Peter Amanya and our guide in the safari van
Buyaga Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- UTB & AUTO MEMBER
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $450 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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Reviews
IT
Email Miriam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless; everything they promised was delivered.
I have been on a 7-day tour with the main highlights being the chimpanzee and gorilla tracking.
Communication with the agency was easy and I always received very quick answers to all of my questions.
Being around the country was also easy as I had a really good tour guide/driver, who provided me with lots of information on Uganda and took me everywhere - even covering long stretches on uneven roads - with a friendly smile.
All in all I was very happy with the trip - the way it was organized and the way it played out - and I would for sure recommend Buyaga Safaris as my holiday just went by smoothless.
Email Chuck Hull | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well organized tour arranged with excellent communication and delivered as expected.
I went on the "Seven Days Uganda Gorillas, Wildlife and Chimps Safari" in February. The itinerary was great, and it made full use of every day.
I was met at my Hotel in Entebbe by my driver/guide Osman and we immediately set off on our journey. As we drove I was given a thorough history lesson of the area and continual informative info. The vehicle was comfortable, and the places we spent the nights were very nice.
The touring was well planned, and the entrance into the Chimpanzee and Gorilla treks was taken care of flawlessly. Osman went above and beyond on the game drives, and his knowledge and communication with other guides allowed some awesome encounters that made the trip memorable. His decision to head into Queen Elizabeth NP in the late afternoon even though it wasn't scheduled let to an unbelievable up close encounter with a leopard. It was an experience of a lifetime. This was an excellent tour and even though it was more expensive than my normal budget, it was indeed still great value for the price.
AR
Email Martin del Pino | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Not good experience
Honestly, the experience with Peter was very complicated and negative from the very beginning. Before arriving in Uganda, communication with him was very difficult. He either didn’t reply or wasn’t clear when he did.
We had agreed that payment could be made by card, but the night we arrived he told us it could only be paid in dollars. Not only cash, but the bills had to be from 2015 onward (something common in Uganda), but we didn’t know that. It was our first day, we arrived at night in a new country, I was with my wife, and he took us to withdraw money in a place with armed people and made us take out cash. It was a completely uncomfortable situation.
The next day we couldn’t withdraw all the money because of ATM limits (it was a large amount), and at 6 a.m. he was already messaging us to go withdraw more. We managed to pay part by transfer, but he charged an extra fee that had never been agreed.
Then he rented us a car that he knew was in bad condition (he had told me) but said it had been properly repaired. We went to Murchison National Park and the car broke down in the middle of the park with no signal. It started smoking.
We managed to contact him and his solution was for us to stay two days at a mechanic’s house in a small town in the middle of Uganda until it was fixed, which was completely unviable. We had to take a six-hour public transport ride across the country, which felt dangerous.
In the end he never refunded the money — he said the car wasn’t his and gave all sorts of excuses.
Later we did the gorilla tour with him. That part was overall okay, although the car also got stuck and we arrived late to all the hotels.
Honestly, I don’t recommend him. The only positive thing I can highlight is our guide, Apton. Very professional and the only thing worth rescuing from the trip.
Reply from Buyaga Safaris
Posted on Apr 9, 2026This review is based on false allegations intended to tarnish our name. You all have read through other reviews on how fast we respond to customers and it has always been our practice to reply and engage the customers in real time. It wasn't our company as he alleges. Instead the client had a clash with the car hire company. The car had issues and the car hire company failed on its obligations of rescuing them since they had got a mechanical issue during the trip. He was frustrated with the car hire company after failing to rescue or give him a refund. He decided to write such since he had requested us to recommend a car hire company for their private trip. We did our part professionally with the 5 days that he had booked with us and the trip went well. Regarding payment, he arrived in Uganda without making a full payment for his trip which is always a requirement. The only solution available was him to use ATM machine and we helped him to go to secure places to make withdrawal. We never charged any extra money. We always do our work professionally and we promise to always deliver to our customers as promised. Thanks
CN
Email Jimmy Wang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An impressive experience and really recommend wild safari in Uganda
My guide Simpson is a very kind guy and also the travel agent also reply to my request very fast. Just one day before the start of trip, I tried to add on another destination which is in the opposite direction to our planned route. The director kindly helped me designed a very reasonable new route, my guide also drove safely and fastly everyday, and we also had very nice culture communication. The agency provided a wide variety of experience, in 5 days I visited diversified wild habitats, made several safaris at Queen Elizabeth National Park, and finished the chimp and gorilla trecks. Uganda really has rich natural resources and can offer visitors purely wild experience. The only disadvantage worth to mention is the food in Uganda is not that delicious in China, however, it is not the problem of travel agency and guide but a problem of eating habit.
JP
Email Taro | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable 5 Days Beyond Words
My five days with Apton were truly unforgettable.
The journey was physically demanding at times, with long hours on the road. However, the vast landscapes passing by, the magnificent nature, and the people who live there — together with glimpses of their daily lives — made it an incredibly fascinating and irreplaceable experience.
Of course, the encounters with the gorillas and chimpanzees will remain with me for the rest of my life as priceless memories that no one can ever take away from me.
I must admit that I am not very confident in English, and at first it was difficult for me to communicate smoothly with Apton. That was a little disappointing for me personally. But as the tour progressed, we were able to understand each other beyond the language barrier. By the end of the trip, I felt a genuine connection.
If I have another opportunity to visit, I would definitely choose Buyaga Safari again.
Email Michal Wolosz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One of the best travel experiences thanks to the Buyaga crew!
It was a fantastic experience to work with Peter on an itinerary that was more complete than other operators. Peter was super responsive with all questions and is an amazing tour operator, caring for his clients. The hotels were lovely, the driver Eric was a superb guide, and I’m lucky to have just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful country of Uganda. Peter even arranged the return of my gorilla certificate after I left it in the vehicle. Highly recommended!
CZ
Email Jan Bolcek | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great and reliable
I had 12 days safari in Uganda. Peter was great. He was very responsible and imidiately responded to all my questions and requests.
The whole process started by Peter sending me an initial tour schedule. Then I made my comments and send it back to Peter, this took 2-3 repetitions until we both agreed on schedule that covered all places and activities I wanted to do and was possible to be achieved in the timerange.
When tour started everything happened exactly as it was agreed in advance. There was no hidden fees, no workarounds everything was fair, clear and transparent.
The accomodation was very luxury and the food was super delicious (I was getting so much food that I sometimes has problems to eat it all).
During the tour I asked from time to time to my guide (Simpson) to stop on the place that wasn't in the schedule and he was very flexible in this and he had no problem (of course when it was possible in accordance to our schedule)
I experienced a wonderful holiday I would remember for the rest of my life and I can fully recommend Byuaga safaris for anyone who considers to travel to Uganda.
Email Kristen Susuki | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible safari experience with guide Brighton of Buyaga Safaris!
From the very beginning, Peter was incredibly responsive and easy to communicate with. The pdf itinerary was very clear and detailed. The only slow response came when Uganda’s internet blacked out after the most recent election, which was completely outside of their control. We chose Buyaga Safaris because of the competitive pricing compared to other safari operators we had considered. When we arrived in Uganda, we met our guide Brighton, who picked us up promptly at our hostel. We feel very lucky to have had him as our safari guide, as he was friendly, organized, and incredibly knowledgeable about Uganda’s wildlife, history, and culture. He safely took us from place to place while staying very calm throughout the journey. It was the trip of a lifetime! We truly enjoyed trekking for chimpanzees, gorillas, and golden monkeys and seeing the other wildlife along the way. The hotels we were booked at were clean and comfortable with delicious meals and kind staff. We will be recommending Buyaga Safaris to all our friends and family!
TR
Email Kevin Keller | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extraoridnary Life & Adventures with Guide Simpson!
I chose Buyaga Safaris off of safaribookings.com because they were the only listing that included Jinja and white water rafting on the Nile as part of a tour. The experience with Kiira Rafting was exceptional and very highly recommended. However the absolute, very best part of this adventure was having Simpson Niwagaba Vannet as my guide, driver, and someone I’ll consider a lifelong friend. Simpson was always prompt, professional, and very passionate and knowledgeable about the scheduled places we visited – and all the in-betweens for this aptly named ‘Pearl of Africa.’ We easily traveled over 1,500km/1,000 miles, making this as much an ultimate road trip as it was a safari and tour. He went above and beyond making other special arrangements, calling to fix permit problems, and had us up and running in less than an hour after the Jeep Land Cruiser stalled on the equator. Of 10 African countries visited so far, Uganda is now my new, overall favorite thanks to the beautiful places and wonderful people I met everywhere – like Simpson. If you’re looking to see and experience the real, raw Africa, with miles of smiles and endless music, look no further than booking an extraordinary Ugandan adventure with Simpson as your guide!
Email John Murphy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Safari with Buyaga Safaris
I had a wonderful time on my safari with Buyaga Safaris. Working with Peter before I left on my trip he always responded immediately to my questions and gave me thoughtful answers and reccomendations. My flight was delayed a day but we kept in contact and he was there to meet me at the airport.
My guide for my 11 day trip was Osmond. He was superb. Besides being very knowledgeable about the wildlife and the country, he made sure that I was having the best vacation/safari possible. He did this by making sure the vehicle was in the best position to get the best photos, knowing where best to go to spot the animals, and being flexible if I ever wanted to change anything. A pet peeve of mine with my last safari was my guide always wanting to leave the lodge at around 8AM. Not so with Osmond. I mentioned this to him and every single day we left the lodge when it was still dark out and we would catch the sunrise and the early morning wildlife. I also felt extremely safe with Osmond the whole trip. Highly reccomend him as your guide and Buyaga Safari for your tour.
