About us
Experience Uganda
There are a lot of great tour operators in Uganda, and we pride ourselves on being amongst the best of them. Our entire team have either grown up in Uganda, or those of us who were not born here, have lived and worked here for over 10 years. We’re a tight team; everyone who works with us have been part of the team from the start, or from the day they joined as the company grew.
Our combined, diverse backgrounds mean we are connected to both worlds. We know and understand Uganda, how it works and the best ways to operate a safari itinerary here. We’re also connected to our friends and family in our home countries around the world. We understand the time and financial commitments most people make for a holiday to Africa and the levels of service that should go along with it.
As regular and avid travelers ourselves, we genuinely want each and every safari we run to go beyond our clients’ expectations, even if that sometimes means making small adjustments as we go to ensure each trip is the best it can be.
Our operation is based out of our own hotel in Entebbe, which makes a convenient starting point for many of our guests. As one of the few companies with offices near Uganda’s International Airport, we meet every client on arrival, adding our personal touch to each safari and ensuring that everyone sets off into Uganda with all necessary information and knowledge to enjoy their trip.
Kevin Nicholson – Managing Director
In 2008 Kevin decided to take a career break and, on a whim, took a short-term volunteering position with the Jane Goodall Foundation in their Entebbe office. Two days into the job he was asked to cover at their chimp trekking site in Murchison Falls, where he ended up staying and working for a year.
After working for lodges and safari operators in Uganda, then for a large safari specialist in the UK, Kevin along with his wife Leslie started Experience Uganda in 2016.
Based in Entebbe, Kevin oversees the logistical and operational aspects of our safaris, meets many of our clients on arrival as well as always scheming about how we can do things even better!
Originally from New Zealand, Kevin loves the outdoors, trail running and has a keen interest in wildlife photography. When not planning and running trips for our clients, Kevin along with Leslie and their two children; Liam and Kiara, love exploring Uganda and travelling to new countries.
Leslie Nicholson – Director / Client Liaison
A native of the small island of Corsica, Leslie travelled and lived in numerous places growing up due to her father’s position in the French military.
One of her most memorable times was 2 years spent living in Djibouti, which formed a lasting connection to Africa for her.
After meeting Kevin in 2010, the pair moved to Uganda to work in lodges and safari operations before opening their own hotel, Karibu Entebbe in 2012, where Leslie still spends part of her time overseeing the running of the property.
With a degree in foreign languages and tourism, as well as living and working many years in Spain, UK and Uganda; Leslie speaks fluenty French, English and Spanish and meets many of our clients on arrival to go through their trip with them. Having travelled (literally) to every corner of Uganda, she knows the country intimately.
Leslie is passionate about yoga and recently qualified as an instructor in her spare time; she also loves exploring Uganda and the world with Kevin and their children.
Rhys Watkins – Sales & Safari Manager
Rhys first came to Uganda in 2010, what was meant to be a short visit of 5 weeks turned into 5 years and Uganda became a second home. After working throughout Uganda on community conservation projects, voluntourism and lodge management, Rhys took a job as manager of Karibu Entebbe in 2013. From here he started organising some of our very first safaris for our hotel guests, something that would eventually evolve into what Experience Uganda is today.
In between stints in Uganda, Rhys also spent six months driving from Uganda to Cape Town and back in his trusty old Landcruiser before heading to the UK and joining a leading tour operator as an African Safari Specialist.
Rhys rejoined Experience Uganda in 2020, first running our operations in Entebbe for two years, before moving to a small village in a remote corner of Central Portugal, where he handles the majority of our sales enquiries, trip planning and trip preparation.
Rhys is currently attempting to learn Portuguese (slowly!) with the help of his long-suffering girlfriend and rescue dog Daisy.
Sam Nyabusaija – Safari Operations
Sam originally began “moonlighting” for Experience Uganda. As the Night Manager of our Entebbe Hotel, he started doing occasional trips into Kampala during the day to help us secure the all-important Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tracking permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
As the business grew, Sam came to work with Experience Uganda full time and is now an integral part of our team. Primate trekking permits in Uganda can only be purchased, secured and issued at the main offices of Wildlife Authority. This is where Sam spends a good amount of time; patiently wading through the bureaucracy of government to ensure that all our guests have their permits correctly secured as well as issued by the time they arrive in Uganda.
Sam also manages the details of our safari operations, ensuring that everyone is in place and on time for each trip; from our VIP airport Meet & Greet, our guides up-country and the internal airlines at each airstrip. He also meets some of our clients on arrival to discuss their trips, with his first-hand knowledge of gorilla and chimpanzee trekking which he loves to share with our guests.
Clare Kisembo – Safari Administration
Also an ex-Manager at Karibu Entebbe, Clare joined Experience Uganda in 2022 after returning from a 2-year contract working abroad in Saudi Arabia.
Clare ensures a high attention to detail on every safari, preparing all the trip documentation for our clients as well as ensuring that all the lodges and other service providers on an itinerary have all the correct details and requirements in advance of client’s arrival.
Clare often meets our clients on arrival into Uganda, sharing her in-depth knowledge of many of the lodges and trekking excursions on our trips that she has visited first-hand.
Originally from Western Uganda, Clare loves travelling to new parts of her country when she has the chance. Along with her family, she’s also part of an emerging wine-making industry in Uganda, producing and marketing their very own wine label Pinolta, currently available in Pineapple White and Hibiscus Rosé varieties at some hotels and lodges in Uganda.