35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Photographic Safari
Amazing photographic safari! Well organized from the beginning to the end. Thank you Kirstin and Lance for this wonderful experience.
AT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Outstanding tour operator in Uganda for birding and general wildlife trips!
Had a great trip with Uzuri Safaris and will definitely use them them again when (not if) we return to Uganda. Have travelled to a lot of African countries and used many different operators - local and international ones. Uzuri definitely ranks among the very best of them - quick and thorough communications, great value for money, lots of local knowledge and very, very friendly.
Edris who was in charge of our trip is just a pleasure to deal with. He patiently answered each and every question (and there were lots of them) very quickly and always straight to the point. Due to COVID we were unsure if the trip would be possible at all. Edris was extremely flexible - we agreed to just decide less than two weeks before departure dates, and pay only then. He assured us should the trip have to be cancelled (because of travel regulations changes, a positive COVID test or similar stuff) our money would be safe, we could simply postpone. That gave us peace of mind. Also before and during the trip Edris always assisted if we had any questions regarding COVID regulations. When we arrived at the airport we were (pleasantly) surprised that he had hired somebody to walk us through the different airport desks (COVID test, Visa et al). At the end of the trip Edris met with us in person - appreciated that a lot as well. The price was very fair - much lower rates than you would get with booking an international (European/American) operator.
We had a pretty extensive itinerary covering many of Uganda´s well-known attractions. It was a birding-focused tour, and Edris completely understood what we were looking for - different habitats, good guides, great photo opportunities and comfortable (not luxurious) accommodations. He went to great lengths to ensure we had the best possible trip. Just a few days before departure he said he´d like to change something (include the Kazinga Channel in QENP) after discussion with our guide. He then had to rebook most of our nights at the very last minute to make that possile - really a lot of work for him. That shows that Uzuri really make their customers best interest a priority.
Our guide Emma Baturaine was outstanding, everything you could ask for. Knowledgeful, funny, hard-working, an excellent driver and very friendly - he really made our trip so much better. We asked a lot of him, Emma had to put in long hours on our behalf, and never once lost his good spirit.
The accommodations were very good to excellent, with only one exception. COVID certainly had an awful impact on Uganda tourism, and some places apparently simply ran out of money to afford the necessary staff and repair costs. That was the case for us in Ruhija even though the location itself was excellent, and we could definitely see that that particular lodge must have been fine before the pandemic hit. When we were not totally happy with the type of accomodation in QUEN Uzuri quickly stepped in and had us upgraded without extra cost.
We covered Mabamba Swamp (for Shoebill), Budongo Forest (the Royal Mile), Murchison Falls NP, Semliki Forest, Kibale NP, Queen Elizabeth NP (Kazinga Channel and Ishasha), Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP (Buhoma and Ruhija) and Lake Mburo. Uzuri hired local specialised birding guides for most of these locations. All were excellent and made sure we could rack up a lot of species. Gorilla trekking in Ruhija was just magical, and the Chimp trekking in Kibale also a great experience. Shoebill was a priority for us, and we really could not have asked for a better sighting than we had in Mabamba. During the trip we saw a lot of wildlife, more than 400 bird species and enjoyed the varied activities - general game drives, a lot of walking/hiking and four boat trips (Mabamba, Murchison, QUENP and Mburo).
Uganda is a wonderful country any wildlife lover will love - we certainly did. Most friendly people anywhere in Africa - no matter where we went we only met open, friendly and smiling people.
So all in all a thoroughly enjoyable trip, and we have to thank Uzuri for that. Highly recommended!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Client focused
It was interesting meeting new people in the tour. The guide was well informed and made the tour lively
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A professional company
A very great and professional company. They provided us an excellent service, and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. All in all, a great experience!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and service oriented
The whole experience was very professional, and they made an excellent effort to make sure that we were comfortable and had a good experience at all times. Our guide was very friendly and had a lot knowledge that he shared with us. The experience was in other words very good, and I will recommend Golden Safaris when traveling to Rwanda.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good communication and well organized tour overall. Very happy
I’m overall very happy. The guide was very knowledgeable, nice and we always felt like we were in good hands. The tour was well-planned out with a nice breakfast and lunch.
Everything was professional from start to finish and it seemed like everyone did their best to make us happy.
DZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Beautiful expérience with super nice guides and very professionnal , strongly recommand it
EE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was one of our best trip
We usually do our own trips, but this time we decided to use Siafu Tanzania Safaris and it was a very good decision. Without them, we would not have seen all these wonderful places and met interesting locals.
In any case, I warmly recommend them and believe me, you will not regret it.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Highly recommended, professional tour operator
Isaya is a very friendly and easy guide to communicate with. In the weeks before the safari, questions were answered very quickly.
At our pick up in Dar es Salaam we were told that Isaya wouldnt guide us these days, bcs of another booking. This was a bit of a surprise for us. Instead we got Gaston, who turned out to be a great match for us!
Kihindo offers great value for money and the accomodations we stayed in during our Mikumi trip were very good. We even got an upgrade as the standard room in the national park had only a queensize bed and not a seperate one for our 4 year old.
Mikumi was an alternatieve for us as we initially planned for Selous. Due to the wet season Isaya adviced us to go to Mikumi to be able to see more animale.
Thanks for an unforgettable trip Kihindo tours!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Knowledgeable, helpful, kind, funny! 10/10!!
I’m getting emotional as I write this review because this was truly the most incredible experience of my life. TLDR version: don’t think twice, book this trip with Wildtouch Tours! The Kenyan people are the nicest in the world, and our expectations across the board were far exceeded.
Before I start the details I have to also celebrate Peter, our guide. You guys, this is the kindest man on the planet. He’s the driver you want for every reason but especially because he knows every other driver out there and they all love him. That made me feel so safe because it was apparent that even in the middle of absolute nowhere I knew there was a community who, thanks to Peter, all had our backs. Our troops motto was “IN PETER WE TRUST” and for good reason. He always had an eye out for the animals we wanted to see, would stop and ask other drivers what they were seeing to make sure we got the good stuff, and he had the best attitude no matter how early or how late it was. He kept the jeep clean for us daily with plenty of fresh water bottles If we wanted to sleep in, no problem. If we wanted a shorter game drive or longer game drive, no problem. He would say “the time is for you”, so there was never a stress about when or where to be. The time was for us. He was sweet, funny, incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, and safe! He would get us real close to some animals but he never let his guard down in case we needed to go. I was nervous being a few feet from giant elephants but after a day of seeing how he operated I never worried again. He made sure we were safe first at all times, even to the point where I asked him to come on the boat ride with us because I know hippos don’t play around, and at that point his presence let me know he’d hold the driver of the boat accountable with our safety, which he did end up doing as we got a little to close to a bunch of big hippos and babies. We got a flat tire with the hot air balloon company at five am and it was Peter who came to change it. Don’t know how he knew or where he came from but he was there. The guide can make or break this experience and Peter MADE IT! In Peter we trust!
Details: we were a group of six, and we all had many questions leading up to booking and Jacob was in constant communication for a couple months fielding questions, getting the ideas of our wants, and telling us all the steps to be ready to go, all before we had even paid him! I’m sure the money is great but we could tell early on it was about us and our experience more then anything Jacob. An example is we had an issue with the visas at the airport because delta was being dumb and I was on the phone with Jacob getting new visas processed while still at the delta counter. He was going to make it happen no matter what, even though it all turned out fine. We booked a seven day trip going to Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, and the Masai Mara. Come February we got our visas, travel vaccines, and Covid tests, and we were on our way. It was such a relief knowing all we had to worry about when we got there was money for drinks, souvenirs, GRATUITYS (plan to be generous as the service was amazing everywhere, and plan to be VERY generous with your guide because what they do for you on this trip is above and beyond in every way possible), and any excursions you want to take. We did all three offered on our trip: the trip to the masai village, the hippo boat ride on lake Naivasha, and the hot air balloon ride over the Mara.
We landed in Nairobi, and were met at the airport by a driver to take us to a nearby hotel. The following morning we were met by Jacob and our guide for the week Peter. After or orientation we were off! I loved the drives to and from the parks because we got to see so much of the Kenyan people, towns, and landscape. Amboseli was fantastic , giant elephants, herds of zebras, and my favorite was the monkeys and baboons who lived at our hotel. Gorgeous cold pool, massages, game drives, and the masai village in Amboseli.
Next was lake Naivasha. Gorgeous lodge, great food, hobbit style buildings that we slept in, hippos, and Topi’s in the back yard, and a night walking safari to see the giraffe and zebras in the front yard. It was INSANE! The boat ride is a must, the lake is spooky and cool. Soooo many hippos, pelicans, and storks. My only regret from the whole trip was not staying there an extra day.
Masai Mara, another gorgeous pool where you can hear the hippos talking from the nearby river. The river view was incredible, we saw a hippo take down a croc from the comfort of the bar balcony! Lions, foxes, Pumbas, hyenas, giraffe, topi’s, Cape buffalo, all the incredible birds, meerkats, mongooses, ostrich’s, a freaking leopard in a tree with her fresh kill, we saw it all!
On the ride back to Nairobi Peter took us to a look out to see the Great Rift Valley. He took us to plenty of curio shops to get all of the most incredible souvenirs too. Jacob met us at dinner that night in Nairobi and we shared our experiences and he was so happy to heard we’d had an amazing time. The two of them dropped us off at the airport and tears were had by all in having to say our goodbyes. WORTH EVERY PENNY!
