Amakula African Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- TUGATA, USAGA & UTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Jennifer | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgeable, extremely kind, lots of laughs and fun surprises, the absolute BEST.
Our 15 day safari with Amakula Tours was the most amazing experience of my life. From the beginning Amakula was quick to respond, and booking was smooth. They were also very helpful during the planning phase of our trip. There was a great variety of experiences including white water rafting, nature walks, game drives, community & school visits, wildlife trekking, coffee plantation, making banana gin, basket weaving, and dancing. We learned about Ugandan history, culture and customs and had fun interacting with the native people. Simon and Arafat were fun to be with, very knowledgeable, and extremely kind. We had the pleasure of meeting several other team members, and they too are great people. I highly recommend Amakula Tours and hope you have your adventure of a lifetime.
FR
Email Claudine | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful & very professional tour
We were in a 4 day's tour with Simon and Arafat.
We went to Bwindi forest, lake Bunoyi and Mburro national park. It was an amazing experience.
The team took us to the bests places and wonderful lodges
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Email Karen Russell | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trip of a lifetime with best tour company ever!
Where do I begin to share about the trip of a lifetime?! I have been blessed to travel many places throughout the world, including safari in S Africa, but our trip to Uganda tops it all.
Let me begin by saying, my husband didn't want to go. He was afraid for our safety. I spent time interviewing previous travelers and felt assured we would be safe, and indeed we were!
My initial contact at Amakula, Davis, was so patient and thorough, spending weeks answering my myriad questions. He adjusted our itinerary to suit our needs and interests. From food to accommodations and itinerary, everything was wonderful.
My husband and I have special dietary needs and each and every one was accommodated. So whether one is vegan, ketogenic or Gluten free or has food allergies, everything was handled and the food was delicious and nutritious, and believe me when I say I am picky lol.
I have to also say that we had the most amazing tour guide ever! Julius Tinka was kind, knowledgeable, patient, experienced, friendly, easy to understand, reliable, punctual, and honestly perfect in every way! If there were a problem, and there a couple, ie the A.C went out in our vehicle and I'm sensitive to dust and heat, and he got it fixed. One of the national parks had our tour time wrong and we would have missed our morning tour, and he got it straightened out, when the park had said "no way!" Everywhere we went people knew him, respected him and went out of their way to help him. I was in awe at the way he handled everything that came our way.
And for the long drives, he was fascinating to talk to and for me, a bonus was to be able to charge my phone in the vehicle, and use his mobile hot spot, so I could edit my pictures and share with family and friends, and be fully charged so I could capture more pictures of our amazing adventures. If you are lucky enough to get Julius as your tour guide, you will be in the best hands, and not disappointed!
We saw all the amazing animals, with the exception of the tree climbing lions...we saw hippos, elephants, zebras, antelopes, hyenas, of all kinds of birds, lions, crocodiles, giraffes, the elusive leopard, and a special Rhino trek that allowed us to be 15 feet away, on foot, from these majestic creatures. And of course, the icing on the cake was our chimp and gorilla treks. To be feet away from these incredible creatures took our breath away and was the most memorable experience!
I am thankful our guide, Julius, urged me to get a porter for the gorilla trek. Best $20 I ever spent! I'm 72 and told I look 50. I consider myself to be in great shape, but I would not have made it without the wonderful porter. He carried our water, jackets, food and held my hand to prevent me from falling and pulled me up the dense mountainess terrain. There were times I begged them to leave me behind in the forest, but they would not. lol. My husband booked the intermediate tour, which at my pace was 5 hours. We did get to see the most incredible family of gorillas, 2 Silverback, 6 females and a baby, which made it all worthwhile, but if you can't squat for 5 hours, I'd recommend booking the easier hour and a half to 2 hour trek. Glad the gorillas were at the end of our tour, as squatting was impossible for a couple days following lol. And when out and about, and away from the Lodges, which have great bathrooms, you need to be prepared for hole in the ground type places to relieve oneself...or even bush toilets if out in safari. Being older having had kids, my bladder isn't what it used to be!
If you have a chance, we recommend allowing time to visit the communities and share in the cultures and traditions of the various tribes. The Ugandan people were so warm and friendly and hopeful in conditions that many of us would be filled with despair...no electricity, water, indoor plumbing, shoes, etc. But their resilience was inspiring. We even visited several schools and orphanages, leaving me with plans to do a Go Fund me campaign to try to help.
It was fascinating to learn about the various tribes, from the Pygmies, to basket makers, coffee makers, makers of banana products and cattle raisers. It was fun milking a cow with 3 foot long horns, and learning to make ghee and more. And dancing with some of the tribes was an added treat. And my husband, who is a holistic physician had added joy in meeting the tribe's Medicine Man and learning about the plants he used in healing!
Our 11 day tour included all tours, permits, a guide, local transportation, accomodations, all meals for $4500 each. The only thing not included was air fare and tips, which you need to allow for. We used airline miles. I can tell you that I've spoken to people who spent $15-20,000 and did not have the incredible experience we had! The owner of Amakula, Simon, was also very wonderful. We simply can't recommend this tour company more highly. If you have questions or would like to chat, please feel free to call me or text 808-325-1500 (Hawaii) Warmest aloha, Karen Russell and Dr. Tim Hendlin
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Email John Keating | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Up close with our nearest relatives
We chose Amakula for our four-day Gorillas and Chimpanzees Trekking Tour in Uganda and we're glad we did.
The first big highlight was a stop on Day 2 at the Kibale National Park in the north-west of the country. It's a thickly forested park that's home to some 1,500 chimps in four different communities. After our guide Julius parked the truck it took just a few minutes for the park staff to find them, screeching from the treetops as they searched for food. Unfortunately for us it was a dull overcast day, making it hard to see the animals against the sky, but one of them spent a lot of time on the ground and was easily visible. Even in the dull light, it was thrilling to see the animals so close.
After seeing the chimps, we made our way south over the rough potholed roads and high up into the mountains at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home of the mountain gorillas. We stayed in a rough hewn cabin with a stunning view down a valley in the middle of the park. Early the next morning we headed out in the safari truck to look for a gorilla family that the trackers had spotted hours earlier. This time, luck was really with us. Usually, there is a fair bit of trekking through the vine-choked jungle to get to the animals. But our family was just a few paces off the road.
It's an experience like no other to look into the eyes of these human-like creatures. This was a family of about a dozen, including the head silverback, a couple of smaller silverbacks and several females and young ones. We were told not to get too close but the gorillas don't know that rule. Sometime the young ones ran within a foot or two of us. The family is amazingly laid back and the silverback grunted contentedly as he drifted in and out of sleep.
The tour ended with an overnight stay at Itambira Island in Lake Bunyonyi. The small island has its own semi-tame wildlife, including zebras and a large flock of crowned cranes. There's an option for a boat ride on the lake that we didn't take. It was a pleasant and restful way to end the tour.
We highly recommend Amakula. Our guide Julius was knowledgable and friendly and willing to stop whenever we wanted a better look at something, including the abundant bird life. This was a private tour, meaning we were the only clients in the safari truck, but of course there were many others from other tours who joined us in viewing the the chimps and the gorillas.
If it were possible, I would have stayed an extra day at the little cabin in Bwindi and done a little walking and bird watching. It's too pretty a site for such a short visit.
Amakula gets extra marks for supporting a school for orphans in Arusha, which we visited after the tour.
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Email Celiq | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient and very accommodating
They were honest and very helpful in making this a beautiful experience. Iam an American so my standards are much more demanding. I think for the amount we paid, it was very beautiful. There were a couple places where I could have upgraded, but overall I was very happy.
IE
Email Holly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I cant rate them highly enough! Experience of a lifetime!
I honestly can't speak highly enough of my experience with Amakula African Safaris. From the very start, Simon was extremely helpful and responsive to my (often many!) emails and queries that I had regarding the trip, and very kindly assisted me with the visa application process. He was also happy to alter the itinerary to my requests, which allowed us to include a trip to Mabamba Bay to see the Shoebill Stork.
Julius was my tour guide, who was genuinely amazing over the entire trip! He did everything he could to make sure I had the best experience possible, including making some last-minute calls to park rangers in Nyungwe National Park to ensure I had the best chance of seeing chimpanzees, and getting me in with the trekking group for seeing the best gorilla family in the Ruhija sector of Bwindi National Park, which has 3 silverbacks and 2 babies!
Julius was brilliant company on the road trips between each activity, and was so knowledgeable about the culture, history, wildlife, and everything else you might like to know about Rwanda and Uganda. Every question I had was answered! Many days we spent 5-6 hours or more in the car, taking in the gorgeous scenery, having the chats and with great music to keep us both uplifted the entire time. He was very attentive, and was brilliant in communicating each step of the itinerary, with realistic time frames of how long each road trip, trek, hike, etc., would take.
He arranged the check-ins at each accommodation, and the registrations at each activity. I was looked after and felt extremely safe the entire trip. He was happy to stop at any moment for photos of the stunning scenery, and was able to spot various wildlife along the roadside, including Black and White Colobus Monkeys that we were extremely lucky to see while driving through Nyungwe NP!
The accommodation overall was fabulous, particularly the last 2 nights (Bakiga Lodge and Mpogo Safari Lodge), and the food was also amazing. Some of the activities, such as the Mount Bisoke hike and Gorilla trek, required a packed lunch, which the accommodations were happy to arrange with multiple meal options available to choose from.
Simon called to check in regularly to make sure everything was going well and that I was happy with my experience. He also made a huge effort and managed to meet us on the last day of the tour for a section of our road trip to Entebbe, so it was lovely to meet him in person and get to hear about his life and passion for his business.
This trip/itinerary with Amakula African Safaris is something I had been looking at on and off for over a year. It stayed in the back of my mind the whole time, but I kept talking myself out of it as its a long way to travel for just one week and would take a lot to save up for it. However, it was still the best value week-long itinerary I could find that covered Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking, amongst many other activities. I finally talked myself in to taking the plunge and booking the tour, and my god am I so so glad that I did! I think in Simon and Julius I have made some great friends for life! A once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget!
CH
Email Raji Sundaram | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable and client oriented
Amakula Safaris organised a great two week trip for us in Rwanda and Uganda. From the outset Simon was very responsive and would reply to emails promptly. He was very reliable and catered to all our needs. The few hitches we had during the trip were sorted out quickly and efficiently. Julius, our driver /guide was excellent and a real asset to the company. The trip itself was wonderful with many unforgettable experiences.
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Email Kaks | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Beautiful primates in Uganda
It was a great experience getting closer to the gorillas at Bwindi impenetrable national forest and chimps at Kibale with Amakula African safaris guys
IT
Email Lian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was great facing eye to eye with the gorillas
It was such a nice feeling tracking the the chimpanzees and trekking the mountain Gorillas in Uganda with amakula African safaris team .we thank you so much for being honest and entertaining.
CA
Email Darius | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Encredible safari with Amakula Afrcan Safari guys
We have just finished a 4-day Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking safari with Amakula Afrcan Safaris. When we contacted having seen their profile seriously they are young and brilliant guys, yes they have so far operated for one year and they opened up to us and seriously they are true guys to deal with. We have previously done the “Big 5” in Tanzania, so we can now say we have done the “African Big 6” with Gorillas in Uganda!
Amakula African Safaris was an excellent choice to deliver our experience. Communication from home via WhatsApp with Simon was always efficient and timely, and the program they put together for us covered off everything we wanted to see an experience. They are a highly professional outfit to deal with, and they took the stress out of planning by explaining the different options available.
Arthur was our driver/guide/problem solver (and at the Rwandan land border crossings there seemed to always be something unusual to deal with!). He was so personable, friendly and willing to share information about life in Uganda that it felt like we were on a road trip with an old friend. He kept us on schedule and properly prepared for the next days’ activities. Many thanks my brother!!!!
As for the treks themselves, we started with the Golden Monkey trek, and it was amazing to see these creatures in the only place in the world they can be found. But the real deal was trekking for Gorillas in Bwindi. We were 4 very fit hikers and it was a tough 4-hr trek to find them, but so worth it! Absolutely amazing to see these beautiful animals - an experience unlike anything you can imagine. There are easy, moderate and difficult treks (ours was moderate and I would not like to imagine hat the difficult one would look like!), and you are an experienced guide and an armed security escort (to scare off any threats - not to harm them). It is a very well-run operation, and we felt completely safe at all times. These guides work very hard, and in our high-end hiking gear we could only marvel at them doing this in rubber boots. Please remember to bring Ugandan Shillings with you on the treks to leave them a meaningful tip, as trust me they earn it. If not for them, the only gorillas you will see will be at souvenir shops.
I would absolutely recommend Amakula to anyone looking for a safei planning company. They are efficient, courteous, professional, and very competitively priced. All lodging and meals were top notch.