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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:
-
RWUG
- Price Range:
- $50 to $300 ppper person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Jane Doe | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Okay
First things first, I prefer dealing with only one person while planning a trip from beginning to the end but this was not the case I ended up dealing with Sam then Chris then Francis which was a bit concerning because information was lost in translation and I ended up having to repeat myself quite a few times.
I would have loved a detailed breakdown of the itinerary in terms if what clothes to carry for rafting what kind of clothes and shoes to carry for the gorilla trek including the fact that porters are a necessity for the hike, the different levels of the trek in order to be well prepared..We had enquired from Martin our driver if we could stop to buy hiking boots and rain coats but he said there would be no need since we can hire these from Bwindi which was not even the case! But he managed to redeem himself by signing us up for the medium level trek which we thoroughly enjoyed. It would have helped if we also had a breakdown of the rafting itinerary in terms of breakfast is actually provided on site as opposed to us having to rush the hotel to provide a packed breakfast.
It would also have helped if we had been informed in advance that that we would be required to tip as a gesture of kindness starting from the rafting crew to the gorilla trek crew.
Our driver was constantly rushing us and this became borderline unprofessional.
Email Monika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Encounters with gorillas a must
Our tour which covered both Uganda and Rwanda, was quite big - 14 days which dragged on with little to do. The highlights were definitely the gorilla and chimpanzee encounters. I wouldn't recommend the national parks in Uganda as very little to see. Make sure your tour guide is experienced and has knowledge of the area and animal tracking.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really wanted to like them, left some things lacking
I went on a 3 day Rwanda gorilla trek with Encounter Africa. While I really want to like them, there are a few things that were lacking.
Pros:
1. The driver was nice and friendly. He also spoke good English and very helpful.
2. The car was good and comfortable for the two of us.
3. Accommodations were but clean, safe and hotel staff was friendly.
4. Price: The price was fair.
Cons:
1. Communication troubles: Not sure what it was but the office was extremely responsive at first via email which I why I wanted to go with them initially. But then fell radio silent. So I followed up on skype and had some challenges getting a hold of them. They said that there were issues with their email, so may that is fixed?
2. Quoted a price, and then told us that they didn't have any more availability at the lodging and then wanted put us in a lower quality hotel. Ended up paying the original price for a lower quality hotel. The hotel was fine, but the experience of that change was frustrating.
3. Finally, the biggest issue was that the driver was 2 hours late for the initial airport pickup! This was extremely inconvenient because we did not have Rwanda phones and had no way of contacting the driver. For a minute, I thought we had been completely scammed. He came in the end, but this resulted in us driving back in the hills in dark, getting to the hotel extremely late, and missing a proper dinner (that we had paid for in our room/board).
However, what frustrated me most was they claimed that it was the Uganda / Rwanda time difference that caused the delay. However, Uganda time is 1 hour ahead, so of anything, they would have arrived an hour later rather than 2 hours late. When I mentioned this to them, they then said that it was because they had to pick up the permits. If that were the real reason, then tell the truth the first time. Do not lie or try to pull one on me.
So all in all, I'm mixed on this group. While the rest of the experience itself was incredible (highly recommend the gorilla trek to anyone), there were logistical things that were a lacking and the lying about being 2 hours late was a huge detractor.
Disclaimer
- All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Encounter Africa Safaris, not SafariBookings
- The tours offered by Encounter Africa Safaris are subject to their terms & conditions