Answering the safety question for any destination is always incredibly hard. Is a place safe? Well it all depends on what you are comparing it to. If I live in rural Montana, where crime rates are low, even visiting a major metropolitan area in the United States may feel 'unsafe'. But if I already live in a major US city and travel abroad, oftentimes you may find the crime rates for the destination you are visiting are much safer than your own backyard! It is always best to do your research on crime rates (particularly violent crime rates) and to check the State Department website before deciding to travel anywhere to make sure you are not visiting an area where crime particularly against tourists is rampant.
That disclaimer aside, I chose to bring my three year old daughter with me to Uganda. I would never have done this if I did not feel we would be able to stay safe and take appropriate measures to do so. Main cities in Uganda have higher crime rates than rural areas, so we chose to stay in a well protected and gated off location for our nights in the city with good security in place. We opted as well to hire a reputable driver rather than attempt to drive ourselves in their traffic. We practiced common sense, such as not walking outside of our compound at night, and never walked alone during the day. We also stayed in rural areas where local experts could vouch for and recommend adequate safe accommodations for us. I don't think we ever felt unsafe in terms of crime, though we were always aware of keeping our wallets or backpacks close in the marketplace and not holding a lot of money in plain sight to tempt someone to steal it. As a traveler, you do have quite a bit of control over your own safety with simple common sense choices such as these.
We opted as well to travel with a reputable safari company for our safaris tours in Murchison Falls National Park, as opposed to driving ourselves (which, yes, you can do). I was, however, always very aware that this is not the U.S. Laws to protect citizens are not as avidly enforced here, and bribery and corruption is rampant. We also took care to make sure we obeyed laws and didn't test those boundaries or do anything that might give anybody reason to accuse us of wrongdoing. Neighboring countries here are in upheaval, and that can sometimes spill across the border. You will see men with rifles guarding trucks and stores everywhere. Crime against tourists is not prevalent, but yes occasionally it does occur. As a traveler, you need to weigh that risk before you go and know what you are choosing to visit.
So, is it safe? On the whole, if you make smart choices, yes it is. You will likely go and visit and come back saying "What was all the safety fuss about?" Which will mean your hosts did their job well.
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.