Not every gorilla trekking story starts well. Sarah, a 44-year-old traveller from Canada, had her first attempt at gorilla trekking in Uganda ruined by a badly organised operator. She missed her trek, lost money, and came home disappointed. Eighteen months later, she came back — this time with us. Her second experience was everything her first was not. This is her story, and it is one we share because it illustrates exactly what the difference between a responsible operator and a careless one looks like in practice.
What Went Wrong the First Time
Sarah had booked her first Uganda trip through a budget operator she found via a popular travel comparison website. The price was attractive — significantly below what established operators charge. She paid a deposit, received a confirmation email, and began planning the rest of her trip around her booked trek date.
Three days before her trek, she arrived in Kampala and contacted the operator to confirm arrangements. She received no response for 24 hours. When someone finally answered by phone, they told her the operator had changed her trek date without informing her — her original date was “unavailable.” The new date conflicted with her return flight. When she asked for a refund, she was told refunds were not available under the terms she had agreed to. She was offered a credit she could not use because she had no plans to return to Uganda.
Sarah came home without seeing a gorilla, out of pocket by several hundred dollars, and furious. She wrote about her experience on several travel forums. The operator’s response on those forums was defensive and dismissive. She vowed never to book through that type of operator again.
Why She Decided to Come Back
A year later, a friend who had trekked gorillas with us told Sarah about her experience. The contrast with what Sarah had been through was stark: confirmed permit in advance, named guide before departure, transparent pricing with no hidden costs, and a trek that ran exactly as described. Sarah found our website, read our reviews on TripAdvisor and Google, and contacted us with a long list of questions — understandably cautious after her first experience.
Our response was the same as it always is: detailed, personalised, and prompt. We answered every question, sent her a copy of the permit confirmation before she paid her deposit, and named her guide — Emmanuel — in the booking confirmation. We also offered to connect her by email with a previous client from Canada who had trekked with us the previous year, so she could ask her questions directly to someone who had been through the process. She took us up on that offer, had a reassuring email exchange with that client, and booked.
Her Second Trek: What She Said
Sarah trekked with us in Buhoma sector in 2027, encountering the Mubare family. She spent 58 minutes with the gorillas on a morning when the silverback was feeding actively and two juveniles were playing in the trees above the group. Emmanuel gave her a running commentary on every behaviour she was observing. She cried during the trek — not from sadness, but from the accumulated emotion of two years of trying to see these animals.
Her review on Google read: “After a nightmare first attempt with another operator, this company showed me what gorilla trekking is supposed to be. Every single thing they promised, they delivered. The guide was extraordinary. The permits were real. The experience was life-changing. I cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone who has been let down by a cheaper operator and wonders whether it is worth trying again. It absolutely is — just book with the right people.”
What This Story Tells You About Operator Choice
The difference between a bad operator and a good one is not always visible in the marketing. Both use professional-looking websites. Both make the same promises. The difference shows up in the details: permit confirmation timing, communication response speed, transparency about what is and is not included, and what happens when something goes wrong.
We cannot guarantee that every gorilla trek will be perfect — the forest has its own unpredictability. But we can guarantee that every promise we make is backed by a system designed to deliver it. If you have had a bad experience with another operator and are wondering whether to try again, contact us. We will show you how this is supposed to work.
