Our Company Team.
NGONI Safaris Uganda
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $2,251 to $17,315 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
TW
Email Chloe | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
No regret for the trip
Well arrangement from the airport pick up to the end of trip, travel agent contact is rapid and responsible, Smith help me to understand the culture of Uganda/Rwanda, and also let me taste Uganda’s famous local food Rolex🤣, which is huge size for me but delicious, it is really lucky for me to see the wild silver back gorilla in front of me, totally worth of the trip, I am glad I did it!
AT
Email Ursula | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Operator and Driver worked with the utmost effort to make our trip perfect and memorable
Our 10 days Uganda trip was perfectly organized by Sedrick, boss of Ngoni.
The best of all was Stephen our driver and guide. From the very beginning until the last minute he tried to make the trip as comfortable and memorable for us as possible. He is a safe and good driver as roads are often challenging. We received any necessary information about country and culture we asked for but also we had much fun as he is a very humorous guy. On game drives he was very alert to find all the animals for us.
We can honestly recommend this company!
CA
Email 5 star experience | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5 star experience with Ngoni Safaris
Just completed a 9 day ( North- south) tour of Uganda and safari with Ngoni Safari Company. From start to finish it was an amazing experience and one I won’t soon forget.
Communication with Sedrick from the beginning stages was prompt and flexible. In addition his price quoted was more than reasonable.
Our guide Eddie and later Smith were both outstanding and only added to an already amazing experience viewing the big 5 animals in the national parks. We started as strangers and left as friends.
I wouldn’t hesitate to book again with Ngoni Safaris. Truly a professional and outstanding outfit.
SI
Email Irenej | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
10/10. Very professional company with great guides, vehicles and local knowledge.
With Ngoni Safaris we had a 10/10 experience.
We booked directly with them about 6 months before the trip. They were helpful with tailoring the trip to match our wishes and budget exactly and provided honest information, which was harder to find among other companies.
We did a 8-days trip, covering Ziwa rhinos, Murchison, Queen Elizabeth, Kibale, Bwindi and Lake Bunyoni.
So they only do private tours and only use their own Land Cruisers, which are in good shape (I think they have a fleet of around 10 vehicles).
Our guide was Reagan and he was wonderful the whole time, trying to make us feel as comfortable as possible. He had amazing local knowledge of all the parks (having spent lot's of time there in guiding courses), so he would always know local guards and staff - which provided to be crucial in getting info about best spots for seeing animals. We saw everything possible, even the very elusive leopard in some of the most remote areas of the park with very hard roads to tackle. In Murchison we saw like 8 lions, in Queen Elizabeth 4 of them (they were mating, hunting and also climbing trees), not to mention all in all many giraffes, antelopes, elephants, hippos, crocodiles and other stuff. Reagan really knew evwry single place of where you could be expecting them and usually we were even the first one to spot them among other vehicles. So really, local knowledge came as a victory.
Other activities were amazing - we saw chimps and gorillas, which were both absolutely crazy and unforgettable experiences. There's practically a 100% chance you will see them when you go for tracking - they always make you find them as they have trackers following them from early morning, so they always know where they are.
Lodges - I have to pause here - they were superb. Everywhere we were in luxury lodges - also after talking with different guides from different companies, it seemed that they were the very best options in the areas for a variety of reasons. Simply amazing, next level.
What's interesting here - Ngoni offered this trip (being a luxury private experience with luxury lodges) for the virtually same price as some other companies would for a group budget tour, with a safari van and camping. So I was even a bit suspicious about it, but everything was just perfect.
It's fair to mention that we did have some minor issues with the car, but Reagan sorted them out with local mechanics in a time that didn't really affect our activities, so it was pretty impressive overall, the support network they seem to have all around the country.
Another thing necessary to mention that wasn't great was communication from mr. Sedrick - sometimes I wasn't really sure where we were standing. But as I've read in previous reviews that he was like that, it somehow eased me a bit and in the end everything was fine.
So all in all - Ngoni is a great company with great guides and reputation great value for money and I absolutely recommend them for your African experience.
Email Saibal Sen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very customer oriented, excellent experience!
I found Ngoni Safaris Uganda on safaribookings.com, my first such booking outside of the well know safari outfits like Wilderness, Mfwe, etc. I was a bit apprehensive, but my fears were unfounded and it cost a fraction of what the big outfits charge.
Starting with the owner, Sedrick, everyone is very customer oriented and work tirelessly. We were impressed with the fact that Sedrick bothered to meet us at our hotel at 5:30AM even though an assigned driver-cum-guide was going to pick us up.
We had an amazing driver-guide, Darius for the 4 days, 3 night trip. Besides going for the Gorilla trek in Bwindi, we wanted to do a bit of birding and had requested for a guide who understands birding. And Darius knew birding quite well. He even hired a local guide in Bwindi to bird walking thru the community around Bwindi.
Darius was a very good driver, driving the 9.5 hrs from Entebbe to Bwindi and back. We enjoyed the conversations we had over the 4 days and we wish him the best. He introduced us to some local food which were excellent!
Sedrick selected this amazing small lodge in Bwindi, which we found to have one of the best staffing and service in our experience.
On the way back, we stopped for a night in Lake Mburo to do some birding. We had good sighting early morning around the lake next morning.
On a very short notice, Sedrick organized a trip to the Magamba swamp in Lake Victoria to see the Shoebill bird as well as some other birds. It involved picking us from the hotel, drive 20 minutes to the harbor, board a private fishing boat with an outboard motor, travel 45 minutes to the swamp, transfer to a narrow boat that can navigate the narrow channels of the swamp with Wilson, the birding guide, who had arrived earlier to locate the Shoebill's location. We had a wonderful time photographing the bird and other birds as well. It was another wonderful birding trip!
There was a small problem with the air conditioning in our safari vehicle, which Darius took pains to get it fixed in between. Most of the time, we didn't need AC, but there was a time on the way back, when it was warming up.
I highly recommend any outfit where Sedrick is.
OM
Email Nafla | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ngoni has given us a wonderfully memorable trip of a lifetime.
Sedrick, the owner, was helpful and responsive to our every wish. He upgraded our hotels to ensure we were comfortable. And Amza our guide, was knowledgable, patient and supportive of us, ensuring we were comfortable, safe and enjoying everything in Rwanda. We are already planning another trip with Ngoni, this time to Uganda. I highly recommend Ngoni.
CA
Email Mike | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ngoni Safaris provides the ultimate Uganda Safari experience!
From the moment we were picked up at the airport until the end of our 10 day Uganda Safari, our trip with Ngoni Safaris was nothing short of amazing.
Our guide Allan was awesome. He knows so much about Uganda, and the various animals and birds you may encounter along the trip. He loves what he does and his passion for the Uganda Safari experience was inspiring. Allan may also have the best eyesight of anyone I've ever met which is helpful when spotting wildlife from the road. If you're lucky to go on Safari with Allan you will have a wonderful time.
We arrived in Entebbe a day early and we're thrilled that Ngoni planned an extra tour of Kampala with Allan during our free day.
Over the following 10 days we experienced everything we could have imagined and so much more. Sedrick Bwire and his team at Ngoni have curated a perfect mix of wildlife safari experiences, cultural and historical tours and a few other fun stops along the way. The lodges ranged from rustic to luxurious but always had incredible staff, amenities, service and security. The delicious local food, along with other international offerings were some of the best I've ever had.
It's hard to believe we coordinated this entire journey with Sedrick over WhatsApp. He answered dozens of our questions and even came to meet us before we left Kampala.
We will be sharing our itinerary with all of our friends and highly recommend Ngoni Safaris for your African adventure.
ES
Email Ángel B. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
18 Uganda trip with Ngoni. Excellent
After many search, we decided to to our trip in Uganda with ngoni. Excellent choose. Very profesional, good car, excellent guide (Eli), managing very quick when we had to adapt the travel needs. In top of the most popular destinations (Queen, Gorillas, Murchison, sippi, Jinja rhinos,….) we went to visit karamonja in Moroto. It is a must!! Don’t loose! Lideró also, we far from tre traditional trip, is other destination we liked a lot. Ngoni helped us to fill Africa as never we had (and we have been traveling for 15 African countries. If you need any advise, contact me in private
Email VJ | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Incredible tour guide, unforgettable experiences
We spent 9 unforgettable days in Uganda, immersing ourselves in its incredible wildlife and natural beauty. The highlights of our trip were undoubtedly the tours to see the chimpanzees and gorillas. These encounters were awe-inspiring, providing us with a rare and intimate look at these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats. In addition to the primates, we also saw elephants, lions, leopards, and many other remarkable animals, making each day of our journey thrilling and memorable. We always felt safe and relaxed, allowing us to fully enjoy the experience.
What went really well:
* Eddy, our guide, was phenomenal. He was highly experienced, knowledgeable, organized, and extremely considerate. As a veteran in the industry, he remains to be enthuisatic about animals. In the park, he amazed us by spotting animals from great distances. Outside of the park, he arranged the trip seamlessly, ensuring there were no unnecessary surprises. Among the safari guides we've worked with in various countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, Eddy provided the absolute best service. We could feel his passion on this job and he always strive for excellence. I highy suggest you reach out to him if you want to explore Uganda.
* The chimpanzee trekking and gorilla trekking in Kibale national park and Bwindi national park are incredible. The guides are professional and caring, providing a safe and exciting experiences. We did not need to hike for a long time before seeing the gentle giants. The silverback gorillas moved towards us and sat within 20 feet, eating and resting. The experience was phenominal.
What went good:
* The itinerary provided by Ngoni was overall reasonable. We opted for the mid-range accommodations listed on the website without much customization. Their pricing is very competitive compared to other agencies offering similar tours and accommodations.
* One highlight was the Turaco Treetops lodge in Kibale National Park, which was not initially on the itinerary but was offered as a free upgrade by Ngoni. The rooms were comfortable, and the food was delicious. The nature walk offered by the hotel exceeded our expectations, allowing us to see monkeys, numerous birds, and butterflies. The Buffalo Safari Lodge near Queen Elizabeth National Park was also top-notch.
* While some other lodges we stayed at were not as fantastic, they were adequate for the price. However, the lodge at Murchison Fort was quite far from the park, and the road to it was extremely rough. I recommend working with the agency to find an alternative, even at a higher price.
At Rushaga Gorilla Camp, which is a nice lodge overall, be cautious about charging devices in your room. We were alarmed to see smoke coming from our chargers due to the lodge generating its own power because of the unstable power grid in the area.
* Above all, you pay for what you get and I believe Ngoni offer better accomodations in general compared to other agencies I communicated with. If you value comfort more, do not hesitant to discuss with the agency to find better options.
What coul've been better:
* When we booked the trip, we specifically requested the Gorilla Habituation Program (4 hours and $1500 pps) and were assured by Ngoni that everything was reserved. However, a day before the trek, we were informed that only one permit had been secured and that they were unable to obtain the second one for some reason. Our disappointment was not due to the unavailability of the permit, as we understand how difficult it is to secure. Instead, it stemmed from the fact that Ngoni initially claimed everything was booked, only to later tell us otherwise. This inconsistency broke our trust and expectations. If they had been transparent from the beginning, informing us that only one permit was secured and they were trying their best to obtain the second, we would have been more understanding. The team sincerely apologized after it happened and refund the difference between the Habituation Program and normal one hour Gorilla trekking.
* Before making the payment, Ngoni responded to my emails very promptly. However, after paying the deposit, his responses became noticeably slower on both email and WhatsApp. This wasn't a major issue for me, but I wanted to mention it in case it's something you might care about.
The tour provided by Ngoni was almost perfect and offered great value for money. If we consider it as a 10-day Uganda tour with one hour of gorilla trekking, it truly exceeded expectations. You couldn't ask for more. I still recommend Ngoni as long as you are not too picky about the communications.
While Kenya and Tanzania frequently come to mind when discussing East African safaris, and Rwanda is renowned for its gorilla tours, Uganda remains underrepresented on social media. This makes Uganda a hidden gem for safari enthusiasts. I highly recommend visiting Uganda, especially for those interested in gorilla and chimpanzee tours, for a truly unique and extraordinary safari experience.
BR
Email Claudia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect. Delivered 101% of what was promised. No complains at all. Charles is a great driver/guide.
Anyone who has been following us on social media or the blog for a long time already knows that we always do everything completely independently, on our own, and we hate guided activities. We only use guide services when it is prohibited to do the program without a guide. But, sometimes, we study a certain destination and end up concluding that buying the 'package' is a better cost-benefit than making the trip on our own - it was like that in Tanzania, for example, and in Uganda/Rwanda it was also like that like this. So we hired @ngonisafaris to organize our trip through Uganda and Rwanda and Sedrick, owner of the agency, chose guide/driver Charles to go with us. I'll tell you all the details of this trip on the blog later, but I want to note here that Charles was simply PERFECT! We have no complaints about him, on the contrary, only praise! The guy is quiet, gave us space and, at the same time, did EVERYTHING for us, gave us great tips, gave us all the important information, found lions, suggested optional tours, stopped for all the dozens of photos I asked him to take , he got permits at the last minute when we changed our minds, he bought mangoes and green banana snacks for us to try and it was never, at any point, annoying or inconvenient. To give you an idea, even my husband, whose patience is even shorter than mine, thought Charles was great, great! If one day you decide to do this trip, try to get Charles as a guide! Spending days on end stuck with the same guide can be hell if the guy is inconvenient - and we don't have enough words to praise the work of both Sedrick, owner of the agency, who delivered 101% of what he promised, and Charles 👌
As for Sedrick, it's worth saying that we asked for several changes to the original itinerary and he 'customized' the standard itinerary that the agency offered to make it exactly as we wanted (include some tours, exclude others, change some hotels, etc).
Tips: agree everything in writing, via WhatsApp or email, before making payment (we paid 50% about 2 months before the trip and the other 50% when we arrived in Kampala, directly to Sedrick) - what is included and what isn't, leave everything together. We didn't have ANY problems with this, they delivered everything that was agreed.
As for drinks: all drinks you order in restaurants will be at your expense, even if you order water. The agency provides bottled water daily in the car (and many hotels also leave water in the rooms).
Important: don't forget to always have plenty of change in the local currency for tips - they don't accept U$ bills if they're not very new - any scratch or tear is a reason to refuse U$ bills.
Safe travels, please tell Charles and Sedrick we said hello, if you get to meet one of them!