20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Smoothest airport pickups and drop offs
Carson was especially timely and friendly. Got us safely to the airport with plenty of time. Along the way he was giving us fun facts and even helping us plan for our trip to Zimbabwe.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable tour operator that coordinated our whole trip.
Our six day safari with African Big Cats Safaris went beyond our expectations. We had an amazing guide Ally. He was very knowledgeable about all the birds and animals and their habitat. I don’t think there was a question he couldn’t answer. Every day was better than the last. We didn’t think we’d see cheetahs or leopards but Ally found them. He found a baby elephant that was only weeks old, four endangered black rhinos and African blue monkeys. We saw seven lion cubs playing and an adult male and female fighting. We saw “The Big 5” and numerous other birds and animals. It was all pretty awesome. If you’re even considering a safari contact African Big Cats. They made all of our arrangements which also included a hike to Mt Kilimanjaro and a trip to Zanzibar.
CN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Tu Guihong
forest,grassland, numerous animals,
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kubwa Five Safaris is an excelent option for your safari, just watch out during booking and planning
KUBWA5 Safari Holiday Review
We booked our honeymoon safari in Uganda and Tanzania with KUBWA5 this year. Our trip lasted a little less two weeks and included several parks in both countries. Overall, the experience with them was great. Since a safari holiday has many components, I’ll try to review each part separately.
My main disclaimer is that this was our first safari, so we don’t have a direct reference to compare it with. With that said, here is our experience.
Value for Money – 4.5/5
Overall, we believe KUBWA5 offers very good value for money. When planning the trip we compared several safari operators, and many alternatives we found online were significantly more expensive for very similar itineraries.
Even though we experienced some setbacks during the booking and planning stages, mainly due to pricing and itinerary mistakes that required adjustments (including a flight change on our side), the overall safari experience itself was excellent. Once the trip started, the logistics, guides, vehicles, wildlife experiences, and overall organization were outstanding, and they made our honeymoon truly memorable.
For that reason we would still rate the overall value for money at 4.5/5. The only reason it is not a full 5/5 is because of the issues during booking and planning, which required extra attention from our side. However, during the trip itself everything worked smoothly.
Booking – 2.5/5
This was the main low point of the experience.
We decided to go with KUBWA5 after doing some research. Our main reasons were that they are a local company in Uganda (our main destination), they had good reviews, and their price was competitive.
We spent several months between our first quotation and the final version of the itinerary. During that time we asked for different options regarding destinations and plans. If you’re spending $20k+ on a trip, I think that’s fairly reasonable.
When we were finally happy with the quote and itinerary—and only after paying an $8,000 USD deposit—they realized they had made a mistake in the pricing and that the trip had been underquoted by nearly $12,000 USD.
That’s obviously a lot of money for a mistake. We even considered canceling everything, but we eventually decided to adjust the trip by changing some dates and hotels so we could stay closer to our original budget while still traveling with KUBWA5.
Our advice: double-check and confirm all pricing carefully before paying the deposit.
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Planning – 2.5/5
KUBWA5 are very flexible during the planning stage. They send a comprehensive PDF for every quote detailing the itinerary, planning, and budget. We actually used that document as a reference even during our trip.
They are very open to adjusting the itinerary and usually respond relatively quickly to requests or changes.
However, mistakes can happen. For example, our initial itinerary included leaving a hotel at 2 a.m., which turned out to be unrealistic for that location. Because of this we had to adjust several parts of the itinerary, which forced us to change one of our flights and cancel our final airport transfer.
Some of these planning adjustments also ended up costing us extra money, particularly when we had to modify flight arrangements after the itinerary changed.
These were manageable issues, but my recommendation is to carefully review every step of the itinerary and confirm travel times beforehand. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or request changes—they are very open to making adjustments.
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Logistics – 5/5
After the initial challenges during booking and planning, I have to say that the trip itself ran perfectly.
From the moment we landed until the end of our honeymoon, everything worked smoothly. Everyone was aware it was our honeymoon and we received many thoughtful touches along the way.
Every transfer was on time and well organized. We had several domestic flights during the trip, and KUBWA5 kept us updated with schedules and made sure everything was coordinated.
Once the trip started, the logistics were flawless.
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Hotel Selection – 4/5
Hotels in Uganda and Tanzania usually fall into luxury or mid-range categories.
With luxury properties you will generally have a great experience. However, be careful with hotels labeled “mid-range,” because the quality can vary a lot. Some mid-range lodges were excellent, while others were a bit below our expectations despite having the same classification.
Overall we enjoyed most of the hotels, but I recommend double-checking specific properties beforehand if you want to avoid surprises.
Hotel staff in both Uganda and Tanzania were consistently excellent. Everyone was polite, attentive, and many places added small details to celebrate our honeymoon regardless of whether the hotel was luxury or mid-range.
I also recommend bringing some local currency for tips, which is appreciated by staff.
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Guides – 5/5
The guides were the absolute highlight of our trip.
You should know that on safari you spend a lot of time with your guide, both during game drives and while traveling between destinations.
Our guide in Uganda, Charles (@kimbugwe.charles on Instagram), was fantastic. He made sure we were always happy and safe. He’s a great driver and incredibly knowledgeable about Uganda—animals, parks, culture, and local life.
He made sure we saw all the animals we hoped to see during game drives. He is also very well connected, which helped with different activities and arrangements during the trip. He even organized a picnic for us, bought us fresh fruit, and took us to some great places for shopping.
In Tanzania we had Bakari, another exceptional guide. He is an extremely talented tracker and driver. He always seemed to know where to go during game drives so we would be in the right place at the right time.
He knows the parks very well and always made sure we felt safe and were enjoying the experience.
I can’t stress enough how important a good guide is during a safari. Charles and Bakari are a big reason why our trip was so memorable.
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Vehicles – 4.5/5
Vehicles are another important factor during a safari because you spend a lot of time in them.
KUBWA5 vehicles were excellent. We booked a private tour, so we had the vehicle to ourselves. They were large and comfortable, with fresh drinks and charging ports available.
The cars were in very good condition, which is important considering the long distances and rough terrain. It’s actually common to see safari vehicles with mechanical problems, but ours performed very well.
We were never completely sure if the air conditioning worked, but honestly we never needed it.
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Wildlife & Parks – 6/5
The wildlife experience was outstanding and a huge part of that was thanks to our guides.
Thanks to Charles in Uganda and Bakari in Tanzania, we were able to see the Big Five, which was one of our goals for this trip. Charles even managed to spot a leopard, which we know can be very difficult to find.
The gorilla trekking experience in Uganda was one of the main reasons for our trip and it completely lived up to expectations. Charles helped ensure we had a great local guide and we were lucky to visit an amazing gorilla family. It was truly one of the highlights of our honeymoon.
In Tanzania, Bakari made sure we saw all the big cats. We saw lions, leopards, and cheetahs—including an incredible moment watching cheetahs hunting and lions eating.
From our experience, Tanzania is particularly good for big cats, especially in the Serengeti, where animals are easier to spot because of the open landscape. If you want the classic safari experience with lots of wildlife sightings, Serengeti is hard to beat.
Safaris in Uganda feel a bit different, but in a very special way. The highlights there are gorillas and chimpanzees, which are unique wildlife experiences. We also saw elephants and hippos very close, especially around River Station.
We also highly recommend doing a boat safari on the Nile in Uganda, which gives you a completely different perspective and great views of wildlife along the riverbanks.
Overall, the wildlife experiences far exceeded our expectations.
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Food – 4/5
Overall the food was good, although the quality varied depending on the hotel.
Most lodges offer international-style cuisine, but there are usually local dishes available as well, which we recommend trying.
Because game drives can last many hours, sometimes meals are packed for you to eat on the go, which is a normal part of the safari experience.
Overall the food was enjoyable and there were always good options available.
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Safety – 5/5
Safety was something we wondered about before traveling, but throughout the entire trip we always felt very safe.
This applied everywhere: in the hotels, during game drives, on the road, and while visiting parks. Our guides were excellent drivers and very attentive.
We also always felt comfortable regarding wildlife and general security.
Some lodges even escort guests to their rooms at night to make sure no animals are nearby, which shows how seriously safety is taken.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we had an amazing honeymoon safari with KUBWA5.
I would recommend booking with them, but I strongly suggest paying close attention during the booking and planning process, double-checking pricing, itineraries, and hotel selections beforehand.
Once the trip began, everything ran smoothly. The logistics, vehicles, wildlife experiences, and especially the guides made this a truly unforgettable trip.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and helpful
We had a good experience with Roju safari updates, Rodgers helped us with our train ticket even though that was not part of his service offering. Our safari in Masai Mara was a great experience and we saw most of the animals. Lake Nakuru game day could have been better if the game would have started earlier in the morning, so we could have the chance to see the pink flamingos, but we were lucky to see rhinos.
Thanks Andrew for the safari.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
There were many unforgettable moments on this safari
I spent four days with Abner Safaris in the Masai Mara game reserve in February, and my experience was beyond words. Everything from start to finish was perfectly organized, from communication, planning, transfers. The team is truly incredibly professional and attentive. The accommodation was fantastic, comfortable, clean, beautifully located, and provided excellent service. After an exciting time on the safari, there was also a perfect place for guests to relax. A special highlight was our guide, who was simply amazing. Knowledgeable, warm, incredibly experienced and had a real talent for spotting wildlife. Thanks to him, I had many unforgettable moments on this safari and I am very lucky to have him. I really couldn’t have had a better safari! This trip was a dream come true, and I would book with them again anytime!
CA
Great safari !
We did a safari with Kiwoito in June 25 with our 26 year old son. It was an experience of a lifetime. We had a great guide ( Nelson ). He was attentive and an excellent driver. He went out of his way to make sure we saw everything and always in a good position even if a lot of jeeps were there . The biggest compliment I can make is : we are going back to do a Kiwoito safari with friends in September 26 we loved them so much …..
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice day tour😍
We loved the tour. It was raining the most of the time but still worth it! The driver, Brian, was super nice to us, explaining the region and caring for us. The guide at Materuni waterfall was also super nice. We learned how to make coffee since de beginning and we had fun at Materuni village. I would reccomend Polecat Safari 100% Thank you!
BR
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excelent tour. Adventures and emotions
The Goldfinch Adventures is like its name adventures and emotions. Vanessa and Isaías took care of all details with the safari, accomodations, meals and transport. Everything was good and we enjoy a lot.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Book with them!
Highly recommended! Very friendly, progressional and knowledgeable company. We arranged a few day trips from Addis with some colleagues. Easy to arrange, wonderful tours and scenery, and well organized. The vehicles and drivers were very good, and the guide very engaging and educational.