We recently did a 5 days/4 nights tour in Rwanda with Eco Adventure Safaris, covering the main highlights of the country (chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe NP, Lake Kivu, gorilla trekking & golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes NP and Kigali). Eco Adventure Safaris were absolutely fabulous, we were super happy with the experience and would definitely recommend them!
Pros
- From the first contact, Patrick was incredibly helpful and efficient, always super quick to respond (record was 5 mins after I sent an email), very diligent in his answers, and he was also super flexible and accommodating with changes to the itinerary right up to the last minute
- Our driver guide, Godfrey, was excellent, very knowledgeable, professional and friendly, and drove super safely despite the at times rather treacherous roads and long journeys
- We had a large safari-style cruiser, which was very comfortable and modern inside (e.g. charging points). Unfortunately on the last day of the trip the car started having some power issues, but Godfrey made sure that we weren't impacted and that the tour continued smoothly regardless
- Price was competitive versus several other local companies we reached out to, and also was relatively transparent when comparing different options (e.g. when comparing hotel A vs. B, as opposed to just pocketing the difference)
- They included complimentary transfers in Kigali before and after the tour, and even an extra transit in Kigali when we needed to change hotel last minute
- The website is absolutely a gold mine of information, it was probably the most helpful resource we were able to find when deciding how to put together our itinerary and what to prioritise
Other considerations
- Eco Adventure Safaris is based in Uganda, so our driver guide and the vehicle were from Uganda. We were totally happy with that because we had a great experience, but if you feel very strongly about wanting someone local (i.e. from Rwanda in Rwanda), it might be worth checking that with Patrick...
- Before we booked, given this was all online and you have to pay upfront, we were a bit nervous about whether they were a legitimate company! We did as much research as we could (e.g. trying to check their UTB license, contacting some past reviewers), but we didn't get any answers! Anyway, now there are a lot more TA reviews so hopefully that gives comfort to future customers! :)