20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Overall I would not recommend Ngoni Safaris company for a trip around Uganda
Good
1. We had a nice 10 day tour around the beautiful country, visited multiple national parks, gorilla and chimpanzee tracked, and had nice accommodations, plenty of water, hot meals, and our guide Eli cared about us having a great time, despite the shortcomings of Ngoni Safaris Company
2. When our bags were delayed by a day, Sedrick/Ngoni arranged for it to be picked up from the airport and delivered 6+ hours to our lodge (for a fee), but I was grateful they quickly helped us during a very frustrating start of the trip (fyi baggage is frequently delayed at Entebbe airport so pack accordingly)
Bad
VEHICLE QUALITY:
1. They speak about their great land cruisers but it was of very poor quality
2. Bad suspension, extremely loud, constantly shaking during the entire ride, seatbelts were broken, and handles were missing, I’ve been on multiple safaris across Africa and never had this experience
3. It also was unsafe and broke down multiple times, the engine would cut off randomly, and it would refuse to start. Which is extremely dangerous when you are driving around mountains, in rain, and in vast emptiness
4. This was a major problem on multiple occasions as we had to be manually pushed for the car to start, we got stuck in a national park which is terrifying with large wild animals roaming around, and we broke down and had to visit mechanics multiple times during the trip, the guide was very frustrated with this situation and I blame Ngoni Safaris Company
COMMUNICATION:
1. During the months leading up to the trip, we received no assurances about reservations; money received etc, and the company was silent for weeks on multiple occasions, this is tourism 101 and they failed, it really makes you question the quality of the company before you start
2. I had to request a packing list, and even then it was missing key items, so thankfully I did my own research or I would have been in a bad position
3. No communication the day or week before arrival to set expectations (e.g., name of guide, where to meet), even upon arrival it took an hour for the company to respond to my text asking what to do, that is unacceptable
4. However, when it came to them pressuring me to choose the company and requesting payment they were quick to send multiple nagging emails which is unprofessional and shows what they care about the most
OTHER ISSUES:
1. Our guide did not have our proper itinerary and multiple times on the trip I had to correct him and make sure excursions I paid for were included. Even upon arriving we had scheduled a Mabamba swamp tour and our guide thought we were driving directly to the rhino sanctuary. Thankfully he was accommodating and we did not miss an experience but it’s frustrating to have to keep correcting the guide
2. We told Ngoni Safaris we were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary, and they agreed to provide wine, cake, and special accommodations for one night which was a great gesture but when it came to execution it was not coordinated ahead of time and I had to remind Sedrick of this before the last day and they threw something together, but I could tell it was not communicated to the lodge ahead of time. Even our guide had no idea we were celebrating such an occasion which is a huge miss
3. A couple of the lodges had some rooms with air conditioning that were nominally more expensive, I was aware and requested to be placed in those rooms, but without my research we would have had no idea. These are little things that Ngoni should ask the clients about, so we can make informed decisions
Overall I could feel that this company is not of a high standard and they should really improve how they operate in order to be at a 5 star level
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch by Lothar & Jelena
Only there to see Rhinos . Lodge was not good
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Lothar & Jelena
See Lions and other Wildlife , but lot of Tourist and Cars in this Park
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Mabamba Swamp by Lothar & Jelena
We see the Shoebill in the swamp. The Guide with the Boat was verry good.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Mburo National Park by Lothar & Jelena
Lot of Giraffes and Antilopes.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kidepo Valley National Park by Lothar & Jelena
Nice and quiet Park with a lot of Wildlife. We love this Park
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kibale National Park by Lothar & Jelena
Chimps trekking was nice but to much people. Up to 16 People arround the chimps group.
Not easy to get good pictures for photographer.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park by Lothar & Jelena
Our trek was very tough as we were constantly climbing steep hills. Therefore, we weren't able to enjoy the tour. We also only saw very few gorillas in the group.
The Price of 800,- Dollar is much to high for that what you get.
CN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good
We had an absolutely wonderful safari. Our driver was extremely professional—with ten years of experience, he drove very steadily and positioned us perfectly so that we could capture the amazing moment when a cheetah was hunting.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Uganda , Pearl of Africa with Rotim Gorilla Tours and Travel
We had an unforgettable 21-day tour of Uganda. We visited nine national parks, including gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. It was our first safari, and Rotim Gorilla Tour and Travel put together the perfect trip for us.
The wildlife in Uganda is incredible, with beautiful scenery.
We especially loved Kidepo National Park with its large herds of elephants, buffalo, and antelope.
Our guide, Robert, even made it possible to see a leopard.
Throughout the tour, Robert took wonderful care of us and fulfilled all our wishes.
We saw the Big Five, and even the Big Seven, including the primates.
Uganda, the Pearl of Africa!
Many thanks to Rotim Gorilla Tour and Travel and especially to Robert for this incredibly beautiful trip.
Lothar & Jelena
