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
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!
Email Ikram | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent Excellent Excellent 5 stars
This was our second safari with Ngoni
We had gone last year and they did such a fabulous job during our first safari that we came back and second time again was excellent
From Sedrick helping with the booking and itinerary and then James , Steven and Ryan were our guides for the big family trip and all of them did an excellent job
Uganda is beautiful and in my opinion the best safari destination as I have have been to South Africa , Kenya and Tanzania as well but Uganda is the one that doesn’t get the publicity like the other countries
DE
Email K. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Sometimes a little difficult to plan, but great to implement
I had booked a three-week safari tour in Uganda. The trip is one of my most beautiful travel experiences and was really great and very well organized. Uganda is absolutely worth seeing and, in addition to great animal sightings, offers a wonderful and varied landscape. Even the transfer trips that led through towns and villages were interesting. My highlight was Kidepo National Park, which was rightly declared by CNN to be one of the most beautiful national parks in Africa.
My companion was Eddy, who was careful and reliable both as a guide and driver and took very good care of me. He responded to my wishes and always had an answer to my questions about the country, people, animals and everything else and was otherwise an interesting conversation partner.
Since I was traveling alone, I had adapted the itinerary to my needs in advance and planned breaks and changed, added or omitted some activities at short notice. A tour of this kind can be quite strenuous and for me it was good to have time to relax and process all the impressions. It's also a good idea to go to bed early, as almost all days started before sunrise.
I found communicating with Sedrick a little difficult before the trip. Initially this was very good. However, after paying the deposit, I had some requests for changes and there were often no answers or promises were not kept. I found that quite unsettling and stressful. Ultimately everything worked out well, sometimes even better than expected. However, it would have been less stressful and increased the anticipation if communication had remained consistently good. However, Sedrick was always nice, accommodating, flexible and tried to find good solutions.
I would definitely recommend Ngoni Safaris and can imagine coming back at some point.
(automatic translation from German)
TR
Email SENOL | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
they work very well
Excellent, we have satisfied completely and over our expectations.
UM
Email Meyer | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime!!
7 day your was above and beyond our expectations! The accommodations, food, guiding, and experiences was far beyond what we thought we would see and do!! David or guide was phenomenal, knowledgeable, and we'll connected to the people of Uganda which I feel gave us an edge on where we stayed and maximized the amount of animals we saw, the perfect timing on seeing the chimpanzees and the gorillas.
We would highly recommend David and Ngoni Safari!!
Email Dan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Every single day was a highlight
Sedrick was quick to respond back when I first got in touch way back in 2020, and helped me to tailor an itinerary to my needs. Of course, 2020 didn't pan out so well and I ended up needing to cancel my trip due to travel restrictions, so was very grateful when Sedrick honoured my deposit, no questions asked, a full three years later!
The tour itself was INCREDIBLE. We did an 11 day trip through Uganda, covering many of the main regions. I'm not exaggerating when I say that every single day of the trip was a highlight - and I say this as someone who has done a few safari trips before (SA, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana).
Our guide, Darius, was down to earth, friendly and welcoming, and a great person to spend the trip with. We enjoyed chatting to him and learning about life in Uganda as well as the the sites we visited. Not only did he have comprehensive knowledge about both the animals and birds (including prior experience working at some of the national parks), but he clearly made an effort to focus on what we were interested in. I can't believe how good his eyesight was. For example, Darius spotted a leopard about 100m off the road in a cactus tree which I struggled to even find with binoculars. We were the only car of many driving along that main tarmac road that stopped to take a closer look!
We loved exploring Uganda, and it was completely different to anywhere else I've been (even neighbouring Kenya) in terms of landscapes, wildlife and culture. The chimp and gorilla tracking were the focal point for me and didn't disappoint - I'm still looking back though those photos often to relive those experiences. There is absolutely nothing like it.
On the accommodation side, each place was fantastic and unique in its own way, from an island in a lake to a lodge where elephants wander past in front of you as you have a drink at the end of the day. Similarly, the food was a consistently high standard. Neither of us got sick at any point, although we met people on other tours who had, so probably best to bring some precautionary meds in case.
Overall, this was the trip of a lifetime - I would unreservedly recommend Ngoni to anyone looking to visit Uganda. And if you're not specifically looking to visit Uganda... Maybe reconsider, it's really worth bumping to the top of your list!
NL
Email Elif | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful!!!
I experienced my 16-day solo trip through Rwanda & Uganda as very pleasant with Ngoni Safaris.
From my first email describing my desired activities and destinations, Sedrick maintained prompt and personal contact. Everything was taken care of down to the last detail and surprisingly enough I was delighted with upgrades to a more luxurious hotel with fantastic views in Kibale NP and Murchison Falls. Many thanks for this!
And then my guide & driver Twaha: he is the bést company you can wish for when you are on the road together for so many days. For good conversations about life, knowledge about the country, the animals and the culture, fun in the car with cheerful music, fantastic organizational skills and a flexible attitude, you can contact him!!! He has a wonderful personality and is very generous towards people.
Thanks to him I experienced the countries in a pleasant and safe way.
Twaha: thanks for the good care and the new friendship!!!
In short: if you want to experience Africa, you have to do it with Ngoni Safaris!