The Gorilla Safari Company Reviews 218

Gorilla Safari Company for the win! The company and their partners on the ground including Nkuringo Safaris were excellent. Our guides Patrick in Rwanda & Uganda and Mathayo and August who led us up Kilimanjaro were top notch and always there for us, making us feel comfortable, safe, and showing us fun along the way. The operation ran smoothly and I couldn't be happier with our choice to go with Gorilla Safari Company, over the other half dozen I interviewed, and I know my partners Teague and Miguel feel the same way.

Date of experience: September 15, 2024

We first made enquiries about doing a gorilla safari in Rwanda and a safari in Seregetti in Tanzania back in Dec 2019. After we paid a deposit in Jan 2020, and booked all our flights for the trip in Nov 2020, the pandemic hit.....we finally did the safari 3 years later with much assistance from Amanda from the GS company and she was very helpful and professional in rearranging the whole trip albeit 3 years later! The tour guides / drivers, 4WD, accommodation chosen etc were all top notch and i would not hesitate to recommend this very professional company to book your dream African trip!

Date of experience: November 10, 2023

Gorilla Safari Co was recommended by a family member and I’m so grateful. They took away so much of the anxiety one could get from planning such an extraordinary trip. Their team was always quick to respond and very enthusiastic. Our trip to Rwanda far exceeded our expectations.

Date of experience: July 08, 2023

Everything about our time in Uganda was incredible! It was well planned, and executed, the people were wonderful and everything was above my expectations.

Date of experience: March 28, 2023

Gorilla Safari Company put together my short trip to Rwanda. Everything was perfectly organized from start to finish. I was particularly impressed (since not expected) with the personalized and superb arrival service - a gentleman was waiting for me at the bus drop, taking me to the lounge, completing all arrival formalities while I had coffee and croissant, before whisking me through immigration and security in a heartbeat. I felt very well cared for and looked after throughout the entire trip. Thank you to Jill and Amanda for contributing to a memorable and out of this world experience.

Date of experience: December 07, 2022

Third trip using the team at Gorilla Safari Co. Always a pleasure working with then. Amazing safaris in Namibia and Botswana. A life time of memories.

Date of experience: November 20, 2022

The team at Gorilla Safari Company was amazing. They stuck with me from 2020 pre-COVID through our once in a lifetime trip to Uganda in August 2022. From having us met at the airport, to the recommendations for each of the accommodations, all of the air travel, excursions, and the permitting we felt safe, well cared for, and able to enjoy a lengthy itinerary with every detail covered. I can not thank them enough or refer them enough other travelers. You will not be disappointed!

Date of experience: August 23, 2022

Amanda and Jill went above and beyond to reorganise our covid postponed trip. Everything went without a hitch, making our Rwanda gorilla and golden monkey safari the highlight of our trip to Africa. Our driver/guide Mugabe was wonderful, safely driving us over busy mountain roads and guiding us through the safari registration process with humour and a minimum of fuss. I would recommend him as a guide without hesitation.
The Ingagi Park View Lodge was lovely. The staff went out of their way to look after us and make our stay as comfortable as possible - particularly loved the personal fireplaces in the dining room, the open fire every night in our bungalow and the hot water bottles to warm up the bed.
We selected the easy to medium gorilla trek and after a not too gruelling 45 minute walk up the mountain found the Sabuyinyo family group in a jungle clearing. Getting to them would not have been possible without the amazing guides, porters and trackers and we spent an unforgettable hour with these incredible animals. The next day we went to see the golden monkeys which didn't involve much of a trek and was totally delightful.
The only thing that was a bit disappointing was the first night in the Scheba Hotel in Arusha. I would recommend paying a little more and staying in another hotel if it doesn't stretch your budget too much.

Date of experience: September 23, 2022

After reading the other reviews, I realize that my sister and I were like many others, postponing the trip several times. It made me realize how much Amanda had to deal with over the past few years and what a great job she and Jill did assisting us and answering our endless questions.

Our trip was amazing. The accommodations were wonderful, the staff (especially Wesley and Rosemary) was very attentive at the Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, and our guide and driver, Patrick, was great. The gorilla trek was extremely difficult. My sister and I are 69 and 75 and I'm guessing our age and the altitude are what made it so difficult. Fortunately we had three porters between the two of us who were incredibly helpful and got us up and down the mountain. We got within a few feet of the gorillas and they were completely unfazed by us being there. It was quite an experience to spend the hour with them.

We also spent part of a day at the Batwa Cultural Village visiting with the locals. It was very interesting and the children were darling.

So despite the 40 hours of flying to get there and back and the difficult trek, it was a great trip.

Date of experience: September 09, 2022

Bravo to Gorilla Safari Company for putting together a magical trip to Uganda, Africa. So many positive things to say about your tour company, and I am recommending to everyone I speak to about my trip. In fact, I cannot wait to save up some funds to travel again to Africa with your company.
All the preparing right up to departure day was easy with the help of Amanda Wheeler & Jill Ansell. Both ladies were exceptionally organized and supportive. Thank you
Our driver and primary guide for the entire trip was “Jude” (our group nicknamed him “Jude, the Dude”). He took good care of us, and made things happen with ease. His knowledge of his country is impressive. He brings so much passion to the tour, I was amazed. I will request “Jude” again for my next trip with Gorilla Safari Company. Driving clients around the countryside to 5 different National Parks sounds like a stressful responsibility to me. Jude was a very safe driver, and I had complete confidence in his abilities. He is well experienced for any and all situations. It was not his first rodeo!(A fun US phrase we shared with him )
All of the overnight accommodations were absolutely lovely. The hard working staff went above and beyond to make every moment special. Each lodge had its own unique elements with beautiful scenery. I was so comfortable; that I would have been happy to spend each day on the lodge property. But, I did not travel to Africa to not explore 
The people are amazing: hard working, soft spoken, and very proud of their heritage. We spent time at several Women Centers, and had a visit from some beautiful children with a local Bwindi Orphanage. They charmed, and impressed us with their singing and dance skills! All of the organizations we visited are doing great work, and making a different in the lives of Ugandans.
The wildlife is fantastic. As a zoo keeper who takes care of many of these species, I was especially thrilled to see them in their natural environment. Thank God these animals are still on this planet. It was a real blessing. Equally as important, are the trekkers, rangers, guides and porters that dedicate their lives to protecting their local wildlife!

Thank you Gorilla Safari Company for the trip of a lifetime. I appreciate everything that you do. When I go back to Africa, I am booking with your company again.

Date of experience: August 21, 2022

After two years of false starts my wife and I were finally able to take our gorilla safari. Amanda was an amazing and concerned professional, assisting us in rescheduling the trip multiple times due to Covid. If drivers/guides were rated on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the best, Jude would rate a 19. He was friendly, knowledgeable, an amazing driver, and had a great sense of humor. At no charge to the GSC we taught him a new American phrase. When someone would comment that they were surprised at his knowledge of a subject, we taught him to say "this is not my first rodeo." He had never heard the phrase and had us write it down for him. He was fantastic!

Another thing that made our trip so much fun was the third person in our group. Amanda had told us that a women from Florida would be joining us. Vickie was a barrel of fun. She is a zookeeper at the Busch Gardens zoo, specializing in primates. She had previously cared for hoofed animals. Between Jude and Vickie there were no questions about the wildlife that could not be answered.
The highlight of the trip was the gorilla trek. The porters were fantastic. I slipped on some wet leaves once in the climb and three of them were on me immediately to make sure I was not injured. I was not, but their concern was palpable. I was also the only one in the group to have physical contact with a gorilla. When we came upon the family all but one were on one side of the path. I turned to the other side and saw an adult female under a bush. She rushed to join the silverback and accidently hit my leg pretty solidly. No harm done, but the girl does not need to go to the gym. She was toned.

The quarters were all excellent. Vickie commented that each one was her favorite until she got to the next one. The staff were without exception fantastic.

I cannot say enough about the kindness, professionalism and competence of GSC. I would use them again in a heartbeat. There cannot be a finer safari company in the world.

Date of experience: August 22, 2022

I highly recommend the Gorilla Safari Company. This last July I went to Rwanda and Uganda with 5 friends for approximately 3 weeks. One couple had started planning in 2017 for the trip in 2018, but because of illness, they had to cancel. Four more of us signed up to go in 2020. Again the trip was cancelled, but this time due to covid. And again it was cancelled in 2021 because of covid. Finally, after all these years of trying, we did it in 2022!

For the years that I and the three other late-comers were involved in the trip, GSC, through Amanda Weller, patiently worked with us, setting up the itinerary, helping us with our cancellations and our rebookings, and answering all our incessant questions, all with forthrightness and the patience of Job. Since four of us are retired biologists, 2 of us wildlife biologists, we had certain expectations regarding our “wildlife experience.” We were not disappointed: the expertise of the guides and drivers was outstanding, and the wildlife and plants were fantastic. I especially like the Ugandan savannah habitat—one could see all sorts of wildlife (elephants, giraffes, ungulates, etc.) scattered throughout the savannah as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful, a wildlife biologist’s dream.

During the trip our three drivers, Edmond in Rwanda and Emma and Jude in Uganda, were excellent. They were knowledgeable about many things, generous, very helpful, had a good sense of humor (which was a requirement for our group!), and extremely patient—we really enjoyed their company. They, with Jon and Embry, also went the extra mile in retrieving one couple’s lost luggage from the airline, persistently battling the airline—if it hadn’t been for the effort of the GSC, I believe Julie and Bob would have never gotten back their luggage.

Many of the Ugandans and Rwandans we met were very friendly and helpful and made us feel at ease. The lodges were all clean and comfortable, and the food was delicious (although they gave us proportions that were too big). We were given fresh local fruit every day, and all the soups were dynamite. All our cultural activities were well worth it, especially the two women’s projects, the dancing and singing groups, and the Rwanda Genocide Museum (sobering but a must see to understand an important part of Rwandan history).

All in all, I can’t say enough good things about our trip, thanks to the Gorilla Safari Company and the Rwandan and Ugandan people. I can’t wait to go back to the African Continent. Sign me up, GSC!

Date of experience: August 29, 2022

I don't even know where to begin! I feel immense gratitude for Amanda, our agent, the drivers and guides on our trip, who made this experience one I will always cherish. After having to rebook this trip to Rwanda and Uganda three times because of the pandemic, the Gorilla Safari Company stayed with us the whole way, so calm and patient. I always felt well taken care of during our time together in Africa, and everything ran silky smooth. I really felt like our Drivers/Guides, Edmond, Emma and Jude went out of their way to make sure we had the best experience possible. And just so everyone knows, the "drivers" are so much more- they know the history, botany and wildlife of the areas, where to buy anything from essentials to crafts, and how to position the vehicles for the best shots. When we expressed an interest in local music, Jude made us all who requested it, a thumb drive with tunes that he gave us on our final day in Uganda! They all had a great sense of humor too. The lodges were terrific, the staff incredibly attentive and the food delicious. And of course the Treks were magnificent. I could go on..... Bottom line, a life changing experience and I would book with this company again in a heart beat. Hummm, where shall I go next?

Date of experience: August 03, 2022

We had an incredible trip to Africa thanks to The Gorilla Safari Company. From the moment we arrived in Kigali to the moment we left for home from Kilimanjaro, every detail had been planned and they were all executed to perfection. There was always a driver waiting (or available) and they were all friendly and professional and helpful. All transfers between hotels went smoothly and the hotels that Gorilla picked for us were all excellent. All of the people that we met along the way were incredibly friendly and sincere and made us feel comfortable in an unknown environment. We would definitely use The Gorilla Safari Company again.

Date of experience: August 02, 2022

My husband and I began to plan a trip to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda back in 2017 with a trip planned in 2018. This was a lifetime bucket list trip for me as I am a retired wildlife biologist and had always wanted to see mountain gorillas. Due to an unexpected illness we had to cancel the trip. We then convinced some friends to join us on a trip in 2020 which was canceled due to Covid. We again tried in 2021 which again was canceled due to Covid. Finally in July 2022 we were able to complete our trip of a lifetime.

I chose the Gorilla Safari Company (GSC) after researching numerous companies. The GSC was recommended by someone who lived near me and they could not say enough good things about the company. One member of their party had an injury on the safari and had to be airlifted back to the U.S. The GSC did an excellent job of arranging for her return to the U.S. and keeping the rest of the party informed about her status. Donna, who was the tour coordinator at that time, called me from England and we spoke twice on the phone for over an hour each time. She answered all of my questions and concerns. I put together a list of everything I wanted to see and do in Rwanda and Uganda and Donna put the itinerary together and made all of the lodging and transport arrangements. When Donna retired, Amanda took over as our tour coordinator. Amanda was also excellent at answering all of our questions and was very patient working with us to transfer our bookings three different times due to the Covid-related cancelations.

The trip exceeded all of our expectations. We did and saw everything that we wanted to see during our 3 week trip (except the shoebill stork which was not present due to dry conditions). In fact, we had so many activities planned that we all needed to take off at least half a day during the trip to sleep in and relax. We did two gorilla treks, one golden monkey trek, a chimpanzee trek, carnivore tracking, forest hikes, visited a bat cave, did three river boat trips, multiple vehicle safaris, a trip to the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, a night time walking hike, a visit to the Ngamba chimpanzee sanctuary, saw the Kigale Genocide Museum, and had several cultural experiences with native people. The lodges we stayed at were all clean, comfortable, and the food was amazing with 4 course dinners. The Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge near Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was especially amazing.

The people of Uganda and Rwanda are very friendly and welcoming, and many spoke English which made it easy to communicate with them. Our guides, Edmund in Rwanda, and Emma and Jude in Uganda, were all excellent. They were very knowledgeable about the birds and wildlife, and patient when we asked a multitude of questions, sometimes multiple times. They were also helpful and patient with our photography requests as we were all avid photographers. Our guides and the GSC staff were also all very helpful in arranging to have our lost baggage forwarded to us once the airlines located it. Because we had to go 10 days without our clothes and the entire trip without any toiletries or other gear, our guides helped us to shop for needed items that we could replace locally. It was challenging to replace our clothes and gear in small villages, but they did their best to get us what we needed. The GSC even paid for the baggage forwarding costs for which we are eternally grateful.

I cannot say enough good things about the Gorilla Safari Company and highly recommend them. What you get from a private custom safari from them surpasses what you could experience from a company that does organized group tours on a set itinerary. The price was equal to or less than what other companies charged for the same amount of time on safari. We thank them immensely for creating such a wonderful lifetime experience for us!

Date of experience: August 01, 2022

My trip to Uganda was a one of a kind experience. My favorite part was the gorilla trek and observing all the incredible wildlife. The Ugandans are a lovely people that are kind and friendly. The guides and drivers were exceptional and made the group feel at home. I highly recommend this tour if you plan to go on an African vacation

Date of experience: June 15, 2022

The Gorilla Safari Company went above and beyond meeting my expectations - one of the best decisions I have ever made was to select this company for my once in a lifetime experience. Over the course of 3 years, Donna and Amanda communicated with me in over 200 emails. Any questions or concerns I had, they immediately answered. Due to the pandemic and having a total knee replacement, the trip planning took much longer than expected - they were so patient and accommodating to me. I went to Tanzania on a week long safari. My trip began as soon as we hit the runway, a guide was waiting for me outside and we began the tour in Arusha. He took me to reputable shops where I got great bargains and he explained all that we saw and encountered. I traveled alone and never felt safer throughout the whole trip. My guide was the best!! He was informative, accommodating and had a great sense of humor. He even had an app on African birds and wildlife and would show me. While on safari, Mr. Abu constantly stopped other guides to ask if they’d seen wildlife and where. He also monitored the radio too, asking other guides to submit reports of sightings. Because of my Parkinson’s, Mr Abu offered to take my pictures and did a splendid job of it. The company also arranged for me to visit a Maasai village where I gave the sheriff of the village a suitcase full of school supplies, the villagers were very appreciative. All of my accommodations were luxurious and clean. All staff members incredibly gracious. They gave me whatever I wanted. The food, all gourmet - superb food and so much! This trip went beyond, far beyond my expectations. They took such great care of me, even filling out my customs form at the end. If you want to hire a company who goes above and beyond expectations, please use The Gorilla Safari Company. Mr. Abu also educated me about tribe customs and always asked what else he could do for me. He even gave me tips on how to barter! I left Tanzania with stupendous memories and a deep respect of the people and tribes in Tanzania. Thank you so very much Donna and Amanda for the generous arrangements you made for me so that my African and Tanzanian experiences will forever be in my heart.

Date of experience: June 14, 2022

Our gorilla safari was wonderful -- a trip with memories that will last a lifetime! The staff at Gorilla Safari Company worked with us for almost two years to make this happen (our trip was delayed a year due to COVID). Through many changes in plans and work-arounds, they always were there for us and friendly even in the face of changes, set-backs and challenges. Our accommodations were great -- especially the Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge. Our gorilla watching and golden monkey treks were incredible. Flights and connections were seamless despite complications in our itinerary (we traveled on to the Masai Mara from Uganda) and COVID requirements. This was a great team who earned our confidence.

Date of experience: November 18, 2021

We began our planning with Gorilla Safari Company in 2019 for a trip to Rwanda in October 2020. Well of course, with Covid, this did not happen, but they were wonderful in making sure all the reservations and permits were transferred to October 2021. Amanda was always there to calm my nerves when questions arose and I can't say enough about her and her patience with me. Thanks for everything guys, it was the trip of a lifetime.

Date of experience: November 16, 2021

We just returned from two weeks in Rwanda. Our trip can only be described in one word...PERFECT!!! Rwanda is the most beautiful, welcoming and clean country, not to mention that they really have their Covid policies in place. There is not one thing that I would have changed. Magashi in Akagera National Park, One & Only Nyungwe House in Nyungwe Forest National Park and Bisate Lodge in Volcanoes National Park were all amazing, with fantastic food. Our guide Edmund was wonderful. Make your reservations with Amanda!!!

Date of experience: November 04, 2021