Wonderful and Once-in-a-Lifetime experience!
I cannot say enough about A&A Gorilla Tours. I had no idea what to expect on our trip, other than hoping we would get a special time viewing the gorillas in Bwindi. Our driver was Vicent, and he was fantastic! He used to work with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority, so he knows a ton about the wildlife in Uganda. I never expected a nine hour drive to be so wonderful and enjoyable. He pointed out all kinds of birds, and taught us about local foods and delicacies. Once we got to Queen Elizabeth National Park, he stopped as much as we could muster to ask for, and then some. It took us an extra 2 hours to get to Bwindi, because we wanted to stop so much, because we saw so much amazing wildlife. He knew everything about every animal. We saw elephants, baboons, birds, and all kinds of four legged animals in the deer and buffalo families. And that was just the drive! Once we got to Bwindi, we stayed in a charming community lodge in a glorified tent...let's call it glamping, but nothing fancy. It was a permanent tent attached to a concrete bathroom. It was peaceful and we faced the forest so all we could hear at night was the river below. It was so lovely. And the gorilla trek! What a wonderful experience! We took the longer and more difficult path and saw the Habinyanja family (a family of 17), and we had 5 others in our group, not including our guards and guides. Everyone was so kind, and so knowledgable. It was during rainy season, and yet once we came upon the family, the clouds parted and the sun shone the entire hour we were there. The entire family laid out in the open by a creek, and they spent the entire time grooming one another, swinging from trees...the big guy (silverback) spent time holding one of his babies, and then moved over to his favorite mate and groomed her. We even got to see him discipline one of his juveniles who was fighting with a baby. The entire experience was amazing! I am so thankful for this experience, as it is one of those things you will probably only do once in a lifetime. I highly recommend it to everyone who can get a chance to go. You will never regret spending the money after it is all said and done.