Typical Ugandan operator by Richard Tusasibwe
Gatatu Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $65 to $710 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Tai | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing trip of a lifetime with Gorillas!
I had a fantastic trip with Gatatu Safaris. I'm a budget traveller, usually backpacking. Gatatu's prices were reasonably cheap compared to other companies so I enquired and was contacted by Richard the owner. Richard answered every question I had (around 50 emails). So I decided to book a gorilla trip with them, they do have mid-range and luxury tours if want to upgrade but I went with the budget. They require a money wire transfer (I was a little nervous at first) which is what most Africa companies do. After a brutal flight from the US we were greeted at the airport by Steven our guide and taken to our accommodation. Steven answered every question we had constantly checking on us to see if everything was okay. First day we went to Bigodi Wetlands to see birds and primates and the local village the second day we went to see the chimpanzees and opted to do the habituation which was worth the upgrade to spend more time with them, amazing experience. From there we went to Queen Elizabeth National Park for the game drives. Saw elephants, hippos, water buffaloes etc (didn't see any big cats). The Kazinga Channel cruise is awesome! Then we went to Kabale visiting a local school and Lake Buyonyi and where we also met up with Richard. This trip was taken in October so is was rainy season, the road to Bwindi Imprenatrable was impassable due to mudslides so Richard arrange permits in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and wow!! What an amazing experience, we had the Gorilla family all to ourselves. To spend an hour with these gentle giants is a once in a lifetime experience. Saw 3 Silverbacks, 2 females, a juvenile and a infant We didn't get any rain while on the trek but it down poured after we got back to the vehicle. Then spent the last couple of days on beautiful Lake Buyonyi(so many birds). Also of all the things I forgot to bring from home....I forgot my rain jacket. Steven went to the market on day one to pick up a jacket for me when I told him I forgotten it. A trip of a lifetime. Here a few things I wanna mention. While on this trip I notice that there were other companies running similar itineraries. We would run into the same people except they paid a lot more. The first (Kibale) and last (Lake Buyonyi, you take a motorboat and stay on an island) accommodations were really nice way beyond what I expected for a budget safari. The other were budget ones like hostels which is fine in my book, as I've said before you can book a mid-range to higher end. All your meals are included and Steven would give us snacks and cokes on the long drives. The gorilla trek is physically challenging but it will be worth all the effort (bring water). Do the habituation with the chimps rather than just the regular trek, you'll be happy you did. Roads are good but on the way to Gorilla trekking the roads can be a little rough, Steven was a master at handling it. Don't be afraid to ask your guide if you need something. Book a trip with Gatatu, support a local company. You will get the same service, visit the same places, do the same activities for a fraction of the price. If you are particular about where you sleep, ask them about their higher end tours.
US
Email Hiroko | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Trip of My Life!
My friend and I signed up for the 8-day African Safari Tour (budget version) with Gatatu Safaris. Steven was our driver and he took care of us from beginning to end. Steven was The Best! He always looked out for our best interest and made sure that everything we needed was taken care of throughout the entire trip even to the smallest details. Our trip was during the last 2 weeks of October so there were short rainstorms every day which only lasted for 30min to 1 hour. We seemed to get lucky with no rain on the days we went chimpanzee and gorilla trekking, which I'm so grateful because the main reason for taking this trip was to photograph the wildlife. This was my first time in Africa and to see all of the wildlife with my own eyes roaming freely was absolutely amazing! We paid extra to do the chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale National Park which was worth every penny. We hiked for almost 1.5hrs to get to the chimpanzees and because we signed up for the habituation experience, we were able to be amongst the chimpanzees for a good solid 2hrs. The gorilla tracking was even more outstanding! Due to the water damaged roads to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest from the overnight rain, Steven took us to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Although the drive on the unpaved roads were rocky, Steven was a pro with the 4x4 and got us to the trail that leads to the entrance of the Park. It was a moderate to strenuous 30min hike to get to the park entrance. Fortunately the park's rangers and trackers start at 7:30am to locate the family of gorillas prior to our hike so we only had to hike for a little over an hour to reach the gorilla family. We were able to get about 5-7ft away from the gorillas (3 silverbacks, 1 female, 1 juvenile and 1 20week toddler). These gorillas were the most gentle giants and so entertaining to watch! Our other activities include a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel where we were able to see an elephant, several species of birds, so many hippos and a crocodile. Took a canoe ride around a few of the 29 islands in the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. The accommodations were excellent and the meals were delicious every where we stayed. The customer service everywhere we stayed were top notch as well. I enjoyed every bit of this trip and I consider it the best trip of my life so far. I highly recommend Gatatu Safaris as they are trustworthy and provide great customer service!
VN
Email Ngoc Nguyen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience
I had a great experience with Gatatu during my time in Uganda.
Richard was helpful from the very beginning and patiently answered every question that I asked.
He's also a really pleasant person to talk to, too.
Steven was an experienced driver, he mastered the rocky roads with ease.
After the Safari he even drove me to the border with Rwanda and organised for me
a taxi to Kigali which I really appreciated.
I got to see the whole family of gorillas and that made my adventures in Uganda even more amazing
and unforgettable. I'm glad to be the first Vietnamese to ever book a Safari with Gatatu.
VN
Email Ngoc Nguyen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An experience that I won't forget
What an amazing experience I had in Uganda! The communication with Richard went smoothly. He answered patiently and promptly every question I asked. Steven was a very experienced driver. He always wanted to make sure that I enjoy the trip and that if everything is ok. He mastered the rocky roads like no other. The meeting with the gorillas was unforgettable too. I got to see the whole family of gorillas which was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. The rangers were extremely helpful. They always made sure that I can get the best angle to make photos of the gorillas.
After the tour, Steven even took me to the border with Rwanda and organized for me a taxi to go to Kigali.
And I'm really glad to be the first Vietnamese to ever have booked a tour with Gatatu.
Richard, Steven and the tour itself had definitely made a good impression on Uganda and its people. That was ad adventure that I will never forget.
NL
Email Evert | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Communication difficult, great tour
It took me a while to decide on which gorilla tour from which tour operator to choose. I was looking around for one day tours starting from Kabale or Kisoro. I booked a tour with Gatatu, which had both a good price and good reviews (on safaribookings.com).
Contact with Gatatu was by e-mail with the owner. In his first e-mail to me he said that I would pay at the start of the safari either in Gatatu’s office or to my guide. But because Gatatu had to buy my gorilla permit for the trekking date I asked if I shouldn’t pay for at least the permit before. Then I received a reply that money did have to be transferred to Gatatu’s account.
I had to transfer the full amount which I did, but Gatatu did not buy the permit before the money was received. One week later they had received the money, but it took 3 more days until I received a message from the owner saying he bought the permit the day before. The waiting for Gatatu buying the permit (in total 9 days after payment) and telling me about it made me pretty nervous as I had read that permits could be sold out. Also the payment information I first received turned out to be incorrect and after finding out they had received the money it still took 2 days for Gatatu to buy the permit.
The gorilla tour itself was great. First I could enjoy the landscape during the early morning drive from Kabale to Bwindi Park. Mist was hanging over the valleys, a beautiful sight. Then during the gorilla tour we had found the gorillas very quickly and they came very close, especially 2 babies.
NZ
Email Rowan Johanson | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gatatu were trustworthy, communicated well and delivered a professional safari
Gatatu were trustworthy, communicated well and delivered a professional safari. They communicated very well and were always on time. We had a great time trekking through Bwindi impenetrable to see the Gorillas. We made our payments for the permits online before hand and Gatatu handled it very well and followed through on all their commitments and promises.
Email Shivon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I had a great experience with Gatatu.
Thanks gatatu safaris for an amazing 8 day safari. We really enjoyed the variety of activities. Jasper was always helpful and the accommodation was always great.
Thanks once again
JP
Email shiro | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I have a nice experience with Gatatu
I have been arranged 1 day gorilla tour by Gatatu.
Because his company is very small I am amazed that it took several days until I received his reply and I cannot find him in his office in the previous day.
But the arrangement was perfect and tour driver was very gentle.
I was able to spend a nice experience thanks to that.
US
Email Barbara | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
14 Day Luxury Tour of Rwanda and Uganda - Gorillas, Chimps, and Birds
We just returned from the "14 Day Luxury Tour of Rwanda and Uganda -
Gorillas, Chimps, and Birds", offered by Gatatu Safaris, and I want to give
an honest review of our experience with this local Ugandan company. We are
seasoned travelers in our 70's and have traveled extensively with wildlife
companies all over the world. We decided to take a chance booking with
Gatatu Safaris instead of an American company because we really liked the
itinerary they offered since one of us is a wildlife photographer and the
other is an avid bird watcher. Not only was it a good fit for our interests,
it was less expensive for what it offered compared to the American companies
we considered. We were overall pleased with our experience although there
were a few short comings. For example, at the beginning of the tour, our driver did not
have the promised itinerary of daily activities and they were not occurring.
Calls back to the office resolved this situation to a degree.
Since it was advertised as a bird tour, we expected to have professional
bird guides at each of the parks where birding was mentioned as an activity.
This had not been arranged ahead of time, but was handled by our guide "on
the fly", and we were never sure if we would have a bird guide or not, nor
how knowledgeable he would be. Another surprise was the game drives
themselves. The itinerary on the website listed multiple game drives at the
national parks, and this was one of the main reasons we elected to go with
Gatatu Safaris. On our travels, we have always taken game drives in safari
vehicles with pop up tops allowing the occupants to stand up and see clearly
in all directions, but this was not the case with Gatatu. The game drives
were conducted with our driver, Stephen, in the same vehicle used for
transportation between parks, a 1999 vehicle with cramped seating that was
not air-conditioned nor was the fresh air vent working, so we endured many
long, hot drives on Uganda's very bumpy and dusty roads with the windows
open. Stephen was neither a naturalist nor a birder, but he did arrange to
hire bird guides in some of the parks after we got there, and he did arrange
to rent a pop up vehicle for one of the game drives.
One thing that Gatatu Safaris handled very well was changing our
accommodations for the gorilla trekking to a location where they felt like
we would be able to do the trek more easily since we are both in our 70's.
This took a number of phone calls and a talk with the park director, so we
were grateful that they arranged this for us. One thing that could have been
better were the briefings before each day and each activity - what to wear,
how long it would take, do we need water and a hiking stick, etc.
This was advertised as a luxury safari tour, and all of the accommodations
were excellent, the best available in each of the places where we stayed,
so we were pleased with that aspect of our trip.
My recommendation to prospective travelers considering going with Gatatu
Safaris is to agree on a detailed itinerary ahead of time with the company, print
it out, and bring it with you, and be aware that it is a small local Ugandan
company and may lack the polish you expect with a high-end American or
European safari company.
CZ
Email Klara | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very friendly stuff, focused on customer happiness
We have been in contact with Richard - gave us great recommendation and tips. Richard helped us to organize safari. We really appreciate his advices he gave us. He was focused on our interest and us to be satisfied. And we really were happy that we got in contact with Richard (very quickly responded on emails and got in touch by phone). Thanks! We enjoyed it and without your advice we would have experienced it!