Reviews of safaris to Volcanoes National Park

"Additional Feedback - Patrick our guide was wonderful sometimes his timekeeping was slightly off but he excelled in everything else, the roads through Rwanda were sometimes very poor especially from Nyungwe to Lake Kivu however it was so scenic. he was so knowledgeable and catered to our whims especially with the gorillas,

We have already recommended Expert Africa to so many people after this trip for both the advisory service before and the quality of the holiday. We had the most wonderful holiday surpassing all our expectations. Thank you so much for arranging it.

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We couldnt fault the service" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"We had expected an itinerary which we only got from our guide on arrival in Ruanda.
We found we had a very long and bumpy trip from Kigali to Nyungwe and from Nyungwe to Kibuye. These were unexpected and not pleasant.
We wondered why we had 4 nights in mountain view lodge rather than 3 nights and last night in Kigali> Most others seemed to do this.

THE PERSON WHO MADE OUR TRIP SPECIAL WAS OUR DRIVER IN RWANDA, AIMABLE. He broke our long journey to Nyungwe with a stop at the National museum. He made our last day in Rwanda special as he suggested we left very early so we could spend time at the Genocide museum before we caught our flight to Zanzibar. He shared his own experiences of the politics of Rwanda and the Genocide. He really looked after us

Overall the trip was great we enjoyed all the primates, Rwanda. Zanzibar and Mafia" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 10 on a Rwanda safari

"A great holiday, well organised, we were met at every point, our driver/guide in Rwanda, Sam was very good. The holiday met our requirements and are looking forward to next year.

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Please really emphasis the damp and coldness of the mountains when going to Rwanda to see the gorillas, it is not so much as to what to wear when climbing but how to keep warm in the rooms as everything feels damp, also take a torch as the rooms can get dark as the generators are only on for certain times, can make reading difficult." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"Generally happy with the whole trip, except for Swahili House

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I do not have any suggestions at present" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Absolutely fantastic. Rwanda is a beautiful country.

Our guide Theo was wonderful and we saw so much more than the gorillas (which were amazing). We would strongly encourage anyone to visit Rwanda and to see as much of the country as possible.

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the only small improvement would be to have one night at Kibuye and then a second night either at Gisenyi (FCO permitting) or back in Kigali. That would still leave time for a boat trip on the lake but would provide nicer accomodation." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Rwanda safari

"The organisation of the trip was great and everything worked perfectly. The guides and their landcruisers were excellent.

The change in location of the Serengeti Safari Camp to be by the Mara River was great - and as it was a new site it was amazing to be there on its first night ever. The re-arrangement of our transfers and flights worked very smoothly to our relief.

We had said that this would be our last safari, but we had such a great time that I suspect we'll be going again.......

We felt that we were glad to have gone gorilla trekking now, as we soon wouldn't have the energy to climb the mountains - the climb is from 7,000' to about 9,000'. Not impossible, but we were the oldest in our groups by more than somewhat on our gorilla trekking days, so we were the slowest." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"I planned it as a trip of a lifetime and thanks to Expert Africa, Claire Scott, and other members of the team so it proved to be just that. Now I have the 'bug' to do another trip.

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Just one, a bit nit picking, but your superb wallet would have been even better if it had wrist strap attached as it would save fishing it out of the hand luggage.

This traveller later commented on his guide in Rwanda:

Kamanzi Aloys was great with his knowledge from football, Rwanda history and the local flora & fauna. Plus his driving skills were 1st class if you have experience the roads and the tracks you will understand." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"Very helpful in planning the trip. All arrangements went well." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"We loved every second of the trip. Although we were only in Rwanda four nights we did so much it felt a lot longer. Visiting Kigarli and the genocide museum was an interesting and humbling experience. The country is beautiful and very clean. The people were welcoming and friendly where ever we went.

Seeing the gorillas was a memory we'll never forget. Every guide we had (I hope I have remembered their names correctly - Edward, Francis and Pappy) was excellent, very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Seeing the Golden Monkeys was another interesting experience and a great contrast to the gorillas.

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Tracy has been great and has promptly answered any questions we have had. The service has been excellent this is the second time we have travelled with Expert Africa and will certainly do so again in the future." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 4 on a Rwanda safari

"We both really enjoyed the trip. It was wonderful to have the opportunity, in my case, of returning to Rwanda and seeing more of the country and its people - and of course, the beloved gorillas - a real privilege. My travel companion, Darrell, for whom it was the first time, had a wonderful time too, and I think, I hope (!), understood why I was so enamoured of the country.

Private guide in Rwanda

Patrick was always punctual, patient, calm, friendly and efficient. A very good driver especially on the bumpy stretches of road.
He always attended to our requests (postcards, money changing, a local market etc) He tried to negotiate suitable groups for us to join on the gorilla trekking - very much appreciated. He also saw to my "revisiting" (and showing Darrell) Virunga Lodge and Hotel des Milles Collines. I loved the way Patrick just walked into both places although we weren't guests there - I'd expected to see them only from the outside!

Patrick also did an excellent job in knowing how, when and where to give out Darrell's pens and notebooks to children (as you know, it can be chaos) and also in giving away clothes Darrell discarded at the end of the trip. It gave us great pleasure to see the happy faces.
Patrick always answered our questions but we thought maybe he could have been a little more spontaneously informative on the trip in general, as he was, in fact, on the tour of Kigali. However, it may be considered by himself and his office that he is mainly the driver and each place/activity has its guide." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Rwanda safari