The review below is the personal opinion of nazeema101 and not that of SafariBookings.
Great nature experience marred by unprofessional company
An amazing trip that was soured by, Doreen Kesiime, the owner. I was willing to overlook some of the more annoying/disappointing things.Like being harassed on a daily basis for proof of payment. I made a late booking-10 days b4 travel- on a Friday evening before a long weekend and informed Doreen the bank would therefore authorise the transaction on Tuesday. Despite this I received multiple messages on a daily basis during the weekend requesting proof of payment, repeatedly informing me about difficulties obtaining permits last minute, etc, all of which we were both aware of!
On arrival in Entebbe, Doreen was picked up joined the tour for the full duration. I was therefore expecting everything to go according to plan.Between her fielding numerous personal and work calls during game drives and walks in conservation areas, littering in conservation areas, making several inappropriate remarks( eg how she would report homosexuals to the police and going into graphic detail why she found anal sex disgusting, commenting that my preference for coffee made " a woman dry down there"), I decided her presence did not add value to the experience. Changes were made to the itinerary without discussing it or informing me- I did the Gorilla trek form a different location( only informed on arrival to Bwindi), only 2 of the 5 accommodations on my itinerary were booked( one was changed due to tracking from a different location).
Again,because I truly enjoyed the activities thus far on the tour( Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, Queen Elizabeth National park, Batwa People community walk, Gorilla Tracking) I didn't make too much of a fuss.
The last straw however was being taken to an inferior accommodation then the one in the itinerary at Lake Bunyoni. This was the afternoon following the gorilla tracking when I was looking forward to a decent shower and bed to sleep in( not always possible at the other accommodations booked- at one lodge the drain was blocked and flooded the entire room)) What was infuriating was that this was the only stipulation I had made prior to commencing the tour when I picked up that the itinerary hotel did not match the website hotel. After the Bwindi changes , I was assured that the hotels booked henceforth were correct. A 3 hr standoff ensued with Doreen initially stating that the resort name didn't exist and was an error on her website( this despite seeing her view it on booking.com at dinner the night before!). She tried to convince me that we were at the correct place( the names were similar) When shown their website and availability, she continued to try and coerce me into staying there.Various reasons for the incorrect booking and not being able to book me into the original hotel were then given: a late booking, reading the name incorrectly, no funds available, the manager refusing to refund her, etc.I even offered to pay for the booking and she refund me in Kampala, which she refused. Out of frustration I requested to cancel the rest of the tour and be taken back to Kampala that evening.She eventually relented and I was taken to the hotel on my booking.It was unfortunate that a refund of approx $40 spoilt what was supposed to have been an extraordinary day. Or that I had to waste precious time to get the 3rd of the 5 accommodations I had paid for.
The positives remain the natural beauty of Uganda and the efforts and knowledge of the tour guide and driver, Nelson.
