Bill William - our USA Representative and contact
Africa Adventure Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- NU & AUTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Exceptional Rwanda - Uganda weel long adventure!
We had the opportunity to work with Olive; she was excellent and able to ultimately construct just the agenda we wanted (which was a bit different than the pre-planned package). William was our guide. He was friendly, professional, organized, informative, and helpful. We stayed in wonderful accommodations (Garr Hotel, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, and Enganzi). Each place was different in style, but all had one important thing in common - friendly staff. As this trip was a celebration of Larry's 50th birthday, we were very surprised when the staff of the Garr Hotel came out with a cake and William, our guide, came out with a small gift. Wonderful personal touch! Our permits for the Gorilla experience were acquired via Olive - and that eliminated a large amount of worry for us. The food was plentiful and good. More than enough water was supplied each day. In 6 days, we interacted with Gorillas, visited a village, hiked a gorge, took a boat trip, visited a market, went on a safari, and visited places Dian Fossey frequented. The experience was authentic and fun! We have three suggestions for potential travelers. First, plan well in advance of your trip so that you can listen, learn and plan the best trip possible. Second, be aware of physical fitness and realistic about potential limitations. Enganzi, for example, had more stairs than we have ever seen at a lodge/hotel. The room and view were well worth the effort, but guests should be aware of these sorts of things. We also strongly encourage you to use the porter service when hiking for Gorillas. It is not expensive, and it is very helpful regardless of physical fitness. Third, realize that some things may be lost in translation and/or via e-mail communication. Be detailed in your expectations and ask for confirmation in writing of what you understand to be the case - it will help to eliminate any disappointments or issues on the trip itself. It is also a reason to start the planning process earlier rather than later.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Safari with Africa Adventures Safaris
We booked a ten day tour in June with Africa Adventure Safaris and have nothing but positive feedback regarding them. We dealt with Nicholas via email and found him to be helpful and accommodating from the outset. We did have our concerns about visiting certain parts of Uganda, particularly the areas along the border with DRC, however, Nicholas was able to provide up-to-date advice and assurances. We therefore arranged an itinerary including Murchison Falls NP, Kibale Forest, QENP and Bwindi Forest thus ensuring that we would be able to fully experience the variety of Uganda's natural environments and wildlife. Nicholas took care to provide an itinerary that would meet our requirements and provide us with the best possible experience, for example by recommending the Chimp Habituation Experience over the tracking. Prior to departing for Uganda we paid the full amount via Pesapal which seems to be the Ugandan equivalent to PayPal. This worked flawlessly and Nicholas was able to quickly confirm receipt of the payment. On arrival at Entebbe airport we were met by our guide and driver, Douglas who throughout the trip proved to be knowledgable, caring, humorous and above all extremely professional. Douglas advised that he had been working in the tourist industry for 20 years and his expertise and experience was apparent throughout the trip. He kept up-to-date with the situations in the national parks giving us the best chance of spotting all of the animals that we wanted to see (including giraffes, elephants and hippos in Murchison Falls and lions in QENP). Moreover, the relationships that he has established with locals over the years ensured that we received the best of service in all of the lodges etc: we were even given preference in terms of choosing the gorilla group that we wanted to track in Bwindi. Overall, we had an awesome adventure in Uganda and would highly recommend Nicholas, Douglas and Africa Adventure Safaris!
My Experience with Africa Adventure Safaris
This company seems to have a couple of different names, so that can be confusing. I dealt with Africa Adventure Safaris, but their email also indicates they have sister companies called Gorilla Trek Africa and Rwanda Gorillas Safari. I talked with a Bill, based in California, and also Nicolas who was the main guy, based in Kampala.
Overall, their service was reliable and outstanding. I was wary of sending them a lot of money upfront, so I put down a deposit and and paid the rest in cash when I actually met the driver who was bringing me to the Bwindi forest. As much as I didn't like carrying that cash around, paying online or by credit card meant additional fees, so I took my chances. That's a personal decision. In my case, I was picked up at the airport by my hotel (the Boma in Entebbe, also recommended) and kept the money in a safe in my room, so in my case it worked out fine.
I found Nicolas & co. to be extremely supportive and trustworthy before, during and after my gorilla excursion. They looked after me and had a genuine interest in my well being and getting the most out of the experience. They kept every promise; there were no disappointments.
Bear in mind this is Uganda, so you'll travel through a lot of poverty and drive on roads sufficiently broken up and bumpy as to require a four-wheeled-drive vehicle. But I also found amazing and surprising luxury at the end those roads.
I went to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in western Uganda, and stayed in the "deluxe" accommodations, which cost a little more than the basic package. The Gorilla Mist Camp was beautiful, serene and I had a great, expansive view of the mountains of southern Uganda from the terrace of my little hut. It was not "camping." The energy is solar. The hot water was plenty hot. There's also "luxury" accommodations; I can't imagine what that entails.
I kept in touch with Nicolas through much of my trip, even after they dropped me off after the gorilla trek. It didn't seem to matter they had already fulfilled the promise of the gorilla tour. Nicolas always responded and kept working with me. In the end, Bernard, who drove me to the gorillas from Entebbe, picked me up in Kampala and took me to the airport. Bernard and I had a nice dinner on Lake Victoria, and I was quite sad to leave that country hours later. Hi Bernard! Bill