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 Lucille | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Brian has excellent person to person skills, has excellent knowledge on birds, driving and Uganda.
The 3 day Gorilla trekking trip is excellent value for money. It was very easy communicating from Cape Town SA with Dickson from H of Africa. All the necessary information was provided. They also assisted with accommodation in Entebbe before the start. The guide Brian was a pleasure to have as our driver and guide to Bwindi forest and back. The two stays before and after the gorilla trek was an excellent choice. Gorilla in Mist lodge and Heritage lodge on an island in lake Bunyonyi. They know the system and are excellent in advising one in which level of trek to gorillas to choose on the day. One is guaranteed sightings with their expertise. Will definately recommend Hooves of Africa to family and friends. Lucille from Cape Town
Thanks again Dickson and Brian
Email Alison Beere | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Specific, personal service with a distinctive Ugandan warmth
Here’s the tldr; on Hooves of Africa, Dickson & our assigned guide Brian:
* Email communication was professional and specific enough, although relatively casual. Administrative detail such as invoicing could be sharper, but did not detract from the experience
* We felt we got excellent value for our money
* Dickson met us personally off our flight and settled us into our accommodation - very reliable
* He also went the extra mile to provide a day guide at short notice, which we had not originally requested; I would rate his service ethic highly & recommend him
* Brian was our assigned guide and turned out to be an excellent birding guide - our special interest - so that was a match made in heaven. He was a delight as a person; energetic, articulate, forthcoming with interesting detail but never overpowering and passionate about his work
Here’s a bit more detail about the trip itself:
It’s a long drive from Entebbe to Bwindi, so be prepared for that. It was absolutely worth it for the experience along the road - crossing the Equator, seeing the changing landscape, observing the lives of regular Ugandans across the Buganda and Ankole kingdoms; bonus bird sightings, Ankole cattle herds; so many bananas to mention but a few
Our gorilla tracking experience was handled smoothly with all logistics set up by Dickson ahead of time, and facilitated seamlessly by Brian day by day
The walk into the Impenetrable Forest was literally done by following guides hacking and beating a way through the bush largely on extremely steep slopes; there is no path, so don’t expect one. Well worth it, just be as physically fit as your body permits, and stay committed.
Seeing the gorillas was a privilege . Such enormous, tranquil creatures, allowing us to share their world.
We overnighted afterwards at Lake Bunyonyi - also utterly beautiful
We saw this as a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity but have been so delighted with Dickson and our overall experience with Brian, that we are now plotting and planning for when/if we can return & explore further!
Email Megan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Hooves for Africa is a professional, reliable, and exceptionally well-organised tour company.
My husband and I recently completed the 7-day Rwanda and Uganda tour with Hooves for Africa, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
From start to finish, everything was exceptionally well organised, and the entire trip ran smoothly. Our guide, Brian, was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about the places and wildlife we visited. He went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable and looked after, and by the end of the trip he truly felt like part of the family!
Seeing the incredible wildlife was an unforgettable experience. Trekking to see the golden monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees was absolutely magical, and the safari game drives gave us the opportunity to see so many amazing animals.
We genuinely felt like VIPs throughout the journey. Every detail was thoughtfully planned, allowing us to simply relax and enjoy the adventure.
We have absolutely no complaints—this was a fantastic trip from beginning to end. Thank you, Hooves for Africa and Brian, for creating memories we’ll cherish forever. We highly recommend this tour to anyone considering Rwanda and Uganda!
Email Hannah & Paul | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful company!
We had a wonderful 6 day trip with Hooves Of Africa. We picked Hooves because we needed a six day itinerary.
Everything was organised perfectly from the start. Many thanks to our guide Stephen and the organiser Dixon for arranging a great week for us! We were collected from our accommodation in Kigali on time and the whole week was very smooth. All activities and permits all sorted and each accommodation was great! The car was comfortable, border crossings really easy and we achieved our dream of seeing the mountain gorillas and seeing some of beautiful Uganda & Rwanda! Would definitely recommend Hooves as a company to trust with your trip.
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!