Reviews of Mountain Gorilla View

"A superbly situated hotel in vast grounds. The biggest of all that we stayed in. Lodges were huge and well decorated with a veranda to relax on and indoor seating area. Occasional power cuts which were quickly rectified.

Food was buffet style but a huge choice and all very tasty and freshly cooked. Staff were very polite and attentive.

Lovely coffee bar and a roaring fire in communal areas at night and brilliant wifi.

We loved the boot cleaning service and the after trek foot massage!

Plenty of grounds to relax in and a daily local dance show" See all these reviews: 11n in Rwanda

"The service and staff were excellent, and while the rooms (bandas/cottages) were nice, they didn't start the fireplace for me when requested (and it was a cool night), and the en suite bathroom floor needed a bit of work (wood planks in front of sink were broken) and the coffee/tea maker provided in the room did not work. As I was staying only one night, I mentioned this to the lodge staff upon checkout.

The meal service is buffet style with plenty of choices and all very good." See all these reviews: 5n in Rwanda

"We had read mixed reviews of this lodge, but we were very happy with it. The staff to guest ratio was very high, and they worked hard to provide us with anything we required, cheerfully and promptly. It's close to the headquarters for Volcanoes National Park, the central gathering place for anyone doing a Gorilla or golden monkey trek (about a 20 minute drive).

There are now over 40 cabins, so it's not a small lodge, but having spent 5 nights there, it was nice to bond with other giuests, some of whom we later saw during our subsequent travels in Rwanda (which allowed us to have mini-reunions, of sorts). They are constructing some new units (numbers 40 and above, as I recall), and these are not nearly as charming as the single cabins with fireplaces that comprise the older part of the grounds. I would avoid these.

The chefs worked very hard, the buffets contained a bountiful assortment of foods, and we especially enjoyed the coffee bar, where cappuccinos and lattes could be ordered.

We did have one day where we lost water pressure, but management worked diligently to get things running again. In the evenings, we had a few extremely brief power outages, but nothing that lasted long. The bathrooms aren't luxurious, but they are perfectly functional, and the beds were very comfortable.

All in all, we'd be happy to stay again at Gorilla Mountain View Lodge." See all these reviews: 13n in Rwanda

"The accommodations were much nicer than we expected based on the website description. The rooms were quite large and comfortable with a sitting area and fireplace, and attractively designed and decorated. The grounds were also attractive.

Being close to the start of the trekking is a plus.

A slight downside for us was that the meals were buffets rather than a la carte, but the food was good and there were lots of options, including local options which we very much appreciated experiencing. Being able to order a freshly made omelet at breakfast was also a plus.

The staff was friendly and helpful. We appreciated the extra touches of a nice fire being built for us in the room and the hot water bottles in the bed. We were also traveling with an elderly friend us who had sprained a knee in a wheelie bag incident in Charles de Gaulle airport, and had some difficultly getting around. So for one night and one breakfast we asked if someone could bring the meal to her room. So one of us worked with a staff member to pick out what we wanted, and they delivered everything for the three of us to her room and came back to pick up later. It was quite lovely!

These travellers trekked up to see the gorillas, and commented:

Fabulous!

We were very fortunate to have the well known and entertaining guide Francoise. He is very knowledgeable about the gorillas having been working with them since Dian Fossy's time. We had a great time with him.

Our group was Kwitonda, a large group of 29, which we saw probably a dozen of including lots of young ones who were very actively playing and generally showing off. It was so amazing to be so close to them and them completely unconcerned. In fact we had to keep backing up to avoid making physical contact.

We reached them fairly easily, which was great since one of our group was elderly and had sustained a sprained knee on the way to Rwanda and had to be carried the entire way in a litter. The porters did a wonderful job getting her up and back while also giving others a hand as needed.

All in all we couldn't have hoped for a better experience." See all these reviews: 3n in Rwanda

"The rooms are not fancy but comfortable.

The lodge is very well positioned for gorilla trekking.

The quality of the food was mixed." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 4n in Rwanda

"This was a fantastic location to start 3 days of trekking in the Volcanoes National Park.

However the lodge is large and is somewhat outdated. For our use it was fine, but the service was average and the rooms were not particularly comfortable or clean. We had to ask repeatedly for new towels, for example as we were frequently left without them. The bedsheets and rugs in the rooms were marked through over use and whilst they were 'clean' really needed to be replaced.

Given the newer luxury lodges that are being constructed in the area, we would not suggest that this is more than a 3* property by European standards. The food was fairly good, however with a good choice and freshly cooked each day." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda; 2n in Kenya

"The only reason not to give this hotel an excellent rating was the slippery shower, a small detail but my wife slipped and fell. Luckily only her pride was injured, though she was a bit sore the next day. Other than that, the food was wonderful, a mix of local and international fare and the staff was super. We would return here without hesitation.

Whilst at Gorilla Mountain Lodge these guests did a morning trek in search of Golden Monkeys; here's what they said about it:
Easy hike and a good way to aclimate oneself to the altitude. We were pleasantly surprised as to how close the monkeys got.

They also did three Gorilla treks; and here's what they said about those:
For anyone who loves animals and the outdoors, this is a must at least once in your life. We did three treks and it kept getting better each day. Day 1 was the Isabukuru Group, a med level hike of 2.5 hours. After 45 minutes with the Silverback, heavy rain and hail began and we eventually called it quits, though it was still a wonderful experience. Day 2 was the Agashya Group, an easy 1 hour hike in the beautiful sunshine where we were rewarded with great views of the Silverback. Day 3 was the Hirwa Group, another mid level 2 hour hike. This group with its playful youngsters was wonderful beyond words." See all these reviews: 6n in Botswana; 6n in Rwanda; 2n in South Africa

"The position of the lodge and setting was good. The chalet however was not well designed and appointed. The room was large and with a concrete floor was cold even though a fire was lit in the fireplace in the evenings. The bathroom was also large. The shower was in one of the corners but didn't have a cubicle or shower curtain around it and when turned on the water sprayed onto the bathroom floor which strangely was a wooden floor. So there was a part of the floor which was repaired presumably where the floorboards had rotted from the shower water.

Good points about the room were the fireplace and evening fires and a hot water bottle in the bed in the evening.

The main lodge was adequate but not particularly comfortable. The food was good with lots of choice including freshly cooked stir fries in the evening and eggs and omelettes at breakfast. The service throughout the lodge was good." See all these reviews: 11n in Rwanda; 2n in Kenya

"We had a great stay at the Mountain View Gorilla Lodge for the first two nights, the team there was very welcoming and pleasant – a great stay for people who are looking for comfort within a sensible budget with great views and looking for accommodation near the park entrance! A nice touch was the fireplace in the banda, which certainly kept us warm, as the nights were relatively cold in December. If I wanted to be critical and to provide some sort of constructive feedback then I would have say that the bathrooms certainly require a bit of TLC – although we knew this before proceeding with the Mountain View Gorilla Lodge from the reviews, however, the team at the lodge, the food, and the atmosphere made up for this!" See all these reviews: 3n in Rwanda

"The Gorilla Mountain Lodge is in a great location with amazing views of the mountains where the monkeys and gorillas live. The lodge is quite quirky, with rooms spread out over the site. The food was great; three courses at lunch and dinner with plenty of options. The evenings were quite chilly so we had a real fire in our rooms, which were very welcome. Also, hot water bottles in our beds; very nice!!

We had a great time here, the only negative points we would say is on the point of tipping. We decided to leave a tip at the end of our stay, to be shared amongst all the staff. Whenever any of the staff did anything for us they would linger, obviously waiting for a tip. We actually found this quite embarrassing and it made us feel uncomfortable. I would suggest that the hotel is made aware of this, as I am sure other people felt the same.

Whilst in Rwanda, we organised a private driver-guide and 4WD for these travellers. They commented:

Theo picked us up from the airport and was very professional at all times. He was a very careful and safe driver and made us feel very confident, even when we were in busy traffic. He was very knowledgeable and told us a lot about Rwanda and the genocide that happened. He recommended a visit to the local market which we found very interested. We didn't really do a lot with him as we were only in Rwanda 4 days; one day travelling to the gorillas and three days seeing the monkeys and gorillas.

On our return to the airport my daughter left her passport in the hotel. Fortunately Theo hadn't left the airport and was waiting to make sure we got on the plane OK. He quickly took my husband back to the hotel to pick up the passport; I don't know what we would have done if he had gone." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 4n in Rwanda