After doing a mountain of research on the Net, I finally settled on Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris to contact to see if they could help me with a life long... read more ambition to see the Gorillas in Uganda.
From my very first and then subsequent contacts with Ivan I soon realised that I had made a good choice.
My six day trip including Lake Mburo National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Queen Elizabeth Park.
As I was travelling solo, I hoped that I had a guide that I could converse with as so much time is spent in the vehicle. How lucky I was to be allocated Richard for my trip as he turned out to be a fantastic guide in every way. He always made sure that I got the best views when we came across a sighting.
I chose the moderate option for my accommodation and was not disappointed as I could not fault anything - clean, quite rooms and the food was excellent.
Don't expect nicely sealed roads all of the time in Uganda, sure there were some very good roads but there were some that provided an "African massage" often but that added to the experience!
When I first booked my trip I applied for one Gorilla permit which Ivan arranged. Just a few days before I left for my trip I asked Ivan if he could get a second permit. I was very lucky as Ivan was able to procure one for me.
The whole Gorilla experience was unbelievable from start to finish - the briefing before we left on our trek, the "Ride For A Woman" dancers who performed for us, walking through the amazing forest then seeing the Gorillas in their environment.
Pay for a porter to carry your bag when you go to the Gorillas. It is a good way of putting money in to the local community. Cosmas was the guide for both of my trips and he was excellent at his job.
I have no hesitation in recommending GWS, they met all of my expectations and more!

  We (my husband and myself (60) travelling with a younger couple) spent the most wonderful time in Uganda and Ruanda. We were taken with a most appropriate car to the... read more different Locations (prepare for long distances). Our driver Eric knew his way perfectly and by driving by hundreds of little villages we got a very good Impression of rural life in the area. We could ask about everything we would like to know and as Eric has a lot of years of experience he managed us 4 very well and could explain us about every aspect of life in Ugande and Ruanda and about the animal behaviour. All Major events and trips were organized perfectly. We loved the chimpanzees and the Gorillas. As my Headline tells you, This experience is a must on every bucket list and helps people there and helps the People visiting to think About the Climate Crisis and what we could do to make the world better. Thanks for this great time!
It's good to be fit for hiking the Trails!

  We can highly recommend Gorillas and Wildlife Safari Tour company. We went with them on a chimpanzee and Gorilla expedition and loved it. Communication with Ivan was great - he... read more is super knowledgeable, responsive and reliable. Our guide Ahmed was fantastic as well - great communicator, always friendly and going the absolute extra mile (e.g. he organized a birthday cake for my partner, got us SIM cards and accommodated any other special request). On top of that he could answer any question we had, was 100% professional and definitely made us want to come back to Uganda asap. The chimpanzee tracking was lovely, especially because we paired it with a community visit (please do it - it was one of our favorite experiences) - ask for Pato he is superb!!! The top experience however was the Gorilla tracking - we went for the habituation experience and it was a tough hike. We just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and thought it would be easy but its definitely different since it had rained and was quite slippery and muddy, plus you are basically going through dense rain forest with plants everywhere. But then, when we saw the Gorillas, with the silverbacks, babies playing and mum napping it was all worth it. The best time!!! Definitely a trip to remember forever, we are grateful for Ivan, Ahmed and the whole team for making this unique experience possible.

  We recently returned from our 13 day flying safari with GWS.
Dealing with Ivan was a breeze and he always answered my questions promptly. He was also keen to... read more adapt the itinerary to our needs even though we booked last minute.
I did enquire before booking regarding road travel times between locations as we wanted to eliminate long drives (over 3.5hrs) Ivan responded with all the driving estimates but none of them were right, they were all out by at least 1-2 hrs and this was during dry season. So if you are planning a trip that involves some of the bigger drives (eg Murchison NP to Kibale NP) I would fly like we did. It’s a beautiful scenic 1 hr flight compared to anything up to 11 hrs - depending on the weather and roads. Ugandan roads are notoriously bad.

Frances was our guide and he was fantastic from start to finish.
He was always punctual and organised. He would always inform us of what was coming up next and he also was full of suggestions for us if we didn’t want to rest.
His driving skills were exceptional and we always felt safe. We loved the fact that he was always keen to be “Johnny on the spot” when it came to the game drives as we never missed any of the “big” sightings as he seemed to have a direct line to everyone that was in the know.
The game viewing in Uganda far exceeded anything we have seen in SA, Botswana or Zimbabwe.
We chose the mid range accommodation option and for the most part we were pleasantly surprised by the standards. The food at most lodges was of an amazing standard & extremely fresh.
Two of the lodges we stayed at certainly weren’t of the same mid range standard, they were definitely budget compared to the others. These two were the Bush Lodge glamping in Queen Elizabeth NP and the Arcadia Cottages at lake Mburo NP.
Whilst we were happy with the en-suite Banda (tent),the fact that there is no thatched roof over it means that you literally roast in the tent. Even the “cheaper” side of the lodge that had small 2 person tents had the thatch roof over head. You could not relax in the tent after lunch before your evening game drive due to the heat inside, it was like there was a heat lamp on you constantly. We ended up removing the chairs from our tent and sitting outside next to the tent in some shade to keep cool - not ideal given the hippos etc that do roam around!
The overall lodge does not have a very good feel to it as you arrive to a large dirt area with a round fire pit in the middle which looks like a roundabout. There are 3 large tent facing into this area that serve as dining tents and a “lounge” but again the heat is oppressive. It felt like a transit centre and that a bus would arrive at any minute!

Arcadia Cottages was very disappointing. Whilst our cottage looked very quaint from the outside, once you got inside there really wasn’t much going for it.
The bathroom door scrapped the rim of the toilet as you opened it and if the water was working, (sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t!) you literally had to run around to get wet..... they actually knew this was an issue as they asked us if we had water!
A disappointing last night lodge for our trip.

I feel that GWS went for a cheaper option on these two lodges when they were unable to book their usual preferences. Personally I feel that if your guests are spending 13 days with your company and your first choice is not available you would book them into something of the same standard or HIGHER not LOWER. This would then ensure that your guests overall experience is at the same level and not tarnished by two sub par properties.
This is a personal observation based on the fact that this is how I treat my own clients.

We also stayed at a place called Enjojo Lodge in Queen Elizabeth NP. Whilst there was nothing wrong with this lodge and it’s facilities, I make note of it as it is built over a swamp and if you suffer from asthma (which I do!) you DO NOT want to stay here as the mould spores in the rooms are ridiculous, everything stinks of mould and is damp - I could not stop coughing and it was lucky I had plenty of my meds left.

The chimp and gorilla trekking experiences were outstanding.
Our guide enquired as to how long we wanted to trek to find the gorillas and he then was able to get us a “medium” trek in and our time was maximised with the gorillas.

Overall GWS met all of our expectations and in many areas exceeded them. I would and already have recommended them to people.

  My husband and I went on Gorillas & Wildlife Safari's 4 day/ 3 night trip. We first went to the Buhoma Sector of Bwindi National Park to see the... read more mountain gorillas and then to Queen Elizabeth National Park to see more animals as well as a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel. Our guide, Francis was terrific - very knowledgeable and an excellent driver. He spotted a lion in a tree in the Ishasha Section when no one else had seen one in a few days! He also was able to spot many other animals and birds. Ivan was very helpful in planning our trip and very responsive whenever we emailed with any questions. The highlight for us was seeing the mountain gorillas! What an amazing experience not to be missed. We also enjoyed the Buhoma village tour and the inspirational work being done by Ride 4 A Woman (this is definitely worth seeing). The Kazinga Channel boat ride was also a highlight. Spectacular place to see birds, hippos, crocodiles and more! Francis took us to a terrific restaurant on the way to Bwindi for authentic African food. On the way back, we stopped for a delicious snack of grilled goat on a stick and roasted banana. What an experience!! We chose the budget accommodations which were great for us. Loved the Buhoma Community Rest Camp - money goes back into the community. We stayed in a basic camp in Queen Elizabeth which may be too rustic for some, but we loved it. Heard the sounds of hippos throughout the night - amazing!! We highly recommend Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris!

  My family and myself just did a 6 day tour with this company and had a great experience. Our guide was Ahmed Kezzi who was wonderful and really made the... read more tour great for us. We are a family of passionate birders and like to stop a lot ! for anything that flutters and for 6 days this was not a problem, we stopped and looked at everything. Ahmed is learning his birds and took a deep interest. When we came to the boat tour on the Kasinga Channel Ahmed organised us out own private boat just for birding ! We got away from the huge double decker boat filled with other tourists which was great.
Here are a few tips and pointers about the locations we visited -

Kigale National Park for Chimp Trekking - This place was packed with tourists there were 80 ppl all getting ready at the info center. We arrived late (our fault) so got stuck in the masses.So get there early and head out to find the chimps as soon as possible.
Don't stand under the chimps, to poo and pee quite alot ! 🙂

Bigoti Community Swamp Walk - This was amazing just because our guide for the walk Patto Tulihabwe was a passionate birder and showed us so many new species. He knew exactly where each bord could be found and we called out a few lifers. African Blue Flycatcher, Ross's Touraco and Wattle-Eye... It was raining when we started the walk and it cleared up. I cant rate this walk highly enough !

Kasinga Channel boat cruise and Bush Lodge - Loved it. Boat cruise is amazing. Sit on the LEFT side of the boat as the route is set and the left is closest to the bank and birds.Ahmed knew this and told us, great advise. We were lucky to get our own boat for this trip.

Ruhija Gorilla Trekking - This was the "hook" for the trip and it was wonderful. Dream lived up to ! The groups were split up into 8 ppl per gorilla group. There are only 4 habituated groups in this section of the park. So it was nice and relaxed at the meeting for the briefing. Bring some $ in cash to hire porters ($15) and tips, everyone wants tips !

What would I do differently ? - The tour they organised for us was perfect. Nothing to change there. I would add a full extra day in Entebbe to visit Mbamba Swamps and explore the Botanical Gardens more.

Great trip, book with them.

  What an amazing and unforgettable experience! Eric is an excellent guide and driver. Loved the chimps, the two gorillas tours and everything in between. The lodges were lovely and... read more they catered for special meals.
Booking was seamless, Ivan is super responsive and helpful.
Looking forward to return one day.

  We went on the 6 day safari to Riwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison Falls National Park, Kibale National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We absolutely loved our time in... read more Uganda. Our guide Francis, aka Frank, was great. He was extremely knowledgeable and made sure to add in some extra special things like taking us to eat at a local restaurant and even somehow convinced a local lady to let me tie her baby on my back ;-). Each destination is so unique and exciting. Our favorite was seeing the gorillas, but everything was awesome.