. The roads near Bwindi were unpaved, wet, extremely muddy and quite challenging to pass. Tyson was a very skilled driver and could negotiate the situation well (we only got stuck once- but not for long). The accommodations - where I stayed for 3 nights- were very beautiful and the service was outstanding. The actual gorilla experience was wonderful, but difficult for me. (I am an elderly woman pushing 70) The terrain is very steep and muddy, we were off-path a lot, and it was lightly raining. I had a lot of help from porters, rangers, and others in our group. For me, the entire experience was amazing and fabulous !- well worth the cost.
Email David Parreno Duque | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience! Great staff, very professional and very attentive at all times.
It was an amazing experience. Great staff, very professional and very attentive at all times. Abdu was very fun and accomodating. Would definitely come back and it will for sure be with Encounter Africa Safaris.
IT
Email Daria Ivleva | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Gorilla's tracking tour experience!
Meeting gorillas is definetely once in a life time experience especially when organisation is at such a great level! I was in contact with Monica and she was 100% available and ready to answer to all the questions, quickly and efficiently. The driver Allan was very professional and friendly, thank you for the great time spent together.
The lodge where we stayed was absolutely amazing with breathtaking view on Virunga mountains. Memories from the balcony with the astonishing view are one of the dearests from that trip.
The gorilla's tracking is undoubtedly the best travel experience I've had in my life till now so thank you Encounter Africa Safaris for organizing this trip.
Highly recommended tour operator!
The best gorilla trekking experience I've done
The booking process could not have been better, the team was super helpful and speedy at replying. The guide managed to make the long drive interesting and go fast, the accommodation was fantastic and the Gorilla Trek was the best one I've ever done. Everything was so well organised and stress-free, I felt safe and like I was in good hands the whole time. I'd give it 10 starts if I could!
Email Steve & Kirsty | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic Company & Fantastic Country
Firstly, apologies for the long review, but this is quite an expensive adventure and I want people to understand what value for money it actually is and what an amazing experience you will have!
Truth be told, my partner and I knew very little of Uganda, it all started due to the fact we wanted to see the Gorilla’s and there are only three places on earth this is possible;
Uganda - Permit $750
Rwanda - Permit $1500
DRC - Permit $1500 (possibly unsafe)
We initially chose Uganda due to cost, it wasn’t until we spoke to Chris at Encounter Africa that he showed us how much more Uganda has to offer and we were very pleasantly surprised.
Once we decided on Uganda, I emailed a few companies that had very good reviews on this site, but it was Chris that shone immediately with his knowledge, flexibility and the swiftness of his reply to any of my requests. This led to us changing from a couple of days in Uganda to a 7 day 6 night trip with Encounter Africa. Once we decided, Chris gave us a price and we paid for our permits, with Chris issuing us a copy of the permits with the final monies due two weeks before the trip.
The Trip:
Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest (Gorillas):
We landed at Entebbe airport on a first day and had already booked our own hotel next to the airport with Encounter Africa picking us up the next morning. On our first morning Alex, our guide for the next 7 days, was early and ready to go. Our first stop was Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest, this took 8hrs by car, with Alex making sure we had everything we needed, including a traditional feast for lunch. Once we entered Bwindi you truly appreciate why you have travelled this far, I have personally travelled all around the world and Bwindi is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We arrived at our accommodation (Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge) which was the most basic of the 3 lodges that EA booked for us but the views were absolutely breath-taking. In the morning Alex drove us about 30mins to the briefing area, there were about 40 people, with the gorilla guides splitting you in to groups of 8 depending on your Physical fitness. Being in our thirties, we were put into the hardest group. Once the briefing was finished we headed into the forest, the trek took about 2.5hrs of hard terrain before we found the gorillas (don’t be put off by this as other groups went to families much closer). Once we found the gorillas it was truly amazing, they say you can only be at closest 8m away, but we regularly got closer and at one stage as close as 1m, it was unbelievable! We were lucky to see a family of about 12 including babies and 3 silver backs. It was a truly amazing sight and well worth the money and the hard 2.5hrs trek each way.
Kibale (Chimpanzees):
Our next part of our trip was in Kibale, this took about 6hrs drive and we stayed in Kibale Lodge. The accommodation was very nice but a little more commercial than Gorilla Haven. The next morning Chris took us to the park, we had our briefing with about 50 other people then headed into the forest in a group of 6. It took about 10mins to find a family of about 10, one was quite low in the trees and the rest were all basically out of view, it stayed this way for about 45mins then to our amazement they all started to come down from the trees. We were lucky and our guide took us to follow a baby and two adults, and I was lucky enough to get within about half a metre from one, another amazing experience.
Murchison Falls (Waterfall and Gam Drive - the Big Five):
In the morning we headed to the Falls which was about an 8hr drive and our accommodation was Murchison Falls River Lodge on the River Nile. We arrived at about 3pm and headed straight on our evening drive. We see lots of animals - elephants, giraffe, antelope, wild boar, buffalo and loads of Hippos. This time Alex was our guide and driver. The next day we mentioned to Alex that we would love to see a Lion, and we drove around for hours, in places he had seen them in many times before; Alex would not stop until this happened,. About 3 hours into the trip, he spotted one about 100m away of the road with a fresh kill, but Alex was not satisfied with that so we went off for lunch by the river and came back when less cars were about and he and another car decided to go off road to get closer; and when I mean close I mean about 1m away! Park rules state this is not allowed but Alex went above and beyond to make sure we were happy, it was amazing and thank you to Alex for risking it to make sure we had an incredible experience. To add to a fantastic day on the way out we saw a Hyena about 10m from the road, these are very difficult to see in the day and I have been on about 10-15 safari drives and never seen a Hyena. Amazing.
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary:
Last stop on the way to the airport, about 4hrs drive. This is an amazing project as White Rhinos are pretty much extinct in the wild and were extinct in Uganda until this project started. They now they have approx 30 Rhinos in a huge park who can roam the wild without threat of poachers, we were lucky enough to see an 18yr old mum (one of the originals) and her 1 yr old baby making their way to a watering hole. Another amazing experience.
Summary:
So we see Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, a Lion, a Hyena, plus many many more, including the country’s own Uganda Cob. The only thing we didn’t see was a Leopard but these are extremely rare and I have only seen one in all my time on safari in Africa (to be honest if it Leopards you want to see, I would advise you go to Yala National Park in Sri Lanka, I saw about six in two drives, one for about 20mins round our jeep).
All I can say is that Uganda is an amazing country, very safe and one of the only countries, if not the only country, you can see all of the above. Encounter Africa was the most professional and friendly travel company I have ever come across, they have a very high standard of staff and go above and beyond to make sure you have an amazing experience. Our Guide Alex was fantastic and always gave us space but at the same time made sure we had everything we needed, I cannot recommend him enough and if you decide to go with EA and request for Alex, you will not be disappointed. The final thing I would like to say is thank you to Chris, Alex and the whole Encounter Africa team for a once in a life time experience that my partner and I will never forget. If you are reading this and are wondering whether to go, stop thinking, just talk to Chris and he will put something together for all budgets and you will have a once in a life time experience.
I will be sending photos to Chris, for him to upload if anyone is interested in seeing them.
We honestly could not have had a better experience and we wish we could do it all again, for longer!
BR
Email Gilberto Pozzi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla's tracking with Encounter Africa Safaris
Encounter Africa Safaris was our choice to go with to a Gorilla's tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. First of all, the attention of the attendants Patrick and Monica were very nice and had answers for all my questions. They also were flexible due to some problems I've had with my flights and connections. Second, our very good driver Abdul was a very nice person. The accommodations in the Bakiga Lodge was very good and people are so friendly.
The encounter with the Gorillas was amazing. We saw a family with at least 3 gorillas children, and one baby. The tracking was very easy, about 1,30 h to go and the same to go back. No mosquitoes, not rains...The administration of the park turn you tracking very safe, and if you want, there are a lot of people to help you with yous stuff.
Email Mav | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing once in a lifetime experience
A well organised tour, with high standards of accommodation. Alex our guide was amazing and put us at ease by taking care of every detail and allowing us to relax and enjoy our trip to the full. We had a magical 5 days exploring Uganda and experiencing the gorillas and chimps.
Email Joshua | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime
Emails were always quick and well informed and will answer all the questions. Tour guide, Alan, was always on time and full of enthusiasm and knowledge. All lodges were excellent, the two tours- Chimpanzee and Gorilla trekking were un real...this was the stuff of dreams!
This company couldn't be better, its professional and dedicated from start to finish.
DE
Best organisation before trip,best care while travelling in a beautiful and must see country
Main point was Bwindi gorilla safari,Murchison Falls with game drives and boat trip ,and visit the rhino sanctuary .
Very nice hotels,caring personnel,best food in all hotels and lodges.Gorilla trek was a great experience,I enjoyed
every minute with the gorillas,als very lucky with the game drive,seeing many interesting animals,nearly all of the Big Five.
Excited about walking safari in the rhino sanctuary,getting very near to mothers and babies..
Smooth organisation,good hotels with great food,caring service..
My guide,Simon was of excellent knowledge,taking care,good and safe driver,special thank to him for his
beautiful trip.
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We went Gorilla Trekking which was organized by Encounter Africa. They took care of permits and lodging. Patrick was very responsive and helpful.
The trip was a new of the best experiences ever. Alan was a great guide and driver.
I highly recommend using Encounter Africa and will do so again in the future.
Before booking I had communicated with different travel agencies and Encounter Africa (esp. Patrick) were the most responsive and helpful.