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
IT
Email FABRIZIO FACCIOLI | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Don't book with them
GREAT guide/driver, but TERRIBLE office organisation. I strongly recommend you don't book with them.
I work in the Tourist Industry and I'm very expert and objective: Never trust Big Apes and Peter for your trip to Uganda.
Our tour guide, Sam Waako, was wonderful - knowledgeable, communicative and funny. The safari itself was great.
However, the office organisation was terrible, not up to par.... Peter (the manager) was absolutely silent. No call, no email, no communication whatsoever if not through the guide but I believe a manager who considers himself as such should pick up the phone and talk to the customer who is complaining of a problem.
My advice would be - book with a different company. It's all fine if everything goes well, but if there's a problem then They won't solve it.
Reply from Big Apes Africa
Posted on Sep 30, 2025WE ARE GLAD THAT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR SAFARI WAS GREAT EXCEPT FOR ONE THING; CHANGE OF ONE LODGE/ACCOMMODATION;
Gorilla trekking is done in specific locations/trailheads with a limited number of lodges within the same price range/class. Once you are allocated a certain trail head, it is usually best to use the lodges near your trekking location unless the guest has a particular interest in a lodge far from there and does not mind waking up very early to get there.
When you have ONLY two lodges within a certain class and price range that you have always used, it is only reasonable that when one fails to get you a slot, you use another. just like Chefs have bad days, the house keeper did not arrange the room the best way.
IN the face of this, we upgraded you to two rooms Bikingyi 3 and Buhoma 3 at not extra cost.
We regret not giving you a complimentary dinner on the day as per your request after the change of the lodge.
Whereas we maintain the right to change accommodation as per our terms and conditions, we chose not to give you dinner because we felt we had gone above and beyond to give you a very competitive price right from the start for example giving you a Landcruiser at a price of a Van for your group of four, and a number of price cuttings you are familiar with.
We felt confident that our guide passed on every communication right but I must admit that we can do better amid all the busy schedules to arrange personal calls which we do for most of our guests apart from you unfortunately and we are truly sorry.
When
Email Nathan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Chimp and Gorilla Trekking - Unforgettable Experience
The chimp and gorilla trekking were fantastic experiences! The organisation of all the paperwork like permits and accommodation by Big Apes was faultless with no issues at any point. Ismail is a fantastic guide who is very knowledgeable. He prioritises the customer experience and I felt extremely safe and comfortable with him.
One minor criticism which has been fed back to Big Apes and I understand is being reviewed, is that the communications before arrival in the country could have been better. Otherwise all communications when I arrived were clear and Ismail was fantastic in ensuring the itinerary was understood and delivered.
Thank you Big Apes for an unforgettable trip!
CH
Email Valerie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic
Our guide Gerald was the standout highlight of the tour, and we had a great time with him. The tour itself was well planned and the excursions and activities went as planned. We were very positively surprised by the amount of wildlife we saw.
The communication with the Sales team was at times not as proactive as we would have liked, and some of the accommodation we received did not match what was in the itinerary.
Exhilarating, fun, fascinating, competent, safe and customer focused safari tour operator!
I did a tremendous amount of research and spoke to several operators at once in my pre-trip planning stage. Big Apes was be only one that PATIENTLY, KINDLY AND INFORMATIVELY answered all my questions, flexibly incorporated all my changes as my travel ideas and wishes changed throughout the planning process. Once on the ground during the trip, the execution of our plans were realized perfectly by an extremely competent guide who was a pleasure to work with. The flora, fauna and animal species were mind blowing. The culture was amazing! We felt so incredibly welcomed by the Ugandan people who are so committed to conservation and the welfare of their natural resources and diverse animals. It’s important to note that any safari is tough and it’s a commitment to sometimes unexpected, last minute changes or unplanned events (you are NOT going to Disney!) . Big Apes goes the distance however to make sure the customer is taken care of and provided for to the maximum of their abilities. Happiness is their mission! This was the trip of our lifetime and I would absolutely go with Big Apes if I ever did another trip to Uganda!
FR
Email Mollman Mike | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big Apes Africa is a very efficient and flexible safari operator
It was our first time to Rwanda, Uganda and in Africa generally, so booking a safari is not a small thing. But from the beginning Peter has been a very kind and responsive interlocutor. He has adapted to all our needs and expectations, and held us updated with the latest changes. Quotes were reasonable and the prices were respected.
The actual gorilla trek was just great. We were the first on site, and we spent a very exciting moment in presence of these exceptional creatures.
The safaris were also very nice moments, from an adventurer point of view, but also from a human point of view.
Our 4-day driver and guide was not only kind and funny, he also was a very good driver, had a great knowledge of nature and animals, was punctual and helpful. We felt he was part of our team.
We met many tourists who had chosen other companies, and were able to appreciate the chance we had to be with Big Apes Africa.
IT
Email Giorgio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uganda wildlife experience
We had a 10-day trip to Uganda and it was absolutely wonderful! We had the chance to experience the country in all its shades: stunning nature, incredible wildlife, and the kindness of local people.
Before leaving, we exchanged many emails to organize and customize the itinerary, always receiving quick and helpful replies. The overall value for money of the trip was excellent.
Our guide Jackson was with us for the entire journey – such a fantastic and knowledgeable person! Always smiling, cheerful, and truly a friend to us. He made sure we got the best out of every experience by talking to the local guides, especially during the gorilla trekking. That was truly the experience of a lifetime! Being just a few meters away from a group of 17 gorillas was simply unforgettable.
The only downside was a small issue with the agency: we had to advance some money, which was refunded only on the very last day before our flight, and only after several reminders and unanswered emails. This was unexpected considering how smooth everything else had been.
Overall, we highly recommend this trip – and above all, we cannot recommend Jackson enough. He truly made our journey unforgettable!
IL
Email Oded Dagai | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very nice people that strive to give the turists the best experience in Uganda
tha company comunicate with us on a daily basis, answer all our questions and gave us very practicales advises.
the cost for the rour was very reasonable and the safari trip was amazing. highlights were Murchison falls Reaserve (abunded # of species),
Queen Elisabeth Reserve and the quest for the Gorillas in bewindi impentrable forst which is a life changing experience.
the people of Uganda were wonderful and friendly
BE
Email Linda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful guide, terrible office organisation. Don’t book with them.
The good things: Our tour guide, Blair, was wonderful - knowledgeable, communicative and funny. The safari itself was great.
However, the office organisation was problematic. Firstly, we only received the link for the final payment while we were on tour, in a rural area where wifi kept dropping. When we told the office that the wifi meant the payment was proving difficult, they told us we had to pay before the next day or the activities would be cancelled, placing undue pressure on us in a difficult situation. We tried again, and finally the problematic wifi allowed the payment to go through. However, the glitchy wifi meant that payment was taken twice from my card. I communicated this to the office, and while Bella replied to me via whatsapp, Peter (the finance manager) was absolutely silent. No call, no email, no communication whatsoever. The problem was ignored completely. I then raised a process with my card issuer, and informed the office of this. I have also informed them that if my card issuer is unable to help, then I would pursue legal action. It was only at that point that Peter finally replied to my emails, saying he would have a solution by the end of the week. That deadline went by over two weeks ago, and I have heard nothing from him since then.
None of this needed to happen if they had simply said “ah that’s annoying that the WiFi did that - here’s a refund.” It could have taken a matter of minutes to resolve. Instead, they’ve chosen to keep the extra money and process no refund at all. What should I conclude from this?
My advice would be: there are many tour operators available to go on safari with. Don’t choose this one.
Reply from Big Apes Africa
Posted on Sep 30, 2025Thank you for your honest opinion that the safari was great!!
The double payment was a technical error initiated by the credit card payment system which was beyond our control.
Refunds of any nature as per our terms and conditions may take long to process but we pay a great attention of detail to them. We regret the not so prompt responses from our office because we were in a very busy season.
We are happy that as we speak, your refund has been processed the very credit company at whose technical fault, you were double charged.
IT
Email Marta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect honeymoon trip, Ben was a super driver!
We spent 8 days in Uganda visiting Kibale NP, Queen Elizabeth NP, chimps trekking, gorilla trekking, Lake Bunyonyi, to Lake Mburo NP. During our visit everything was great we explore the nature of this beautiful country and we had the chance to see many animals. The trekking to see chimps and particularly the gorillas was unforgetteable.
The accomodations were good for the majority, there were nothing to complain with, some of them were better then other but apart that in general We are satisfied. One big mention it has to be done for our driver Ben which was always safe in driving, happy to answear all the questions and to respond to our requests. Moreover He always explained to us what we were going to do the next day and He was so precise in respecting the leaving time, sometimes he ask us to get up early in order to enjoy the wild animals that can be spotted at that early time, infact one day we could spot two lions and there were just our car on the street! If you want to do the tour with this company ask for Ben as a driver!
Unforgettable Experience
Once in a lifetime experience. it's well run and you feel safe at every point, the people running it are experienced and also super friendly. Big Apes works with the guides it's all rather seamless.