Company Stuff
Wagatil Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2021)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, USAGA, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $1,721 to $14,544 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Kathy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Martin is amazing!
Uganda was a place I had wanted to visit for a long time and, like so many others, had an original trip fall through because of Covid. However, it was probably a blessing in disguise as the original trip would not have included Martin!
Martin was guiding for another company before he launched his own tour company (the one you see here, Wagatil Safaris) and if anyone is qualified to start their own tour company, it is Martin. From the moment he picked us up (three Canadian ladies from late 40s to mid 60s) in Kampala and had been waiting for us to get through customs and immigration in the early (EARLY!) hours, his professionalism was evident. Martin has a way about him that is reassuring, comforting and extremely attentive. He made us feel at home right away and it was evident that he wanted our experience in his home country to be one for the books — and it was indeed the trip of a lifetime!
If you want to learn about Uganda, and I don't mean just the wildlife (which Martin knows like the back of his hand!), Martin is happy to engage in discussions. He knows his country so well from politics to history to the people and of course, Uganda's natural world. He is an excellent ambassador for Uganda and it is evident the pride he takes in showing off his homeland. Martin is so easy to talk to. He is well-loved by all the staff at various lodges too. They are always happy to see him.
He has a great sense of humour too! Since I had planned the trip and knew the itinerary and my other travel companions did not (they wanted to be surprised!), Martin went in on a little joke with me pretending we were going swimming with the crocodiles and that it was on the itinerary. He was so straight-faced delivering this that I almost forgot the joke and thought it was real! We had so many laughs on this trip.
I have been on some pretty epic adventures and have travelled to around 60 countries and I am honest when I say that Uganda is at the top for sure. The people (like Martin!), the welcome, the landscape, animals, culture — it's really a must. I, like most others, wanted to go to see the gorillas, but I got WAY more than I could ever have imagined. I consider Martin a friend and know he would say the same.
I can't wait to go back and see Martin again someday and see how much his tour company will take off! Do yourself a favour and book a trip with Martin.
Kathy
CO
Email Maria Virginia Villegas | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect Every detail was taken care in a friendly and professional way
Our tour guide was Martin and it was an amazing trip because we were all impressed with his knowledge of the country , his professionalism for every detail of our trip and the selection done for the Uganda trip . I think is one of the best guides we have had and the Gorillas experience is something not to miss
Email Safari Steve | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Martin fulfilled our Safari dream
We toured Uganda on Safari for 12 days in January with Martin, who now owns and operates Wagatil. We confidently recommend his services as a skilled planner and knowledgeable guide of Uganda. Martin was excellent in his daily communication with us and often made recommendations that enhanced our Safari. We saw everything we wanted to see and more, and learned so much about Uganda, it's people, and of course the animals. We particularly enjoyed the two days of gorilla tracking, and Martin ensured we got to track a different family each day. Martin even arranged a fabulous tour for us to go see the Shoebill stork and we saw a mating pair! Martin is friendly, dependable, and safe. We trusted him completely and highly recommend his safari services.
Email Laura and Julian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Visit Uganda today !
We are a couple (M, 49; F, 38) who chose to go with Wagatil for its positive reviews and the itinerary. The trip was a dream from start to finish! Roland picked us up at our hotel in Kigali and for eight days he made sure we experienced the best of Uganda. Our itinerary included Golden Monkey trekking, Gorilla trekking, Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth, River cruise and Chimp trekking. The lodges we stayed in were beautiful and romantic. The beds were comfortable, the water was generally hot, and the food was delicious. It was a real privilege to connect with Roland over his passion for Uganda's fauna and flora, learning about the different animals and plant life (lots about banana trees!)
The Ebola outbreak was announced halfway through our trip and Roland and Wagatil took care to keep us up to date about how it might impact our trip (it didn't!). It was clear there is anxiety for Uganda's tourism industry and its workers (tour guides and hotel managers and staff) over what is expected to be many cancellations because of fear of the virus. Each person has to choose for themselves but we always felt very safe since the Uganda tourism circuit is far away from the epicenter of the virus (about 200 miles!).
It's hard to pick just a few stand out moments. Heading back to the lodge after the game drive, Roland stopped the car on the side of the road to point out a rare Leopard sighting -- it was such a chance encounter! At one of our lodges, an elephant sauntered up to the lobby. It was so cool to be so close to wildlife. And when we insisted on stopping by the side of the road for an authentic pork joint / Waragi gin experience, Roland happily obliged.
The Gorilla trekking was awe-inspiring and exhilarating. With the chimps, it was downpouring so much, but it created a unique experience, and we got some great shots and had some interesting interactions.
The whole trip was a dream. It's always a little nerve wracking to choose a tour operator sight unseen, but Wagatil was absolutely wonderful. Highly recommend!
Email Amanda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Martin made the experience so special for us!
I’ve taken a lot of tours and I almost never write reviews, but Martin is absolutely the BEST. We honestly could not have asked for a better guide. He completely exceeded our expectations and made the entire experience unforgettable.
He is so kind and made us feel so comfortable and welcome. He made sure all of our needs were met. He seemed to know what we needed and wanted without even having to ask. He made sure our itinerary was executed perfectly, saving the best for last.
Martin is friends with everybody and has connections everywhere. Not only was he able to secure super hard-to-get last minute gorilla tracking permits for us at Mgahinga (they only sell 8 permits per day) he was also able to get us into the best group for gorilla trekking at Bwindi. And for chimpanzee tracking, he managed to get us into a group with only 4 people total, when all the other groups were much larger.
I did a lot of research before booking with Martin and interviewed a lot of other tour operators, but Martin had the best personality and the best price.
If you are planning a trip to Uganda, you will have the best experience with Martin!!
CN
Email Benny | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best guide for Rwanda and Uganda tour
Thanks to Martin’s help, my trip to Rwanda and Uganda went very smoothly. I was a bit worried before setting off, but with Martin’s support I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. During the silverback gorilla trek, I was lucky enough to encounter two families, Tinedatine and Bweza, which was absolutely thrilling. Staying at Rock Resort Lake Bunyonyi was a truly unique experience that allowed me to find some peace and quiet. I also learnt about the Rwandan Genocide at the two Genocide Memorials. Martin is a very friendly and professional guide! I would recommend him to all my friends planning a trip to East Africa.
DK
Email Lykke | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 8 day adventure in Uganda
Just finished an amazing adventure with Wagatil Safaris and would highly recommend. I did a private solo trip with them for 8 days in Uganda and everything went so well. The experience with them was great from start to end. Smooth and nice communication with Pretty and Martin, who were helping me personalize my itinerary and planning, they were so nice and quick to answer any questions and very flexible to make any changes I requested and help to make the perfect trip for me. Everything was arranged and sorted so all I had to do was enjoy and take in all the incredible experiences, which made me feel very comfortable and in good safe hands.
Can't praise my guide Eddie enough - he was so friendly, fun and knowledgeable and we were so lucky to see absolutely everything on the trip - from a leopard with her two cubs, tree climbing lion right next to us, gorillas with babies climbing around us - everything I ever dreamed of was ticked off the list!
I did an 8 day trip which meant we were on the road most days and experiencing something new everyday, which was perfect for me as I was traveling alone and it felt like something was always happening and new things were waiting for us at every stop, but Uganda has so much to offer and experience so you won't be bored by adding even more days and activities.
Thank you to Wagatil, Pretty, Martin and especially Eddie for making this trip an amazing and unforgettable adventure!
DE
Email Jeannine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect Tour (for female solo-traveller)
I contacted Wagatil Safaris on very short notice, only three weeks before my departure. Pretty responded immediately and prepared an itinerary for me.
The communication via WhatsApp was very friendly and professional. Pretty kept updating me whenever she found alternative, better hotels or optimized the route. Whenever I had questions, I always received a very quick reply.
I booked a 5-day tour through Rwanda and Uganda including hiking, Golden Monkey trekking, Gorilla trekking, and chimpanzee trekking. At my request, I spent the first day on my own in Kigali and was picked up the following morning by my driver Andrew. As a solo female traveler, I felt very comfortable and safe with him.
Andrew has a very pleasant driving style, is very friendly, and explains a lot about the country and its people. I also found it really sweet that after a few days I learned that Pretty checked in with Andrew every day to make sure I was truly happy with everything.
The individual excursions were perfectly organized. It was breathtaking to see the animals in the wild. The nature is incredibly beautiful and the experiences are truly unique.
It was also very nice to meet Pretty in person during a dinner.
I can recommend Wagatil Safaris 100% and would definitely book with them again.
It was absolutely worth every penny.
ES
Email Rieuw | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
Reliable company and punctual according to the scheduled times with nice lodges. A great experience with all the animals in the different national parks. I would recommend Wagatil for a safari!
PT
Email George Bevan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The perfect guides in Uganda
From start to finish Wagatil provided our group with amazing service. Before the trip Pretty was super responsive and flexed the itinerary to suit our requests. She was also quick to support any issues during the trip.
Our 12 day trip was well planned and covered many of the most beautiful sites in Uganda. We chose to add some extra days after the trip around Lake Bunyonyi, which provided us with a much needed rest before heading home.
Our guide and driver was Bosco. What a legend this guy was. He had a aura of calm and control, using his extensive experience to make our trip feel seamless. Each amazing encounter we had felt like a little bit of luck combined with the mastery of Bosco's timing, eye, driving and 'string pulling' :). We always felt well taken care of and really appreciated how genuinely Bosco wanted to give us an amazing experience. He even took us to a local hot springs after our hike in the Rwenzori range, which was both relaxing and an awesome opportunity to get off the tourist track and hang out with Ugandans. Bosco was the perfect professional and a great ambassador for Uganda.
The car was in great condition. The pop-out roof meant we had amazing 360 views. We had lots of room inside as well as a fridge to keep fruit and drinks cool.
We will definitely be recommending Wagatil to friends and family.
