A Gorilla Explorers guide ready for the safari.
Gorilla Explorers
- Located In:
-
United States
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- Uganda Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $60 to $650 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IE
Email Robert | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla Explorers to the rescue
Excellent, reliable and clear communication both before and our during trip.
Excellent tour guide, went above and beyond to cater for our needs and recovered much lost time from our airline mishaps to make the trip a complete success.
Excellent Gorilla Explorers!
Thanks for the incredible experience Chris and John.
Email Immy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Super communication and great value for great services
I recently returned from a 12-day trip to Uganda, organised through Gorilla Explorers. Throughout, the communication from/with Chris at Gorilla Explorers was great, he was very responsive, provided lost of information and adjusted the trip itinerary to suit me. Chris was also very efficient, organising the trip for me at the last minute.
The trip itself was a fantastic experience. I deliberately opted for a packed itinerary to see a wide variety of Uganda's landscapes, wildlife and cultures and make the most of the time that I had, and it was even better than I'd hoped. Timothy, the driver and guide arranged by Gorilla Explorers, was safe, professional, cheerful and a pleasure to travel with, and all the accommodation was of a high standard. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, and can highly recommend booking via Gorilla Explorers. I think Chris offers great value for great services.
CA
Email Lisa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Customer Service!
I am beyond happy to commend Chris Mukiza, from Gorilla Explorers, for excellent customer service as he went above and beyond to help accommodate my requests and travel needs. Despite him being busy organizing many tours at all times, Mr. Mukiza always responded quickly to my emails, making me feel like a valued customer. He showed genuine care and concern, responding with understanding and honesty to any apprehension or concerns I had regarding this exciting adventure. Thank you, Mr. Mukiza and Gorilla Explorers!
MX
Email Gerardo C | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jackson is a great person—kind, helpful, and always ready to assist and resolve issues.
Definitely one of the best experiences of my life; Gorilla Explorers played a huge part in making everything go wonderfully. I would recommend them 100%.
CZ
Email Aneta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Rwanda tour
We travelled to Rwanda this August and booked a 9-day safari around the country with Gorilla explorers. It turned out to be an excellent choice! All communication prior to our vacation was swift and all our needs were met and the itinerary adjusted accordingly. Also the payment was smooth although the whole sum was due prior to even commencing the trip. Upon arriving at the Kigali airport our tour guide nad driver Boaz was waiting for us and took us to our first accommodation - Hotel des Milles Collines, it was a very nice place with history and the rest there including the superb breakfast was a very nice beginning of our journey. In the morning Boaz greeted us again, confirmed all the planned itinerary and went to see the Kigali Genocide Memorial which was a very deep and moving experience - it tells the story of the terrible history and events that Rwanda managed to revive itself from. Then we set off towards Akagera. The drives tend to be sometimes longer and tiresome but that's just how Rwanda is, Boaz was a very reliable driver and he was there for us the whole time. Akagera Rhino Lodge is a beautiful place, it really has an African feel to it and the food was excellent, we enjoyed our two night stay there very much. The Akagera national park was amazing. Boaz was a patient and knowledgeable driver and in the end we saw 4 of the African Great five and also other animals even though it seemed for some time that we won't be that lucky. Akagera is definitely worth a stop! There was a bit of an issue with the car so our departure from Akagera towards the Volcanoes national park was delayed somewhat but Boaz again handled it all fine! The Mountain gorilla view lodge is definitely worth staying at, beautifully nested below the mountain ridge with nice views and our chalet with a great fireplace and heated water bottles in our beds every night (which we were grateful for as it tends to be a bit cool in the evenings there). The food again was delicious and all the staff were exceptionally nice, welcoming and helpful. It was really a very home like place to be at. The gorilla trekking is well organized and it is a lifetime experience, all the more for a primate lover like me! We were lucky to be very close to our gorilla family and it is indescribable! We also really enjoyed the golden monkey experience - we found them in the potato fields and they were a lot of fun to watch and we could spend time right next to them. The visit to Gorilla Guardians village was a nice cultural stop and we did buy some souvenirs there and the great banana beer to support the local community but I would say the people there tend to be a bit too relentless when it comes to getting money out of you :-) Also the visit to Dian Fossey museum was an interesting learning experience though I would say the donation to the center could be included in the whole tour price /as the price was not so low. Then we had one night in the Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge and this would be the only change I'd recommend making on the whole itinerary - would definitely skip this hotel (nothing special really) and spend instead 2 nights in the absolutely amazing Umurobyi Lodge overlooking the Lake Kivu. This was a relaxing and beautiful part of out trip - the lake is huge, it is safe for swimming, the water was warm and crystal clear and the lodge is luxurious, beautiful rooms with beautiful views, food was freshly homemade and amazing and the owners are very nice people, we felt like among friends the whole time! Definitely a place I can imagine returning one day to, I very much recommend it. The boat ride on the lake was great too, we got out on an island famous for thousands of bats living there and it was an incredible feeling walking to the top of the island underneath trees filled with these screeching creatures. From there we went on to Nyungwe Top View hotel in Nyungwe national park as we wished to see the chimps as well. The hotel itself is well serviced and the rooms are nice, again offering a fireplace and monkeys are to be seen on the hotel grounds but as for the food this was a bit weaker - not too many choices and some of them not so tasty. The national park is worth it though - we first went on the canopy walk, amazing thing to do, the short walk back is quite a steeper hill climb so be aware of that. And the chimpanzee trekking started very early in the morning which we didn't mind, then we had to walk pretty swiftly through the vegetation to catch up to them - was a bit demanding with the level of humidity but we managed and we are not in top shape now :) And then we were lucky to see the chimps both on the ground and in the trees and just WOW. A very nice way to conclude our trip. On the way back we stopped by at the Ethnographic museum which was very nice and there was also a great souvenir shop. All in all I must say we are very happy to have chosen the Gorilla Explorers for our journey because it all went smoothly, no major problems and tiny problems well and quickly solved and many thanks again to our great guide Boaz, who was indeed very helpful, very kind and also I think he really loves his job and you can see it! Thank you again, we definitely recommend you guys for the Rwanda tour!