Testimonials

I was traveling in Uganda and Rwanda with a friend. We had problems with the first guide and driver (two persons) we hired back in Kampala. By the time we made it to Kabale, it was evident that we had no option but change them for a more professional service provider if we wanted to continue our travel without sacrificing what remained of our travel plans, mostly Rwanda. From the moment we stepped in Engagi’s office (and very good restaurant) we were in the hands of probably the most professional tour operator I have come across during my extensive travels all around the world from SE Asia to Central America and many other places. First we booked a day hike with Engagi in the mountains surrounding Kabale and on Lake Bunyonyi with Engagi’s local guide. The next morning we hit the road with Robert, Engagi’s co-owner in a four wheel drive in excellent condition. The time we spent with Robert, who was our driver and guide in one person in Rwanda and Uganda during the following four days (three in Rwanda and one in Uganda) was just perfect. He took care of everything in the most professional manner, arranged accommodation on the way, took care of border procedures, shared his extensive knowledge on the history, ecology and culture of both countries and helped with whatever personal requests we had, no matter how improvised they may have been. I will remain grateful for him not only for saving our trip, but also for adding so much to it. I highly recommend Engagi for anyone planning travels in the region.

I was looking for a local tour company out of Kabale to take me on a customized tour of 3-4 days. Robert Basiima was so responsive with my inquiries and planning the trip. He arranged for an excellent birding guide (the other Robert) and both were such a joy to travel with. They have a genuine interest in conservation and were as excited as I was about wildlife and bird sightings. I felt very comfortable traveling with Robert and Robert and the accommodations were great. Robert was also very flexible with my plans and changes to itinerary. I highly recommend Engagi Safaris and look forward to a return visit with my family.

I had a wonderful time this September with Engagi Safaris. Robert was very accommodating and helped me to design my own ideal safari which was brilliant as I got to see everything I wanted to see in the very short amount of time I had free. The accommodation was lovely, especially the overnight in a forest camp for Chimpanzee trekking! Robert himself is a very knowledgeable guide and was able to answer all of my wildlife questions as well as provide interesting information about Uganda as we traveled around the beautiful countryside. Highly recommend visiting this wonderful country and using Engagi Safaris!!

WOW! What a trip! I found Robert and Engagi Safaris on Trip Advisor and I engaged Engagi on our 3 week trip to Uganda. This is our fifth trip to Africa and I planned an itinerary around the gorilla trek in Bwindi. Robert expertly put the whole trip together with lodges, game drives, waterfalls, gorillas and chimps Robert assigned probably one of the best guides we ever had in Amos. I swear he could spot an animal or bird from a mile away, and not stop until he found it for us. Really GREAT driver on some of the most challenging roads we have travelled in Africa, and we have been to Kenya, Tanzania, and all over South Africa and Namibia. He also was very aware of how we like to travel , and since it was just my wife and I he made sure we were not distracted or our trip compromised by other travelers. We are in our late sixties and he found one unique and beautiful lodge after another with great food, views, and the most friendly people. Robert visited us during our trip and we told him what a great guide and friend Amos had become. I am a photographer and he really knew his way around a game drive. We were actually the only ones who found both the tree climbing lions in Ishasha, but also found two lions relaxing under a tree (still don’t know how he saw them) after a buffalo kill. Places we visited were: Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls, the Nile, Queen Elizabeth Park, Bwindi Park, Mburo Park, Kibale Park, Lake Bunyonyi, Sipi Falls, and more. Great lodges, food, the biggest crocs I have seen, game drives, boat rides, and probably the best guide we have had in Amos. Robert planned and executed our trip. If you plan a trip to the friendliest and safest country in Africa you must contact Robert and Amos at Engagi Safaris.

We had the pleasure of going on a 6 day safari with Robert Basiima of Engagi safaris in June this year. We decided to go with Robert based on positive reviews we had read and because we wanted to go with a guide local to the area we were visiting, rather than someone based in Kampala. Robert was very accommodating at every stage. We had several emails back and forth in order to carefully plan an itinerary that best matched our budget and main interests. Robert had no problem in letting us organize our own accommodation separately. On the first day of the safari, we were picked up from Kasese where we had been staying with friends and were very impressed with the comfortable, clean and well-maintained vehicle that arrived. It was so roomy and spacious for just the two of us! Robert was joined by a very smiley guy called Innocent – based on the fact we’d expressed a particular interest in African bird life, Robert brought Innocent along as he’s very knowledgeable about birds having grown up in Bigodi wetlands. There are also several useful reference books available in the car. Then followed a very memorable couple of days, driving across the Ishasha plains, gorilla trekking in Bwindi, birding and canoeing on lake Bunyonyi, and a driving and walking safari in lake Mburo NP. Robert was very happy to answer our questions and patiently stopped whenever we wanted to look more closely at something or to take photographs. We had a wonderful time and Robert, Innocent and Engagi Safaris have our highest recommendation!

I took a trip with Engagi Safaris in May of 2014, to visit Bwindi NP, Murchison Falls NP, Kibale NP, Queen Elizabeth NP and Lake Mburo NP. Robert was extremely conscientious and worked very hard to ensure that we got what we wanted from our trip. Our guide, Kenneth, was an excellent naturalist, especially strong with birds, with a keen eye. Best of all, they were good company, and enjoyable to spend a lot of time with. They made this one of the best trips I’ve taken, and I recommend Engagi heartily to anyone who wants to better understand the wonderful country of Uganda.

I can’t imagine a better guide to Uganda than Robert Basiima of Engagi Safaris, particularly for adventurous travelers not interested in the usual packaged tours. Robert met us in Jinja and we traveled with him and his associate Bahati for 10 days through the central and southern parts of the country. Beforehand, we worked out an itinerary based on our interests and his recommendations. I wired Robert partial funds in advance, always a risk, but everything was handled very professionally, so I didn’t regret it. As photographers, we like to stop quickly when the right opportunity presents itself, Robert was very accommodating and often spotted interesting scenes and wildlife before we did. Most of the photos in this collection were taken while traveling with Robert: Uganda Highlights

In general, I felt as if Robert’s experience, flexibility and connections at the National Parks resulted in us experiencing numerous things that we otherwise would not have with other guides. In addition, we quickly came to consider both Robert and Bahati as good friends.

We travelled with Robert through Rwanda and Uganda to visit the Mountain Gorillas in both countries. UK based travel agents told us it was impossible to travel by road between the two Mountain Gorilla areas during the wet season. For Robert there is no “impossible” and after several emails planning our itinerary, we sent Robert the money to arrange the route and accommodation for us. Robert is a great host and knows both countries extremely well. We would recommend Robert for his organisation skills and knowledge of Africa. We felt safe and looked after in his hands during our entire journey. He made our trip become a journey of a lifetime that we will never forget.

Robert Basiima made our holiday experience, for us. From the moment he met us at the airport to the leaving, he was a friend, an intelligent and caring guide, a safe driver, he went out of his way to explain the country we drove through, and was concerned at every moment that we had everything we needed to make this an exciting and memorable experience. I would recommend him without hesitation and I would like to come again, to Rwanda and Uganda, to meet him again and enjoy his company and knowledge.

I would not hesitate to recommend Engagi Safaris. My mother, my brother and I recently had a fantastic 4 day holiday in Rwanda guided by the very capable Robert. Seeing the Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys was an experience I will never forget, and this is down in no small way to our very professional and capable guide. Robert is a pleasure to be around, and bent over backwards to make our trip a success. He’s infinitely patient and accommodating, and you really couldn’t ask for anything more.

It was my good fortune to have Robert Basiima with Engagi Safari as a guide for 6 days when a friend and I traveled to Uganda in October. From the time I first emailed him to begin planning the trip, to when he and his cohort Kenneth picked us up in Masindi, to when we said goodbye in Entebbe, he was always helpful, knowledgeable, kind, and professional. He was flexible in customizing an itinerary suited to our interest in culture, and we thought the itinerary and accommodations were excellent. There was a good balance of activities and rest, and I never felt rushed. The van was very comfortable and the driving excellent. There were no hidden costs. In addition to being knowledgeable and helpful, Robert and Kenneth were also delightful and just fun to be around. I cannot say enough positive things about them. The service was first-rate.

On a recent business trip in Uganda, my colleague and I really wanted to see the Mountain Gorillas. We were put in touch with Robert as a driver from Kigali. For two women traveling on our own, we felt very safe and well looked-after. Robert is fantastic tour guide – he really knows the Kabale area and people very well. He’s an impressive (and safe!) driver on the crazy back roads, and he has a photographer’s eye for great photo opportunities. He took some of the best pictures of our trip and I’m delighted to show to my friends back in San Francisco! What the other testimonials say is true – very quickly you feel that Robert is more an ambassador, rather than simply a tour guide. His thoughtful attention made the trip even more memorable. I would recommend him to everyone who visits this part of Uganda!

I can honestly say that my best time in Uganda was spent with Robert and his assistant Ronald, on an Engagi Safari tour. And this is despite being unwell for most of that time!!! I was travelling from the Congo to Kampala, and was looking for a Kabale-based tour company to take me up to Queen Elizabeth National Park. That’s how I stumbled upon Robert’s website. At short notice, he was able to arrange an itinerary for me that covered all that I wanted to see while there. Robert is familiar with both the areas that he takes tours to, and with the wants and needs of his tourists. For example, on the way to the National Park, he’d stop to let me take photos of the stunning tea plantations, and knew the best places to get fruit and meals. He even took me in to see some hot-springs, which were not part of our itinerary – I wasn’t even aware they existed – but were definitely worth seeing. When we got to the Explosion Crater Area within the National Park, Robert knew just where to stop, every time, for the best photos. Likewise on the game drives. Also importantly, Robert knows the people. He was able to arrange for Bernard – a ranger and an expert on the local birds – to come out with us one morning for birdwatching. My favourite part of the whole trip was when Bernard led us to a forest-clad crater lake outside of the Park, where we were able to sneak up very closely on flamingos. But most importantly of all, while I was sick, Robert spoke to the owners of the camp we were staying at and they upgraded me from basic camping into a luxury tent with a bathroom. I was very surprised, and very grateful for this kind gesture. Finally, upon our return to Kabale, Robert and Ronald spent the afternoon showing me around, and took me up to Aracadia Cottages to see the stunning Lake Bunyoni. They invited me over to The Amazing Pub for dinner with them that evening. It was a fantastic way to finish the trip. Robert is professional, friendly, and has expert knowledge on the places he visits. If you’re looking for a Kabale-based tour operator, you should start your search with Robert and Engagi Safaris – you’ll probably not need to look any further!

Robert is a fantastic guide! I spent 5 days with him touring Queen Elizabeth National Park and then passing through Bwindi Impenetrable forest on the way to Lake Bunyonyi. While I certainly enjoyed the beauty of the parks, it was really Robert’s hospitality that made my trip to Uganda special. He was knowledgeable about the area and always went out of his way to ensure that I was having a good time. His own enthusiasm for the animals and landscape was very evident, so that I felt as if I were sharing the experience with a friend, rather than being guided around. Because I was a woman traveling alone, this meant a lot to me. Next time I visit Uganda, I will certainly take another tour with Robert.

Robert is probably the best guide and driver we have had, and after only a few days together on our safari he also became a very good friend to us, our daughter Linnea and her friend Sara. Robert has a very good intuition for people and understood immediately what we wanted and were looking for. Always patient, calm and with a smile. We sure had some good laughs together on our journey. On our first day we asked him to find lions for us. It was certainly not an easy task these days. But the third day, thanks to his good patience and sense of knowing where they were living, he found them for us. If you are lucky enough to get Robert as guide on your expedition you can be sure that it will be enjoyable and memorable.

We took an 8 day tour of Rwanda and Southwestern Uganda with Robert. The service was great and all the details were taken care of. It was relaxing and affordable and we had the flexibility to see what we wanted and to stop and experience what we saw along the way. Robert was great and it was like traveling with a friend, in fact we’ve remained friends even after our return to the US.

My family and I are from Oregon and were living in Kigali, Rwanda and hired Robert for a vacation in Uganda. We traveled with Robert in Uganda from Lake Bunyonyi to Queen Elizabeth. He picked us up on time and even helped accommodate us by finding a car seat for our one year old. He was very professional and personable. He is quite knowledgeable about the area as well as when and how to find the best game. He would often stop to make sure we had enough water, show us out of the way spots (like the hot springs he took us to), and let us sample the local food. He was a very safe driver. After our time he even drove us all the way to our house in Kigali. He was so appreciative and we stay in contact with him now because we enjoyed him as a guide and driver so much. I have recommended him to friends who also had great experiences with him.

We had a really nice time together with Robert. He was our driver when we booked a tour through another company. When we heard that he was opening his own tour company, we wanted to give some positive feedback. Robert knew a lot of his own country, but he was also in for new experiences. He is reliable, on time and good company when on the road for long hours. He has a keen eye for spotting wildlife, even without the rangers of the parks. Together with him we have spotted 20 hyenas, a rarity in Uganda. We wish him all the best with his new company!

We left Uganda with lots of nice memories, and you are a big part of it. You made our trip very memorable and we were so happy to find you as a driver!