Part of the Team at Wild Jungle Trails
Wild Jungle Trails
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators, UWA & Uganda Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IE
Email Gerard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful trip to Uganda - East to West
An 8 day trip through Uganda
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Africa and specifically Uganda right in the heart of the continent .. my research driven by my desire to visit this part of the world set me looking for a guide that could show the me the best parts of the country in the time that I had – 8 days.
From the moment I started to communicate with Wild Jungle Trails and Twaha I knew that they had the knowledge and flexibility that I was looking for in a Travel Company. On this basis I decided that I would book with them for my first visit to Africa.
The dialogue that I had with the company before I was travelling was very regular and I had many questions , some trivial but all important to me. My contact was Twaha all the time and in each case he was delighted to assist and responded in a very timely and knowledgeable manner.
I travelled at the beginning of April and this was a good time as it was not high season , and the weather was great , we barely had any rain on the trip.
Twaha met me at the airport in Entebbe and because of the timings we had agreed that we would spend the first night in Kampala as it was quite late to travel on to somewhere else . Kampala is a bustling city of about 3.5m people and for me that was not the reason I was visiting Uganda ,I very much wanted to be outside the city , for that reason I would not recommend that you stay for very long in Kampala.
Day 1 :
We travelled to Jinja which is at the source of the Nile on Lake Victoria , its about a 2 hour drive from Kampala through Tea plantations and farms , it’s a busy road as it is the main connection the Kenya and the port of Mombasa , critical to Uganda as it is a landlocked country. This was a familiar area for Twaha close to where he was brought up and where his family lived.
I had really wanted to go Horseback riding and Twaha found a great centre called Nile Horseback Safaris where as an experienced rider I was able to have an amazing ride out through typical villages and Tea plantations on a great forward going horse.. for those not experienced there were slower paced rides available … the ride ended with a magnificent view over Lake Victoria. If you can or cannot ride I would recommend this , it costs about $60 for a 2 hour ride.
We ate that evening in Jinja – finding somewhere good to eat is quite a challenge in Uganda , so be prepared for that . I also took the opportunity to have a Nile beer which is made very close by.
Day 2 :
A visit by boat to the source of the Nile from a place called Kingfisher , was a great experience .. seeing the local fishermen and the abundant birdlife was fantastic. The boat launch is located through the grounds of a Safari Lodge.
Twaha is somewhat of an expert on birds and Uganda with 1000 different bird species, Uganda is a birders paradise , Twaha’s knowledge is comprehensive and he says that he can identify 300 of the bird types in Uganda.
As we were in the area, Twaha took the opportunity to visit his family, I was honoured to be invited to his home where his mother had kindly prepared some lunch, this wonderfully personal touch really portrays how Twaha wants to be the best ambassador and guide for his country providing truly authentic unique experiences.
Day 3
We travelled on though the countryside for a number of hours until we reached Mbale a town set under the backdrop of beautiful mountains.
While the roads in some cases are not good the experience of driving through the countryside and observing the Ugandan life in action is wonderful . Uganda has a huge young population and this is reflected in the amount of babies and children that you will see everywhere. In many cases the young children are excited to see a white person which they call ‘Muzunga’ and they give you a big wave .. if you meet them in the villages they may practise their English – “how are you “
At Mbale we overnighted here at a relatively nice Hotel ( Wash and Willis ) .. finding accommodation suitably priced and of a reasonable standard in Uganda is a challenge.
Twaha was able to recommend a nice restaurant in Mbale where we had lunch , once again the options are limited.
Day 4
Back on the road again to a place called Sipi where we went on a hike for about 2 hours led by a local guide called Sam who did a great job explaining the area, agriculture , villages etc on the way to see a series of magnificent waterfalls.
This was followed by a wonderful lunch in a Lodge Hotel at the base of the falls.
We then drove back to Mbale where we overnighted.
Day 5
This was a long day but Twaha never complained about the driving which in Uganda is mostly on a two lane busy highway.. though you will also come across some unpaved roads.
We drove a lot of this day .. in a westerly direction back through Jinja, on to Kampala to a place called Masaka which would be our overnight destination on our journey west to the Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Masaka is a busy town and there was one acceptable hotel .. which I found on line.
Day 6
On this day the journey West continued until we reached the Queen Elizabeth Park , the landscape changed very often from great plains to hilly tea plantations , the road was not easy so be prepared for this .
Arriving at QE park you really are aware that you have arrived somewhere special , as you descend from the mountain to the park with the amazing Vista of the flat plains and Acacia Trees on the unspoilt landscape with Lake Edward against the back drop of the mountains in the distance – it’s a beautiful sight and one that you can only see in Africa.
After driving though the park , Twaha had arranged for me to take the boat trip along the Kanzinga channel where you can see the Elephants, Hippo’s, water buffalo and many more . Its a 2 hour boat trip and well worth it … it helps to have a camera with a good lens to capture this amazing scene. You also get to see the fishermen launching their canoe boats in the early evening to fish on Lake Victoria.
As it was getting late when the boat trip returned and we were travelling further north to stay .. in a place called Kasese… we got back on the road stopping along the way to take some memorable photos.
Day 7
One of my favourite parts of the trip – we returned to the Park from Kasese and went on a 27km drive called the Crater Lake drive – the views , the landscape is magnificent .. a true sight to behold .. do not miss this drive.
As I had said to Twaha that I wished to see flamingos , he had arranged for us to go to a place where they would normally be.. it was in a salt lake near Lake Katwe within a community that lived in the park . Unfortunately due to the dry weather at that time the flamingos had flown off , so a reason to go back .
At the end of this magnificent drive we started on the journey back to Kampala , with an overnight in Masaka once again.
Day 8
Final day - a drive back to Entebbe to catch my flight ..with a stop for lunch on Lake Victoria sorry to leave Uganda but grateful for a wonderful experience and to have had the services of a wonderful guide throughout. Well done Twaha and Thank you ..
US
Email Kim Salls | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First African Safari
I have been wanting to go on an African Safari my entire life, and this safari did not disappoint. We had several close up experiences with a ton of wildlife, and even watched a pride of lions take down a warthog. The experience was one I will never forget. I am looking forward to going back, but honestly don't know how any future safari experience could top this one. Would highly recommend!
US
Email Jackie Kline | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our safari experience was incredible! Twaha and Ishmael were very informative and tons of fun!
Our safari experience exceeded expectations. I cannot believe I saw lion cubs learning to hunt only feet from our van. Our guides, Twaha and Ishmael made the experience even better! They were both very informative, kept us safe, super fun, and they made sure we got to see some of everything!
US
Email Jodell Larkin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome safari tour with Wild Jungle Tours!
What an experience! Both Twaha and Ishmael did an excellent job finding all known species of the area for our group. They allowed time for us to get wonderful pictures and pointed out where the animals could be seen. We even got to see two lionesses, with seven cubs kill a wart hog. The whole experience was above and beyond. Thanks for making our safari tour an experience of a lifetime!
Email Gillian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well organised trip
We had a really great trip organised by Ismael and his brother. They were very price competitive and tailored our trip to what we wanted. The guide was flexible and reliable, and we really would recommend them. The only thing that would have been better was to have a little more steer on the route we took - we had asked for input several times and kept being told that we would "chat when we got there", which meant that we had already booked accommodation along the route we had planned, which ended up being quite inefficient
US
Email Sandy OC | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This was the most unreal experience. My expectations were high-but were far surpassed.
The first day we were with Sam and felt like we saw everything the African wild had to offer..... Not so fast! The following day we rode with Twaha and got to see 2 mother lions and 7 cubs make a kill (sounds gruesome but was absolutely amazing). I felt safe the entire time and the guides always acted like we were the first group they'd ever taken out. They were kind and enthusiastic and worked well with the other guides in the park to make sure we didn't miss a thing!! If you are considering safari GO WITH THEM!! You won't be disappointed!
US
Email Julie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Another Fabulous Trip!
I regularly take mission teams to Uganda and we love to end our visit with a trip to Murchison Falls National Park booked through Wild Jungle Trails. It's always a great time and this trip was no different. Twaha and Ismail took great care of us from the time they picked us up in Kampala until they delivered us back two days later. In between, we took two game drives and the boat ride to the base of the falls; we ended the trip with a drive to the top of the falls. Along the way, we saw some amazing animals - elephants, giraffes, lions, hyenas, hippos, and two leopards. Thanks Wild Jungle Trails for giving us more great memories!!
DK
Email Frank | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience In Uganda With Wild Jungle Trails
We found Wild Jungle Trails through Safaribookings and the good reviews made us get in contact with them, but what really made us choose Wild Jungle Trails Safaris was Teresa’s efficiency, her clear and quick replies to our questions, her flexibility to our needs and friendliness, she made everything very easy.
Once in Uganda, everything was well organized and looked after, we were picked up by Twa at the agreed time and location, he even met us the day before to make sure everything went smoothly on departure day and briefed us about the trip. Twa was a wonderful guide, he was knowledgeable, efficient, accountable, caring and very good company. He was a very good driver too!
With him we discovered Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kazinga Channel, Ishasha plains and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, it was an amazing journey and we thank Wild Jungle Trails Safaris for a very good Organization and Twa for taking good care of us and making sure that we had an unforgettable experience.
FI
Email Seija | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
“Great Trip to see the Wildlife of Uganda”
I used Wild jungle Trails Safaris to arrange a trip to Uganda in November. The highlight was to visit the gorillas at Bwindi but we were also keen to see other wildlife. We were keen to ensure the trip was not too rushed and we had time to relax after what we knew would be long journeys. Teresa was great to deal with and provided several suggested itineraries. We made a few tweaks to reflect how we would like the trip to proceed and these were all incorporated.
Our guide was Twaha and he turned out to be a terrific guide, great driver and all round good bloke. Our trip took in Kibale National Park, Bigodi Swamp, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mutanda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Lake Bunyonyi. The wildlife highlight was undoubtedly seeing the gorillas in there natural habitat but we also got incredibly close to 7 lions on a large kill (waterbuck) in QENP. In terms of the hiking at Bwindi, it was not as demanding as we expected, although once off the main trails the going was difficult as it was muddy and steep.
The highlight in terms of accommodation was Chameleon Hill Lodge overlooking Lake Mutanda - a simply delightful place with friendly staff and fantastic food. We booked mid range accommodation but enjoyed all the places we stayed.
I can thoroughly recommended Wild Jungle Trails Safaris.
FI
Email Jenni | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outsatanding,Affordable Gorilla safari Service in Uganda
The gorilas are amazing. We just had to walk around 1 hour and we found them (this was luck, sometimes they are further), and we stayed with them for about 1 hour!
The hotel we stayed was beautiful! Food was great! Our driver/Guide (Remmy) was really nice, always trying to help.
I would recommend you fly if you are going to the gorilla trek if possible, and not to drive because we where in a car for 9 hours the first day, and the way back we where 10 hours because of traffic.. my husband and i really recommend wild jungle trails safaris. they are really good at what they do..see you next time!