Gorilla O'clock Owner and head guide Khalif
Gorilla O'Clock
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Member Of:
- Uganda Wildlife Authority & Uganda Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DK
Email Jan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awesome 9 day safari
I had the pleasure of going on a 9 day safari in Uganda organized by Gorilla O'clock. I could not have been any happier with the way the safari turned out. Our guide and driver Khalif was very knowledgeable about all the different animals. He also told us a lot about everyday life in Uganda, which was super interesting. All the lodges we stayed at were clean, had good food and the staff were very friendly. Some of the lodges even had amazing views from our room/balcony. The highlight of the trip was the Gorilla Trek where Gorilla O'clock made sure our permit was for Buhoma and we were lucky enough to get the Rushegura group, consisting of 19 gorillas. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life. I never imagined that I would be that close to these beautiful primates. Another highlight was in Murchison Falls National Park, where our driver Khalif spotted a leopard in a tree. A few minutes later the leopard decided to climb down the tree and I got some insanely good pictures.
So to summarize, everything exceeded my high expectations and I will definitely book through Gorilla O'clock again for my next East African adventure.
DK
Email Linda | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best safari imaginable
Imagine that you start planning a trip in 2019! Then in 2020 it gets cancelled and then again in 2021 it is cancelled because of Covid.
When we finally got to go, our expectations were sky high!
Thanks to Paul everything exceeded our expectations! Safari is a lot about the people. The people who plan it, the person who drives and guides you as well as the people you meet.
We got lucky! Paul goes all in to ensure his customers get what they wish for!
He got us a driver, who was a perfect fit for us. Easygoing, knowledgeable, humorous. Khalif was the perfect match for us.
We got to see the Big Five (rhino walking free in a sanctuary) – as well as a lot of other animals.
Khalif was also great – especially when it came to the highlight – the gorilla trekking. We had said that it was important to us to see babies – and he got us a gorilla family of 19 individuals! 3 silverbacks and several babies of different ages – such a special encounter!
We stayed at some really great lodges – some with views you can only dream about.
We also took a trip to the Mabamba swap with Gorilla O’Clock. We got to see a shoebill chick! This is so rare, that even the boatdriver had never seen one in his 24 years on the job!
If you want to see gorillas, the Big Five, birds – or anything else East Africa can offer – you do not go wrong by choosing Gorilla O’Clock!
CA
Email Chetan Mistry | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
From beginning to end we had an amazing time. Even when we wanted to adjust our trip our guide accomodated and made sure we had a once in a lifetime trip!
US
Email Vicki Andrews | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Paul (Gorilla O’Clock) puts his heat and soul into his responsibilities to his clients.
This African Safari was, without a doubt, the most complicated trip I have ever taken. Yet, there was not a “hiccup.” Paul is so knowledgeable about every aspect of traveling in East Africa. We were totally prepared in terms of travel documents, what to pack, what you expect, etc. Paul answered every question we had and planned every detail. Did I mention he’s the nicest guy ever?
PT
Email Julie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Safari Experience
We had a phenomenal experience with Gorilla O’clock. In Kenya, Paul took over a booking from a different company that had failed to deliver as promised. He got us into better accommodations and sent Simon as our guide. Simon always seemed to know exactly where to go on every game drive, and we never had a single disappointing outing.
We continued to work with Paul in Uganda and had a superlative trip. Paul made a point of reconfirming every single lodge reservation and designing our itinerary exactly to our specifications. The gorilla treks were amazing, though some of the other activities - horseback riding safari, boat trips, chimpanzee treks - were also incredible. I highly recommend a minimum of 2 weeks in Uganda, and add on another country before or after.
Gorilla O’clock provided the trip of a lifetime and I can’t wait to get back to East Africa for another adventure with them!
US
Email Chelsea Janeski | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Tour Around Uganda
I don’t know even where to begin. I had always wanted to visit Africa and I was presented an opportunity five months ago when meeting someone who had this itinerary already planned and booked with Gorilla O Clock. I had no idea what to expect seeing as I have never been on a safari before, but man let me tell you- it was an experience I will never forget and one that has inspired me to start planning my return trip. Chimpanzee and gorilla trekking were on our itinerary and in my head was going to be the highlight of the trip. Every single day was the highlight, every day was unique and amazing in its own way. Even the long drives in between the different regions were amazing, the views of Uganda are ever changing and absolutely beautiful. We traveled in a large circle around the country to get the most out of Uganda and we wasted no time. I was mesmerized by each and every culture and region we went to. I loved the community visits with the school children, the Batwa village and we even had the chance to watch how a local community in Bwindi made their famous banana beer and gin. The people of Uganda are so welcoming and excited to see tourists, especially the children who run up to you screaming “hello” and waving as you pass by.
Our guide for the entire trip was Jacob K. and I have to say he was the reason our experience was so great. He listened to what we were interested in and tailored the trip to fit our interests. Myself and my travel partner were thrilled to have Jacob be a part of our amazing trip. I was impressed at the end when Jacob and Paul sat down with us, while I had my last Dawa tea, and went day by day asking how each experience was and asking for any critiques or recommendations. We had zero complaints, only wishing we had more time than the two weeks that we were there.
I believe in supporting small businesses, like Gorilla O Clock, and this is why, they go above and beyond and treat you like family. It was really sad to say goodbye to Jacob as we left for the airport, but I will be seeing him again in the near future for the next trip to Uganda.
Thank you so much to Gorilla O Clock for such a wonderfully planned trip that will forever be my best memories.
US
Email Tami | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Each moment better than the last
Check out this review of Gorilla O'clock on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g298044-d23718033-r877085854-Gorilla_O_clock-Entebbe_Central_Region.html
Email Olivia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect first safari
Paul & Simon are the best! We started planning our Kenyan holiday only 3 months before arrival date and Paul was super accommodating on the way we wanted to do our tour, and helped us a lot on decisions that we didn’t have much knowledge about as this was our first Kenyan safari trip, plus always available and super fast reply. We went for 3 days in Maasai Mara and 1 in Lake Nakuru, our guide was Simon, that has more than 25 years of experience in the safari industry and did manage to show us not only the big 5 but a lot more! We even got to see a Leopard kill. Don’t hesitate to book with Paul, we had an amazing time having our safari with Gorilla O’clock. Next adventure, Uganda! Thank you, and see you soon Paul & Simon, we will be back.
NL
Email Giacomo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Memorable 10 days safari in Uganda
Finally made up my mind and decided to start planning a 10 days tour in Uganda with my dad and sister and here comes the most difficult question..what tour operator should we go for?
After a careful online evaluation, we decided to reach out to Gorilla O'Clock and Vivian (co-owner of the tour operator) is the first person we got in contact with - very supportive and very much available to answer all our questions, communication was great and she gave us several tips on what to see and what not.
Once having figured the majority of the trip out, comm moved to Whatsapp (way more direct, I really liked that) where Paul (the other co-owner) gave us additional tips and recommendations before our departure and helped throughout the visa, vaccination, etc. process.
Departure day finally comes around, and upon our arrival, Paul gave us a very warm welcome coming to pick us up at the airport and introducing us to our tour guide, the one and only..Khalif!!!
The trip would have surely been great in itself but Khalif added something else to it :) very talkative and knowledgeable about everything that could possibly be found in Uganda - you can tell straight away how passionate he is about his job! Always made us feel at ease, brought us to eat amazing local food along the way (you have to know that Khalif is also known as Mr. Matoke), made us feel part of the country and not just simple visitors, and most importantly - he always had a smile on his face and created a very friendly and chill atmosphere!
And let's not forget about our safari experience in the parks, you can count on Khalif if your goal is to spot every single animal you want - memorable the leopard sleeping on a tree in Ishasha, or the lion's family in Murchison Falls.
Generally, accommodations were very good and clean with amazing views over nature, the food was amazing and the trip was very planned as a whole - we managed to be on schedule and do all the activities we had planned.
Thanks a lot, Paul, Khalif, and Vivian for the amazing adventure, hope to see you again in the future perhaps visiting Europe or Africa again... who knows!
Uganda was just an unforgettable experience! You are doing great with Gorilla O'clock keep it up!!
Email Titus&Debby | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Genuine experience the whole way through!
I would love to commend Gorilla O'Clock for putting together a wonderful and within budget safari for myself and partner. From the moment I spoke to Mr.Paul I was drawn to work with them. The arrangements did not cost me any more energy than a few phone calls.
I brought my vegan partner who is a foreigner for her first ever safari and both she and I loved it. Everything was taken care of from start to finish. The guide, Khalif, was a great person in general and very honest with us both, he drove safely and was very accommodating till the end.
The second park especially, had a very welcoming vibe and they treated us with care. They were even able to offer vegan options that are hard to come by in the capital city. If I could do it again I'd go with Gorilla O'Clock.