Gorilla Trek Africa
Gorilla Trek Africa
5
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
Enjoy a guided gorilla tour to Rwanda with Gorilla Trek Africa. With over 10 years experience in organizing day trips to the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, a trek with us is the most memorable adventure trip you can take into the wild of Africa. We are able to offer you unbeatable prices and unparalleled value on all our excursions.
Kigali, Rwanda
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
753 reviews
Excellent
726
Very good
16
Average
3
Poor
4
Terrible
4
Tyler T
Princeton, NJ15 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We did a 6 day tour with Gavis and can’t recommend Gorilla Trek Africa and our guide Gavis enough! From start to finish it was just like we were chilling on a great tour with our friends rather than with a tour guide. Booking with Nelson was easy and he was so kind and friendly with accommodating all of our itinerary requests. Gavis was an awesome and knowledgeable guide, excellent driver, and great DJ. He even made pitstops for us to go and check out things we’d heard about from other travelers, knows all the best routes, safari secrets, and every other guide out there. Can’t wait to come back and visit again!
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian M
London, UK70 contributions
Dec 2020 • Couples
From the first contact Nelson who is based in Uganda provided helpful advice and clear information about costs as we put together a week of primate trekking in Rwanda. Our driver guide Godwin took great care of the family and managed to get us back onto schedule after we had cleared Covid requirements so we did not miss anything. Gorilla Trek Africa proved to be a reliable choice at a difficult time. Rwanda is not the cheap option but it is a safe country taking sensible Covid precautions and the National Parks are running very professionally guarding the health of the apes.
Written January 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jtie
Sydney, Australia9 contributions
Jan 2020
My husband and I, both in our 60s have just returned from Rwanda after the most amazing experience with Gorilla Trek Africa. Our trip was first arranged by Nelson who was always quick to reply to emails and answered all our questions. All the arrangements and the itinerary he prepared for us were perfect. We were met at Kigali airport by the amazing Mildred, our guide/driver who looked after us during the next 3 days. Mildred was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable about the gorillas and expertly liaised with trek organisers and lodge staff especially arranging for my dietary needs to be addressed. Thank you Mildred for making our experience so amazing. We would thoroughly recommend using Gorilla Trek Africa to anyone contemplating visiting Rwanda to see these majestic animals in their own environment.
Written February 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Terri Watson Safaris and Photography
Denver, CO41 contributions
Jan 2020
I started adding gorilla treks to my itinerary two years ago and because of the reviews on Trip Advisor, I selected Gorilla Trek Africa. I have not been disappointed and will continue to work with them. My main contact with the operator, Nelson, is very responsive and timely in putting together the itinerary and helping select lodging, etc. The drivers/guides have been very knowledgeable, flexible, and personable. Our treks have been successful and everyone is very excited about the overall experience. I'll be back and travel with GTA again. Thumbs Up!
Written January 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine H
33 contributions
Oct 2022
We recently returned from a 10 day trip in Rwanda and Uganda in October with Gorilla Trek Africa and everything was fantastic! Nelson worked with us to create the perfect trip to meet our needs and was incredibly patient and responsive to all of our questions and changes. While we were only in East Africa a relatively short time, the itinerary allowed us to experience the perfect mix of nature and culture, but never feel rushed. We couldn’t have been luckier to be assigned Luchi as our driver and guide. He was incredible! He was very knowledgeable and informative, patient with our many questions, and a pleasure to spend time with. If we expressed an interest in seeing something, he made it happen. He has an incredible network and was clearly highly respected everywhere we went. He did everything he could to tailor the trip to what he learned we liked, including securing us more difficult treks to the gorillas! He also went out of his way to ensure that our 20th Wedding Anniversary was incredibly memorable including a surprise bottle of wine, special cake, song and celebration from Luchi and the Mihingo Lodge team. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our trip and came away with many unforgettable memories.
We highly recommend Gorilla Trek Africa to anyone wishing to travel in Rwanda and Uganda and for any gorilla trekking experience. We encountered several other travelers during our trip who were not getting near the experience we were (their guide was lost, or wasn’t able to identify key items; they were missing opportunities to see things; or they were actually being mislead). Sometimes they knew it and sometimes they didn’t, and we always considered ourselves lucky to be with Luchi and Gorilla Trek Africa.
We highly recommend Gorilla Trek Africa to anyone wishing to travel in Rwanda and Uganda and for any gorilla trekking experience. We encountered several other travelers during our trip who were not getting near the experience we were (their guide was lost, or wasn’t able to identify key items; they were missing opportunities to see things; or they were actually being mislead). Sometimes they knew it and sometimes they didn’t, and we always considered ourselves lucky to be with Luchi and Gorilla Trek Africa.
Written October 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Martin M
21 contributions
Nov 2022
amazing, truly once in a lifetime experience. very professional and knowledgable tour guide and an incredible trek with the gorillas spending an hour with a family of them within feet of us. The park rangers were very professional, polite and helpful while ensuring the safety of the guests and Gorillas. We did the 2 days tour and went to see the Golden `monkeys in Rwanda on day 2, which was well worth it, hiking in the foothills of the volcanoes and getting within feet of the monkeys and visiting a local community. The tour company took care of all lodging and transfers and meals were included. Everything went very smoothly. The only thing I would suggest is that the tour operators are a bit more clear on the exact itinerary. We weren't aware that we would be going to a national park in Rwanda on day 2 and therefore needed to get covid tests done at our own expense. to be fair, the process of getting the test was very easy and the tour guide coordinated everything without issue, so it didn't cause any scheduling problems, only the unexpected cost of USD $50 each. Highly recommended tour group!
Written November 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kat
New York City, NY31 contributions
Jan 2020
Our journey started with prompt and well-explained emails with Nelson. I felt comfortable booking this from the start due to his professionalism. On the morning of the trek, our driver, Julius, arrived early at our hotel. He was not only friendly and professional, but treated us like a family-friend. When he heard that we did not pack "gaiters" (leg coverings, definitely bring these!), he ran into his own home to loan us each a pair. He went truly above and beyond the whole day.
When we arrived at the meeting camp, we were placed into a group and oriented with our guide. Our guide was also great; he knew SO much about the gorillas, which he seemed to regard as his friends. He knew all of their individual names and characteristics. He had been working with them for many many years, and we felt very happy that we were going into the jungle with him!
After only about an hour of hiking up the beautiful mountain, we were ushered off of the path and onto the brush. Our guide used his machete to hack a walking path up over the brush for us (so cool!). And then, we saw them. A family of gorillas! It was thrilling. But we could not see the silverback, so the trackers went deeper into the brush to find him for us. Once located, we followed to catch a glimpse. He was majestic. There were perhaps 20 gorillas that we saw in total. It was completely amazing, and I can't recommend it more.
Of note- We had no trouble hiking or climbing or ducking through the brush, but you want to be in at least moderate shape for this. You do go off the path and really hike through brash brush, but the guides and trackers are very helpful in guiding you.
When we arrived at the meeting camp, we were placed into a group and oriented with our guide. Our guide was also great; he knew SO much about the gorillas, which he seemed to regard as his friends. He knew all of their individual names and characteristics. He had been working with them for many many years, and we felt very happy that we were going into the jungle with him!
After only about an hour of hiking up the beautiful mountain, we were ushered off of the path and onto the brush. Our guide used his machete to hack a walking path up over the brush for us (so cool!). And then, we saw them. A family of gorillas! It was thrilling. But we could not see the silverback, so the trackers went deeper into the brush to find him for us. Once located, we followed to catch a glimpse. He was majestic. There were perhaps 20 gorillas that we saw in total. It was completely amazing, and I can't recommend it more.
Of note- We had no trouble hiking or climbing or ducking through the brush, but you want to be in at least moderate shape for this. You do go off the path and really hike through brash brush, but the guides and trackers are very helpful in guiding you.
Written May 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fernando D
2 contributions
Feb 2022
Nelson and his staff at Gorilla Trek Africa were professional and delivered on all counts!
His choice of lodging was fabulous. A guest house in Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria gave me a chance to book a 1/2 day bike ride around a part of the Lake, great lodges in Bwindi NP & Volcanoes NP at reasonable prices with fabulous food (fresh fish caught the night before in local lakes).
My drivers and guides were gracious, professional, and spoke English. Very helpful when spending hours on the road together. They also stopped on the side of the road when I wanted to stop and take a photo.
Nelson also suggested ending in Lake Kivu. It wasn't on my original list but his recommendation was perfect. I did a 1/2 boat tour the day before boarding my return flight to US. On the boat I saw people in long boats taking produce to market from Congo to Uganda. That's the kind of insight and ideas I appreciate and want from my tour consultant as a traveler.
And the money shot! My goal was to see and photograph mountain back gorillas in Bwindi & Volcanoes NP. Nelson put my trip together. In Bwindi, I photographed a mountain gorilla mother, her content face enjoying the sunlight, while breast feeding her baby. I submitted the picture to Travel and Leisure. It was picked picture of the week in shown online!
His choice of lodging was fabulous. A guest house in Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria gave me a chance to book a 1/2 day bike ride around a part of the Lake, great lodges in Bwindi NP & Volcanoes NP at reasonable prices with fabulous food (fresh fish caught the night before in local lakes).
My drivers and guides were gracious, professional, and spoke English. Very helpful when spending hours on the road together. They also stopped on the side of the road when I wanted to stop and take a photo.
Nelson also suggested ending in Lake Kivu. It wasn't on my original list but his recommendation was perfect. I did a 1/2 boat tour the day before boarding my return flight to US. On the boat I saw people in long boats taking produce to market from Congo to Uganda. That's the kind of insight and ideas I appreciate and want from my tour consultant as a traveler.
And the money shot! My goal was to see and photograph mountain back gorillas in Bwindi & Volcanoes NP. Nelson put my trip together. In Bwindi, I photographed a mountain gorilla mother, her content face enjoying the sunlight, while breast feeding her baby. I submitted the picture to Travel and Leisure. It was picked picture of the week in shown online!
Written March 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz201746
New York City, NY17 contributions
Feb 2023 • Solo
I just spent over two weeks exploring Uganda with Gorilla Trek Africa I February. When previous plans fell through in November 2022 and I had to find another tour company, I was so glad to have found this company and it was a joy working with Nelson to plan my itinerary. He answered my inquiries promptly and everything was well organized and communicated. It was number one on my bucket list to go to see the gorillas. Nelson made great suggestions and I went with the luxury hotel option. We communicated numerous times adjusting and confirming. I couldn’t have been happier with my itinerary starting from Entebbe through Lake Mburo, three days of gorilla trekking in Rohija and Buhoma at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest., do get a porter, Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kibale for chimpanzee trekking to Murchison Falls to the Zika Rhino sanctuary, then to Jinja known for white water rafting and horseback riding and the start of the Nile River. I had so many wonderful experiences getting close to, in addition to the gorillas, giraffes, elephant, lions, leopard, and many others. I highly recommend the cruises on the Kazinga channel and the boat ride to Murchison Falls to see the hippos, Nile crocodiles and many other animals and birds who come to drink and bathe.
I traveled solo in a private Jeep with my amazing guide/driver Asaph who went out of his way to ensure my trip was everything I hoped. When my friends canceled for different reasons, I was a little apprehensive at 69 years old going for 17 days alone with a guide, but he was wonderful to travel with being flexible and concerned for me as I had broken my knee 6 months earlier but determined to go on my trip after planning pre COVID. It showed how much Asaph loves his country, his job and how knowledgeable he was. He made the long hours driving exciting even when dusty, hot and bumpy!
I enjoyed all of my hotels especially, Mihingo lodge, Mahogany Springs and Wild Waters Lodge. I will do separate reviews.the food and lunch boxes generous and very good. I felt safe the whole time and people were lovely everywhere.Highly recommend Gorilla Trek Africa as truly wonderful itinerary and experience. I do feel lucky that I found them when my other company failed. So glad to chose Uganda as a lovely country. . I do recommend to do more than one day of gorilla trekking as everyday was a new experience and saw different behaviors. Definitely a trip of a lifetime for me.
I traveled solo in a private Jeep with my amazing guide/driver Asaph who went out of his way to ensure my trip was everything I hoped. When my friends canceled for different reasons, I was a little apprehensive at 69 years old going for 17 days alone with a guide, but he was wonderful to travel with being flexible and concerned for me as I had broken my knee 6 months earlier but determined to go on my trip after planning pre COVID. It showed how much Asaph loves his country, his job and how knowledgeable he was. He made the long hours driving exciting even when dusty, hot and bumpy!
I enjoyed all of my hotels especially, Mihingo lodge, Mahogany Springs and Wild Waters Lodge. I will do separate reviews.the food and lunch boxes generous and very good. I felt safe the whole time and people were lovely everywhere.Highly recommend Gorilla Trek Africa as truly wonderful itinerary and experience. I do feel lucky that I found them when my other company failed. So glad to chose Uganda as a lovely country. . I do recommend to do more than one day of gorilla trekking as everyday was a new experience and saw different behaviors. Definitely a trip of a lifetime for me.
Written March 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bakri R.
33 contributions
Jan 2023
Thank you so much for a journey of a life-time!
It was really something special.
Nelson, who organized the trip was able to customize the perfect itinerary packed with everything we could manage during our stay and within our budget.
We were assigned Elvis as our guide, for our trip and he was perfect!
He was professional, energetic, an excellent driver, had extensive knowledge on a wide variety of subjects and was able to hold conversations on any subject I asked about. He made us feel safe throughout the entire trip. That was remarkable considering we drove through half of Uganda in just 2 days. Also, he was able to accomodate any of our wishes we had without compromising our itinerary. It was more than we could've imagined.
That's on top of achieving our objective, which was photographing the Chimpanzees and the Gorillas. We had really exciting encounters. The lodges we received were amazing and the personnel so hospitable. Uganda and Rwanda were perhaps the most beautiful countries I've ever seen.
That's out of 26 countries so far.
Thank you Gorilla Trek Africa.
I hope to travel with you in the future again!
It was really something special.
Nelson, who organized the trip was able to customize the perfect itinerary packed with everything we could manage during our stay and within our budget.
We were assigned Elvis as our guide, for our trip and he was perfect!
He was professional, energetic, an excellent driver, had extensive knowledge on a wide variety of subjects and was able to hold conversations on any subject I asked about. He made us feel safe throughout the entire trip. That was remarkable considering we drove through half of Uganda in just 2 days. Also, he was able to accomodate any of our wishes we had without compromising our itinerary. It was more than we could've imagined.
That's on top of achieving our objective, which was photographing the Chimpanzees and the Gorillas. We had really exciting encounters. The lodges we received were amazing and the personnel so hospitable. Uganda and Rwanda were perhaps the most beautiful countries I've ever seen.
That's out of 26 countries so far.
Thank you Gorilla Trek Africa.
I hope to travel with you in the future again!
Written February 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi- I’ll be doing a 5 day gorilla/chimp/golden monkey trek in February in Rwanda. I’m wondering what kind of hiking shoes/boots are appropriate? I have waterproof hiking sneakers, but they are not boots. They are comfortable and would like to bring those, but I’m wondering if I need more ankle support? I read that we should tuck are pants into our socks. What are the best socks for this time of year? Thanks, I appreciate any recommendations!
Written August 4, 2023
We wore insect shield socks and waterproof hiking shoes (with ankle support) and we were extremely comfortable
Written August 5, 2023
Hi- Any concerns around safety (terrorism/kidnappings, etc.) in Uganda while on these excursions? I see that Uganda is on the not-recommended list for US travelers. Thanks for any input/feedback about this!
Written November 15, 2022
I had no security concerns in Uganda, especially the western area where this tour goes. The places we stayed, transport and border crossing were smooth, clean and safe. I agree Rwanda is probably safer but this part of Uganda is also ok.
Written September 14, 2023
I just turned 66 years old. I am mobile but not terribly athletic. Will this trek be doable for someone like me?
Thank you
Written April 12, 2021
Hi which company would you recommend doing a Gorilla trek with in Rwanda? And is there anyone that had this included as part of their Tanzania safari?
Written March 5, 2020
Hi, we used Gorilla Trek Africa but now that I am reading they picked others up at the airport, they refused to do the same for us and the lodges were not luxury. They did show up and all and if you are smarter than us, you will not feel like you were taken advantage of as others seem to have a great experience. As for Tanzania, we used ClimbKili since we also climbed Kilimanjaro - nothing but good things to say about this company. If you are doing both areas and have some time constraints, I would do all my game drives/safaris in Tanzania. Each company you use should be able to arrange pick up drop off at the approproiate airports.
Written March 6, 2020
Sudan chairs treking gorillas in Rwanda.
Do they slow down the pace of other hikers? Is rate still $400usd. Can you hire if not "disabled " just not up to such an intense hike because of physical challenges?????
Thanks for any help.
Written January 12, 2020
I just did the Rwanda as well as the Uganda gorilla trek in June 2019. It really depends what group they put you in. Our Rwanda trek was relatively easy and our Uganda trek was quite difficult. The Rwanda trek permit cost is $1500 pp and Uganda’s is $600 pp. Rwanda raised their price in 2017. I loved both experiences. I’m sure they will work with you but it really depends where the gorillas are that morning that will determine the different treks for the day.
Written January 12, 2020
We want to go to bwindi in Uganda for trek...permits are $600 vs. $1500 in Rwanda. Can we get a tour out of Kigali for such?
Written January 2, 2020
Yes you can. In fact, we flew into Kigali, had a guide pick us up at the airport, and drove across the border to Uganda. It's probably a 3 hour drive, including spending some at border control (we arranged for Uganda visas in advance. Not sure how long it takes if you apply on the spot).
Written January 7, 2020
Past visitors: we have not decided yet between Uganda and Rwanda for seeing gorillas. What I’m curious on is how many people are doing two days of trekking for $3000 person? Since permits are $1500 per day in Rwanda and I’ve been told to book two days to be sure I see gorillas that is a hefty price. I understand it goes to a good cause and to see my dream come true but wanted to hear from other travelers on how many permit days they bought. We are going to Kenya mostly and this is a side trip so we have to mindful financially. Thanks for any advice.
Written December 2, 2019
Hi, Fellow travelers, I have just returned from an extensive trip to Africa the highlight for me was the Mountain Gorillas,
I flew into Kigali Rwanda and was met by my guide who drove me to the foothills of the mountains were the Gorillas reside,
My recommendation would be to take this route as the lodges in Rwanda are very comfortable you then have about a 20 min drive the next day to the rangers station and meeting point for a briefing
after this you drive 20 min to the stone wall that circles the 3 countries Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC, from here with the trackers you climb to 3000 to 3500 meters above sea level and find the Gorillas and spend one hour with them, YOU ONLY NEED THE ONE DAY unless you want to go back the next day and repete the process, any other question please ask, Regards Graeme Sydney Australia,
Written December 3, 2019
Do you need to take Malaria Pills when you go on a Gorilla Trek in Rwanda?
Written August 20, 2019
How far in advance should we book our gorilla trek in rwanda? We would like to travel Aug/sep 2020.
Written July 29, 2019
I went at the end of April 2019 and booked mid Dec. 2018. I would recommend booking at least 4 months out in order to ensure that Gorilla permits are still available for the of your visit. Gorilla Trek Africa was awesome to work with. If you email them directly Nelson can probably give you better in sight.
Written July 29, 2019
Hi,
Has anyone booked their Gorilla Trekking permit for Rwanda themselves, and if so what website they went through.
Many thanks in advance
Jess
Written February 27, 2019
Just back from Uganda and Rwanda, in and out of Kigale I too used Gorilla Trek Africa for 10 day trip. Nelson was so helpful in arranging what I wanted to do. I also highly recommend going to Kibale national park to see Chimpanzees that are also hibituated to tourists. There are a total of nine different primates there, some nocturnal. You need permit for this also.
Written March 3, 2019
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