US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing trip from beginning to end!
We recently came back from an amazing customized tour with Africa MCflash tours in July. From start to finish everything went very well. We were pleased with all of our accommodations, the food, Safari vehicle, and the wildlife was incredible! I would highly reccomend a private tour with this company.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
After dreaming of Africa since I was 7, it was everything I hoped and more.
Wildlife was incredible. Children were incredible and so friendly! Murchison Falls was amazing!!! The jungle habitat in Kyambura Gorge was amazing. It is too bad that at Lake Mburo Natl Park, 2 apex predators are gone because of poisoning due to next door cattle ranching--missing lions and wild dogs. I know these ranchers are trying to make a living with their cattle, but historic poisoning of lions and other predators is so disturbing. Gorillas were amazing and the highlight of our trip! Protection for mountain gorillas needs to continue, and allowing locals to participate will help preserve them. It is awful about the displaced Batwa people. The government needs to give them land, and provide educational opportunities so they can make a living and not live in poverty. The government needs to provide clean drinking water from taps!!!!
Of concern is the fact that Ugandas' population is supposed to double in the next 30 years. Not enough cropland to support this, and worry about potential loss of gorilla habitat. I am also worried about the Chinese interests in oil and gas. Lots of road construction to provide infrastructure and allow their interests to exploit the oil and gas resources of Uganda. I look at Uganda, and see the greatest resources to be the wildlife, scenery, and the children!!! I think the Chinese are motivated by profit, and do not really care about the people of Uganda.
Our accommodations were excellent--we especially enjoyed Bakers Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, and Mihingo Lodge, and Mt Gahinga Lodge. Mt. Gahinga and Mihingo lodges were our favorites. Food was good, and we looked forward to our meals, especially at Mt. Gahinga where we shared the table with other visitors. Staff at all facilities (except at Ishasha Jungle Lodge) were extremely professional and attentive. At Ishasha Jungle lodge, the performance of orphanage kids was exceptional and I wanted to hug each child. It is a very good idea and way to bring donations into orphanages, and kudos to Ishasha jungle lodge for allowing them to perform for guests. Kudos to Edward and Elle at Nkuringo. At both Nkuringo and Mt. Gahinga--the fires in our fire places and the hot water bottles in our beds were so so nice.
Our guide Edwin was for the most part very attentive to our needs, and went out of his way to help us. He actually was able to recover forgotten camera chargers and batteries for both my husband and I. That was incredible how he knew all the other guides including those working for other companies, and was able to network and retrieve our lost chargers. He was knowledgable about the wildlife, and very informative about Uganda. We enjoyed it very much when he joined us for meals.
My only complaint about Edwin was driving too fast and too close at times when people were walking on the roadside---especially young children, and an impatience for livestock on the road, as well as an apparent dislike of boda bodas on the road. Edwin drove a lot of miles!! for us and we certainly arrived at our destinations in one piece and on time. Edwin was a skilled driver, and was able to drive in a variety of situations, including heavy traffic near Kampala, to off-the road game drives. I would recommend Edwin as a guide, but would want him to show a little more respect and consideration for people, livestock, and boda bodas also using the roads.
I absolutely fell in love with Uganda---its wildlife and people. I think I left part of my heart there, and would highly recommend it as a travel destination. We mainly went to see wildlife, but actually learned more about the people and culture. It seems like we rode a lot of miles from site to site in the land cruiser, and did get sore and stiff in the process, but we got to see many villages and people in the process of living that we would have missed had we flown from site to site. Kudos to Matoke Tours for setting up this life-changing trip for us. And thanks to Edwin for making our tour possible. We couldn't have done it without him.
BR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The trip was awesome! I had support of all Skywide members, and our guide Mr. Watchanga was so Nice.
We stayed 4 days at Sekenani, and all was perfect.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
16 day Uganda primate ,game and cultural tour!
From start to finish the trip provided by Encounter was amazing surpassing all our expectations. Chris in the office was always quick to respond to any questions we had- even if it was at 2 am Ugandan time! Chris provided us with copies of all our chimp and gorilla permits which gave us confidence. We had reservations about paying from the UK but the payment process was very simple and easy.
We would highly recommend our guide Alex who was extremely knowledgeable about Ugandan life and wildlife. He was easy to get on with and happy to join our family games of UNO in the evening. We would definitely recommend asking for Alex to be your guide.
All the lodges chosen by Chris were comfortable and welcoming offering juice and hot towels on arrival. Elephant Hab is a must! This tour gives you a great insight into Uganda – a great mix of game viewing, chimp and gorilla trekking and stunning scenic drives. The optional extras we would recommend adding to this trip to make it even more spectacular are: 1) The lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth NP- this allows you to go out with a tracker which enables you to go off the main tracks to find lions. 2) The crater lake drive in the Queen Elizabeth NP.
We were so impressed by the whole trip we decided to visit Chris and the rest of the team at their office in Entebbe to thank them before flying back to the UK. We cannot recommend Encounter and this trip enough.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Friendly people and wonderful safari experience
We are a family of four with two children aged 15 and 11. We had a fabulous and memorable safari arranged by Mohamed and Carlson. David Simba was our English and French guide, he was great. We went to Tarangire National Park, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Crater.
The accommodation was wonderful. We particularly liked the tented camps in the Serengeti where we saw an amazing range of wildlife including the 'Big 5', birds, and many other animals. David Simba was the best guide we could have wished for - he is extremely knowledgeable, a fantastic driver, and was very patient and accommodating to our family needs.
Mohamed was very helpful via email. He was quick to respond and provided various safari options until we decided which one was best for our family.
I truly recommend Travel Africa Agency to anyone traveling in Tanzania.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Perfect Honeymoon
I can't thank Wayfairer enough for helping to plan the perfect honeymoon. They provided excellent advice about the best location for my honeymoon and the best time to visit. We settled on the Selous Game Reserve and they listened to all my feedback to create the perfect itinerary that combined safari, beach and relaxation. I'd never booked through a company like this before so I was concerned that something would go wrong. Someone would miss a transfer or not be there when they were supposed to be, but all my worries quickly melted away and the whole trip went smoothly. I would definitely book with Wayfairer again and I especially love their philosophy of responsible travel and working with companies that pay and treat their employees fairly. I think it showed in all the people we met on our trip. A++
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Needing information
On the recommendation of one of our parties family member (who had been on safari with KWSS Ltd last year) we booked to go on a Safari in Sept 2019. We just received an email stating it is cancelled due to technical difficulties. Now we can not view terms and Conditions.
I cannot claim on insurance if firm defaults or is in financial difficulties. We have lost a considerable amount of money, have no holiday, have had to cancel flights( getting only a small refund which did not cover costs)
Now need to know how to go about getting money back from KWSS.
Could only choose one star in review would like to have given none!!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Exceptional Safari Experience
I am very grateful for Kephar for being the most amazing guide and driver. He brought us the best of luck -- we saw 5 cheetahs, six lions in total (and saw one dragging and eating a wildebeest), TWO rhinos with one quite close-up, multiple elephants, many buffalos with two very very close, and two incidences of leopards. So many people at the lodge were saying we were very lucky!
What made the trip really special was Kephar's incredible knowledge, very impressive driving, and the unique instinct for the animals' presence. He was also flexible and quickly drove around to get closer to animals. Truly exceptional service!
I don't have a DSLR nor any attachments to complement my smartphone, but I still got some great photos thanks to the great close views and definitely #NoFilter !
Just to add, we were just two girls alone on this Safari and before our trip many people expressed their concerns about safety, but the worries were totally unnecessary with Mufasa Tours and Travels. It was 100% safe, and I had no worries during the trip (Hakuna Matata)!
This was my 2nd Safari experience and this one more than the other left an impression that will last forever.
Highly highly recommend Mufasa Tours and Travels!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Earth Tours and Safari MADE our trip the Best EVER!!
There are NOT enough Good words to say about Good Earth! From our first phone call (Baraka), the excellent, immediate follow up to the Incredible, Beautiful, comfortable lodges with Great food and last, but not least, our Wonderful Guide, Gerald L! We know there is a ton of planning behind the scenes and we were very thankful but being with Gerald, every day, just MADE our trip what it was. His expertise on everything was over the top from every animal, bird, history of the crater, the serengeti and just all of Africa and he Enjoyed teaching us! Gerald's happy and sincere personality made us look forward to each and every day! Their "trucks" were very comfortable and Gerald made sure WE were comfortable and noticed everything we liked to eat and drink so he surprised us daily. On our return, we would not use anyone but Good Earth Tours and we are so grateful for the memories we will have the rest of our days, thanks to Gerald and the entire company!
S.S. West, Tulsa, OK.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Special & Spectacular
Canoeing down the Zambezi with Natureways was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We were treated royally the whole time, but were able to engage in long, thought-provoking conversations. Our guides Marc & Manu knew the Mana Pools like the backs of their hands. They knew it so well I wondered if they could canoe down it blindfolded. They spotted innumerable wildlife we wouldn't have seen on our own. When we arrived at camp, it was set up spectacularly and we seamlessly transferred into full relaxation. I highly recommend Natureways for a unique and spectacular safari experience.
