Our guides Paul K. K. and Tim birding at Mpanga.
Terrain Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- Association of Uganda Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Richard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrain Safaris, East Africa's wildlife experts.
I recently spent three weeks with Paul Kaggwa from Terrain Safaris and I would rate him as East Africa's No. 1. Wildlife guide. I've searched for birds and animals in over twenty African countries, as well as hiring guides in many of those countries. Most guides talk themselves up and will tell you they're experts and know it all but when you get out in the field with them and start looking for the rarer species, they have no idea.
Paul has memorized the calls over 900 East African bird species and knows where to find them all. He knows his mammals and reptiles and is a genuinely nice guy that has an obvious passion for African wildlife. If you're interested in gaining a more complete picture of Kenyan, Tanzanian, Rwandan and Ugandan wildlife, then I highly recommend Paul Kaggwa from Terrain Safaris, Uganda.
CH
Email Claudio & Sabine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Source of Nile/Jinja, Ziwa Rhino, Murchison Falls NP, Chimps in Budongo Forrest, Shoebill in Entebbe
The communication before the Safari was very good, i dont know many with a communication like this, perfect!
At the Safari als was as it shout be with a very friendly and interested guide (Paul).
I'm shure that we will book again by Terrain Safaris!
DE
Email Uli | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great 7 days Safari in Uganda!!
We have made the safari for 7 days.
7 woman at the age between 15 to 42. Some told us it were to dangerous to travel only as woman, but we felt all the time very save!
The trip was well organized by Paul and it was very cheap.
Our tour has startet by Kampala, goes to Murchison Falls NP, Kibale NP with chimpanzee tracking, Queen Elizabeth NP and ends by Lake Mburo.
Our tour guide Edward was very friendly and likable. He told us a lot about the country, the traditions and the .
We have seen a lot of lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, zebras, chimpanzees and many others.....
The landscape was amazing and we were very surprised to saw the difference between the parks, for example the landscape or the animals.
The native people are all warmheating, friendly and we felt all the time welcomed and save.
Uganda is amazing and you can see a lot of great things and make beautiful experiences.
The tourism is low, so you can enjoy your visit without a lot of tourist, like in other countries.
Thank you very much to Terrain Safaris to show us this amazing country!
Email Tony and Sally | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safety and attention to detail in the organisation plus brilliant bird and animal spotting skills.
2015 was the fourth year we had booked with Terrain Safaris to take us on safari. The tours included Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Semuliki National Park as well as some other smaller parks and a very memorable visit to the Mabamba Swamp. At all times we have had absolute confidence in the tour leaders, Paul and Brian, to deliver a very rewarding holiday, safely organised and always going to great lengths to make sure we are comfortably accommodated even in the remotest places. Their animal and bird spotting skills are legendary, we would have missed so much without them. For instance we saw leopard in both Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, notoriously difficult to spot and found the elusive Shoebill Stork in Mabamba. We recommended Terrain to a friend who travelled to Uganda earlier this year and we will definitely be contacting Terrain Safaris when we next visit hopefully in 2018.
Email Michelle D | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible trip to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Terrain Safaris were highly recommended to me and they lived up to expectation. I was travelling on my own and looking for a bespoke trip from Kampala to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on New Years Day. All of the arrangements were made (at very short notice) by Terrain Safari, transport, hotels, permit and it turned out to be one of the most amazing trips I have ever taken. I was picked up from my hotel on time and we made our way across Uganda, stopping of at great places to eat and bird watch. Paul Kaggwa Kibirango, who was the guide, was great fun company on what was a very long drive and very knowledgeable on ornithology. The visit to see the gorillas was really well arranged, we arrived early with all the necessary paperwork and I got to spend the maximum amount of time with a wonderful family of gorillas. Trip of a lifetime - I really recommend travelling with this company.
US
Email Heidi Lundy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Paul knows his birds
We highly recommend Terrain Safaris. Edith and Paul were uniquely helpful. Every day is a holiday with Terrain!
We spent 3 weeks on a guided birding tour with Paul. Three weeks is a lot of time to spend in a car with a person but every day we found new adventures and were treated to Paul's vast knowledge of Birds, wildlife, Ugandan culture and history. He is a wealth of information!
My traveling partner, Kirk is an advanced birder who has been birding for 40 years. I am a novice birder. Paul managed to bridge the gap in our interests by being patient and helpful with me but never missing a moment to wow Kirk with his bird identification.
The driving was hard and often we were in four wheel drive but Paul is a very good driver and I always felt very safe. He was always up for the adventure even though he drove all day most days he was always taking us out of the way on some small road or path in search of spectacular wildlife.
It was a wonderful trip made more wonderful by our newly found friendship with Paul.
If Uganda is the Pearl of Africa, Terrain Safari's is the pearl of touring companies.
Email Pauline | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Communication, Very Enjoyable Safari, Well Paced Tour, Friendly Efficient Guide!
My husband and I did a 12 day private tour, and our guide/driver was Moses. Communication during the booking process was good.
The tour was interesting, well-paced and included several different experiences to help ensure we saw a wide variety of wildlife and sights. A great deal of time on the road was necessary some days, but when not travelling the time was used wisely, either with game drives, boat cruises, rhino sanctuary tour, and also the chimpanzee and gorilla trekking, which was amazing!
We enjoyed our time in Uganda, and can highly recommend Terrain Safaris, in particular Moses, who is friendly, kind, knowledgeable and very efficient (also a very safe driver!) Thanks for everything!
NO
Email Karl-Kristian J. Hus | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gorilla and Golden Monkey tracking in Rwanda.
I had a wonderful time traveling with Terrain Safaris in Rwanda. The guide was very helpful and helped me meet with locals that had the same interests as me. Very professionally organized and I am definitely going to be using them on later occasions.
DE
Email Hendrik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 excellent days of individual safari!
I had the pleasure of spending 7 days on an individual safari with Paul, the head of Terrain Safaris.
We covered Queen Elizabeth Park, chimp & gorilla tracking and Lake Bunyonyi.
Paul was extremely kind and patient and always did his best to give me a perfect experience in Uganda. I would recommend him to anyone.
Email Mandy Elizabeth Rush | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari with Terrain Safaris, Uganda – the Pearl of Ugandan Safari Companies
To watch a short video on our Ugandan Safari follow this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/s5L-fwxEE8Q
Uganda and Terrain Safaris exceeded our expectations.
We contacted scores of safari companies, and then narrowed it down to three companies and then I did some due diligence Tripadvisor review research. We choose Terrain Safaris as we are keen birdwatchers and many of the reviews mentioned Paul’s excellent bird knowledge along with the positive reviews they had already received. We were choosing to do a general safari, Murchison Falls, then Chimpanzee Tracking and Gorilla Tracking however we wanted to squeeze in birding at every opportunity.
Paul arrived promptly at our hotel in Entebbe and off we set on a magical adventure around the Pearl of Africa. The country is rich and fertile and bustling with life. Travelling to the National Parks was an amazing experience in itself, as the terrain is constantly changing, the people, the homes, the crops, fruits and vegetation.
We had chosen the budget accommodation option and were impressed with the quality of the camps and food. Some places have power via a generator which is switched on after dark and all of them had Wi-Fi services. Remember however that National Parks are naturally remote areas and you should not expect superfast broadband connections.
We were impressed with the professional standards in the camps. Staff were welcoming, introduced themselves, informed us about the dinner options etc. They were, at all times, welcoming, friendly.
Lugandan is widely spoken but the standard of English spoken is excellent, probably even better than that spoken in Kenya.
We visited Uganda in February 2020, during a time where the ‘dry season’ had become an unseasonable wet season. Terrain Safaris vehicle performed very well in the challenging driving conditions, aided by Paul’s excellent driving skills. The vehicle was clean, reliable and robust with a pop up roof for game viewing and constant supply of drinking water.
On our way to Murchison Falls we stopped off at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and enjoyed the breath-taking experience of tracking wild rhino. Accompanied by a ranger, we walked with rhino and enjoyed a magical hour with these giant grey creatures in the hot African sun.
Then onwards to Murchison National Park. We had two nights at this park and enjoyed a full day exploring its natural wonders. The animals which delighted me most were the Abyssinian Ground Hornbills of which there are many and then the elephant who got a bit too interested in our vehicle when it smelt the ripe pineapples in our boot, and started trotting along behind our vehicle, trunk aloft and curious.
In the afternoon we boarded the African Queen Boat for a cruise on the Nile towards the falls. Imagine how amazing the falls were during the time of unseasonable rains!
We cruised towards the Falls, watching hippos relaxing in the river, sometimes with birds on their back, crocodiles sunbathing. We watched elephants coming down to drink from the river along with waterbuck and pumbas while sipping on a cold beer with a great name Nile Beer!
Next morning and an early start to catch the 7am ferry across the Nile to head south towards Kibale National Park and Chimpanzees. We headed south through more beautiful countryside and our next adventure. In the late evening on nearing our accommodation, baboons had taken over the road, one curious guy jumped on our vehicle, a modern day Highway Man. This baboon looked at Paul, then he peered at the passenger seat, quickly we closed the windows, he was searching for his dinner, this cheeky Baboon Highway Man.
The next morning we headed to Kibale National Park. There were so many vehicles there, so many tourists for the Chimpanzee Trekking briefing. A ranger skilfully told all of us the Dos and Don’ts in the Forest. Then we were split into small groups of 6 tourists to one armed (AK47s) ranger. Amazingly when we disappeared into the forest tracks with our ranger Jessica, you would never know there were another 40 people looking for Chimpanzees.
Wow! To hear the Chimpanzees calling in the Jungle! We stop, we listen, and we change direction. The rangers communicate with their colleagues by radio and try to assist each other to locate the chimpanzees.
Amazingly after only 45 minutes, chimpanzee were spotted high up in the forest canopy feasting on figs. We were thrilled! We gazed and gasped! Jessica told us to be patient, as it might get even better.
The experience didn’t disappoint. The Alpha Male of the group decided to come down to the forest floor, he came Face to Face with a lucky tourist, the rangers told him to move back (8 metres to avoid transmission of our human diseases) but he would have got amazing eye to eye images.
Then the Chimpanzees would hoot and holler some more! The forest reverberated with their call! One of the females was on heat and things were indeed hotting up. More chimpanzees came to the forest floor; we watched them groom each other, relaxing against a tree. They gazed at us, we gazed adoringly back at them, they moved, on instruction from our ranger we followed them. Wow, wow, wow!
After Chimpanzee Tracking, next challenge, Mountain Gorillas!
We drove through a landscape of fertile terraces en route to Mgahinga National Park. We expected to walk from 3 to 8 hours to locate the Mountain Gorillas but we were blessed that morning. No rain, amazing mountain views and after a short trek of only 45 minutes our Ranger told us “we are near”!
We discarded our walking poles as these remind the Gorilla’s of the spears of hunters long ago. The rangers who protect the Gorilla group and who follow them every day of the year, greeted us and then the baby gorillas were spotted playing in the trees.
Then as we looked around it seemed as though the forest was teaming with Gorillas.
Gorillas everywhere!
Babies playing, mum’s with suckling babies, teenagers showing off. Then, from deep in the grass, the magnificent head of the group’s silverback. He lifted his regal head, the sun caught his eyes and he regally checked us out.
We were absolutely thrilled, spellbound and so so lucky.
Only one tourist group, with a maximum eight tourists per day, may spend one magnificent hour with the Gorilla group.
The sun was out, the Gorillas basked in the sun, stripped bark, fed, played and frolicked. One rambunctious gorilla teenager bounded past our group and playfully grabbed the leg of a Dutch lady and down she tumbled into the soft grass.
We could not have wished for a more memorable magnificent hour! We were thrilled beyond words with this experience.
Did I mention that our first trip to Uganda exceeded our expectations?
Well let me mention it again. Uganda exceeded our expectations. Friendly people, beautiful country, amazing National Parks and wildlife experiences, which will not be surpassed for close encounters of the rare and wonderful kind.
Terrain Safari’s answered all our emails promptly and thoroughly. We especially loved Abraham’s email salutations “mysteriously awaiting”. Payment procedures were simple and easy to make. Terrain Safaris tailored the safari to our needs. Paul is a very knowledgeable and experienced guide, kind and considerate, an excellent driver. We had plenty of water in the vehicle and sufficient breaks while driving to our next destination. Even our break sights were chosen with care, packed lunch at Queen Elizabeth’s pavilion and the Equator for a photo opportunity.
Would we use Terrain Safaris again?
Yes, we wouldn’t hesitate to use them again and recommend them. We look forward to our next trip to the Pearl of Africa and hope to experience more of the wonders that it has to offer.
