Augur Tours & Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Member Of:
- AUTO & UTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $25 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Steve Patmore | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Outstanding birding tour
As an overall summary, we used Augur Tours and Dauda for arranging a full birding trip in Western Uganda - targeting some key species.
In consideration of travelling to Uganda, I had looked at many options for undertaking such a birding trip. Both with tour companies - and also independently. It was clear that neither offered me a suitable option for undertaking the trip I wanted - all of the tour companies being excessively priced, and the logistics of independent travel were off-putting. Using Augur Tours provided a perfect ‘middle ground’ option - the option for the trip to be arranged with the knowledge of Dauda as the ground agent with importantly the price being achievable within my budget.
Prior to the trip, Dauda took the time to understand our requirements and to put together an itinerary that worked for what we wanted to achieve. The communication prior to the trip was excellent - our questions responded to and the itinerary flexed and tweaked accordingly. Nothing was to much trouble.
And the trip itself? It was without a doubt - excellent. The logistics were seamless with everything sorted for us. We had no issues, gripes or concerns. Our accommodation was always to a high standard and located where we needed to be. Meals were excellent and timed to fit around our birding schedule. We were just free to bird - which we were able to do from dawn to dusk, capitalising fully on our time in Uganda. Dauda had arranged for us the use of a local birding guide, and Abia turned out to be absolutely exceptional. Without doubt the best birding guide I’ve experienced in 30 years of birding. Her unrelenting desire to find and show us more birds, and her outstanding ability to do so - was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the trip. We ended up with outstanding views of all of our top targets, as well as over 440 other species - and a bonus 40 species of mammal.
Following this trip, I couldn’t recommend more highly Dauda and Augur Tours. The trip exceeded all of my expectations and I am confident that any other birder looking for such a trip would find the same. Dauda has offered an option to get the best birding trip, flexible to your needs and that takes all the planning concerns out of it. You could not be in better hands.
NL
Email Michiel de Boer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The very best of organised birding tours in Uganda!
We did a two week trip to Mbamba Swamp, Mburo, Mgahinga, Ruhija and Bohema (Bwindi NP), Kibale, Semliki National Parks.
Having travelled in about 12 countries in Africa over a period of 4 years and mostly independent I can
safely say that Dauda is a top ground agent or tour organiser to arrange any customised trip to your liking whatever you want to see
in Uganda. His skills are excellent. I have travelled to over 60 countries in the world and usually think that
tour organisers are way too expensive. Dauda made my third ever organised trip possible in 35 years of travelling.
And it was a great success. The price/quality is excellent.
He makes sure in every detail that you can have a better experience than you would expect.
He is very flexible and is continuously thinking of how to improve things while you are on track.
He is also a very safe driver and he makes sure his car is in good condition. Not even a flat tyre.
Through his wide network makes sure that no time is wasted and you get the best options for accommodation and the best local guides.
It is also important to mention that he uses a wonderful initiative in Uganda to participate women into guiding: UWB:
https://ugandawomenbirders.org/
You will go on track with some of the most skilful guides that you have ever met.
We had Abia Atukwatse with us for the whole duration of the trip.
She was extremely sharp and never at the end of a whole day birding from pre-dusk to post-dawn did she
seem to get less determined or concentrated to point out more birds or other animals.
She was among the best spotters of birds that I have ever met.
Even the local guides were talking about her "Eagle eyes". And her ID skills were way beyond ours.
Both Dauda and Abia were also very nice company and great characters. You will enjoy and appreciate their
company and sense of humour.
But we have heard of other excellent women guides so do not hesitate if you get another guide joining you.
Abia said that there are even 4 that she thinks are even better than she is. But I seriously doubt
that is even possible.
Locally you will have extra support of local guides as is the rule if you enter national parks.
These local guides are also very good.
Then they work together to adjust the fine details of the day planning and give suggestions on how to make the most of it.
Having been to Uganda before for me this trip was about certain specialities.
Dauda and Abia made very sure that our chances were optimal and we did not miss any of these specialities
and had near perfect views. These specialities included some of the most sought after and hard to find
birds of the whole of Africa.
Do not hesitate to contact Dauda if you think about a trip to Uganda.
He is simply the best you will get.
I will in time write a report on this trip on Cloudbirders.com
Thank you so much Dauda and Abia!!
US
Email Tim | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Made sure the whole trip went as smoothly as possible
Dauda is an excellent guide who knows how to provide an excellent service. Made sure we were at events on time and none of our personal items were left behind. Dauda went above and beyond to help us get covid tests and printing out hard copies of results. I highly recommend Duada as your driver and guide while experiencing Uganda
US
Email Reyn Ono | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Experience!
I spent 5 days with Dauda to visit Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi, and Kibale. Dauda was an amazing driver and guide. He was always on time, and we made it on time to every scheduled activity. He was easy to talk to, engaging, well informed, and answered any questions I had. Basically any time you’re off the main highway, the dirt roads are extremely uneven. Dauda competently navigates these roads to make the drive as comfortable as possible. He even arranged for my COVID test needed for my next destination. I would highly recommend Dauda to anyone visiting Uganda and I will definitely reach out to him next time I’m back!
Email Rick B | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Incredible tours of Uganda
We spent 5 days with Dauda to visit the gorillas and chimpanzees, and greatly enjoyed Dauda's humor, hospitality, insider knowledge, and incredible driving. Dauda was commmitted to making sure that we had the best experience possible, and was always providing great advice and coordination. Thanks to Dauda we made life-long memories and got to see a new part of the world in a way that we hadn't been able to before. We greatly enjoyed the tour with him, and would highly recommend others to book with him as well.
US
Email Samantha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exciting and Memorable!
Dauda is an excellent tour guide. We were a group of 4 and went on a 6 day/5 night tour around Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo in August 2020. Before the trip, he was very communicative, extremely well organized, courteous and professional. He did an excellent job at booking our accommodation and creating a schedule that fit our needs. The vehicle is spacious, comfortable, and Dadua is a safe driver.
On the tour, he was very knowledgeable about the wildlife, and went above and beyond to share his knowledge. Thanks to him, we saw amazing lions, buffalo, giraffe, elephants, and a variety of bird and mammal life. Also given the global pandemic, he also did a great job of taking precautions and ensuring we were safe and healthy the entire trip.
I would highly recommend traveling with Dauda for a stress-free, fun, and memorable experience for Safari in Uganda!
FR
Email Yelena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rich in experiences and emotions - Would definitely do it again!
We had two wonderful weeks in Uganda. Dauda and Atid showed us a lot and did a lot so we could have the best experience there, they showed us even more than we expected. Uganda is such a beautiful country, the landscapes are breathtaking, the wilderness is baffling and the people are exceptional.
I can’t wait to go there again and to see them again!
AT
Email Manuela | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic Uganda Adventure - Highly Recommended!
During our 15-day birdwatching tour in Uganda, Dauda (driver) and Veronica (guide) were a fantastic choice. They were an extremely well organized, courteous and professional safari team. Above all, both Dauda and Veronica proved to be good company with a lot of humor and good insight stories.
Dauda is a very safe and reliable driver. He knows all the roads and national parks by heart. His longstanding contacts throughout the country were always helpful in providing insider knowledge of daily sightings. His humor and flexibility were the perfect companion during any car ride!
Our bird guide Veronica was excellent at identifying rare species in national parks, spotting raptors from the car, and searching for every target on our bird wish list. Her ability and patience to point out distinguishing features of bird species was much appreciated.
With Augur tours, we felt in good hands to explore Uganda! They come highly recommended.
IT
Email Bianca | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful tour especially for us italian people
We just came back from a wonderful one week safari in Uganda.
Dauda and Atiid were always on time, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about their country.
Dauda was excellent at spotting birds and animal knew them by names, they also showed us the animals and birds pictures from a guide books with all the fauna's species. All the times they payed attention to everything even for the smallest details and to all our needs.
Dauda is a great driver and a very nice companion to travel with, he has a great knowledge of almost everything.
We spend wonderful time with them.
Right from the beginning, we feeling safe and looked after, or feeling able to ask questions and receive informed and interesting insights about Uganda country people. We were picked up from the airport very promptly.
Our trip was great in every way. Very nice and friendly people, great landscapes and an outstanding.
We had great experiences with the Gorilla trekking, the chimpanzee in Kibale and Kyambula Gorge. We also were able to get much closer to much of the wildlife than we expected and got some awesome photos.
We really liked the boat cruise Queen Elizabeth NP at the Kazinga channel where we had the chance to see a lot of various animals and birds
both in water and by the channel banks.
We recommend to do a game drive to Murchison Falls NP and also a boat cruise there is very interesting. We enjoyed visiting Jinjia and the source of Nile.
The accommodations were fantastic, both lodge and guest house. In particular we loved the Broad Bill Lodge in Self-contained tents at the Impenetrable Bwindi forest, Twin Lakes lodge and Red Chilli Safari.
The food on the trip was way beyond what we expected. Every meal was good, and reasonably priced beverage. We were very surprised by how good and varied the food choices were. We were able to taste their local food and it was very tasty. We really like it.
It was such an awesome experience. The wildlife was fantastic.
Augur tours & Travel genuinely exceeded all expectations. With great pleasure, I highly recommanded Dauda and Atiid
US
Email Heather P | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everyone Should Visit Uganda/Highly Recommend Augur Tours and Dauda!!!
I had an opportunity to go on a tour along with a couple of friends to a number of different places in Uganda with Dauda and I had an absolutely incredible time. I would wholeheartedly recommend him and his tour company. I felt that the trip was a very authentic Ugandan experience and I really appreciated that it didn’t feel like a canned, touristy experience. Dauda was very knowledgeable not only about the flora and fauna within the national parks we visited, but also was able to shared general information about the towns we drove through and different ethnic groups within Uganda. Dauda certainly knew his way around the national park and had numerous contacts that he was in touch with during our game drives to learn about the best spots to see animals. From his numerous trips there, Dauda even knew about things such the specific trees that the lions often frequented. Dauda remembered things that we said and followed up on them. He also went out of his way to do the things that we liked and make sure that we felt safe and comfortable at all times. I felt very safe driving around the country with Dauda and he did an excellent job driving on the challenging roads.