Kajie Safaris Director Ronald at Ngorongoro crater
Kajie Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, USAGA, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $2,582 to $13,772 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
RU
Email Dmitrii | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Safari in Uganda was magnificent, but there were some organizational shortcomings
Overall, the safari went very well and the country was magnificent, but unfortunately there were a few minor issues on the organizational side.
I will start with the positives. During the booking process and afterward, communication with the manager was excellent. The company provided all the necessary information, reminded me to apply for a visa, informed me about the introduction of the health declaration due to Ebola that had to be completed before the flight, clarified the details of my flight, and so on. The airport pickup went according to plan, and I set off on the safari right away. Uganda’s parks are magnificent - the gorillas, chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Murchison Falls.
Nevertheless, there were several shortcomings that I unfortunately have to mention.
First, the lodge in Murchison Falls was changed from Pakuba Safari Lodge to Bamboo Safari Lodge. Bamboo Safari Lodge is a good lodge, but unlike Pakuba, it is located outside the park. Although it is formally situated right next to the park entrance, in reality it takes about 20 minutes to get to the area where the main game drive begins. Even if that road is inside the park, it is mostly an asphalt road with almost no animals around, while the main game drives take place in the Pakuba area.
Second, I missed out on the game drive in Lake Mburo National Park. The original plan was that I would arrive, spend the night in Entebbe, and the next day go to Lake Mburo, where I would have an evening game drive. When I provided my flight details and said that I would arrive at 11:15 AM, the company said that “since you arrive early on the first day, we can start the safari immediately” and suggested slightly changing the plan so that I would go straight from the airport to Lake Mburo on the first day for an evening game drive. I agreed, but it turned out that this plan was not feasible. The drive to Lake Mburo, taking traffic and congestion into account, took so long that I arrived at Lake Mburo only around sunset, and the evening game drive in this park did not take place.
The third issue was on the first day in Queen Elizabeth National Park. According to the plan, I was supposed to have two activities that day: Afternoon - game drive in Ishasha, and Evening - game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. In my view, this should have meant that the first activity would start around 12:00–13:00, but the guide had a different understanding of this. I spent half the day at the lodge, and only at 15:00 did the afternoon activity begin, which consisted of a very short game drive in one area. Then at 16:30 the evening game drive in Queen Elizabeth already started. At the same time, the guide claimed that evening game drives in Queen Elizabeth begin at 16:00, but I asked the staff at the park entrance and they said that an evening game drive usually starts at 15:00.
I cannot say that these shortcomings seriously spoiled my overall impression of the safari, but I prefer to describe my impressions honestly, and perhaps this feedback will help the company take these points into account and avoid such issues in the future.
Email Rhonnie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Ronald from Kajie was great but not a good experience with our guide
Ronald at Kajie Safaris was so wonderful in preparing a great itinerary for myself and my mid twenties daughter. He was quick to respond to questions (and there were many) and he was really flexible even when we had to make a late change to our dates and perhaps if he had been our guide our safari would have been better. Our guide (more a driver than a guide) was Wycliffe and he was awful. He was rude, unhelpful and didn't tell us information we needed for different game parks. We would arrive and then he would tell us we needed certain things which we had back at the camp, he deliberately didn't tell us things until it was too late. We had to ask him for information about what we were doing the next day he would just tell us to be ready at a certain time without any reason such as we need to get a 7am ferry! He seemed to have a set against us from the beginning he didn't even step forward at the airport or hold the sign up (that he had in his hand ),we had to ask if any of the drivers there was Wycliffe. We had to write to Ronald and tell him half way through it was that bad and after a phone call to Wycliffe his behaviour did improve but that shows how deliberate his actions were. When we were on game drives with the roof off, he would leave the motor running (which is not normal as you want to get rid of the vibration when taking photos) and then roll forward and hit the brakes so you would fall forward. He took off when he was ready, never asking if we were ready again something I have never experienced with our previously expert guides, they would always ask right to go? I have been on 4 safaris and about 10 game drives so I think I can compare and we have never had anything but wonderful treatment from our guides. I don't blame Ronald or Kajie Safaris so don't punish them just make sure your guide is not Wycliffe before you book.
AT
Email Charlotte | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great safari experience!
I just came back from my 11 days safari in Western Uganda organised by Ronald from Kajie Safari. During preparations, he was reachable 24/7 and open to customize our stay, find a balance between low-cost and mid-range lodges given a strict budget and guide us through a reliable pre-payment procedure. During our stay, I found out that Kajie Safari is not your regular Tour Operator: Ronald who was our guide/driver all the way through, could provide insights on wildlife and nature (enabling me to grasp the basics being a true city gal) of each national park, Ugandan geography and traditions, but was also open to discuss everyday life and hobbies of a young modern Ugandan man (#GamesofThrones). He is a good driver (for me a combination between safe and fast), eager to settle you first at the lodge (before other tourists), providing you with snacks. In short, he is making sure that you are fine, which is quite important considering the roads in part of the country. After 11 days, the four-wheel drive Toyota Van will definitely convince you of its advantages compared to a "range rover" type of vehicle. My highlights clearly were the tracking on foot of rhinos, chimps and gorillas, which provided me with adrenaline spikes for the rest of my life. But also the red colobus monkeys playing while having morning tea with the soothing murmurs of the Kibale jungle, the sweet lady-finger-bananas eaten in the car, the flamboyant sunset in Queen Elisabeth Park, discovering the taste of confort food such as Matoke, the calm and friendly ways of Ugandan going about their business... I'll stop here, you know what you should do.
Email Timothy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
customer care
Kajie safaris lived up to expectations. The communication lacked ambiguity. The safari tour was excellent.
In brief i plan to travel with them next time in December. Over all the customer care was excellent.
Email Wendy Ortiz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Life changing
Outstanding safari! Kajie Safaris planned every detail perfectly. Professional, organized, and truly unforgettable. Highly recommend!
PT
Email Joao | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We came for the animals, we left with memories for life
We booked a private safari in Uganda with this agency and it exceeded every expectation. Our guide Eddie was absolutely outstanding — friendly, incredibly safe behind the wheel, and with an eagle eye for spotting wildlife we would have never noticed on our own.
What really set him apart was his passion for sharing his country: from animal behavior and local agriculture to music and culture, every drive felt like a living classroom. He was also wonderfully attentive to all our requests throughout the trip.
The accommodations were top-notch, and the whole experience was seamlessly organized. This is a trip we will never forget. Highly recommended!
PT
Email Andreia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Incredible, perfect!
We had an absolutely incredible experience with Kajie Safaris — from the very first email to the full planning process, everything was smooth, professional, and exceeded our expectations. During the trip itself, everything ran perfectly, and it was clear how carefully every detail had been thought through. The lodges and activities were all perfectly chosen.
A special thank you to our guide, Eddie. He was outstanding — always friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, and generous in sharing insights about wildlife, nature, and the country. His driving was consistently careful and made us feel safe at all times.
And honestly — he is a master at spotting animals! His eye is unbelievable. He would find wildlife we would have never seen ourselves, making every game drive exciting and memorable.
We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Highly recommended!
EE
Email Tauno | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
Quite a good experience.
- Safari guide was very helpful and flexible. Thanks to that flexibility the quality of experience can vary quite a bit by the choice that the traveler makes. Perhaps what could be improved is to communicate available options and their experience value more clearly.
- We relieably saw everything we were supposed to see and managed to squeeze in a few extras.
- We had mid-range or upper mid-range lodges. I think they were good enough and by paying much is mostly pointless for most travelers unless they are very demanding. Some evenings it was nice to have nice lodge to relax but overall the time spent in lodges was quite limited.
- Uganda itself is quite a good value for money and has gorillas and chimps on top.
Some tips:
- Balance taking time looking at animals and birds that You do find and rushing around trying to see something better which can become exhausting after a while. We spent quite a bit of time chasing leopard, but perhaps a bit too long. Thankfully, Queen Elizabeth park had predator tracking tour available (big cats wear trackers around neck) which make locating them easy if You choose to go on this tour. It costs over 200 euros per person but I think it is worth it.
- At least 1 night game drive is good to have as it is different experience.
- Try to step out of car few km before your gorilla lodge and walk up to the lodge. The views are good.
- We managed to squeeze in shoebill sighting on the last day's afternoon and got a very good view of a shoebill.
- Kampala is worth visiting couple of days, but it can be a bit scary for traveler not used to chaos of developing country city.
- Drink as much Divine Bushera as You can.
IT
Email Roberta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Really the Pearl of Africa
We spent 10 days in Uganda with Kajie Safari. In particular with Arafat as our guide, and the experience exceeded all expectations. His extensive knowledge of the country, its national parks, and its traditions enriched every part of our journey.
Arafat stood out for his kindness, calm attitude, and ability to anticipate our needs. Always punctual, organized, and incredibly helpful, he turned a great trip into an unforgettable one.
We highly recommend him to anyone visiting Uganda.
Email Suzanne | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing trip that will stay with me forever!
Firstly, I was a female solo traveller that had never done this type of trip before.
I chose the 11 day trip with Kajie Safaris.
I primarily chose Uganda because I wanted to experience and see the mountain gorillas. I did not really know what to expect other than I would see amazing wildlife. I chose this company from the reviews and also how they replied to my emails so promptly and how friendly the replies were.
I was blown away by the service I received. I had my own driver called Arafat…. who was amazing, so knowledgeable, friendly and as a solo female I felt exceptionally safe. I would 110% recommend this company and Arafat…..
The accommodation was exceptional and the food was always a very high standard. The staff at the lodges were always friendly, helpful and had great smiles!
I am still on a high from all my experiences and would highly recommend Uganda and Kajie Safaris as a place to visit and create amazing memories !
Thank you Kajie Safaries and also Arafat !!