Tours and Trip Packages to Kigali in September 2024

“I can't really tell you what this trip is like until you have yourself been to the Rwandan Genocide Museum, climbed the misty mountains up to the gorilla family, slept in the wild, gotten the mandatory sunburn, stood on the equator, ridden on horse-back across Ugandan sugar cane plantations, flown in a hot air balloon over the Mara, eaten ugali, stared into the eyes of a lion, seen the Great Rift Valley, been greeted by a thousand smiles and made friends with some of the very best people.”

“This was not the trip I had planned to take over Christmas, but it turned out to be truly rewarding, overall, although a little more of a heads-up regarding the gorilla trek would not go amiss. The whole trip may be rated as "2" - leisurely - and, for the most part you are travelling in a truck and this describes it well, but the mountain trek is definitely a "4", minimum (and I've been on a "3" and it was more demanding than that!). After 3-and-a-half hours up and down the mountain, mostly in pouring rain and hail, exhaustion was setting in when we reached our gorilla family - but the encounter really made the effort worthwhile. Looking back, however, most of my photos were shot long before we arrived in Rwanda - the game drives through the Masai Mara were very successful! In all of the drive, the only thing we missed was a leopard, but we did get to see rarities like the serval and jackel, so that was very satisfying. Some of the so-called "comfortable" camps were a bit of a let down, with poor washrooms and very elderly tents, badly in need of replacement, but the camps by the tour company were great, as was our superb team lead by Peter Kiptoo, driver Boniface, cook Esther and assistant Amos. They really helped to make the experience all the more memorable by looking after us all so well. This is a trip to be recommended!”

“If you could gurantee the same team, group and even half the wildlife encounters I'd book it up tomorrow.We were very lucky with both the wildlife and to have such an enthusiastic and fun group of guides and guests - which made the trip all the better.The locations are stunning - in two days in the Masai Mara we saw the big 5 and had an epic balloon ride at sunrise.Then we were off to Lake Nakuru and the rhinos and flamingos took centre stage, with the smiles getting wider as the wildlife encounters got better.Sleeping within 300m of a waterfall in Nakuru was a highlight and despite being the most basic, was my favourite campsite - hearing lions and hyeenas calling in the night while sat around a campfire checking out all the stars.At Jinja even novice rafters got to experience the thrill of white water and again the provided photos and videos had us all laughing and reliving the day.The Adrift campsite was also brand new and had great facilities.So the experiences built, Murchison has impressive waterfalls and the boat trip was a good way to get out of the heat of the day.Gorilla tracking in Budongo again had us being lucky, being in the middle of chimps hunting, a once in a lifetime opportunity and not something to be expected, but if you get to experience time with the enigmatic chimps you cannot be disappointed.Queen Elizabeth has less diversity of wildlife but still provided lots of Elephants and on the river you see birds and elephants everywhere.Lastly the gorillas - I did two treks and they were both different but magical experiences. The first involved a long trek but we were surrounded by a group and followed them, experiencing interactions with several different family members. This would be a tough trek if you are not physically fit and used to walking up hills.The second trek involved spending an unforgettable hour with Xmas, the largest silverback in Bwindi and his 1 and 2 year old babies. We could not see other members of the family and the trek was shorter and easier, but a very close and magical encounter - when a baby gorilla looks at you from less than 7m you get a sense of how special and priveledged your time with them is.You are also given certificates to help remember your time with these beautiful animalsThe trip to the genocide museum was a very poignant reminder of what Rwanda has been through as well.Some facts - the trip involves a lot of early starts and quite a bit of travelling. Your reward is the trip of a lifetime.The truck is large and spacious but keep things in the lockers or that room fills up quickly.You will need to be able to walk up steep hills for the gorillas, but the team takes things slowly and chooses the best path for the group.Campsites often had showers, toilets and a bar so have some dollars for these.A lot of Ugandan service stations and almost all of Rwanda wanted local currency.Some things to note - the Rwandan border was the most difficult to cross, with a problem getting our taxi across taking 2hrs but providing a great side adventure - a sense of humour about delays and acknowledging that you may be asked seeminglystupid questions is par for the course. Get some snacks and drinks before crossing as there is nothing on the Rwandan security zone.The tour operator team were fantastic throughout, working hard to fix any problems ( airline lost bags), keep our trip moving smoothly and provide fun and share jokes over Albert's fantastic cooking ( his cooking may expand your waistline).Gilbert was the charismatic tour leader with lots of local stories and knowledge, Stoney the unflappable driver who always made time to help, Albert the fantastic chef with all the catchphrases and a personality larger than life, and Charles the youngest and ever smiling and helpful team member eager to greet and hear of our days adventures.A good team feels like family not a crew, these guys felt like family and helped knit the group together.I feel exceptionally lucky to have been on this trip, I've travelled a lot and this will remain a trip to remember.If I could do the same or similar trip with the group and crew I would book it tomorrow, if you promised me half the wildlife too I'd still jump at the chance.Thanks to the tour company for another epic adventure.”