May 20, 2026
One of the most amazing experiences of my life!! - If you are in Uganda, you MUST go gorilla trekking!! This is such a unique opportunity specific to this region and you cannot see mountain gorillas in captivity. It was an absolutely amazing and humbling experience! It feels so surreal to see the gorillas and you get SO CLOSE to them. I sat 6 ft from the silverback. It does not feel scary, they are used to humans and truly majestic, gentle beings. I felt very fortunate to visit them in their habitat. My guide, Eddie, was a great companion who made me feel safe as a solo female traveler. I was picked up from my hotel in Kampala and dropped off there as well. Eddie was happy to stop wherever I wanted along the drive to Bwindi. We stopped for lunch at Flamingoz Restaurant and Bar right across the street from at the Equator Monument. We did our Equator visit on the way home on Sunday. The last 1.5 hours of the drive are absolutely stunning from a cliffside road overlooking the valleys and lush green mountains. Eddie was happy to stop and allow me to take get out of the van to take pictures along the way. I stayed at Gorilla Mist Lodge (mid-tier option) with a standalone room that had a porch overlooking the jungle. There was no light pollution and the stars were beautiful. The lodge will provide you with a packed lunch for the trek. The WiFi was pretty reliable and I also got service there with my international phone plan. I got lucky and there were no other tourists who happened to be on my trekking day so I felt like I got the VIP treatment from my trekking team. Highly recommend hiring a porter to carry your bag and help you along the height, it supports local workers and costs $15-20. They will give you this option after the morning welcome performance by a local dance group (my group was the Bugarama Cultural Dancers Group). I recommend wearing gaiters and good hiking boots or waterproof like boots with a good grip. Parts of the hike are through jungle bush without a path at all. You could wear gardening gloves but I honestly only wore these for a brief part of the hike. They will give you a walking stick. After my trek, we headed to Lake Bunyonyi which is a unique aspect of this tour company and part of why I chose it! I stayed at Keije Resort and I went for a 2-hour kayak ride on the lake which did not cost extra. Keije is directly on the lake which a beautiful common space. I did not get service or WiFi there. Be sure the bring multiple types of small bills for tipping the various people involved in making your trip great! There are typically to rangers/trackers who go ahead of your trekking group to locate the gorillas, two gunman (front and back of group to scare off jungle elephants if needed), a head ranger guide, porter, and sometimes a student ranger. There is also typically at least two staffers at each lodge that you will interact with (someone who carries your bags into your room and the host). Regarding payment, you will pay 50% up front (they will walk you through the options and steps, it was painless) and 50% the morning you are picked up. If you plan to pay by card the morning of pick-up, I would contact them two weeks in advance to confirm this. This was the only hiccup-up I had with the company but was quickly resolved. They were very responsive to emails and made a WhatsApp group for communicate the night before my trek. Would definitely recommend EAJS! I also went to Murchison falls with the same guide, Eddie, the following weekend for a 2-day safari that included a trip to Ziwa Rhino sanctuary which was a unique addition from other two companies.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 17, 2026
Happy recommend 3 day tour. - The 3-day Bwindi gorilla trekking tour was an incredible mix of adventure and natural beauty. The hike was physically challenging, but the anticipation kept us going. Encountering the gorillas in the wild was the absolute highlight. Each moment i will never forget. I also appreciated the birdlife and the peaceful environment throughout the forest. The guide was very professional he made the experience smooth, informative and memorable. East African Jungle Safaris everything was perfectly organized and provided their best service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 9, 2026
You have to experience this bucket list adventure, book with EAJS! - I was traveling to Uganda for work and was excited to have an opportunity to extend my time for a 3-day experience to see mountain gorillas (a bucket list wish!) and more of the country outside of Kampala. I chose this tour because it was locally owned, ethical and conservation-focused, very well priced, offered a short option (3-day) that fit my timeline, and had strong reviews on multiple platforms. The experience exceeded my expectations! My driver Eddie was professional and very friendly the entire trip. He kept us on schedule to the minute throughout the experience from pick up to drop off and made sure I was comfortable the entire time.
The booking process was easy and communication was consistent throughout. I appreciate that EAJS offers options for every part of the trip. For lodging, I chose the mid-range package and was blown away by the beautiful accommodations and views in Bwindi and on Lake Bunyonyi. The lodges were very comfortable and every plate of food was delicious. Every aspect of this package is curated with the guest experience in mind and to ensure you truly see and enjoy Uganda. Each person I met along the way was so friendly and welcoming.
Seeing the gorillas was a life changing experience! The rangers and park experience made it clear that the gorillas' safety and boundaries were most important, and we were still able to get within meters of the Happy family -- 3 silverbacks! Just incredible.
I cannot recommend this trip enough; you have to experience it! Don't hesitate, book with EAJS!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 6, 2026
We felt very safe and everything perfectly organized, memorable journey. - We had a wonderful 3 day in Uganda and very exciting journey with East African Jungle Safaris, honestly they were really a great tour organizer as a Ugandan local tour operator. When we arrived at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest we were really surprised just amazing. Our gorilla trekking day in Bwindi started with mist covering the forest canopy, which made the entire environment feel mysterious. Our guide Eddy split us into small groups and introduced the trackers who had already gone ahead to locate the gorilla families and he also explained how each gorilla has a role in the family and how the silverback protects them. The experience with the gorillas was unique and exceptional. It was the best adventure experience with my best friend. We will remember forever.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 10, 2025
Incredible gorilla experience - far exceeded expectations and Ronnie our driver was fantastic. - We chose this tour because we knew it was locally owned, ethical and very well priced compared to others. The tour exceeded expectations and Ronnie our driver was amazing. He was incredibly knowledgeable throughout the drive pointing out plants and crops and giving us additional information about Rwanda and Uganda. The communication from the tour was great. We were a little nervous because the website wasn’t flashy but everything was perfect.
The gorillas was a pretty life changing experience, they walked right around and past us and everyone was in awe. The groups are very small too to not upset the gorillas. Highly highly recommend. 10/10 experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 20, 2025
Gorilla’s in the mist - It was a great experience a bit of a trek there and return from Entebbe but once you get there it is worth every moment.
Ronnie was a great guide and a safe driver.
The mid range accommodation was nice and very unique.
Would highly recommend these guys for a very special Gorilla experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 8, 2024
10/10 experience! - I had a truly amazing time on this tour! Ruth the person I was in contact with before my tour was very communicative, answered all of my questions and made adjustments to my trip on request. This originally was supposed to me a solo trip but I another solo female traveler was put on my tour which was a nice surprise. Farouk- my driver/guide- was an excellent source of information, very friendly, and a safe driver. While the journey was long (driving 10 hours to get there) Farouk made it easy with plenty of rest stops. The guesthouses we stayed in had staff that went above and beyond! They offered several short walks- a nature walk, a community walk, or a walk to the Pygmy people’s village. The meals were also excellent. The gorilla trek was of course the best part! The guide for that were also excellent, they shared lots of information, ensured we seen the gorillas and were able to follow them for the duration of our hour, and pointed out other wild life. The second day we went to Lake Bunyonyi after the gorilla trek. This was also great and included a boat ride around the lake. I also wanted to try to local gin and Farouk helped me to find that. The final day we drove back to Kampala and stopped to see how the local drums were made. East African Jungle Safari really met all of my expectations and went beyond. I would highly recommend EAJS to anyone and recommend Farouk as a driver. I will definitely be booking my next tour with them!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 4, 2023
Amazing Gorilla Trekking - This tour company is excellent and provide everything as advertised. Ruth is wonderful at coordinating and responsive. Eddie, our driver, safely drove us and navigated the roads amazingly.
We had the most wonderful time gorilla trekking and seeing the majestic creatures. The permits were secured by Ruth as part of our booking.
A few things for people to keep in mind when booking (which you absolutely should):
1. For people planning on the 3 day tour, please keep in mind that Entebbe to Bwimdi is close to a full day’s drive without stops so a 3 day tour is mostly driving outside of the gorilla trekking day. It is well worth it, but if you want to stretch your legs a bit more or have more activities, please consider adding a day to breakup a day. Don’t blame the tour company. They can’t move the airport or the gorillas.
2. The trek is not necessarily easy, depending on where your group of gorillas are. They do move around during the day. There are no trails. The hiking is more akin to back country and can be quite difficult at time. If you need a little assistance, porters are available for $20 USD. Nothing wrong with needing a little nudge here and there.
3. 100% book this —it was so wonderful!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 24, 2023
Gorilla Trekking - We can not say enough about our experience with East African Jungle Safari. From our first contact with Ruth, we knew we were in good hands, she handled everything efficiently and promptly.
Once we arrived, we were greeted at our hotel Ronnie (our guide for the week) who was amazing. Ronnie is one of the most laidback, yet hard working people we have ever traveled with. He is sincere and treats his customers as if they were family. He was very conscientious and always made sure we were safe and having a great time. We highly recommend booking your excursions with East African Safari and make sure you ask that Ronnie is your guide ;-)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jun 2, 2024
Professional, Personal and Committed - The trip was very well organised by Denis and professionally executed by our guide Alan. They were flexibel when we changed the pick up places for individuals.
Alan was very knowledgable and was very happy to answer all our questions. The stay at Rushaga Gorilla lodge was excellent wirh the perfect view and just the right amount of comfort.
Since the trip involves a lot of driving it would be nice to sprinkle in some stops to do some sightseeing and stretch the legs at the same time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
