Thank you Maike for creating the most fulfilling adventure, it changed my life! You nailed it. Incredible job. Now let’s shift the focus to my driver guide Emma. It was like fate that he was my guide. Emma was the absolute best! I tear up just thinking about the journey he guided me through.
From the airport pick-up in Entebbe to the final goodbye weeks we spent together of trip, Emma will be a friend for life. He is a special man. He was very seasoned, so knowledgeable, knew just about everything all kinds of facts about Uganda, animals, birding, you name it.
I felt like I was in such great hands. Emma is a natural. Hospitality, care, guiding is who he is. I felt so safe and cared for, and we had some great laughs too! As a solo traveler, he was like my travel buddy and always remained professional.
He even let me know when a baby gorilla was born which I was happy to hear. He felt like a friend, even though he was all business. That’s how you know you are working with a stellar tour advisor. Then came 2021, dates were re-booked and adjusted a bit to work with my schedule, Covid vaccines rolled in and things were looking good! Just when I would worry everything would get shut down again, Maike remained positive and assured me things were looking promising.
With each month that passed by getting me closer to September, I felt like I needed to pinch myself, like was I really going to Uganda, finally? With all the Covid protocol and PCR tests needed throughout my trip, Maike remained positive, informative, assuring, and was truly excited for me. As stated, I was concerned about safety as a solo traveler, and he really comforted me and made me feel taken care of.
Maike put together a magnificent program including Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and the Northern and Southern sections of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Add on top of that road tripping with my driver guide to each location, which allowed for more sightseeing, interacting with the community, driving through the villages and really getting a feel for the country (well the west and southern side of the country, I must return to see the North and East).
Maike was always available while I was in Uganda as well, in case I had any emergencies, and he was just on what’s app call or text away. He was awesome. I am already referring 4×4 Car Hire Uganda and Maike (and my guide Emma, see below) to everyone back home and can’t stop speaking praises.
He interacted with the locals often through our road trips, we had some great photo shoots and photo exchanges, we made friends along the way with lodge staff and rangers, everyone knew him and I just felt so lucky he was my assigned guide!
Geoffrey understood me and adapted quickly, as I can imagine the range of personalities guides have to manage. He has such a good heart and just wants you to truly enjoy your time and fall in love with Uganda, which is absolutely what I did! An example, of his good character: we were driving to Queen Elizabeth National Park and I had stopped to take a photo of the landscape.
As we started to drive away, he stopped the car, went in reverse and then stopped the car again, got out of the car and picked up a nail he saw in the street. He didn’t want another driver to drive over the nail and pop their tire. That’s a good person. I am sure there are other wonderful guides at 4×4 Car Hire Uganda but I won the lottery with Emma. I can’t wait to come back again!
I am so grateful for his guidance, care, and professionalism, all while having so much fun! It was hard to say goodbye, because he took such good care of me. Many tears, many tears. Thank you, Emma, for being the wonderful man that you are, and 4×4 Car Hire Uganda is so lucky to have you!
Any guest is lucky to have you as their guide. Oh, and one more thing, he is an excellent driver! He dealt with my need for air conditioning (I can be demanding with that), car sickness from the anti-malaria medication, and driving the bumpy roads at times in the rain he was a champion at it and always assured me everything was ok. He sent me home with a delicious avocado he picked out and memories and photos that I will cherish the rest of this lifetime. See you soon hopefully Emma!
