NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
I was invited to a conference in Kampala, so I thought it would be nice to spend some time doing tourist activities in Uganda while I am in the area (after all, who knows when I will have an opportunity to come back!). I was initially very nervous about traveling alone -- I tried very hard to find a group tour, but there weren't any leaving at times that lined up with my conference. After reading excellent reviews of Bamboo Ecotours on several websites, I decided to inquire about tours with this company. In my mind, one of the main advantages of this tour was that this one started in Kigali, which is closer to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest than Kampala. This means less time riding in a car and more time with wildlife! Also, it gave me an opportunity to visit Kigali, which turned out to be a very cool city.
Edison, the head of Bamboo Ecotours (and the main contact person), helped to assuage all of my fears. He was very responsive to my WhatsApp messages. When I mentioned that I'm a female solo traveler and that my family was worried about me riding alone in a van with an unknown man for 4 days, he set me up with two guides: a seasoned male guide with four years of experience (Charles) and a female trainee guide (Emilly). This way, I felt more comfortable and Emilly got some hands-on experience.
Both Charles and Emilly immediately made me feel very comfortable on the tour. In fact, they became like family over the four days! I was a bit sad to say goodbye to them at the end. They are both from the region of Uganda where the gorilla tours take place, so they are extremely knowledgeable about the area. As we passed various crops/animals/landmarks/etc, they had interesting facts to tell me about each of them. They also helped me with navigating various things in Uganda, like helping me get a Ugandan SIM card after we crossed the border from Rwanda (it turned out that my Rwandan SIM card did not work in Uganda).
The hotels that I stayed at (Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge and Buffalo Safari Lodge) were supposed to be mid-range hotels but honestly they were some of the nicest and most luxurious hotels that I have ever stayed it. From the moment I arrived until the moment that I checked-out, the staff at these places did everything possible to make me comfortable. In both places, I had my own little cabin, with nice interior decor and excellent views of nature. I was able to get delicious vegetarian meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner at both hotels. Buffalo Safari Lodge even had a swimming pool with views of grazing buffalo!
The animal experiences were even better than I had imagined. I saw a whole family of gorillas at Bwindi, and I was able to get very close to them. Charles put me on one of the shorter hikes and I was very grateful for that, as it gave me time to meet the Batwa people in the afternoon. I had read some mixed reviews of the Batwa experiences online, but I think it's very important to meet them. They were removed from the forest so that the gorillas would have protected land, and they still feel the repercussions of that act today. The Ugandan government did not compensate them in any way when taking their land. I really appreciated having a chance to meet with some of the people to talk about their experiences and see how they live with my own eyes. If I can find ways to help them in the future, I will. For others reading this review before booking a trip, I would recommend bringing clothes in your suitcase to donate if you have extra space. I wish that I had done this.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park was also a highlight of my trip. We saw two lionesses and a female leopard in a tree during the safari drive. Then we took a cruise on the Kazinga Channel and we saw so many hippos, buffalo, birds, crocodiles, and even some elephants. There were also plenty of monkeys and elephants that we encountered just by driving around the park. On the last morning, I did a chimpanzee trek in the Kalinzu Forest. Although we only saw two chimpanzees, we saw plenty of colobus monkeys and baboons. At the end of the trip, we had a delicious African buffet lunch and then we stopped by the equator sign for some photos on the way back to Entebbe.
I want to end by saying that I cannot recommend Bamboo Ecotours enough. They will make sure that you see everything that you want to see, and they will do it very safely. Charles was an absolute master at navigating the winding narrow dirt roads near the Bwindi Forest. Emilly sat with me through every meal so that I wouldn't have to eat alone, which was very sweet. They both went above and beyond what I expected from a guide. At the end of the trip, I realised that I had left my swim suit at my last hotel, and Edison contacted another driver from his company and arranged for them to bring my swim suit to Entebbe.
If I ever come back to Uganda, I will absolutely use Bamboo Ecotours again. In the meantime, I will tell all of my friends who are considering booking trips to Uganda to hire this company!
AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Trip of memories in Uganda
I surely enjoyed my trip in Uganda being able to truck gorillas , game drives in queen Elizabeth national park and Murchison.
It was so interesting. Thanks JM jungle tours.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience in Serengeti and Ngorongoro
We booked a budget safari with Lasi tour directly from Arusha. The owner David is very professional and explained very well the tour and offered different options, with pros and cons, to start the day after as we need. We looked for other “more famous” agencies, but we did not find the same professional approach, so we choose him. We decided for doing 2 parks, Serengeti and Ngorongoro, because we wanted to have the right time to explore them well. For us the right choice! We decided for a shared tour, my husband, my 6 years old child and I.
The driver was an experienced guide, with more than 8 years in Serengeti. He was able to forecast the movement of animals to let us see them in action. We saw lions attack antilopes 3 times, lions eating zebra, leopard eating and 4 of 5 of the big five. On the other hand, our talented cook has prepared delicious hot breakfasts, as well as a variety of lunches and dinners every day.
Our nights in the park were exciting, you can’t go out of your tent in the night because of the animals. 8 lions walked in front of our tents before hunting! And the morning after they were around the camping.
The night in Ngorongoro is cold but very hot sleeping bags were provided.
Great and adventurous experience. It was not my first safari but definitely the best!
Thanks for everything!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful experience
Really good staff and all the things on ground were as per the shared information. Really happy to choose trip advisor.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
an unforgettable journey
The trip was of maximum satisfaction in every aspect: accommodation, transfer but certainly the magic touch was thanks to the GUIDE: Mr. Previous. All coordinated by him to the maximum with the times, (he made us enjoy the maximum beauty of nature at the best moment of the day, etc.) the explanations and the joy he transmitted to the small group of my tour in Namibia. Heartfelt thanks Prev! a true professional passionate, engaging, generous in his time and extremely kind. Thanks also for your patience with my very basic English, but he didn't spare himself to be better understood. Thanks also to the organization without which this unforgettable trip could not have been such. I will certainly treasure this experience and hope to repeat in the future.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable with amazing experience
Lennox was of great advice when selecting the safari which best suits my needs. He always responded to my email in a timely manner.
Moses is an amazing driver and guide. He is positive and always smiling. During the safari he found the right spot to see the animals and taking pictures and videos. He not only drive you through the park but share his knowledge about the animals with you. I know more about the animals now. I feel priviledge to have been able to experience the safari with Axis Africa Expedition & Safaris.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best trip ever - after this you will know why Uganda is called the 'Pearl of Africa'!
Me and my friends had a great trip to Murchison Falls. To see the animals in the wild was amazing. There are many possibilities to see the park and the animals (morning safari, night safari and even a boat safari). It never ceased to amaze us!
Our ultimate goal was to see the big-5, and we did! The combination of murchison falls and the rhino sanctuary was great, as the only missing animals of the big-5 were the rhinos (they are not present in the Murchison Falls national park).
Dark Hills created a custom-made tour for us and helped us achieving the best vacation ever. The driver was really nice and we enjoyed his company, we felt really safe while he was driving us all through Uganda. And he helped us spot all the animals (which is sometimes a lot harder than you think!
Thank you Dark Hills for creating the best holiday ever, you are a big part of why we fell in love with Uganda. We will be back!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6-Day Migration Wonder in Northern Serengeti
had the most amazing time with Mangai for my Tanzanian safari. From the get go, communication was great and Eric was able to facilitate anything I requested - from airport transfers to hot air balloon rides!
My safari was with Emmanuel who really looked after me and made me feel safe. He also managed to find every single animal I wanted to spot... including Leopards (even two playing together which I have no idea how he spotted), a Python and even a Rhino! I also got to see a small crossing at the Mara River.... I got the full experience
The lodges and tented camps were great, and I especially loved the tented camps where I could fall asleep to the sound of lions and hyenas! All the staff were super friendly and ready to make your stay as comfortable as possible with any request!
If you're thinking about doing a safari in Tanzania, bite the bullet. It's a holiday I'll never forget, especially the Central Serengeti and the great migration and hot air balloon ride in the North Serengeti.
If you have any questions, just drop me a message on instagram - @demibirch
FI
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A really amazing safari trip with Serengeti Wakanda!
A really amazing 5 day safari trip with Serengeti Wakanda!
The company is based in Tanzania and owned by locals. The profit’s go to the local’s, which is very important to us!
Everything was well organized. Thank you to Bartho and rest of the team!
This was our first safari and I couldn’t have wished for a more amazing experience.
Our guide Andrew was amazing and had all kind of amazing stories. His knowledge is extraordinary and he is very passionate about his profession.
Our chef Dullah was the most passionate chef ever. I wish I could eat Dullahs food everyday.
Great value for the money. Everything was perfect. I really recommend this company to everyone!
I had the best experience in my life!
Asante sana!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
James was a very knowledgeable guide that knew great angles for photos.
Great value for the price. You get very close to the animals and our guide James was very knowledgeable! You’ll have plenty of opportunities to capture any and all animals you want to. Everything was well planned and it felt like our guide was very adaptable to the pace we wanted to go at.