This was our second trip to Uganda with Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris in 9 months. My husband and I originally went for the wildlife (which is incredible) but quickly fell... read more in love with the country and its amazing people and culture. Uganda is a true gem.

Shortly after returning from our first trip, we contacted Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris to book another trip. We told Ivan the regions and types of things we were interested in experiencing and he put together a trip that fit us perfectly. We were even able to book the same guide, Richard, who had made our first trip so memorable.

I cannot say enough good things about this. Gorillas and Wildlife Safari’s staff are born and raised in Uganda and therefore can provide insight and experience that you cannot get from larger tour companies. They work with other locally owned businesses to support their community that they care about so much. They treat each client like they are the most important person. I cannot wait to go back!

  Ivan did an excellent job coordinating our trip and was very flexible through many changes due to Covid. He also was very accommodating to my dietary needs with our lodging... read more locations. We had a trip of a lifetime and our guide Ahmed was incredible. We learned so much about Uganda and the wildlife from him and he navigated several bumps like my injured knee with care and kindness. Definitely recommend this tour company!

  We took a last-minute trip to Uganda in June 2022. Ivan helped arrange an amazing 9 day safari. Leaving by car from Kampala, we stopped at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Murchison... read more Falls NP, Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP, and then flew back to Kampala.

Our guide Kassim was extremely knowledgeable, a great driver, and a top-notch game spotter. He saw a leopard hidden in the brush that the car ahead of us missed, and we ended up spending 20 mins watching it stalk a Ugandan kob.

A few highlights:

Murchison Falls deserves to be in the same category as Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls, and Iceland's Gullfoss. We had the top of the falls to ourselves for 20 minutes and it was a magical experience.

In Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth NPs, we saw the Big 5 and got tons of quality time with the animals. Some highlights included dozens of hippos/elephants on the Kazinga Channel and watching lions mate.

In Kibale NP, the chimp tour was awesome. It was a nice intro to the gorilla tour that we took a few days later. But because it was a habituated group, we ended up getting closer to the chimps and they didn't run away from us.

We did the four-hour habituation trip with the gorillas and it was spectacular. One of the most unique travel experiences one could imagine. Tough hiking but it paid off. Top five lifetime travel experience (up there with Antarctica and backcountry camping in Alaska).

The one thing that we'd do differently is skip Ishasha (which both Ivan and Kassim warned us about in advance and we should have listened to them). Not sure it was worth the long drive on bad roads. But we wanted to see the tree-climbing lions. Thankfully, we had already gotten lucky and saw them near the Kazinga Channel.

Some thoughts on hotels:

The Enganzi Lodge in Queen Elizabeth NP is a bit far from the main game drives. So that eats up some time. However, the rooms, views, and pool are incredible. I'd suggest bringing a packed lunch and not coming back to the hotel mid-day.

The Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge in Bwindi is outstanding. Perfect views, helpful staff, and relaxing rooms.

In sum, Uganda is a potential tourism juggernaut. Come for the primates, stay for the Big Five.

  We had a great trip in Uganda thanks to Ivan's organisation of our last-minute trip. He managed to ensure we had Gorilla tracking permits for my partners birthday, despite the... read more request coming quite late.

There must be a special mention for Richard, our tour guide, who clearly has a passion and enthusiasm for the wildlife/nature and Uganda as a whole. He could answer all of our questions and really did his very best to make sure we had as a memorable trip as possible, with nothing being too much hassle for him!

For reference, our tour was:
Day 1
Lake Mburo National Park & Game Drive - Saw plenty of animals, including zebra, giraffes, baboons, hippos and a number of different birds and antelopes.
Accommodation – Eagle’s Nest; twin bed tents - very nice and great views over the national park

Day 2
Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Accommodation – Gorilla Havens; double room with bathroom – nice place with great view of the forest.

Day 3
Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - For us, the main event. Opted for the longest walk possible to make the most of our visit. Ended up in the medium group (as nobody else wanted the longer walks). Magical time tracking the gorillas and they didn't seem too bothered that we were watching them.
Accommodation – Gorilla Havens

Day 4
Game Drive (Ishasha) & Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) - With only one Lioness here, we weren't optimistic of seeing her, but managed to see her sleeping up in a tree. Also saw a Hyena guarding a kill from the surrounding vultures, which was quite the experience!
Accommodation – Bush Lodge; double bed tent – our favourite accommodation of the trip. Amazing camp next to the water with open, outdoor dining space. Can hear the hippos whilst lying in bed. After dark, you have to be guided to your tent, which we thought was a bit odd, but after seeing a hippo walk through the camp on our second evening there, we fully understood. Little/no risk to the residents as it is very well managed to allow nature to carry on their lives in a respectful way to each other.

Day 5
Game Drive QENP & Community Boat Safari in Kazinga Channel & Chimp Tracking in Kyambura Gorge - very busy but exciting day.
Accommodation – Bush Lodge

Day 6
Drive to Kampala (stop at Equator again).

Overall, we had a great trip and made so many new memories that we will ever forget! I really recommend booking with Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris as Ivan was very responsive and managed to arrange everything in line with our requests, and Richard did an amazing job to make sure our trip was as memorable as could be! Thank you guys!

  It was perfectly organized by Ivan. Ahmed, our driver/guide, drove us in a safe and professional way and saw to it, that every check-in and check-out at the lodges was... read more made easy for us three. Also his knowledge of your country is above average. Your overnight suggestions in the lodges Mihingo, Crater Lake and Paraa Lodge was ideal. Each place had ist charm, pleasant staff and faboulous views. We were also surpprised by the variety of animals and birds. The chimpanzee trek in the Kiblae NP was extraordinary. We admired that beautiful, green countryside and the friendly people of Uganda. Age will not permit us to visit your country again but rest assured that we will highly recommend Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris thereby pointing out what great jobs you Ivan and Ahmed did. Thank you very much.

  What an amazing trip! I can’t say enough about the experience we had! My son and I did the 4 day gorilla trek, absolutely unbelievable experience! The following day I... read more saw the golden monkeys and my son hiked the volcano, we were both so happy with our choices. My son went on to do a safari and see Murchison Falls. Eric our guide was perfect! He took such great care of us and was super knowledgeable and helpful, could not ask for more! I was so grateful my son was able to continue the trip with him. I’ve been raving about our trip to everyone since coming back. Hopefully going back someday!

  With GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARIS we did an eight-day expedition in Uganda. We arranged the program in advance from the Czech Republic and already at that time Ivan recommended and... read more helped us to arrange interesting places for photographers. When we found out at the airport that we were not issued visas in time and would not be allowed to board the plane, we called Ivan and he helped us to sort everything out and hurried the Ugandan officials and within a few tens of minutes we received our visas in the mail and could leave. They are one of the few companies that offer flights within Uganda so we had booked flights from Entebbe to Semliki and back from Kihihi to Entebbe with Aerolink. Waiting for us in Semliki was our guide Kassim, who accompanied us the whole time in his Toyota Land Cruiser, which, although of an older date of manufacture, looked the best among all the offroads. Kassim was very kind and helpful, stopping us himself at interesting places and places perfect for photographing wildlife and landscapes, and helpfully explaining local customs to people and animals. He even provided us with small snacks in the form of bunches of bananas during the crossings :-). The whole trip was well arranged, we did not encounter the slightest problem anywhere, and if something came up (e.g. the need to have a PCT test before departure to Rwanda (even for transit at the airport)), Kassim promptly solved everything over the phone or on the spot. We enjoyed the trip with him very much and we enjoyed everything perfectly. We will be happy to come back and use your services again.

  With GORILLAS AND WILDLIFE SAFARIS we did an eight-day expedition in Uganda. We arranged the program in advance from the Czech Republic and already at that time Ivan recommended and... read more helped us to arrange interesting places for photographers. When we found out at the airport that we were not issued visas in time and would not be allowed to board the plane, we called Ivan and he helped us to sort everything out and hurried the Ugandan officials and within a few tens of minutes we received our visas in the mail and could leave. They are one of the few companies that offer flights within Uganda so we had booked flights from Entebbe to Semliki and back from Kihihi to Entebbe with Aerolink. Waiting for us in Semliki was our guide Kassim, who accompanied us the whole time in his Toyota Land Cruiser, which, although of an older date of manufacture, looked the best among all the offroads. Kassim was very kind and helpful, stopping us himself at interesting places and places perfect for photographing wildlife and landscapes, and helpfully explaining local customs to people and animals. He even provided us with small snacks in the form of bunches of bananas during the crossings :-). The whole trip was well arranged, we did not encounter the slightest problem anywhere, and if something came up (e.g. the need to have a PCT test before departure to Rwanda (even for transit at the airport)), Kassim promptly solved everything over the phone or on the spot. We enjoyed the trip with him very much and we enjoyed everything perfectly. We will be happy to come back and use your services again.