Gorilla Tracking & Wildlife Safaris Uganda Rwanda
Kisoro Tours Uganda
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- AUTO, UTB & MTWA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $1,100 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Maria | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
7-day gorilla, chimp and wildlife safari
Dan from Kisoro Tours arranged a first-rate 7-day trip for me to achieve my dream of seeing the mountain gorillas. He replied promptly to emails and arranged absolutely everything, from arranging permits to see the gorillas and chimpanzees to booking accommodation and meeting me at the airport. Dan is a well-informed guide and excellent driver who is able to tailor any itinerary to suit individual needs. Plus he seems to know absolutely everyone and takes really good care of you so you always feel safe, secure and informed.
My trip started with an overnight stay at the Africa Gorilla Guest House in Entebbe, before heading to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to see the gorillas. The Broadbill Forest Camp, where I spent 2 nights, is staffed by really friendly people and the food and accommodation is great. Seeing the gorillas was one of the higlights of my trip. It was hard work reaching them through the steep and densely forested lanscape, but it was totally worth it. Wear long sleeves and trousers as you will get scratched to death by spiky ferns and tree stumps if not. Proper walking boots are also advisable. Depending on how long it takes to find them, you may or may not be exhausted by the time you've finished, but I defy anyone to spend an hour with these magnificent creatures and not be in awe. They were totally relaxed around us, but gave a grunt of warning when one of the small party of 8 tourists approached too closely.
Next stop was Queen Elizabeth National Park for two days of wildlife spotting on safari. Bush Lodge is right on the Kazinga Channel, which is populated by hippos galore. You can get up close and personal with them on a 2-hour boat cruise. The knowledgeable guide pointed out a variety of animals, including hippos, crocs, buffalo, weaver birds, pied kingfishers, malachite kingfishers, African sea eagles, egrets, herons, marabou storks, cormorants and pelicans. After the boat cruise, Dan took me on a game drive and we found Ugandan kob, water bucks, buffalo, hippos, monitor lizards, wart hogs, elephants and lions.
The next day, it was up early for another game drive. We found more lions, hippos in a mud bath, kob, water buck, bush buck, buffalo and wart hogs galore. There are lots of spectacular birds as well, including the hamerkop, which builds a huge scruffy nest and has a head that is shaped like a hammer.
Next stop was Rwenzori View Guest House, which has a fantastic garden to laze in whilst watching the colourful sunbirds and a wonderful chef who makes hearty, delicious meals. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest National Park, which is just a short drive away, is much easier going than gorilla tracking as the terrain is far less steep. That said, long sleeves and trousers you can tuck into your socks are essential as there are safari ants.
There are more people allowed to visit the chimps than the gorillas, so it's a less intimate experience, but well worth it nevertheless. I had the pleasure of viewing the alpha male gorge himself on honey from a hive before inviting other members of the community to join him. My small group of 4 also had the pleasure of an extremely knowledgeable guide in Africano, who told us about lots of the trees, plants and animals in the forest and also found us a male and female chimp to follow once the other tourists had gone.
After seeing the chimps, you can spend a few interesting hours on a Bigodi swamp walk with an informative guide from the local community who can point out different species of monkeys, lizards, hornbills and numerous other birds that frequent the wetland.
At the end of the trip, Dan will make sure that you get to the airport in plenty of time to catch your flight home. I can't recommend his friendly, tailored service enough. Uganda is a beautiful country to visit and you couldn't wish for a better guide than Dan.
NL
Email Rick | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very nice tour!
In March of 2019 we did a 7 day gorilla/chimp tour with our guide Dan. We made quite some changes to the original initiatory to suit our travel needs, and we always got a fast reaction to all of our mails.
We were picked up from Entebbe airport and first had 3 days for our self in Kampala. then we did our safari. The lodges were beautiful (much better then we expected). And our guide was really kind.
We had the option to be dropped of in Kigali (Rwanda) after the safari had ended so we would have some days there as well.
In the end we're really happy we choose Kisoro!
Spectacular sunrises over Rwenzori Mountains
I identified Kisoro tours and Dan through TripAdvisor and contacted him via email. I told him what I wanted to do and we set up a 4 day tour that fit into my limited schedule. Dan picked me up at my hotel in Kampala and we headed out for a 4 day road trip to Queen Elizabeth Park. The journey through the cities, villages and country side was fascinating and colorful. The weather was lovely and I enjoyed seeing Ankole cattle along the way and a lot of dairy cattle and goats grazing along the road. The sunrises over the Rwenzori mountains were so amazing. I took some of the most dramatic photographs of the candelabra trees outlined by the rising sun. Dan was a skilled drive and a well informed tour guide. I would use Kisoro tours again when I next return to Uganda.
US
Email Liliana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
3N Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth
Flew to Entebbe the night before the Gorilla trek. Accommodation at the outdoor tent (budget trip) was very nice! We stayed in that place for 2 nights. Following morning we began the trek early morning, suggestions for clothing, long pants to avoid the ants from crawling in, good camera, decent walking shoes, (sneakers with a good sole are okay). The overall experience of the trekking was amazing, a bit rigorous if you're out of shape, but very beautiful scenery. Dan was overall a great leader, very attentive to satisfying our needs. The third night we stayed at a different location. For a budget trip, the place was okay, it's a small lodge and the fan wasn't that strong for the room, the bathroom situation was also a little odd, but it's understandable for budget. The fish we had for dinner that night at the small lodge was very good though. From there we drove to Queen Elizabeth National Park and we were able to see a lion. There was a lot of driving involved which we were aware of, so for those who'd rather cut out that time, I would suggest flying into Kigali if visiting Bwindi. Otherwise, we really enjoyed the gorilla trek the most, and the packed lunches for out trip from the tent/lodge were very good. Dan is also easily accessible when you reach out to him with questions which is a plus.
Email Nandini | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing trip- planned efficiently, with timely and friendly communication and passion for Uganda.
Kisoro tours helped us plan a wonderful 8 day trip with gorilla treks, chimpanzee trek, a drive through Queen Elizabeth NP and a 3 day trek of Rwenzori. Plans had to be changed in the last minute due to troubles in Congo which was also part of our itinerary. Dan was efficient and quick with his emails, adjusting to our needs and the last minute changes were smooth and went without a hitch. Definitely recommend them.
US
Email Heidi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience gorillas
If you get the chance to go gorilla trekking in Uganda don’t pass it up! It is an amazing experience. You get to get up close to these beautiful animals in their natural habitat.
US
Email Sam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Enjoyable safari vacation.
We had a good time visiting Uganda. We saw the chimpanzees in Kibale, lions and other animals in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and zebras in Lake Mburo. The highlight was our time with the gorillas in Bwindi. Dan - thank so much!
CH
Email Felix Huber | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
friendly spontaneous guide
good and nice trip with Kisoro Tours to Virunga National Park
if you have questions: dan answered me always very quick and helped me for the Congo Visa
Pick me up on time and all was fine
EC
Email lupe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
very good, I will use again if that is the case
Wonderful experience about the tour.
The bad or sad part was the Hotel. The quality of the service need to be improved.
Email Beth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Adventure
In February I travelled to Entebbe, Uganda, and wanted to see some wildlife in it's natural habitat. so chose Lake Mboro, which was a very manageable 3 hour drive.
Our every need was taken care of, and our guide, Dan, was a very good and respectful driver, making us feel safe at all times. On arrival at the guest house, we were greeted by the hosts, and nothing was too much trouble. The lodges are great. Clean, spacious and comfortable. We had an incredible view from our verandah.
Our first day was spent driving round the wildlife park in Dan's Land Cruiser, with the top down so we could see all around us. Dan has a real guide's knack of knowing where the animals might be, seeing them long before we could; and on day 2 we were lucky enough to come across a family of giraffe, who seemed as interested in us as we were in them. We also went for a boating trip on the lake getting up close and personal with hundreds of hippos, dodging crocodiles, and spotting eagles in the sunshine and swooping over the water - it was unforgettable and magical. Can't recommend the tour highly enough, and Dan was a pleasure to be with.