Our Company Team.
NGONI Safaris Uganda
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Mike | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall I would not recommend Ngoni Safaris company for a trip around Uganda
Good
1. We had a nice 10 day tour around the beautiful country, visited multiple national parks, gorilla and chimpanzee tracked, and had nice accommodations, plenty of water, hot meals, and our guide Eli cared about us having a great time, despite the shortcomings of Ngoni Safaris Company
2. When our bags were delayed by a day, Sedrick/Ngoni arranged for it to be picked up from the airport and delivered 6+ hours to our lodge (for a fee), but I was grateful they quickly helped us during a very frustrating start of the trip (fyi baggage is frequently delayed at Entebbe airport so pack accordingly)
Bad
VEHICLE QUALITY:
1. They speak about their great land cruisers but it was of very poor quality
2. Bad suspension, extremely loud, constantly shaking during the entire ride, seatbelts were broken, and handles were missing, I’ve been on multiple safaris across Africa and never had this experience
3. It also was unsafe and broke down multiple times, the engine would cut off randomly, and it would refuse to start. Which is extremely dangerous when you are driving around mountains, in rain, and in vast emptiness
4. This was a major problem on multiple occasions as we had to be manually pushed for the car to start, we got stuck in a national park which is terrifying with large wild animals roaming around, and we broke down and had to visit mechanics multiple times during the trip, the guide was very frustrated with this situation and I blame Ngoni Safaris Company
COMMUNICATION:
1. During the months leading up to the trip, we received no assurances about reservations; money received etc, and the company was silent for weeks on multiple occasions, this is tourism 101 and they failed, it really makes you question the quality of the company before you start
2. I had to request a packing list, and even then it was missing key items, so thankfully I did my own research or I would have been in a bad position
3. No communication the day or week before arrival to set expectations (e.g., name of guide, where to meet), even upon arrival it took an hour for the company to respond to my text asking what to do, that is unacceptable
4. However, when it came to them pressuring me to choose the company and requesting payment they were quick to send multiple nagging emails which is unprofessional and shows what they care about the most
OTHER ISSUES:
1. Our guide did not have our proper itinerary and multiple times on the trip I had to correct him and make sure excursions I paid for were included. Even upon arriving we had scheduled a Mabamba swamp tour and our guide thought we were driving directly to the rhino sanctuary. Thankfully he was accommodating and we did not miss an experience but it’s frustrating to have to keep correcting the guide
2. We told Ngoni Safaris we were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, and they agreed to provide wine, cake, and special accommodations for one night which was a great gesture but when it came to execution it was not coordinated ahead of time and I had to remind Sedrick of this before the last day and they threw something together, but I could tell it was not communicated to the lodge ahead of time. Even our guide had no idea we were celebrating such an occasion which is a huge miss
3. A couple of the lodges had some rooms with air conditioning that were nominally more expensive, I was aware and requested to be placed in those rooms, but without my research we would have had no idea. These are little things that Ngoni should ask the clients about, so we can make informed decisions
Overall I could feel that this company is not of a high standard and they should really improve how they operate in order to be at a 5 star level
Reply from NGONI Safaris Uganda
Posted on Mar 10, 2026Thank you for sharing such a detailed account of your recent 10-day tour with us. We genuinely appreciate you taking the time to provide this feedback, as it helps us identify areas where we can improve. We were deeply concerned to read about your experience, as it is certainly not the standard we strive to uphold at Ngoni Safaris, nor is it the kind of feedback we are accustomed to receiving.
We're pleased to hear that you enjoyed the beauty of Uganda, the incredible wildlife encounters, and the accommodations, and that your guide Eli was dedicated to ensuring you had a positive experience despite the challenges. We're also glad we could assist with arranging the delivery of your delayed baggage, even though we understand the frustration this caused at the start of your trip.
However, we must sincerely apologize for the issues you encountered, particularly with the vehicle and our communication. This is truly the first time we have received feedback of this nature, and we take it very seriously. The vehicle problems you described—from the poor condition to the repeated breakdowns—are completely unacceptable and not reflective of the reliable, well-maintained fleet we pride ourselves on. We are conducting a thorough investigation into how this happened and are implementing immediate measures to ensure all vehicles meet our rigorous safety and comfort standards before any future tours.
Regarding your communication concerns, we are equally dismayed. Clear, timely, and reassuring communication with our guests is fundamental to our service, and we are sorry that we fell short in this area. It is particularly disappointing to hear that your 10th wedding anniversary celebration was not properly coordinated—this was a special occasion that should have been handled seamlessly, and we regret that it required repeated follow-up from you. Please know that we are reviewing our internal processes to ensure that all guest communications, special requests, and itinerary details are managed with the attention they deserve.
Your feedback about the packing list, room options, and itinerary coordination with your guide are also valuable insights. We should have been more proactive in providing information and ensuring that every detail was clearly communicated to both you and your team. This is not the level of service we aim to deliver, and we are committed to making the necessary changes to prevent this from happening again.
While this experience does not reflect the high standards we typically uphold, we are grateful for your honesty. It has prompted us to take a hard look at areas where we can improve.
Thank you again for your feedback, and we wish you many more happy years of marriage and wonderful travels ahead.
Warm regards,
Sedrick
Ngoni Safaris
Email Stephanie and Paul | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ngoni Safaris provided a well-planned, customized gorilla Safari
Gard was our amazing driver for our Safari trip from the Kigali Airport in Rwanda to our hotel and then on to crossing the border into Uganda and on to our Lodge in the Rwindi Impenetrable Forest (and back again at the end). He always had bottled water available for us in the car which mattered so much! We felt totally safe with his careful driving (as Rwandans drive on the right side and Ugandans drive on the left). He helped us negotiate security and immigration. We made lovely stops along the way to eat, photograph and purchase items.
In addition, Gard was so knowledgeable and shared his information with us during the trip from sites and wildlife along the drive, the history of the countries, to essential safety precautions. While at our lodge, he would meet with us each evening so we could prepare for the upcoming treks, helping us to rent gators, get masks, and review the supplies to pack. He would cheerfully drive us each day, multiple times (regardless of the early morning departures), and then diligently wait for us (for many hours) while we trekked. While he waited, he continued to educate himself by reading books on the bat populations and bird varieties in Bwindi, to share this knowledge with others. He had just completed his college degree in Accounting (amazing) and yet still continues learning.
One of the most admirable qualities that I appreciated in Gard was his calm and patient personality: nothing shocked him or frustrated him- he was always cheerful and helpful. We did have a Visa issue at the border and he calmly and patiently helped us maneuver through. We also had trouble with ATMs and he would cheerfully drive us to other ATMs until we had success. If we had a question or concern, he would find the answer. If I was getting car sick, he would drive slower and make stops along the way. Gard Florence is the one who made this trip a success, as he totally customized our tour to suit us individually. We highly recommend Gard, as he was definitely worth a generous tip!
Thank you so much Gard.
Ngoni mistakenly double charged us when signing up which took some time to reverse the charges. We scheduled two days of Gorilla Trekng through Ngoni and they were amazing experiences which we will always treasure 💕 We had a beautiful cabin at the border of the impenetrable forest, with delicious meals and excellent service. The temperatures were very chilly in the evening inside the cabin, so they provided hot water bottle and blankets, which kept us warm. The hotel near the airport was excellent and the free transportation to and from the hotel/airport was beneficial.
This was an amazing once in a lifetime experience!
Stephanie and Paul
Tucson, Arizona USA
June 2025
Email Ramin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Information about Safari and Hotel was very weak, we had a good driver who did his best
Agency has provided very weak information about trips, hotels, what to expect, and considerations. There was no wifi connection in the hotel, our MTN sims were not working to connect to 4G. We have not been offered an Airtel sim, which is very cheap and had 4G connections in the area. Agency was not aware that Ryno park is closed, there is a bridge construction in the Murchison so the road is suspended, etc. SO, the trip was full of surprises. There were no plugs in tents/rooms. I have been asked for meal preferences, but the only available sausage for breakfast was pork, etc.
Once we arrived at a Murchison Fall, the driver asked if we have anti-insect spray/cream with us. Apparently, we have not been advised to take one, but luckily I had a cream.
The only positive thing was the driver. He was experienced and was doing his best to make us enjoy the Safari.
It doesn't worth of money paid.
I will never choose and advise this agency to others.
Reply from NGONI Safaris Uganda
Posted on Mar 9, 2021Hello Ramin
Thanks for the feedback regarding your 3 days experience at Murchison falls national park, we apologize about the bad experience you had with the lodge, poor internet connections, bridge construction, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary being closed and not informing you earlier about this.
Let me first begin with the lodge (accommodation) experience; your colleague chose this accommodation (Murchison River Lodge) after rejecting abetter accommodation we had provided for you guys. We have our own specific accommodations we use for all our tours but when a client decides to choose his or her own accommodation and sticks on it then it’s normally hard for us to reject it. Murchison Falls National Park is crossed by the River Nile bisecting in to two sectors that is southern and the northern sectors of the park, in order to tour the wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park, one has to cross with the ferry to the northern side of Paraa area in order to do a game drive around the National Park.
The lodge (Murchison river Lodge) your colleague chose is on the southern and it involved crossing the river using the boat that’s if you’re coming from Tangi gate, before the water levels raised all tourists used to cross the river using the ferry and water levels on River Nile raised and submerged the ferry docking point at Paraa Murchison Falls National Park. The flooding made it difficult for vehicles to enter the ferry. There has never been a road that helps you cross that river a part from using a ferry or boat So NO ROAD WAS SUSPENDED (it’s the ferry that was suspended because of increased high water levels but boats still remained in operation).
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary Closure; Ziwa Rhino sanctuary was closed a few days before the start of our trip to Murchison and there was no communication by either UWA or ZIWA RHINO & WILDLIFE RANCH regarding the closure of this place, they just informed us on phone when we had called them to book for Rhino Tracking and they apologized for not informing the public on time. Very many tour operators and tourists are bouncing back at the gate of Ziwa Rhino just because ZIWA RHINO & WILDLIFE RANCH never communicated to the public that they are closed, you can even check on their website you will see that there is no such communication.
Thanks for appreciating our guide and driver and we apologize about the challenges you faced while on the trip, we always ensure that we provide the best services to our clients for the good years we have spent in business you are the only client we have faced a challenge with I think because of the poor services offered by the lodge, Ziwa closure without communication, ferry closure and poor internet connections, we also emailed the Lodge you slept in and informed them about the challenges you faced while at their lodge and they asked for an apology and they promised to call you.
Kind regards
Sedrick