Experience Happy Escapes
Santaviva
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $3,100 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Sonja und Stefan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ivan is very friendly, reliable and correct!
We are two German bicyclists and have been traveling for ten months. Looking for a way to visit the gorillas we got Ivan’s contact. Everything went perfect. Very friendly, reliable and correct. We enjoyed some days in the Motel Santaviva, which we consider a great mix of African guest house and western style hostel. The same with Ivan. He is an authentic African, who knows very well what western tourists like and need. He needs at least two days to get gorilla permits, if available. But he offers way more than gorilla tracking, for example coffee experiences, nature walks, biking, Vulcano hikes and so on. No problem to spend a couple of days in Kisoro. Highly recommended!!!
Most reliable operator in Uganda
I have been backpacking through Uganda for two weeks and Ivan has been an amazing help in every possible way. He organized the gorilla trek for me and also proposed many other good things. His motel is a great play to stay for a few days and he will make sure you are not getting bored or hungry. highly recommend! Thanks again!
DE
Email Markus | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great place to stay in Kisoro and exceptional hospitality by the owner
We stayed for two nights in Motel Santaviva in Kisoro. The rooms are very nice and there are several options to sit together in the inner courtyard of the motel or in front of the motel. We had breakfast and dinner at the motel and both were delicious for a very fair price.
Really outstanding is the hospitality and openess of Ivan, the owner of the place. During our 1 1/2 days he showed us the caldera overlooking the city, took us to the local market and accompanied us to a boat trip on Lake Mutanda. He provided us with much information about the area and its people and was just a great guide for the area.
Highly reommended for a stay in Kisoro!
TW
Email Lee | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great
Spend 5 days with Ivan . Great person with good passion shown the town very well to traveler. Enjoy the view just few hours hike with Ivan .
Email David | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Extremely helpful - Ivan went out of his way to make sure anything we needed was sorted.
We stayed at Santaviva for a few nights before our Bwindi Gorilla Trek. Ivan was there to meet us as the border (Rwanada) which was comforting to know and made sure there were no issues. Whilst in Kisoro, Ivan took us on a few walks through town and to the viewpoint overlooking the lakes. After our Gorilla Trek Ivan helped us get bus tickets for an overnight bus to Kampala and was texting us all the details. If anyone is in Kisoro, I would recommend reaching out to Ivan as he will be able to help with any and all planning.
Email Honest Herbert Kakiiza | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a great exciting experience
Service was superb.It was a cost effective trip. We got value for each dollar spent. The personnel are kind and very helpful, knowledgeable and present
The tour operator took care of everything as agreed before, she's been absolutely fantastic!
The trip was a wonderful experience for us. We had an excellent trip to Masai Mara. We did not face any single challenge in the entire trip. Everything was perfectly managed. Overall we're happy and wouldn't hesitate to do more adventures under the tutelage of the same travel agency. All in all the parameters enumerated above were well catered for.
Email Martin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Value, Great Knowledge, Great People!
I was lucky enough to spend 4 days in Kisoro with Ivan and the team earlier in 2023 and have a fantastic time.
We'd just arrived from a month in Rwanda and had a month to spend in Uganda and didn't really have a very fixed plan. Luckily we met Ivan and he helped us massively to curate our trip for the next month and organise things like Gorilla permits, accommodation and tips for hikes and other locations we could goto in Uganda.
We ended up staying 4 days in Kisoro instead of just one night which gave us time to enjoy some of the local activities. Do not miss the local coffee experience (where you get to roast your own coffee) and if you're feeling fit, why not hike up one of the local volcanoes, which I did with Ivan when we hiked Mount Sabinyo.
Ivan and the team are simply awesome and will go out of their way to make sure you get the most out of your visit to Uganda. On top of this they are really reasonably priced compared to competitors, but you will lose any of the quality!!!
If you want to find out a bit more then I put together this short review video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cNCMIypvBk
DE
Email Yu | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
excellent service
The operator plans thoughtfully, offers delicious foods. I am satisfied with its service.
Email Michael | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ivan and the Santaviva team were amazing, ensured a perfect experience and love every second!
Myself and three friends were returning to Uganda via the Western side and were lucky enough to find and book online at Santaviva. The accommodation is located in the heart of Kisoro and Ivan the host couldn't have been more helpful. We stayed for 3 days and were given great advice on local hikes and activities including exploring the ancient tombs and villages.
We also organised a 6 hour Gorilla hike through the impenetrable forest which was a challenging and amazing experience! This included transfers to and from the forest!
All up huge thank you to Ivan and the team for an unforgettable experience!