Hooves of Africa Safaris - If Not Now, When?
Hooves of Africa - Photo Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2022)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, USAGA, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $700 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Priya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
He was very kind and informative
I had a great experience. My guide and boatmen went out of their way to get me a good view of the allusive Shoebill. I felt safe and comfortable.
Email Pasty | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great trip
The itinerary was perfect
seen lots of wildlife
Hotels and meals were good
definitely would recommend
Email Arina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hooves of Africa gave us an unforgettable experience
It is hard to express in words how amazing our trip with Hooves of Africa was. It had been my dream to go to see mountain gorillas since high school and Hooves of Africa made it a reality. Dickson was very responsive and helpful during the planning process; he always responded to questions quickly and made it easy to adjust the tour. We originally booked a nine-day safari, which included gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. Dickson made it easy to add a couple days to the original tour so we could go to Murchison Falls and The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which ended up being a great decision because they became some of the highlights of our trip. I could not find plane tickets that matched our booked tour dates exactly, so we had two extra days in Uganda. Dickson arranged for rooms for the extra nights and a tour of Kampala during one of our extra days. Dickson picked us up from the airport when we arrived in Entebbe, even though we got there at midnight. He took us out for dinner on our last night in Uganda and asked for any feedback we could give him. He was very invested in hearing and responding to any suggestions for improvements he could make. However, the trip was so perfectly organized that we couldn’t think of anything that could be improved.
The tour that Dickson booked was truly magical. The lodges were all amazing, some of them were the nicest places we have ever stayed in. All the food was fresh and delicious, and every place we went was very accommodating to a vegetarian diet. The staff at all the lodges were very friendly and took great care of us.
I knew wild animals are unpredictable, I was hoping to see a bunch of different species of animals but was not expecting to see so many. Within the first 48 hours of our safari, we had already seen rhinos, hyenas, giraffes, elephants, lions, leopards, hippos, crocodiles, mongoose, several different species of monkeys, and tons of antelopes and birds. I originally booked the tour with the main goal of seeing the mountain gorillas, but I was surprised at how much more Uganda has to offer. We saw the “big five” within 24 hours of starting our safari. We were able to walk among rhinos, giraffes, and zebras. We were impressed learning about Uganda’s conservation efforts in recent decades and how they have been able to restore animal populations and rehabilitate poachers. For some reason, Uganda does not get the same name recognition as other safari destinations but, after this experience, I would consider it the best choice in terms of cultural experience, wildlife variety, and affordability.
Our tour guide was Arshley Brian, and I could not imagine a better tour guide. He was extremely knowledgeable about all the animals and plants that we saw and could spot animals that we did not know were there. He was not only knowledgeable, but you could tell he truly cared about the animals. In one instance, when we were driving on the highway, Arshley suddenly stopped the jeep because he saw something on the highway. He reversed the car, and we saw that there was a small chameleon slowly crossing in the middle of the road. Arshley got out of the car and quickly saved the chameleon, giving us our first look at a chameleon up close, before safely returning it to the brush. And this was not the only chameleon’s life he saved on just our tour! Arshley made this trip unforgettable. His knowledge allowed us to see all the animals we were hoping to see and more. He even made long drives between destinations fun and interesting, sharing stories, jokes, and a real and personal experience of Uganda that we will always value.
On top of being an expert in plants and animals, he could speak 17 languages and always tried to explain the culture of the Ugandan people in every area we went to. As we were passing a small village on our way from seeing the chimpanzees in Kibale to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Arshley noticed there was a wedding happening. He stopped the safari jeep and asked us if we wanted to see the wedding. We thought we would just watch the wedding proceedings from the back, but everyone invited us in. Even though we were strangers, they treated us like family. I feel so lucky to have been able to be a part of this couple’s wedding. I would never have expected that to happen, but Arshley saw that a wedding was happening, stopped the car and the whole village gave us this amazing, authentic experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
This was our first time in Africa and neither of us really knew what to expect. Hooves of Africa, Dickson, Arshley, and Uganda surpassed all expectations we could have had. Our trip was better than I could have ever imagined. Uganda is such a beautiful country. Every person we met was so friendly, inviting, and welcoming. I highly recommend booking a tour with Hooves of Africa. I cannot thank Dickson and Arshley enough for the unforgettable tour we had. I trust them 100% and would recommend them and Uganda to anyone interested in going to Africa.
DE
Email Helmut Wagner | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We have friends in Uganda!
We booked a 7-day tour of Uganda with Hooves of Africa. The communication and organization beforehand were perfect and reliable. Dickson always answered my questions promptly and thoroughly. The trip was easily tailored to our wishes. I don't think it's possible to organize the trip yourself at that price.
Our guide, Emma (Emmanuel), was fantastic. We learned so much about Uganda from him. He knew all the animals and was incredibly well-connected with other guides and rangers, which was very helpful in finding rarer animals and navigating the national park bureaucracy. His funny unobtrusive, and friendly manner greatly enhanced our trip. We had a wonderful week and highly recommend both Hooves of Africa and Emma.
CO
Email Paola | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and well planned!
I had the most amazing experience with hooves of Africa. The safari was perfectly organized. I had the opportunity to see the big five animals and MORE!
A big thanks to my guide (Elton) that really put it an effort to drive me around to make sure I didn't miss anything!
I stayed in great lodges, there was a nice pool and good food!
10/10 stars to hooves of Africa and Elton!
Thank you
CA
Email Meagan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, caring and committed - Highly recommend!
We had a great experience with Hooves!
As we planned the trip, Dickson was very supportive and quick to respond to our inquiries. He also went out of his way to meet us at the start and end of the safari.
Abel, our guide, was kind and reliable. He was a great driver and knew the roads well. We were confident we were in good hands throughout the trip.
The guesthouses that Hooves booked for us were lovely - the staff were very welcoming and the views were unbeatable. We particularly loved the Chimpanzee Forest Guest House.
All in all, we had an amazing trip. Uganda is a beautiful and welcoming country, and gorilla trekking was an experience we’ll never forget. We hope to return and take another trip with Hooves some day!
Email Catherine Mistry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trustworthy enthusiastic operator
We’ve had a superb 3-day 2-night Gorilla tracking experience starting from Kigali with Hooves of Africa. Prior to our trip the owner Dickson was very responsive and easy to communicate with. Our guide Elton was funny and friendly, and very well-informed - answering our numerous questions about everything from nature to politics to football! Our Landcruiser was new and clean, and the accommodation Dickson organised in Bwindi and Lake Bunonyi was clean, comfortable and beautifully situated. Our gorilla encounter was a once in a lifetime experience! If you are reading this and wondering who to trust with your holiday - my family can heartily recommend this firm.
Email Jeremy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lorand was extremely kind, intelligent, excellent driver, and the best guide we could have asked for
My wife and I did a 4 day package that included going to see the golden monkeys and the gorillas and it was truly amazing! Dixon was the best at helping us set up all of our accommodations and activities. We were lucky enough to get Lorand as our guide for the 4 days and he was the absolute best. He was so kind and went to every length to make sure that we felt safe and comfortable every step of the way. He was very intelligent and answered every question that we had about our activities and Uganda in general. The gorilla and golden monkeys experiences were amazing! It’s something that you just have to experience and can’t really describe. I highly recommend this company and tour guide. Thanks so much for the memories!
Email Mark Brown | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful itinerary and experiences
Found Hooves of Africa via safaribookings.com and immediately had a fast response from Dickson - he always responded very promptly to any questions we had.
Our guide for the 3 day gorillas adventure was Stuart - he did a great job of listening to our requests and tailoring the tour for us.
The accommodation and transport was all great and so of course was the highlight - the trek into Bwindi to see the gorillas.
Highly recommend Hooves of Africa to offer a customised itinerary at a very reasonable price in a very small group (just the two of us).
IT
Email Fabrizio | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nature, animals, culture, extraordinary encounters and endless emotions
Nature, animals, culture, extraordinary encounters and endless emotions:
do not hesitate, choose Hooves of Africa! If you want to immerse yourself in nature, experience great emotions and fill your heart with indelible memories, Hooves of Africa will satisfy all your expectations. Dickson is the owner, since the planning of our Safari between Uganda and Rwanda he supported us and advised us in the best way. Serious, reliable, always available and timely in his responses, extremely flexible and courteous, thanks to him we defined our travel itinerary with the utmost ease. When we arrived in Entebbe we were welcomed with a big smile by Dickson and our guide Nolmam, who we can define in all respects as the best travel companion we could have had. He won us over, he became a friend! Professional, very prepared, friendly, sensitive and attentive, his information and his stories made the knowledge of these wonderful places even more interesting and profound.
He was also able to lighten and make special the transfers we faced, there were no shortage of stops and small snacks to refresh ourselves and immerse ourselves in the local reality. Our stops were the Queen Elizabeth NP, the cruise on the Kazinga channel and some trekking; with the chimpanzees (Kibale NP), with the gorillas (Bwindi, Ruija), with the Golden Monkyes and to the tomb of Dian Fossey (Virunga NP). The last stops were the visit to the Dian Fossey Center and the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Every single occasion gave us emotions and memories impossible to describe, they must be experienced. We stayed in different lodges during the journey, all excellent facilities, welcoming, immersed in nature, complete with all the services and comforts, we were spoiled and we enjoyed excellent food. Hooves of Africa was able to exceed our expectations and Nolman made all of this happen: we will never forget the happy days spent together. We leave with hearts full of joy and with the desire to return ...
We hope that this review of ours can make the difference in choosing the tour operator for your next trip: trust Hooves of Africa, we would like their commitment and professionalism to be rewarded. Write to us for any further information, we will be happy to provide you with all the details.