Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Johnnie Uganda Safaris
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We offer nature safaris and birding watching for both individuals and groups. Come experience the essence of Uganda´s beauty through by visiting the National parks, mountains and valleys on the most popular safari tours.
Entebbe, Uganda
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Johnnie Uganda Safaris
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
12 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
0
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
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Sally B
Cape Town Central, South Africa80 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
We recently returned from a fabulous 16-day birding trip in Uganda with Johnnie. Johnnie came highly recommended, and he did not disappoint! He is an excellent birder with an extraordinary ability to both hear and see birds before anyone else! He was clear in locating and describing to us where to find the birds and we came away with a list of 363 birds, a large number of which were lifers. His patience and commitment to finding and showing us the magnificent birds of Uganda, was greatly appreciated. In doing so he drew on some very capable, young local birders, many of whom are part of Johnnie's programme to increase the quality of bird guides and protect the resources of Uganda through avian tourism. In addition to his birding expertise, Johnnie has a vast knowledge of the animals, butterflies and plants that we came across, and he generously shared his knowledge with us. Furthermore, the logistical details were masterfully organised - we stayed in some very special places, with excellent service provided by people that clearly know and like Johnnie; the chimp and gorilla treks were seamlessly arranged and handled; lunches and other breaks on longer drives were at some great spots; and the other service providers (like the boats to see the Shoebill or to go up the channel) were all at the right place, at the right time!
I would have absolutely no reservation in recommending Johnnie in planning your trip and as a guide to Uganda or her neighboring countries.
I would have absolutely no reservation in recommending Johnnie in planning your trip and as a guide to Uganda or her neighboring countries.
Written October 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
glover
Washington DC, DC496 contributions
Dec 2022
Surely Johnnie must be the best bird guide in Uganda! Husband and I, along with two others, spent about 10 days in Uganda with Johnnie driving and guiding. (Sorry we didn't get to meet Agnes.) As others have said here, he has an amazing ability to spot and identify birds, often while skillfully maneuvering on some crazy roads! He has a nice sense of humor too, seems to know all the service providers along the way and puts them all at ease. We feel like he took good care of us on the gorilla trekking piece of our trip as well. Both days we had permits for we (along with the help of earlier trackers) located our assigned gorilla family within an hour of trekking. We were all fit seniors, but were admittedly glad NOT to trek several hours. Think he helped ensure we were assigned to an easier group...... He was also patient with those of us with less than perfect memory - patiently repeating names of bird already identified......again and again. "And that's a what again...?"
Written January 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wandering Bird
Ayrshire67 contributions
Nov 2017 • Business
After viisting Uganda with another well known tour company in 2016, I was keen to return and have a different experience- a better experience. With this company it is all about the experience with animals, coupled with superb accommodation choices- taking into account budget restrictions. For this visit I wanted to visit less known areas of Uganda as a priority for some research I am doing; from first point of contact, Johnnie's unique and unrivalled knowledge shone through, and put him and his company ahead of competitors. Of note-
1) E-mails are answered very quickly by Johnnie and his team. In terms of pricing, we were most certainly charged a fair rate- and not ripped off, as so many other tour companies do.
2) Johnnie went above and beyond in helping me gather my research.
3) After the research had ended we had asked Johnnie to take us to Murchison Falls for a wildlife holiday.....Oh my!!!! This was the best safari I have ever been on!!! From choice of accommodation to transport to Johnnies amazing guiding- this was the best.
4) Of value to me is the personal service that one is provided with- I consider Johnnie and Agnes friends now.
I was so impressed with our trip in November 2017, that I have booked to go with Johnnie again in May 2018- and I will be asking Johnnie to take my husband and I for his 50th Birthday trip in February 2019.....
1) E-mails are answered very quickly by Johnnie and his team. In terms of pricing, we were most certainly charged a fair rate- and not ripped off, as so many other tour companies do.
2) Johnnie went above and beyond in helping me gather my research.
3) After the research had ended we had asked Johnnie to take us to Murchison Falls for a wildlife holiday.....Oh my!!!! This was the best safari I have ever been on!!! From choice of accommodation to transport to Johnnies amazing guiding- this was the best.
4) Of value to me is the personal service that one is provided with- I consider Johnnie and Agnes friends now.
I was so impressed with our trip in November 2017, that I have booked to go with Johnnie again in May 2018- and I will be asking Johnnie to take my husband and I for his 50th Birthday trip in February 2019.....
Written January 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnnieUganda
Thank you so much for the wonderful review. We look forward to hosting you again.
Written January 9, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Diane H
Kunkletown, PA2 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
We heard about Johnnie ("Mr. Birding Uganda") from some birding friends in the U.S., so contacted him out of the blue. It turned out to be a fantastic decision as he was an incredible host and guide. He planned a great varied itinerary with wonderful accommodations at each location. Johnnie knows so much about the birds and habitats of Uganda and is passionate about nature and sharing it with others. It is obvious that he is well-liked by staff and community members throughout the country. He made sure we all got on a bird when he spotted a new species for us. He showed us interesting sites and mammals in the various parks, answered many questions, and went above and beyond to make the trip perfect. Of course, seeing gorillas and chimpanzees was a highlight, even for birders! Agnes was our superb driver and had great stories about her country to add to the mealtime and driving conversations. By the end of our trip, we felt like we were leaving behind good friends. We highly, highly recommend booking a trip through Johnnie's company.
Written December 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JohnnieUganda
Thank you for the wonderful review!
Written December 31, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Douwe V
Valencia, Spain3 contributions
Aug 2022
We very much enjoyed the tour around Uganda that Johnnie organised for us. Lawrence has been our guide and we have been in very safe and knowledgeable hands!
Written August 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much Douwe for choosing us to be your hosts in Uganda and we are glad you had a wonderful trip.
Warm Regards,
Agnes
Written August 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
unmichelle
1 contribution
Jun 2019 • Friends
Johnnie and Agnes are both amazing. We went with a group looking for parrots, as well as mammals. We went to multiple places in Uganda. It is obvious that Johnnie and Agnes care about birds and other animals, about conservation, about people, about Uganda, and about everyone's overall experience. Johnnie takes answering your questions very seriously, and tries to find answers to questions he doesn't know (though, he knows a lot! He is a walking encyclopedia.)
What really impressed me, though, is that even after our tour with them ended, Johnnie called ahead to connect with a guide with another company we were using for gorilla trekking to make sure we had the best experience possible. The other guides we met seem to know and love Johnnie and Agnes, too, which indicates what a great resource they are not only to their clients but also to their profession in general. Many had attended training sessions given by Johnnie to improve their knowledge of Uganda wildlife.
I hope to go on another tour from Johnnie and Agnes! Uganda is beautiful, and you are in excellent hands with Johnnie and Agnes.
What really impressed me, though, is that even after our tour with them ended, Johnnie called ahead to connect with a guide with another company we were using for gorilla trekking to make sure we had the best experience possible. The other guides we met seem to know and love Johnnie and Agnes, too, which indicates what a great resource they are not only to their clients but also to their profession in general. Many had attended training sessions given by Johnnie to improve their knowledge of Uganda wildlife.
I hope to go on another tour from Johnnie and Agnes! Uganda is beautiful, and you are in excellent hands with Johnnie and Agnes.
Written June 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Michelle,
Thank you so much for the wonderful review, we really appreciate.
We hope you had a good time with the Gorillas.
Best Regards,
Agnes
Written June 25, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jenseits
Washington DC, DC5 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
I thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks in Uganda, in no small part due to Johnnie's expert guiding.
If you're coming to Uganda to see wildlife, especially birds, then you want your guide to be exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled at seeing the subtlest signs of animals and hearing things long before anything comes into view. Johnnie can spot things that don't seem humanly possible and has the magical ability to talk to you, listen to other conversations going on, and then also hear and identify bird calls out in the distant sky. He really pays attention to what interests you and then goes out of his way to point those things out to you. If he comes to a sudden stop and jumps out of the jeep, you better follow with your binoculars ready ... he's about to point out something really cool!
He's a great conversationalist (it seems like he speaks every single local language; a great asset, by the way) and presents a lot of interesting information about whatever interests you... by it about birds, mammals, local customs and cultures, whatever interests you. In addition to being interesting to talk to, he's a consummate professional with exceptionally high standards.
Our co-guide was Agnes, who was a delight. Johnnie and Agnes will make sure you see what you want to see while keeping you safe, well-fed and hydrated, and making sure you get where you need to be, on time. On our trip, we changed locations about every two days in order to fit in a packed itinerary -- that's a lot of logistics. And Johnnie and Agnes made the whole trip easy and enjoyable!
Highlights of this trip included a game drive in Queen Elizabeth Park, where we saw so many elephants, lions, buffalo, hippos and more. Plus great birding in many locations. The chimp tracking was incredible! So many once-in-a-lifetime experiences packed into just a few unforgettable days.
Other guides I talked to later all knew Johnnie because he's an well-respected trainer of guides, country-wide. And they all agree that he's the best. I can't recommend Uganda, and Johnnie Uganda Safaris, enough.
If you're coming to Uganda to see wildlife, especially birds, then you want your guide to be exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled at seeing the subtlest signs of animals and hearing things long before anything comes into view. Johnnie can spot things that don't seem humanly possible and has the magical ability to talk to you, listen to other conversations going on, and then also hear and identify bird calls out in the distant sky. He really pays attention to what interests you and then goes out of his way to point those things out to you. If he comes to a sudden stop and jumps out of the jeep, you better follow with your binoculars ready ... he's about to point out something really cool!
He's a great conversationalist (it seems like he speaks every single local language; a great asset, by the way) and presents a lot of interesting information about whatever interests you... by it about birds, mammals, local customs and cultures, whatever interests you. In addition to being interesting to talk to, he's a consummate professional with exceptionally high standards.
Our co-guide was Agnes, who was a delight. Johnnie and Agnes will make sure you see what you want to see while keeping you safe, well-fed and hydrated, and making sure you get where you need to be, on time. On our trip, we changed locations about every two days in order to fit in a packed itinerary -- that's a lot of logistics. And Johnnie and Agnes made the whole trip easy and enjoyable!
Highlights of this trip included a game drive in Queen Elizabeth Park, where we saw so many elephants, lions, buffalo, hippos and more. Plus great birding in many locations. The chimp tracking was incredible! So many once-in-a-lifetime experiences packed into just a few unforgettable days.
Other guides I talked to later all knew Johnnie because he's an well-respected trainer of guides, country-wide. And they all agree that he's the best. I can't recommend Uganda, and Johnnie Uganda Safaris, enough.
Written June 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the wonderful review and for choosing Uganda as your safari destination.We were very honoured to have been your host and we are glad you had a fantastic trip.
Hope to see you again some day!
Best Regards,
Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Written June 19, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LoveAllCreatures
San Antonio, United States7 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
We are a small group of parrot lovers traveling to Uganda hoping to see the endangered Congo African Grey Parrots in the wild. We started from Entebee, passing Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Kibale Forest National Parks and visited the Bugala Island before looping back to Entebee. It was a 10-day Journey.
Johnnie and Agnes, owners of Johnnie Uganda Safaris, provided excellent care and knowledgeable information along the way. Their interest in conservation, curiosity about all wildlife and love of Uganda made this trip a very pleasant experience.
Luckily, we managed to see some Congo African Grey Parrots and yet the number of birds we saw in total is less than 60. It really matters to protect these birds and many other endangered wildlife.
Ugandans are very friendly people and Uganda is a very beautiful country. Johnnie can 'see the birds with his eyes'. Enjoy!
Johnnie and Agnes, owners of Johnnie Uganda Safaris, provided excellent care and knowledgeable information along the way. Their interest in conservation, curiosity about all wildlife and love of Uganda made this trip a very pleasant experience.
Luckily, we managed to see some Congo African Grey Parrots and yet the number of birds we saw in total is less than 60. It really matters to protect these birds and many other endangered wildlife.
Ugandans are very friendly people and Uganda is a very beautiful country. Johnnie can 'see the birds with his eyes'. Enjoy!
Written June 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the fantastic review and we cannot thank you enough for choosing Uganda as your destination.
Our goal is to continue sensitising people about the importance of conservation putting emphasis on the endangered species like the African Grey Parrots.
Thank you once again for choosing Uganda as your safari destination.
Best Regards,
Johnnie Uganda Safaris
Written June 19, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tracy E
Kampala, Uganda8 contributions
Dec 2018 • Family
Look no further if you need to make a memorable trip to or within the Pearl of Africa, Johnnie Uganda Safaris are only an email or phone call away to come up with great itineraries for your memorable trips. They are just the best!
I have traveled to a number of places with in Uganda such as Kasenge in Mukono (I enjoyed the family forest nature walk and camping ) in 2015,Griffin falls in Mabira ( Zip lining was an adventure together with a forest walk) and Queen Elizabeth N.P in 2016 (seeing those wild animals at close range was unforgettable), Eco tourism place in Mukono, i forget the name (we enjoyed the forest walk together with learning more about plants in their herbal garden) in 2017. The most recent trip in Dec 2018 was Lake Mburo N.P with my son; It was his first experience in the "jungle" and he really enjoyed every bit of it. Right from seeing the animals he sees on TV and story books live such as Impalas, warthogs, zebras, monkeys, baboons, waterbucks, bird species, name it . We also had a walk around to learn more about the Ankole culture (long horned cattle, milking, making eshabwe, ghee, identifying tree plans and their importance, bird species, etc). We visited the museum at Igongo Cultural center on one of the trip days and it was extremely educative.I could go on and on and on...
Johnnie and Agnes are personal friends /family to me. It is a very professional duo, great at time keeping, responding to inquiries in record time and make people feel at home. I am always at peace when i book a trip with Johnnie Uganda Safaris and Birding in Paradise because they have all the itineraries already figured out and all I have to do is relax and enjoy and make memories for life.
Again I say, look no further ...Johnnie Uganda Safaris (and Birding in Paradise) are the best at handling your dream trips to and within Uganda
I have traveled to a number of places with in Uganda such as Kasenge in Mukono (I enjoyed the family forest nature walk and camping ) in 2015,Griffin falls in Mabira ( Zip lining was an adventure together with a forest walk) and Queen Elizabeth N.P in 2016 (seeing those wild animals at close range was unforgettable), Eco tourism place in Mukono, i forget the name (we enjoyed the forest walk together with learning more about plants in their herbal garden) in 2017. The most recent trip in Dec 2018 was Lake Mburo N.P with my son; It was his first experience in the "jungle" and he really enjoyed every bit of it. Right from seeing the animals he sees on TV and story books live such as Impalas, warthogs, zebras, monkeys, baboons, waterbucks, bird species, name it . We also had a walk around to learn more about the Ankole culture (long horned cattle, milking, making eshabwe, ghee, identifying tree plans and their importance, bird species, etc). We visited the museum at Igongo Cultural center on one of the trip days and it was extremely educative.I could go on and on and on...
Johnnie and Agnes are personal friends /family to me. It is a very professional duo, great at time keeping, responding to inquiries in record time and make people feel at home. I am always at peace when i book a trip with Johnnie Uganda Safaris and Birding in Paradise because they have all the itineraries already figured out and all I have to do is relax and enjoy and make memories for life.
Again I say, look no further ...Johnnie Uganda Safaris (and Birding in Paradise) are the best at handling your dream trips to and within Uganda
Written February 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ivan Philip
3 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
Its like Johnnie never misses a lion!
First class treatment top notch time management, very knowledgeable conversations, a safe trip, memories, inspiration, they really got me on that path to self discovery out on the wild, i could even hear myself think in the serenity, such a peaceful journey, they are very good with little children, teens even the adults and have conversation for all age groups, i even became so famous for touring in my circle and even got revered for my touring because my experiences were so intimate and unique, not to mention, photographs, and lovely moments, it felt like i was part of the family, fine dining, i had a view over the queen elizabeth park in my wooden cottage with glass doors, felt like simba in the lion king. Whenever i want to tour Uganda i know who to call on speed dial to schedule my trip.i also went to sipi falls with them, did zip lining in mabira, bird watching in multiple locations,
First class treatment top notch time management, very knowledgeable conversations, a safe trip, memories, inspiration, they really got me on that path to self discovery out on the wild, i could even hear myself think in the serenity, such a peaceful journey, they are very good with little children, teens even the adults and have conversation for all age groups, i even became so famous for touring in my circle and even got revered for my touring because my experiences were so intimate and unique, not to mention, photographs, and lovely moments, it felt like i was part of the family, fine dining, i had a view over the queen elizabeth park in my wooden cottage with glass doors, felt like simba in the lion king. Whenever i want to tour Uganda i know who to call on speed dial to schedule my trip.i also went to sipi falls with them, did zip lining in mabira, bird watching in multiple locations,
Written February 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience