Rwanda: reviews from our travellers

"The biggest issue with comfort for the trip was that we were given an older vehicle which is quite uncomfortable from the beginning of the trip until we reached Kivu lake. At Kivu Lake, three days into the Rwanda part, I let Expert Africa know about my concerns regarding the possible safety issues of the vehicle as well as the comfort issues. I had an almost immediate reply from Expert Africa who contacted the tour organizer, Primate Safaris in Rwanda. They met us the next day with a new vehicle for the rest of the trip.

The entire planning of the trip took multiple conversations and emails with the Expert Africa team. They were extremely helpful and worked with us until we found a trip that we thought would meet our desired experience. I believe we had seven iterations before finally choosing the last one.

I would have mixed feelings about going during rainy season again. It was less crowded, which was quite nice. A few plans did get rained out or had to be changed.

The few hotels we stayed at in between various parts of the trip were used only for several hours and simpler, less expensive accommodations would probably have sufficed quite well.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We did not seek other quotes for the trip.

Our previous trip to Zambia with Expert Africa impressed us so much, that we only used them to arrange this tour for us. It was a good decision." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"We loved every minute of our trip. A new day a new adventure. Superb accommodation, safaris, food and wines.
Loved Africa." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"We thoroughly enjoyed the trip it met all of our specifications in terms of culture, history and wildlife.

The visit to Kigali was very moving and a trip to Rwanda couldn't be done without visiting the Genocide Museum to see what the people of Rwanda have been through.

Our visit up to the Volcanoes National Park was everything and more ... the hike up to the golden monkeys was well worth it and was a great prelude to the hike to see the Gorilla's the next day. The Gorilla experience was amazing and the time flew by so quickly it was over in a flash.

To end our wonderful trip we spent a few days on Lake Kivu which again incorporated a trip into the town passing the church where more than 36000 Tutsi's were massacred, as well as the bird life in the gardens of the lodge and on the water's edge.

We found all the staff in the hotels, the guides and all the Rwandan people were really friendly and welcoming throughout our stay." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Rwanda safari

"This trip was worth everything that my husband and I put into it. We hesitated on the cost but then realized that having the exact trip we wanted would be worth it.

I can't gush enough about how perfectly ExpertAfrica put together everything for us. It was also in the perfect order, and met every little thing we had asked for.
We wanted walking safaris, which we got. We wanted luxury, which we got. We wanted parks/reserves that were not as crowded but still had great game viewing. Nothing about the itinerary disappointed us.

I'm also impressed with the order of the itinerary. We thought it strange that we were going to Selous and then Ruaha when everyone we encountered in Selous mentioned that they had come from Ruaha. We wondered why we were doing it the other way, and also wondered, with Beho Beho's level of luxury, if maybe finishing on it would be better. But once we got to Ruaha and experience Kichaka Expeditions, we knew that the trip had been planned exactly right. Though both camps are absolutely great at what they do, if we had done it in reverse order, we might've been a little disappointed.

Also, I want to comment that I was very pleased with Primate Safaris, who worked with us in Rwanda. They were professional, and really great. Our luggage had gotten lost on the way into Kigali, and the company helped us get it to us. The guiding was knowledgeable, friendly, easy to talk to, and we had a really good time.

The only problem with this trip is that it made me realize how unhappy I am with my current day job and it was extremely hard to transition back to regular life. It was almost too good of a trip! All I want to do is return to Africa on another vacation, even though I know it will be a long time before I can...
But for certain, when I do, I will book through Expert Africa.

As a note, though Lyndsey helped with our final details of our trip," Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"We had an excellent trip with the exception of our trip / flights from Zambia to Rwanda (via J'burg)." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Our trip to Rwanda unexpectedly turned out to be rather dramatic following the first and only gorilla trek which left us total exhausted and me seeking medical help resulting in leaving the Volcanoes National Park earlier than planned and a 2 night stay at the King Faisal Hospital in Kigali following a diagnosis of pneumonia from which I'm still recovering and will probably do so for possibly another 2 weeks or more. We would not have got through this unfortunate episode without the help of our Primate Safaris driver/guide Sura who assisted in so many ways from paying a hospital bill with his own money to procuring cups of coffee from a cafeteria for me while I was in hospital. Well beyond what was expected for which we are truly grateful.

Having spoken with several people who were trekking it seems to us that better briefing beforehand is required. With trekking up to 3000 metres you have to be physically fit and acclimatised which were not although of course I did not know at the time I was suffering with pneumonia. Comment was made that it's always best to do one trek before committing to another. Appreciate that could be a problem as permits often should be booked in advance. It's not unusual for people to abandon the trek part way and in my case the guide did mention (at the end) there was a thought that I might need to be stretchered off the mountain. Among the people I spoke with was an American lady doctor who said she had to give up on her trek but then again she should not really have been on it as she's asthmatic but no one told her how difficult it might be. Nurses at the hospital in Kigali said they often had patient referrals from the gorilla treks as many underestimate the difficult terrain involved.

It would seem there is a perception among a lot of people that seeing the gorillas in the wild is a trip for everyone. Don't believe it is and can be a lottery. At least we have experienced a meeting with gorillas but at some cost and now plenty of paperwork associated with the insurance claim for reimbursement of hospital fees and the non-refundable trek permit. Would advise would be visitors to seriously think about the risks involved." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Rwanda safari

"Thank you for helping us have a memorable trip!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Rwanda safari

"Our trip to Africa was a dream come true. It was better than I had anticipated. Staying at Lamai Serengeti was the highlight of our trip.

My husband and I do like to be active, so in retrospect 9 days of game drives was too much for us. Our backs were hurting us from inactivity. I, unfortunately, had not realized, that, of course, we wouldn't be doing much walking within our camps, due to the proximity of wildlife. We did do one walking safari, which was great. We had a second opportunity for a walking safari, but this was at Oliver's Camp where the tsetse flies were brutal, so we declined that opportunity.

As well, the drive down to the crater each day in Ngorogoro was not fun. Extremely bumpy and unbelievable dust. I guess in retrospect I should have asked more questions before we chose our camps. I am a "water girl" - we live on a lake and I am used to humidity, but not at all accustomed to extreme dry and dusty conditions. I just felt terrible the whole time I was at the crater.

Also, some days it was a little much to do a game drive upon arriving after a couple of flights. Travel days - in Africa, even though the flights were short, were tedious days as there was always a lot of waiting around. For instance, we would leave the camp at 8:30, perhaps an hour drive to the airport, then the flight wouldn't leave until 11am, etc." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Visiting the mountain gorillas was a fantastic life time experience . We had chosen to do two treks. On our first trek we saw the gorillas within 45 minutes. We turned a corner, and there in all his glory was a silverback munching away six feet away from us.

Our second viewing of a different family took us 2 hours of trekking to find them.Although billed as an easy trek, this group were particularly active and were continually on the move going up the mountain. There had also been heavy rain overnight, making walking conditions difficult. Although this trek proved to be a challenge, we felt we experienced more the true environment, in which these mountain gorillas live. Also we were rewarded with a 10 second glimpse of a mother holding in her hand a 4 week old baby, before disappearing into the bush.

Mountain Gorilla trekking is a must do experience. Although expensive to do ,when you see the gorillas ,you feel you cannot put a price on what you have witnessed." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Rwanda safari

"This was a special trip to celebrate some special birthdays and it was brilliant from start to finish. It completely exceeded our expectations.

The primate trekking throughout was phenomenal and brilliantly organised and to see gorillas in their natural habitat was awesome. Thank you Ellie for advising us to go twice, it was amazing! Expert Africa were professional and knowledgeable in their organisation and booking of the trip. I'd have absolutely no reservations in recommending you to friends and family. Our guide in Rwanda, Alex, was fantastic.

Thank you for making our trip so memorable and we're telling everyone about it!

A true holiday of a lifetime!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Rwanda safari