Travel with the experts
MOUNTAIN GORILLA
"On all fours we crawl through a wilderness of thorns and nettles before we are suddenly stopped by our tracker. – Shhhhhhh, they're here!"
An adventure
The mountain gorillas were not actually “discovered” until 1902 when two individuals were shot by the German officer Otto von Beringe at the foot of Mount Sabinyo in Rwanda. The National Geographic Society thought this was so well done that he had the subspecies named after him: Gorilla gorilla beringei . From that day on, a massive hunt for mountain gorillas began. Everyone just had to have a dried gorilla hand or a gorilla skull on their mantelpiece. Within a few years, over half of all mountain gorillas in the world were killed or captured, to the “enormous joy” of zoos and museums. In zoos, the vast majority died shortly after due to human-transmitted infectious diseases and depression. Things were about to go really wrong. Fortunately, people like Louis Leakey, Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall emerged, who are more or less responsible for both chimpanzees and mountain gorillas not being extinct today. With Gorilla Safaris you can experience these animals up close in their natural environment.
Rwenzori
We have been in this amazing nature for five days now, and are enjoying ourselves immensely in the simple hut at the foot of the glacier. Our strength is back. The next day it is on the glacier, over the Stanley Plateau and further into steep terrain and snow between Margherita and Alexandria. Then further up past the Congo Bend and through crevasses on the edge of a 1000-meter high cliff. A little scary now … but quickly forgotten when the third highest point in Africa (5109m) is conquered. That was it. We have to go down. This is how it feels. The summit has been reached and the need to get down to safer ground immediately becomes apparent. The fog comes quickly and makes the return a bit gloomy. ? From the heart of the Rwenzori, the journey goes down the valley and out into the dry lowlands of the Kasese district. The temperature quickly rises by 20°C. We cross the equator, pass maize and cotton plantations before rolling into the candelabra tree-covered savannah of the Queen Elizabeth National Park. The contrast to what we have just emerged from is nothing short of spectacular...
Uganda 2026/27
Mornings in Bwindi Forest belong to birds and monkeys. It starts gently with the night dew falling to the ground. And then it's on. The slightest sign of light starts a wild orchestra of monkey and bird sounds, and God-knows-what, and continues until the sun is well above the treetops on the ridge in front of you. Then it's as if someone flips a switch. It becomes mouse-quiet. Yes, even ants walk on tiptoe. In front of me, a stone's throw from my tent opening, lies the forest,
steaming with mysterious life. After the obligatory formalities, we are on our way into the forest. In the clearings along the river we follow, hundreds of butterflies dance and add color to the intensely green vegetation. Our trackers know that a family group was last seen a few kilometers away yesterday and we are now on our way there. Through nettles, giant ferns, lianas and bamboo we cut our way. Now the purpose is to find where the gorillas settled the night before. Our eminent rangers and trackers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority have no problem with that, and soon we find the “bedroom”. On the ground there are packed “mattresses” of soft vegetation, and in the middle there is something that looks like… poop.
Sør-Afrika 2026/27
Kaingo Game Reserve is a wilderness area of outstanding natural beauty, an African paradise, located in the malaria-free Waterberg Region, 4 hours from Johannesburg. The reserve is a protected area of critically endangered biodiversity, and a core area of the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO, 2001). The reserve contains all the "big five"; elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros (both blunt and pointed), lion and leopard. There are over 300 species of birds here and a huge number of mammal species, as well as a unique flora.
In this paradise, which very few others have access to, I have managed to get an unusual deal: seven days of safari x two per day.
Call me if you are interested: +47 920 85 247
Tour options
This vast area has great conservation value. Not only because of the rich biodiversity, but also for the locals who mainly live from agriculture. The connection between wildlife, people, culture and ecology is and will be evident. Tourism is of great importance to this cooperation, precisely because it provides funds for conservation, good economic development in the three countries and thus direct benefits for the locals. Gorilla Safaris helps to maintain this.
Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest er en av regnskogene i Afrika med størst dyre- og plantemangfold. Da det meste av Afrika var dekket av is lå Bwindi som en grønn øy på ekvator, der dyre- og planteliv fikk utvikle seg til noe av jordens mest spektakulære.
Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park is located in northwestern Rwanda. This is the most accessible national park for gorilla tracking, but also the most expensive.
DRC
Virunga nasjonalpark er en UNESCO World Heritage Site i den østlige delen av Den Demokratiske Republikken
Kongo. Virunga er Afrikas eldste nasjonalpark og det stedet på kontinentet med størst biodiversitet.
About Gorilla Safaris
Ulf has over 30 years of experience in arranging and guiding mountain gorilla tours in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has tracked mountain gorillas more times than most, and has been involved in building ecotourism in Uganda since 1992. Because of this work, Ulf was granted Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Photosafaris collaborates with Alakera Reiser as and the Rwenzori Ranges Hikers Association.
Gorilla Safaris offers unparalleled ecotourism experiences with a strong commitment to conservation and sustainable tourism.
"We had a fantastic tour guide, Ulf Amundsen. We can't praise him enough. He is very knowledgeable, smiling and accommodating. He has made our trip unforgettable."
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"Ulf impresses, therefore, with his engaging, pleasant demeanor, his alert, professional gaze, and his knowledge."
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"Chimpanzee and Gorilla Trekking – with heart palpitations and excitement at a high level. The sunset! We sat there for a while with something good in our glass, the sunset on one side and a herd of elephants strolling down the valley on the other. Could life get any better?"
"Uganda with Ulf ....an experience of a lifetime. Amazing Uganda - the trip of all trips."
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"Would like to especially highlight Ulf, our guide who spent a lot of time taking us on private tours during the day. He has a genuine love and respect for the ecosystem."
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"Uganda offers unforgettable encounters with animals (the gorillas are in a class of their own!), beautiful and lush nature and, not least, we were met by friendly and helpful people everywhere. Ulf's knowledge of most things and his acquaintances from 30 years in Uganda give it all an extra edge. We want to go back!"
"Ulf Amundsen led a very successful birding excursion to Uganda for the Norwegian Ornithological Society."
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"We probably had the best tour guide in all of Norway. Ulf was incredibly knowledgeable and good at communicating."
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"Go on safari to Uganda! ADVENTURE!!! Large herds of elephants, buffalo, giraffes - had to pinch my arm. But the highlight was probably seeing the mountain gorillas, just a few meters from us."
"I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy."
-Ernest Hemingway