Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours Specialists
Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2023)
- Member Of:
- USAGA, UTB & UWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $60 to $1,400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email B&B | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Reliable
We recently completed two trips in Uganda and Rwanda:
Uganda: Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park and both the standard Gorilla Trek and Gorilla Habituation Experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Rwanda: Golden Monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park, climbing Mount Bisoke, and safari in Akagera National Park.
From our very first web inquiry, we were impressed. Edison replied promptly and followed up with clear, well-planned itineraries. Communication was smooth from the start, which gave us confidence moving forward.
The wildlife experiences were extraordinary and consistently exceeded expectations. We tracked chimpanzees, saw golden monkeys, and encountered mountain gorillas three separate times — on the standard trek, during the habituation experience, and unexpectedly on our Mount Bisoke descent.
Climbing Mount Bisoke was physically demanding and deeply rewarding. On our way down, a group of 15 wild gorillas — including six silverbacks — crossed directly in front of us. It was unscripted, powerful, and easily one of the most remarkable wildlife moments we’ve ever experienced.
The parks in both countries are exceptionally well managed. The level of organization and dedication to conservation is evident everywhere. Uganda and Rwanda take preservation seriously, and it shows.
The people we met were warm, welcoming, and proud of their countries.
Our accommodations were comfortable and well selected, and the food was consistently good.
Our driver-guide, Mukasa, was outstanding — skilled on challenging roads, punctual, engaging, and steady in every situation. We had a strong, reliable vehicle that handled rough terrain with ease. Both Edison’s and Mukasa’s English are very good, which made communication easy and added to the overall comfort of the experience.
If I had to describe the tour operator in one word: Reliable.
Edison and his team deliver what they promise — professionally, efficiently, and with genuine warmth.
CA
Email Emilie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, responsive, and easy to work with
Edison from Semu Gorilla Safaris was super easy to communicate with. He was very responsive to all our questions and adjusted our itinerary and quote multiple times based on our requests. We ended up with a 6D/5N tour that picked us up in Kigali, took us Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, on safari in Queen Elizabeth, and chimp trekking in Kibale, then dropped us off in Kampala. We made a 50% deposit when we confirmed the tour., then paid the remaining after we were picked up.
We were assigned Jimmy Mukasa as our guide and he was incredible. The guide is what will make your trip, and Mukasa was fantastic. He was responsive to all our requests while on the road. He picked us up right on time and followed the itinerary we requested. He was diligent about starting on time each day, which I very much appreciated. He knew about the animals we were seeing and always made sure we got the shots and viewpoints we wanted. I never felt rushed.
CL
Email Miguel Ojeda | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excelente Safari Tour
I had an excellent experience with Semu Gorilaz. The service was great, and they delivered exactly what was promised. Jimmy, our guide, was very kind and took care of every detail from the very beginning. Additionally, he is very knowledgeable about birds. Since my English is not very strong, he always made sure to clarify any doubts I had.
Junior (practicing) was very kind and also helped me a lot.
100% recomended.
FR
Email Alejandra Espitia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient, professional and always there to help you out.
Semu has offered us the possibility to have this experience on one day adapting to us. Other agencies force you to take minimum three days what increases a lot the price of your experience. Samuel always helpedus fast and he was very professional.
Email Madeline | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Guide and Experience
Highly recommend Jimmy and his team! We saw all the big 5, and a large part of that was because Jimmy spotted a leopard way far off. Definitely needed an expert guide like him to see that. He knew so much about the animals and park and was friendly and kind. Also was the most cost effective option we found!
SE
Email Wilma Willander | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
The guide Jimmy was just so so amazing during our trip, showed us a lot that we didn’t expect. All over 20/10 stars!
MX
Email Sofia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our experience with Semu Gorillas was really special:
On the positive side:
*We were short on time but didn’t want to miss the experience, so they adjusted the itinerary to see the gorillas in just 2 days. Even though it was challenging and tiring because of the long travel, they made it possible.
*All the planning was very smooth, with clear communication about costs, timing, and everything we needed to prepare for the trip.
*Seeing gorillas is not cheap, but they worked within a budget that was very competitive compared to other agencies, without sacrificing anything important.
*The lodge where we stayed was beautiful, with stunning views, very kind staff, and great food. They even prepared some special details for our honeymoon, which was very thoughtful.
*The car was comfortable, with reclining seats (which makes a big difference for a 9-hour ride!). The weather wasn’t too hot, but the air conditioning didn’t cool enough, so we often traveled with the windows down.
*Our guide, Joel, was very attentive, kind, informative, and proactive in solving any issues along the way.
Things to improve or consider:
*We had car trouble twice, which extended our travel time from 9 hours to 10 or even 11, making the trip quite exhausting. While it was a relatively new car and some issues can be expected on such long trips with challenging road conditions, there was a moment where we didn’t feel completely safe because the brakes started making noises on a very curvy stretch. Our guide was proactive in finding a solution, but perhaps better planning and vehicle checks could help prevent these situations.
*Meals on the road cannot be planned much, as they depend on where you are when lunchtime comes. Don’t expect anything special; it’s mostly standard roadside hotel food.
Email Peggy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jimmy was enthusiastic and very chill
We just had a 2 day safari with Jimmy. we had a great time, we were able to see a lot of animals over 2 days and go on a rhino trekk. Jimmy was very knowledgeable, courteous and prompt. This was definitely good value for the money. Thank you so much!
Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours delivers the highest service possible
Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours is great on the level of communications, e-mail and telephone calls will be handled quickly. We very like the PDF document that Semu Gorilla Safaris and Tours provided and sends that includes all details of a personal plan for the gorilla trekking we had. Wonderful delivered and much appreciated.
Email Rocio Diaz-Chavez | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We enjoyed very much the trip. Well organised and exciting.
We enjoyed very much the trip. They were very accommodating. Only issue is that the car could have been in better conditions. It did not have air conditioning and for a trip of nearly 12 hours from Entebbe to Bwindi could have been more enjoyable. Jimmy was the driver/guide who was very nice, knowledgeable and fun to travel with.
They helped us to break the trip on the return to be more relaxed and managed to get us a room in Entebbe to rest while we were waiting for our flight o Nairobi.
All very enjoyable.
