Reviews and Testimonials

( These clients published the photos and their experience on their blog  here, http://safariuganda.shutterfly.com ) Sussanne , Austria ********************************************************************************* Travel Review: 4 DAY UGANDA WILDLIFE SAFARI safari Uganda reviewsHello Rachel, All was perfect while on our Uganda safari with Insight Safari Holidays. You driver guide Edward was very punctual, friendly, helpful, very relatable and had plenty of info to share.  Our safari vehicle was large and spacious comfortable even on Murram roads, water was provided in the car -a great touch good for viewing Wildlife when on top open. All our expectations were fulfilled; we saw everything with great views and pictures. Generally the arrangement of the whole trip was impeccable. Keep doing what you are doing and you will have many more happy customers. So, dear Rachel thanks once again for making our trip a successful one. Greetings from Scotland, UK! Sarah Daly *********************************************************************************   Travel Review: 7 DAY GORILLA AND WILDLIFE UGANDA    Gorilla ReviewsThank you letter from Thomas Guy Calah, this is a short notice to say thank you for organizing the 5 day gorilla and wildlife safari to Uganda.  We were really impressed   with the friendliness and reliability of your driver guide Edwin who drove and guided us while on the safari with your company. You offered  quality and excellent services right away from the safari pre planning stages, and the little touches like agreeing to pick us at the Airport on day one of our safari at no extra cost and this helped to save some monies on our side. The gorilla tracking experience was so amazing and accommodation at Buhoma lodge offered a nice view of the Bwindi forest, a perfect place to stay since it is near the meeting point for the  gorilla trek. Thanks for recommending this trip to us, I would definitely   recommend to friends in California. Regards, Thomas Guy California, USA   *********************************************************************************   Travel Review: 3 DAY BWINDI GORILLA TREK gorilla watchingCALAH   at Insight Safari Holidays a Travel agency in Uganda – Africa was so wonderful! She knew what we wanted for our Safari,she was accurate in answering emails, she provided all the safari details and more information on various lodges with clear pictures and links directing us to the lodges from the web site, she suggested lodges in Bwindi park that we would not find on our own. When we had a minor issue with our flight from Nairobi to Entebbe, she was available to contact Kenya Airline and this was solved immediately. We cannot stress what a pleasure it was booking our holiday with Calah the tours Manager and HIGHLY recommend Insight Safari Holidays. We were so lucky to have found your website ( www.safarigorilla.com)  and Calah.  We only wish you success in your business and we wish we could use your services for other destinations out of Africa. What are your overall comments on the trip and Insight Safari Holidays? Calah was excellent and she carefully took her time to listen to what we wanted and this helped to work together in planning our trip.  Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and had all the information about Uganda and he was in position to advise us.  We have been on many interesting vacations for the past 5 years and this Africa Holidays is the best vacation ever! What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip? Our most memorable part of the trip was getting closer to the mountain gorillas in the jungle forest! We had no idea that this would happen. At one point, a gorilla come closer to me,   actually brushed the fingers on my shoulders.  It was generally a life time experience and everything about the gorillas was great. David and Kelly, Australia   *********************************************************************************   Dear Calah gorilla trekking reviewsA memorable safari of the year 2012. I and my wife Hanna were a little worried about the long drive heading to  Bwindi where we tracked the gorillas and the drive from Kibale to Murchison falls National Park despite your excellent information and advice you gave before we booked the tour with you. But we must say that Uganda’s beauty won us over in every way. The lovely and friendly people in Uganda, the gorilla tracking experience was exciting, the comfortable accommodation and nice food, the stunning views of Kabale hills and the vegetation. We experienced the longs of   9 to 10 hours. We also got the feeling that Uganda can be visited during any time of the year and for high seasons everything has to be booked in advance due to high demand.  We met some great people. Manuela & Hanna, Denmark   *********************************************************************************   safari uganda trekDear Rachel, We have just returned to the snow and the cold in Austria, but with wonderful memories of our gorilla trek and wildlife 11 days. You offered us quality and excellent services. Keep it up! We were very pleased with the worm welcome we received from your staff on arrival at Entebbe Airport and the choice of accommodations you choose for us.  We were security conscious about traveling to Africa specifically Uganda since it was our first time to visit Africa. We were worried about wiring the 60% deposit to a foreign country not until when you provided scanned copies of our gorilla permits including our personal details. Your itinerary covered all the activities, well detailed information and perfect for us and we will definitely recommend Insight  Safari Holidays  to friends. Cordially, Dianne ( Austria) *********************************************************************************   Hello Calah & Rachel, We wanted to thank you and the team at Insight safari Holidays for a wonderful trip organized for us. All went on well right from the first to the last email .The itinerary, lodges but mostly our guide Ronnie who took care of us throughout our safari was amazing! The trip exceeded our expectations and we were 100% satisfied with   your services. We wanted to thank you again and all the team at Insight safari Holidays who made our trip a success. Please, do not hesitate to us feel referees in the future. Karen and Petra , Germany   *********************************************************************************   safari reviews in AfricaHi Rachel, I hope all is well with you? Sorry for not sending you this message earlier but life has been pretty busy since our return from Uganda. First of all, Brigitte and I would like to thank you for all your assistance in putting together our safari and a special thanks goes to Abdu who made our trip an unforgettable experience!  We very much enjoyed every moment of the safari!  The only disapointment was on the last day because we could not make our way to Ishasha to see the tree climbing lions due to the closed bridge…we really would have loved to see them…but, again, we understand that this is not something you could not have planned for. Overall. the safari was excellent and we brought back a lot of ever lasting memories from your beautiful country! …and we definitely will recommend Insight Safari to our friends! Best regards. Brigitte  and  Susanne from Austria ********************************************************************************* Hand written response form   from Sophia Castilo Click here Hello Calah . Thank you so much for helping make our dream adventure to Uganda come true . Everything was amazing but there is one thing I regret. When we were on our way to go gorilla trekking , Sam took us to this cafe stop at the equator and there was an amazing hand crafted wall decor of mountain gorillas . I regret not getting it because it was so amazing and I absolutely loved it. Is there any way your staff can find a way for me to have it here with me ? Thank you for your time and patience Sophia and Christiana  ( USA)     ********************************************************************************* Hello, Calah! We had such a great experience on our safari to the falls. We were all very impressed with both drivers and their knowledge. We would like to request Sam to drive me for my Gorilla Trek, as I would feel safe with him. And the group of 7 from Young Nurses (Dianes group) leaving October 6 would like to have Sam drive them too for their Uganda gorilla trek. Thank you for your assistance.

Nicole Zanoni  from Canada  ( nicole.zanoni@gmail.com)
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Dear Calah, As we did not have the time to fill out the evaluation form, we wanted to use this opportunity to give you a feedback on the trip we had booked with you last week.In general it was an amazing trip and Hamid was the best guide one could wish for. Not only was he always on time, drove safe and secure even during night hours, he also had a lot of knowledge about places, animals etc. and offered a lot of insight. He was always kind, tried to fulfill every wish we had and was a very pleasant travel companion. An absolute gem in your staff! We can only recommend him to other travelers. The accommodation and the food in Bwindi was good and the staff was warm and welcoming as well. The car we used was in good condition and we did not face any problems with it. The gorilla trekking itself was a once in a lifetime experience with local staff being very friendly and well informed.It was great that you were able to secure the permits for us and then for Anders at very short notice and you were available for communication most of the time.Best regards, Kristian*********************************************************************************Dear Calah,I hope you are well.I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for the wonderful trip. It was an amazing experience and I loved every minute of it.In particular I am grateful that you managed to arrange the whole thing at such short notice and that you were patient when my plans kept on changing.Many thanks again.P.S. I am hoping to do a day trip to the white water rafting on Saturday – do you have anything available? Rhiannon Thompson (USA)***********************************************************************
Marten Ester’s has written safari Evaluation form as attached ( Safari Testimonial from Märten Ester
Safari dates: 20th /24th November 2013 , 5 days Uganda gorilla and Queen Elizabeth tree climbing lion  safari. Hello Calah, We had a really great timev visitng QENP and Bwindi with Nassar! Thank You! We are interested in visiting Murchison or Kidepo. Please let  me knowif it is possible to do those trips with you starting 29 from Jinja. We are 3 people now and are looking for either 3 or 4 days in Muchison or 5 day Kidepo. regards, Marten   *************************************************************************************************************** Dear Calah Thank you so much for my lovely holiday. I really, really enjoyed it. Given the difficult year I have had, it was just the kind of experience I was hoping for. I felt especially lucky to have Abdu as my guide and driver through the five days, as he is so kind and thoughtful as well as knowledgeable and a good driver. And being with the gorillas in Bwindi is a memory I shall never lose – though the trek to find them was absolutely at the limits of my capacity, and I am so grateful to the porter Gad who helped me up and down the muddy forest tracks! Sorry that, as I believe Abdu told you, I felt too tired to fill in the feedback form on the way back to Kampala. But I promised to send it on. So here it is attached, and I hope you find it useful.   As you’ll see, I wondered if I might help in writing a few  articles about your Uganda safari packages  – if you would find that useful. I’m a professional writer/editor, and I’d be happy to do that, for no charge… (though maybe a small reduction if ever I book another safari with you again… only joking). Also, there is very little about your company on Trip advisor, and so I am thinking of adding some positive feedback there too. Let me know if you do or don’t want me to do that. Thank you again, and I send you and Abdu all my best wishes for now. Many thanks, Celia  Mather ************************************************************************************** Hello Calah
Sorry it has taken me so long to write a few words to thank you all at Insight for the wonderful trip we have recently returned from. Things have been a little busy since we returned home but now it is holiday so i have the time to say thank you.
All the organisation by your self was fantastic and everything on our trip was just as you explained. The Rewenzori was a great experience with beautiful scenery every day which made the climbing so much easier.
On return from our climb we were met by Nasser who was a joy to be with on our Safari days He was a very safe driver and very knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble for him. If all your staff are this conscientious your company will have many good reports from your guests. We finished our trip with a visit to the gorilla s in Bwindi and again this was a great experience, all in all a fantastic holiday for myself and Matt and Thanks once again to all at Insight.
We will be in Kampala again this year and at the moment we are thinking it will be around christmas 2014.
I have seen you advertise a 7 day tour to Kidepo NP but was wondering if you would be able to tailor a 5 day trip for us as we would not want to go to mount Elgon or Sipi falls as we have been here before.
We would like the trip to take place from 27/12/2014 to 31/12/2014 and would like a price for different budgets of accommadation.
Kind Regards
Richard
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Hand written client evaluation feedback form.evaluation form Client: Charlotte Nielsen. County:Denmark   All skills mentioned were perfect. Lots of useful information, great English skills plus sense of humor, strong knowledge about birds and animals. ************************************* Client Testimonial from Bie Andersen Bie’s Uganda safari evaluation report ******************************************* Elke and Michelle  From South Africa.Elke response Form Nasser was very friendly, knowledgeable and very helpful. He took a lot of trouble with us, and we really enjoyed his company. We  can highly recommend him to other visitor coming to Uganda. We loved our safari van! Such a nice surprise to find such a spacious van just for the two of us. It was comfortable and we loved that the roof can open for game drives! Our expectations were  exceeded so much more than we expected. Calah was incredible! She responded to our emails and requests immediately. The main reason for choosing  Insight safari Holidays Ltd  was because  of the quick  and helpful services  received from Calah. *****************************************************************************************   DSCN1223   Feedback from Pat Valastin and Terry from Canada Our 22 days Uganda Adventure and Wildlife safari with Insight Safari Holidays was excellent. Jacob was a professional driver guide, knowledgeable about all aspects of our Uganda trip and really made our safari effortless. The safari vehicle was perfect, I could not imagine any other way. Our expectations were totally fulfilled, really was a trip of a life time. The Administration was more than helpful. Calah was just excellent in answering my questions promptly and clearly. Keep up the good work Insight! Just a heartfelt thanks to Jacob  for making a most wonderful vacation for us. **********************************************************************************
Dear Calah.
Firstly I want to than you for setting up the safari for us to Murchison Falls.  It was all that we had expected and more plus Nasser was an added bonus. Than you.
 I need to make an expense claim to my office for accommodations while while I was in Uganda.
I kindly request you to  provide me with an accommodations only receipt for one of those payments.
Ie. Received from Don Chambers the sum of $956 being payment three nights  accommodate at Luxury Paraa safari lodge in Murchison falls park.
Thank you again.
Ta Ta 
Don
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SAFARI FEEDBACK  FROM  JENNIFER OBER’S PARTY 
Dear Calah, Jennifer Ober safari evaluation
I so much enjoyed my two last safaris that I might continue with another one next week before I leave the country on Thursday. Could you please let me know what you coulod propose for either 3 days or 4 days safari? I am looking for a combination of Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi Gorilla safari leaving either this sunday or Monday.
Thanks again for your help
Best regards
Veronique
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Dear Calah & Abdu,
It has now been two months since Lani and I completed our 10 Day Gorilla Safari with Insight. I’m sorry it has taken so long to get in touch to say how wonderful the tour was. We had an amazing time and fond memories.
Can you please pass my gratitude onto Abdu, our fantastic guide. He was actually more than a guide, he became our friend and we really enjoyed his company and expertise with driving us to all the brilliant sights and locations for animal viewing.
It is something we will never forget and very happy to recommend Insight, and Abdu in particular. I hope we can meet again.
Also, if you can please pass these photos on to Abdu, I would be most grateful. Please let me know if they do not come through and I will attach them another way.
Many thanks,
Dan & Lani Image2  
                  ****************************************************************************************************************** Hi there Calah. Greetings from Newfoundland, Canada!! First of all I would like to say a huge thank you for the wonderful  Murchison falls safari experience  myself and my group had last month in Uganda with Phennie! Everything was quite amazing and we loved every moment of our tour. Phennie was a super tour guide and certainly added tot he quality of our trip. He was very professional and shared lots of exciting and interesting information! Looking forward to another adventure very soon with Phennie. I was hoping that you could help me with a quote for a group that will be traveling with me in March month 2015. we would like to have a price quote for the Primate Lodge to trek the Chimps in Kibale A visit to Queen Elizabeth staying at the Katara Lodge for two nights and Gorilla Trekking staying at the Mahagany springs. I am not clear on the amount of travel between these locations so I am not sure where this tour should start or finish so I looking to you for an itinerary and a cost per person for this tour. Are you able to put together a customized package in an online brochure for me to share with my clients for them to view all of the info of the itinerary also with links to the lodges they will be staying at? Cheers, Tracy ***********************************************************************************************  
My friend and I did a 5 Day Uganda Gorilla, Wildlife, Chimpanzee Tour with Insight Safari Holidays in September 2014.
The entire trip, from the initial booking inquiry down to the drop off at the airport, has been absolutely wonderful. Callah has been easily accessible despite the time difference, answering all of our questions, and providing a customized itinerary to fit into our travel plans.  This trip was incredibly well organized, catered to all of our needs, and far exceeded all of our expectations.  All of our accommodations were within our expectations and allowed us to have real life experiences, interacting with locals whenever possible. At all times, we felt very well taken care of and safe.  All of our meals were very delicious and catered to the special dietary requests, while allowing us to enjoy the local cuisine.
Our tour guide – Fenie – made this trip phenomenal, educational, and fun.  There was never a question that he couldn’t answer or a request he couldn’t accommodate.  He allowed my friend and I to see animals up close, while keeping us safe.  Fenie would always keep us aware of what would be happening the following day, what we would need to bring with us, what to watch out for, and would give us insider tips into how to get the most out of any activity that we would be doing.
We would like to thank Insight Safari and particularly Fenie for making this an unforgettable experience.
Warm regards,
Jane & Kristina
Vancouver, Canada
September 2014
************************************************************************************************************** Dear Calah, I just wanted to drop you a line to say how much we enjoyed our trip to Uganda. It was beyond our expectations. You did a great job in  organizing  our trip it is not easy to book online through email but you  managed to provide all  the information we needed to have our Uganda safari booked and confirmed and the flight to Bwindi  Impenetrable forest where we trekked gorillas. This saved us from the long drive (Kampala to Bwindi) approximately 10 hours. It was made all the better by our wonderful “driver” (more than just a driver) Nasser. Such a nice guy and nothing was too much trouble for him. He was terrific, very  knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. Also drove safely.He should get a promotion. Please would you pass on our thanks to him once again and tell him, from me as a personal joke, he missed a bit of dirt when cleaning his vehicle the last time!!!! I will recommend that all my friends come to  experience   Uganda with Insight safari Holidays and support wildlife conservation. Many, many thanks again, Phil Eccles Zychem Limited Unit 1, Valley Court, Sanderson Way, Middlewich. Cheshire CW10 0GF Fax: +44 1606 738752 Web: www.zychem-ltd.co.uk ***************************************************************************************************************     Vickie  Hillier and Laura Hillier’s safari testimonial after 17 days Uganda, Rwanda,Tanzania and Zanzibar   How easy was it to book your holiday with us? Very easy, communication via email was efficient and Calah was always very prompt at answering my many questions. How was the quality of our service and delivery time? Very professional and informative How was your safari experience with us? Excellent, my daughter Laura and I had a wonderful time,it was the experience of a lifetime. Everything went well, one flight was cancelled but that was not your fault and it didn’t interrupt any of our plans, poor Baker had to wait longer than expected to pick us up at the airport. How did you find the hotels/ lodges? All our accommodation was great, the quality of the lodges was impressive, Calah picked a wonderful variety of lodges for us. What did you think of your tour guide and the safari vehicle ? The tour guides were lovely. We were with Jackson in Uganda & Rwanda, he was wonderful, couldn’t do enough for us. Baker guided us through Tanzania, very knowledgeable & friendly, he made sure we saw the big five which was great & in Zanzibar we were with Hilal, also very friendly, lovely people. What were your most memorable moments on tour? The gorillas in Uganda & Rwanda were amazing, something I will never forget. In the Serengeti the amount of big cats we saw was incredible. Would you use us again  and recommend us to other people? I would definitely use your company again & would recommend you to anyone wanting to go to Africa. Do you have any suggestions for improvements? I have no complaints, everything was wonderful, my only suggestion would be to call the airline prior to departure & arrival to decrease the waiting time if the flights change. ************************************************************************************************* Hi Calah, And thank you again for arranging my trip to Uganda and Rwanda in summer 2013. I have written about it in my blog and also recommended you as a tour operator. If you are interested, please check the blog posts from here: http://divaaniblogit.fi/adalminassecret/2013/11/11/matka-ita-afrikkaan/ http://divaaniblogit.fi/adalminassecret/2013/11/10/minun-afrikkani/ One Finnish couple read my blog posts and are now booking a trip to Uganda and Rwanda, I think they have already contacted you? Please take good care of them, and hopefully more people from Finland will travel to Uganda. 🙂 Have a nice weekend! Best regards, Anna Raiha **************************************************************************************************************************************  
Morning Calah,
I big THANK YOU for organising this fantastic safari for us.My dealings with you were always prompt,precise and professional.Calah,you understood exactly what our requests were and what you delivered surpassed our expectation.All the accommodation you selected for us was beyond luxury,they were unique African lodges that offered unique African experiences.Comfort to services to food,they were all a joy to stay at,thank you.Just a note,Jinja’s accomodation unfortunately fell out the bracket,although staff and food were good,rooms are in need of maintenance and state of hotel is below standard.This is just mentioned for your records,not a knock on your part.Image2
I have to mention Nassar,he was a wonderful guide in every regard.Polite,friendly,punctual,attentive,caring and considerate.Made us feel like royalty from start to finish,he went beyond what we expected and this is why I have mentioned it.Nassar’s knowledge in all regards was excellent,even our teenager was kept stimulated by the information and conversations they had.We felt safe,even on the treacherous Ugandan roads and the vehicle was prepped for each adventure.Water and nibbles were always on board and Nassar never failed to ensure we were comfortable,going way beyond what anyone could ask for.Please pass on our applauds and thanks to him for being an excellent guide.
We unfortunately due to it being dark and a little tired from our long day,left walking sticks behind in the vehicle.These were the sticks that Mahogany springs kindly loaned us and we bought on departure.They hold sentimental value as we hiked to the Gorilla’s using them,so wondering if you could post these to us,we are happy to reimburse you for the cost.
Please let me know on which sites you would like me to make a review of our experience utilizing the services of your company.I have tried both your webpage,no indication of how to do it and TripAdvisor your company name doesn’t reflect.So if you could make suggestions it will assist me in giving your wonderful company a good referral.
In much appreciation.
Lee
From Netherlands.
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Dear Calah,
You very efficiently organised a wonderful trip to Queen Elizabeth  Park for us back in December with Edmund.
We are due to be in Uganda again and would be very interested in a quote for a three day safari trip to Murchison Falls.
We may be in Kampala or Masindi on the night of 30th January. We shall need to confirm nearer the time, but we assume you could pick us up from either place.
We would like to stay in a luxury lodge, (Paraaa Safari lodge?) be collected on 31st January, have two nights in the lodge (31st Jan and 1st Feb) and return to Kampala on Monday 2nd February. We are two people and are happy to have a double or twin room. If we proceed we would like to transfer the US$ to your account in advance to save any problems when we are in Uganda. We did this last time.
We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your attention.
Very best wishes,
Haydn and Linda Powell
07710877074
02089896572
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Dear Insight Safari Holidays! First of all, thank you SO VERY MUCH for the incredible tour you arranged for me and my friend, Rie, in August this year! We have memories for a life time, we have photos more amazing than anything I’ve taken before! We have lots of gratitude and admiration for the way Phennie, our guide, led us through his country and send him much thanks! But we also have a bit of a hole in our hearts after visiting the village of Ruhija. While there we visited the doctor Roland who was head of the private hospital run by the church. We both work in the health sector and would like to send him some supplies. He got our email addresses on a piece of paper and said that he would contact us. He never did, and we fear that he lost our contact information. Is there any way you could find me an email address of either him or of Happy, the wonderful guide who showed us around that day, so that we can keep our promise? With warm regards, Rebecca Langhorn
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Hello Calah  & the team at Insight safari Holidays Ltd,
I arrived back in the UK this morning and I just wanted to write a short email to say thank you for the fantastic trip and service received from Insight Safari Holidays. I enjoyed my time while on the  7 day gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda and Uganda enormously and that’s in no small part down to the itinerary you pulled together for me, the accommodation you selected and, of course, the great efforts of Nasa in not only keeping us to schedule at all times, but also by providing fascinating insight into the nature, geography, culture, history, politics and economics of both countries as well as answering my continued, broad and varied questions throughout the trip. Having such a knowledgeable, likeable and friendly guide made the trip all the better and I’ll certainly be recommending Insight to my friends and family once I convince them that this is a part of the world that they really have to see for themselves!
I hope, one day, I too will be back to visit some of the other parts of Uganda that I sadly didn’t have time for on this trip. Until then all the best and thank you (and Nasa) once again.
Philip ( UK)
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