The gorilla trekking tour is an adventure of a lifetime, but Uganda has so much more to offer. From Murchison Fall’s and Queen Elizabeth National Park to the Chimpanzee trekking and amazing cultural/community experience near Kibale, you can’t help but fall in love with all Uganda has to offer.

All of these things factor into an unforgettable experience. The trip incorporated the chimpanzee, gorilla and lion trekking options as well as cruises on the Nile, and the Kazinga Channel. We chose gorilla safaris tours to serve us due to their professionalism and responsiveness to our research and inquiries and being our first trip to Africa and on a constrained schedule because of work commitments, we wanted to make the most of our time in-country and Jackie and her team did not disappoint.

We were impressed by Jackie’s quick and detailed response to our inquiries, and his availability to take international phone calls to discuss final arrangements. We spent some time in e-mail correspondence and phone calls discussing and confirming options such as tour duration, alternative accommodation and optional activities. Jackie was always receptive and was very attentive to responding to all inquiries and confirming information.

Our 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 Broad bill 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 highlights of my trip. It was hard work reaching them through the steep and densely forested landscape, 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 parties 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, Emma 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 colorful sun birds 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, horn bills and numerous other birds that frequent the wetland.

At the end of the trip, Emma 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 Emma.

The accommodations we stayed at were generally very good and apart from some hot water issues and one venue that was obviously undergoing some improvement renovations, we were comfortable. The staff everywhere were excellent, and we can’t endorse their attentiveness and hospitality enough. The food was always deliciously exceptional, and a Rolex makes a great packed lunch.

Overall, we very much enjoyed our unique visit to Uganda with its beautiful terrain, incredible wildlife and very friendly people.