A fraction of our Team.
Big Apes Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- USAGA, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $1,020 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Job Kassala | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good Service
The service food , hotel na transport, reliability and of tour.
CH
Email Robin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Great Safari Experience with Excellent Guiding
Before starting my safari, I was in regular contact with Big Apes. I was able to share my wishes and make changes at any time, and a revised itinerary was always proposed without any issues. In the end, I did a 5-day safari that was very diverse: from the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to various national parks, as well as chimpanzee and gorilla trekking, everything was included. The pickup in Kampala and the end of the trip in Kigali were also organized smoothly. The five days of the safari itself were a wonderful experience. The tour guide was very friendly, dedicated, and had an impressive knowledge of wildlife, which he was happy to share. He regularly checked on my well-being and took great care of me throughout the trip. The accommodations were modern and of high quality. Personally, I would have preferred something a bit simpler, as a less luxurious style suits me better – but this is a matter of personal taste. The food was very good throughout the entire trip.
One point that could be improved is the communication before the start of the safari: I only found out the evening before when I would be picked up and needed to be ready. Additionally, during the five days there was one instance where the guide had not yet received the fuel money from the office.
NZ
Email Emma | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication, friendly and welcoming
We absolutely LOVED our time with Big Apes. We did a 10 day safari. Right from the get go Bella was fast with communication and always happy to answer all our questions. Our tour guide Ben did a fantastic job of making us feel welcome, introducing us to local cultures and teaching us about animals, history and the local languages. The accomodations we stayed at were always comfortable and safe, we were very well fed and looked after throughout. We did have some car issues early on however Ben was quick and professional with getting them sorted with the resources available and it had minimal impact on the safari. Saw many animals on game drives, the chimp and gorilla trekking was an absolute highlight and I would highly recommend doing the optional community visits (not included in the up front payment for us but worth the extra $20 per person per visit). I would definitely recommend Big Apes to anyone thinking of visiting Uganda, they are super flexible with the safaris and Uganda itself is a fantastic place to see.
Email Danielle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
UPDATE : Don't trust Big Apes, neither Peter.
I wrote a previous review months ago reporting that Peter didn't refund my money and Peter replied saying that my refund was scheduled to be processed on that week (refund that was already late) and also left an "explanation" here. The refund wasn't done on that week and I had to contact him again.
I will try to summarize what has happened since my first review on 11/10, almost 3 months ago : He said that he was looking for a better way to handle my refund. He sent me a manually filled in form from his bank as proof of payment and then I was not allowed to send him emails anymore (yes, my emails were rejected and I had to use SafariBookings as an intermediary to communicate with him to ask for updates). Peter filled in the form incorrectly. I received the information from SafariBookings that the funds returned back to his account (SafariBookings had to contact his bank). I was allowed to send him emails again. I sent him another account as another option. He wanted me to fill in the form from his bank and refused to do it again correctly and said my information was distorted in different threads (??????? I confirmed with my bank and the information I sent was correct; the second option I sent was a screenshot from my bank's app, so no risk of being distorted; so ?????). I sent him a third option, a link requesting the payment. He hasn't sent the money using the link. Few weeks later, not a sign of him. Then, Peter wanted to transfer the money using Western Union. One week later, no contact from Peter at all. Then he said the money was at Western Union, that he sent the document previously, but he didn't and that I would have to withdraw my money. After all, I still had to find a Western Union to withdraw my money. This was the better way he handled my refund.
So, after my trip being ruined ... and after waiting longer than the offered cancellation policy time (I asked for the cancellation on 10/04, the offered cancellation policy time was waiting 4 months and receive the full amount; I received the document with the information needed to withdraw my money on 20/12, more than 8 months after the cancellation date) .... and a lot of headaches asking, asking, asking .... and asking SafariBookings for help (I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't have SafariBookings intermediating. I strongly believe that I wouldn't have received my money back) ... my money was refunded. LATE.
Facts and figures :
1) The full amount to be refunded was USD 1,079.24
2) The amount in the manually filled in form from the first attempt sent to me by Peter as proof of payment was USD 1,003.00
3) When questioned, Peter said that the difference (USD 76.24) was bank charges. No proof of payment for this bank charge.
4) The amount I've received from the second attempt was equivalent to USD 920.00.
I didn't understand his intention with that, but Peter forwarded me the exchange of messages between him and the SafariBookings representative, including the name of another client who was also waiting for a solution to her "case study". I wasn't the only one. He also says on the email that some guests are hard to please. After being rude, he failed to keep his word and refund my money within the promised timeframe. Are the guests hard to please ???
This is the customer service provided by Peter, think about if you have an issue during your trip.
As Peter himself said in one of his emails, let's move on to a better future without more hurt feelings. I think he meant my feelings and my bank account feelings. I lost money and time. DON'T TRUST PETER !!!!!! The End !
Reply from Big Apes Africa
Posted on Jan 12, 2026Thank you Danielle for your feedback. Here is our response
1) DANIELLE: The full amount to be refunded was USD 1,079.24
BIG APES AFRICA: That's correct
2) DANIELLE: The amount in the manually filled in form from the first attempt sent to me by Peter as proof of payment was USD 1,003.00
BIG APES AFRICA: Banks in Uganda charge money for an international bank transfer. This non-refundable amount is charged on the bank account directly and sorry we cannot give you our bank statement as proof of payment.
3) DANIELLE: When questioned, Peter said that the difference (USD 76.24) was bank charges. No proof of payment for this bank charge.
BIG APES AFRICA: Banks in Uganda charge money for an international bank transfer. This non-refundable amount is charged on the bank account directly and sorry we cannot give you our bank statement as proof of payment.
4) DANIELLE: The amount I've received from the second attempt was equivalent to USD 920.00.
BIG APES AFRICA: After the money we sent was bounced bank, we opted for the quickest way to get you the money; WESTERN UNION.
After money is withdrawn in dollars, Western Union wanted it in our country currency that is Uganda shillings, this first exchange caused you loss of money. They again required the money to be changed to pounds to get to you. You again lost money during this second exchange.
CONCLUSION:
When you cancel a trip, you are bound to lose some money directly or indirectly. It could be through the cancellation policy or administration fees simply.
We DID NOT subject your money to any cancellation policy. Every penny lost was in the process of getting money back to you.
Thank you for the detailed feedback, it helps management to do things better!
IT
Email Marta and Matteo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Serious and reliable tour operator
We booked a 11-days tour of Uganda with Big Apes.
The communication with the office and the organization of the trip have been easy and fast, we changed our itinerary several times and they have been very kind. It has been an incredible experience, made also better by the presence of Ben, our guide. He is extremely organized and always on time, he knows pretty well these places, he gave us explanations about everything, always curious and chatting.
There have been some issues with payments during our stay (due to connection problems using “MoMo”; in fact we have already suggested to give the guides a prepaid credit card) so we had to anticipate money already paid, but they refund us immediately the day after.
Accommodations were as we expected and as we paid for. In every situation we have always felt safe.
We think that the passione they put in their job is an added value that made us feeling in a family, so we recommend this tour operator.
If we come back in future, we will definitely choose “Big Apes” and Ben again.
CH
Email Bill | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I recommend You Do Not Use This Company — Our Tour was Unsafe, Disorganized, and they had Zero Accountability!!!
Our four day trip was plagued by serious safety issues, poor planning and zero professionalism . Day 1 STARTED 5.5 HOURS LATE with no explanation, costing us half the day or 1/8 of our trip. When we brought this up Big Apes told us we were brought to our destination, so they fulfilled their obligation, ignoring the fact that instead of enjoying the resort for 5.5 hours, we sat in the hotel lobby waiting for our ride that kept telling us he would be there any minute. The vehicle was VERY unsafe. Many seats lacked seatbelts and one seat literally CAME OFF THE FLOOR WHEN THE VEHICLE BRAKED. The driver admitted extreme fatigue even telling us HE “FELT DRUNK”, drove recklessly, nearly caused an accident, and even planned to drive until the vehicle ran out of gas on remote roads. Yep, he told us he intentionally planned to drive as far as he could down a remote road to get as close to the gas station as possible. Thank goodness we rolled in on fumes.
Water was not adequately provided as promised, the last hotel was AWFUL and not even close to the standard of the first two hotels (which surprisingly were actually nice) and at a border crossing the driver Walked Away From Me, Saying Nothing, Leaving Me Standing Alone In The Middle Of The Street At An International Border Alone
with no guidance. The “guide” provided no guiding at all, he just drove, was rude, and completely disengaged.
When these issues were formally raised, management refused accountability, dismissed the safety concerns, and offered to refund only the guide’s $40/day pay as compensation for a $4,000 trip.
This company omitted the most basic safety standards, organization, and professionalism. This should be a no-brainer, just go with another company and stay far away from Big Apes.
NL
Email Saskia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Extraordinary experience
It was easy to correspond with Big Apes Africa. It was a well organised and they have given answers to all our questions, with a lot of patience. The trip was well prepared, with all the handy tips Big Apes had given us before departure. We have visited one big apes family and it was a once in a lifetime experience.