Why Do I need to use a Safari Tour Operator in Uganda? – why not do It myself?
Here are 10 reasons why you need a local Safari Tour Operator for your Safari in Uganda
Do I need to use a Safari Tour Operator in Uganda? Can’t I do all this myself? Here are10-Reasons why you need a local Tour Operator for your Safari in Uganda.
You might think that why do I need a tour operator after I have the Internet. I am used to booking a car, hotel, why can’t I do the same planning my Safari in Uganda?
In Western Countries planning and booking a trip is easy and straightforward. Booking a safari in Africa in Uganda is a challenge for most. Just recently, someone asked me, “Do I need to use a Safari Tour Operator in Uganda?”
My answer reflected the country we live and work in – “As long as Uganda is chaotic, confusing, ever-changing, and online requests are ignored. “Travelers – Tourists, Safari Goers will need and use a Tour Operator such as Kabiza Wilderness Safaris.”
Still not convinced? Avoid a self-planned Safari Disaster and read our 10-Reasons why you need a Safari Tour Operator and then contact us. You will be glad that you did.
Do I need to use a Safari Tour Operator in Uganda?
10-Reasons why you need a Safari Tour Operator for your Safari in Uganda
1. A Tour Operator will save you time & frustrations that come with Self-Planning a Safari:
Your Safari Planning will begin with Research, and that is where things become confusing since much of the information on the internet is outdated or simply wrong. It starts with erroneous Visa Information, outdated advice, and not enough COVID-19 Protocol information.
Research for your Safari takes time and lots of it. Many become frustrated by that alone. Yes, you can use a copy of the helpful Bradt Guide for Uganda. However, even that publication is outdated by the time it is published, especially when it comes to prices, permits, and park rates.
Suppose you want to spend seven days in Uganda and visit different parks. In that case, you need to know the logical way to connect the various points of interest.
The reality is this. Suppose you do not use a Tour Operator such as ourselves. You will not have the organizational and logistical support that you need.
We save you time, money, and the frustrations often associated with self-planning a safari in Uganda.
2. A Tour Operator unlike you will know Uganda
Most know little about Uganda, and what they think they know about Uganda turns out to be wrong. Now you want to plan and implement your own Safari here without knowing the country’s layout.
You do not know which airport to fly into? Where do you stay? How do I connect Gorilla Trekking, Wildlife Game Drives, Chimpanzee Trekking? How many days do I need?
Distances, Drive Times, Road Conditions, vehicle, and a driver, are all things you need to plan for.
Maybe you are ready for a one-stop planning experience and book your Safari with us instead.
We are not confused. We know the country quite well. We live and work here. Safaris are our business. While on Safari with us, you are going with a local. Your Ugandan driver-guide knows things that you will never find researching on the internet.
It would be best if you had a Safari Tour Operator like us. We know Uganda, and we love to introduce you to the Pearl of Africa.
3. A Tour Operator Will Save you Money and Stretch your Dollar:
Many make the mistake of thinking that using a Safari Tour Operator is more expensive. You are putting together one safari. At the same time, we are organizing ten. That extra volume brings lower prices.
We negotiate Lodge prices and pass on the savings to our clients. Our Safari costs are inclusive (some tour operators sell stripped-down versions), we do our best to book quality lodges. We include all park and activity fees at a minimal profit.
If you book the same Safari through a Travel Agent in your country, your cost will be 25 to 30% higher. A travel agency has to use a ground tour operator such as ourselves. When you plan and book a safari with us, you get the lowest price since there is no go-between, such as a travel agency that adds their fees and profit.
Forget the used-car kinds of advertising slogans such as “Doing Africa on the Cheap or Cheap Gorilla Trekking Safaris.” Those are come-ons. We like to say, “remember the Yugo.” It was the cheapest car on the market in its time but useless with more downtime than time on the road. We take out some of the risk factors with our Flexible Booking Policy and Price Guarantee during the pandemic.
4. A Tour Operator will give you Free Expert Local Ugandan Advice:
Advice – when you are spending thousands of Dollars on a safari, you want to make the right choices, unlike Forums, where you receive iffy answers to your questions. From us, you will get the latest information since you wish to make your Safari a success. We know the latest changes with permit fees, entry requirements in most instances. We do not wait a day.
We also know and abide by the current COVID-19 Tourism Protocols. They are also referred to as the Tourism Standard Operating Procedures. They have changed the way that Safaris are being conducted.
You can only get so much information on the Internet, especially about unfamiliar things to you and that you know little about.
A travel agent in the US will charge you for that advice. However, we live here and are in the Safari Tour Business. Something we have done for well over a decade. Our personal knowledge goes back almost 30 years.
Our advice saves our clients time and money—the right Lodge for them and activities off-of-the-beaten path.
5 A Tour Operator will help you avoid the mistakes you would make:
How much do you know about Uganda? I was reading the latest edition of the Bradt Guide. I noticed a wrong fact about the number of participants in a Gorilla Habituation Experts, like the Travel Bible of Uganda Tourism. I daily read articles that give the wrong figures about this or that, including the number of permits being issued.
We receive the latest updates. We know which Lodge is closest to the Activity that you want to take. We know the minimum age for Trekking Primates at different venues. We know to get you from point A to B, either on the fastest or more scenic routes. Someone who is planning their Ugandan Safari in Seattle, Washington, does not.
We help you avoid the costly mistakes self-planner can make.
6. A Tour Operator is part of a network while you are alone:
You, planning a safari on your own, might feel like you all alone taking a walk in the dark.
When we prepare a safari, we use the relationships, the network we have created over the years. Connections that one planning from abroad does not have.
We belong to the best professional Organizations, such as the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. We network with better lodges, local game wardens, and rangers to create the safari right for you.
Uganda is an African society based on relationships, and connections are everything. We have rightly connected which a person planning their own Safari would not be.
Our network covers every aspect of your safari, from permits to lodges and hotels.
We have developed a network that makes our Safaris work as planned.
7. A Tour Operator does not leave out the Fine Details.”
You can create a safari in your living room anywhere, and we make it happen. A safari is broken down into connecting details.
An enjoyable holiday is often all about the details – dates, times, distances, flights, transfers, dietary needs, medical issues…the list goes on. Your Africa Travel Specialist not only helps plan the best safari itinerary for you…but also makes the arrangements that join all the dots that make up your safari.
Without that attention to detail, things could go and do go wrong! Add additional things such as visa requirements, vaccinations needed. We even deal with how to tip and what to wear.
We can tell you about Wi-Fi or phone signal receptivity in parks. What electrical plugs you need, how much cash to travel with…the list is endless!
We do the detailed work that you might miss.
8. A Tour Operator has a Plan-B in case the unexpected happens
Do-it-yourself Safari planner is like a Trapeze Artists without a net. We give you that added layer of protection. We are here in Uganda, and the Driver-Guide is in contact with our Office and Staff. If something goes wrong and things at times go awry, we know how to rescue the Safari. Just last week, a Hot Air Balloon operator closed, which was an unexpected move. We gave a refund of 380 USD to our clients and another satisfying activity.
Uganda can be seemingly chaotic. Our roads are not for the novice 1st-time Drivers in Africa. We know what to do when the unexpected arises. The good news is that we always have dropped our Clients safely at the airport in time.
At times, we have had to be creative, devise an on-the-spot backup or alternate plan that preserved the safari’s spirit.
We always have a plan B and C and D if needed.
9. You’re Going with a Local Driver-Guide on a Hakuna Matata-No-Worries Safari
Your well-meaning do-it-yourself safari plans and implementation by driving yourself most often lead to a lesser safari experience. A Safari in Uganda is unlike a Holiday in Europe with its modern road system. Though things have greatly improved, the only four-lane highway you will find in Uganda is the Entebbe Expressway from Entebbe to Kampala.
The only way that you can really focus on the safari itself is by going with a local, seasoned, English speaking driver-guide. He is the one that takes the itinerary and translates it into a fabulous one-of-a-kind experience.
You are with a local who grew up in Uganda. He lives and works in Uganda and is a professional tour guide. His or her insight into Ugandan culture, wildlife, primates is priceless and enriching.
Now, your focus can be on what you came for, the Wildlife, the Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and other primates, the incredible Scenery, and some of the Friendliest People in Africa – Hakuna – Matata Style.
Go with a local on a Hakuna Matata Style – No Worries Safaris.
10. Stay Safe-Secure on a Safari in Uganda:
Uganda is safe, secure, and stable. President Museveni has been in power since 1986, bringing a level of stability to the country.
There are the police, the army, rangers in parks, and the Tourism Police. There have been no security problems in the country. There are no Security Advisories for Uganda by the US or the UK.
Travelers, including those who attempt to do a self-drive safari, are targets of con men and thieves. A Safari Tour Operator means we know their ways and keeps you safe from petty thievery and con artists.
Lodges usually are safe, have on-premises security, and honest staff. It is your Tour Operator who knows how to create a safe and secure safari that is worry-free.
For more safety and security information, go to our security page.
For Health Advice, read our Staying healthy on a Safari. Do not miss our COVID Protocols page.
Your Safety and Security on a Safari is our Concern as a Tour Operator.
Why you need a Safari Tour Operator in Uganda-Here is our Take:
First, let’s define what we as tour operators do: We combine the various components such as hotels. Lodges, transport, local driver-guide, permits, park and activity fees, and create a personalized, private Safari for you.
We are called an inbound Ugandan Niche Tour Operator that creates, sells, and implements private, mid-range, and luxury Safaris. We are not a travel agent. We do, however, sell them safari packages and act as their ground tour operator in Uganda.
We know Uganda. We live here and work in the Pearl of Africa. Ugandan Safaris are our Business and our Passion. We do not offer Safaris all over the African continent. We make our Focus its Pearl, Uganda.
We are a duly licensed, registered, and tax-paying Safari Tour Operator. We are a member of good standing with the Association of Uganda Tour Operators and approved and registered with the Uganda Ministry of Tourism and the Ugandan Tourism Board.
Being a Tour Operator comes with a deep sense of responsibility for our Clients. As a Responsible Tour Operator, our Focus is not the income from a Safari but the outcome. We combine American-Style Customer Service with all-encompassing, welcoming African Hospitality
10- Reasons why you need a Safari Tour Operator – Kabiza Wilderness Safaris might be the right choice for you. Contact us today.
