*As seen in The Logbook.
Founded in 2010 by Elia Lutaaya, Tristar Africa Skimmer Safaris was a direct result of a love for Uganda and a desire to show tourists the best of “The Pearl of Africa.”
Elia Lutaaya has been a professional tour guide for many years and has a personal passion for travel. Combining a thorough appreciation for what tourists want to see and strong relationships with the area’s best hoteliers he has created a system to produce those special, “once in a lifetime” adventures.
THE SAFARIS
On offer are adventure safaris that include activities like gorilla tracking, water sports in Jinja and mountain hiking. Each safari takes between 3-5 days and all of the tour guides are trained by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). This is an intensive training course that is taken annually and has to be graduated.
For Elia this is important because what makes his safaris unique is that the clients get the real on-the-ground experience. Offering a chance to interact with locals, enjoy the local cuisine as well as get accurate background information about attractions both cultural and wild.
STAFF TRAINING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
Interestingly, the tour guides, all locals to Uganda are involved in the client experience right from the enquiry stages. According to Elia, staff are taught how to write articles reflecting current tourism news in Uganda to give a proper “in the middle of it” feel. This also helps when they are interacting with potential clients. Then when the client arrives for the tour, they can put a name to a face.
This hands on and personalised experience is so important for building relationships with clients which Elia strongly advocates. People need to be able to relax to really enjoy themselves and absorb what Uganda has to offer.
2019
Plans and new developments for 2019 include the launching and promotion of their car rental business. They are capitalising on the growing trend of clients wanting to rent cars and drive themselves to a park where they can follow their own personal itinerary.
Being aware of what is needed to get the most out of these trips, Elia plans to make sure that only the right sort of cars are rented so that their clients can be guaranteed the most rewarding experience possible.
ADDRESS: BUKOTO, ALONG KISASI ROAD CLOSE TO BUKOTO MARKET
TELEPHONE NUMBER: +256-758540071, +256-200902144
EMAIL: booking@tristarafricaskimmersafaris.com
WEBSITE: www.tristarafricaskimmersafaris.com
PRICE: $ 250 to $2000 US, per person
