Rwanda Gorilla Trek - Day Tours
Rwanda Gorilla Trek - Day Tours
5
Full view
About
Huye, Rwanda
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Rwanda Gorilla Trek - Day Tours
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsTravelers talk about
Contribute
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
97 reviews
Excellent
91
Very good
6
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
NellyNg
Singapore, Singapore126 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
Rwanda Gorilla trek with Active African Vacations is entirely faultless. Billy Ssali is world-class in organizing and customizing itineraries to explore Rwanda & Uganda; no request is too small or big!
Billy is first class all the way, He takes all the decision-making and planning off your hands, and you just need to show up and be escorted on an adventure of a lifetime.
I have never been so impressed with a tour company, and I have been travelling the world endlessly for couple of years, so I'm no strangers to tour companies.
I loved the quality of transfers, accommodations, excursions, rangers & guides and destinations. Not only is Uganda is a truly pearl of Africa, but you are also overwhelmed by all the incredible people, sights and scenery.
I only had five days to explore Rwanda & Uganda after my trip in Kenya and wanted to ensure we experienced the best it has to offer, and Billy made sure of this. Billy used their in-depth local expertise and knowledge to design the itinerary based on my requests and travel style; it was perfect.
My itinerary included Gorilla trek in both Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda .
I booked my trip one year in advance to facilitate gorilla permit which is limited to 8 pax per group per day, and Billy was extremely accommodating in the fast turnaround and booking of absolutely every element, including cross border between the two countries; Billy and his team are superhuman.
I loved Billy's responsiveness via WhatsApp, along with all the detailed information he provided, you have every little detail at your disposal.
He makes sure that I have happy stomach before and after the activities.
I had the vacations of my dream and I will definitely be back one day with my family. My trip was simply epic. I will always cherish the memories of these amazing 5 days.
I am eternally grateful to have found Billy and, in a heartbeat, would recommend Active African Vacation to everyone that wants to explore beautiful Rwanda & Uganda.
Billy is first class all the way, He takes all the decision-making and planning off your hands, and you just need to show up and be escorted on an adventure of a lifetime.
I have never been so impressed with a tour company, and I have been travelling the world endlessly for couple of years, so I'm no strangers to tour companies.
I loved the quality of transfers, accommodations, excursions, rangers & guides and destinations. Not only is Uganda is a truly pearl of Africa, but you are also overwhelmed by all the incredible people, sights and scenery.
I only had five days to explore Rwanda & Uganda after my trip in Kenya and wanted to ensure we experienced the best it has to offer, and Billy made sure of this. Billy used their in-depth local expertise and knowledge to design the itinerary based on my requests and travel style; it was perfect.
My itinerary included Gorilla trek in both Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda .
I booked my trip one year in advance to facilitate gorilla permit which is limited to 8 pax per group per day, and Billy was extremely accommodating in the fast turnaround and booking of absolutely every element, including cross border between the two countries; Billy and his team are superhuman.
I loved Billy's responsiveness via WhatsApp, along with all the detailed information he provided, you have every little detail at your disposal.
He makes sure that I have happy stomach before and after the activities.
I had the vacations of my dream and I will definitely be back one day with my family. My trip was simply epic. I will always cherish the memories of these amazing 5 days.
I am eternally grateful to have found Billy and, in a heartbeat, would recommend Active African Vacation to everyone that wants to explore beautiful Rwanda & Uganda.
Written July 26, 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.
Andrew P
2 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
We had a great experience seeing Gorillas and Golden Monkeys! Billy arranged to have us picked up nearer to Musanze (usually the tours start in Kigali). Our driver Isaac stayed with us for many hours of the journey, including the primate tour days, and told us stories from his safari experience. We appreciated Isaac and Billy's arrangements to visit such a scenic place. Advice to visitors would be, make sure you understand which things are included in the tour cost, as lodging was a separate cost. Also make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen when gorilla trekking! Billy and Isaac did a great job securing our gorilla permit (do this at least 2 weeks in advance if possible) and arranging our covid PCR test (done the day before the gorilla trek). Overall we had a wonderful experience and recommend the tour.
Written March 3, 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.
Roxanne
8 contributions
Nov 2022
I just came back from the most incredible trip I have been on in a long time. This trip rates right up there with a safari I did in the Mara.
First off, I was a female travelling alone, and that often produces extra caution when travelling with a many you don't know, in a country you don't know, where they speak a language you don't know.
Billy, and his Intern Samuel, accompanying me on this trip made all the difference. Billy and I formed a 'relationship' via text weeks before the trip happened so I was completely at ease. There were no surprises, and Billy was always 100% honest with me on everything including length of treks and difficulty levels. If I was even slightly disappointed with something, he made up for it in spades the next day (this only happened once and no fault of Billy's at all).
I went on a 4 day tour with him which included a day of travel, 2 days gorilla treking, and one day to Dian Fossey's camp/grave site. What an incredible experience. I have raved about the trip with anyone and everyone who will listen.
I stayed at the 5 Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, and was treated like a queen. Everyday, when I returned, someone would remove my shoes and socks, rub my feet, put sandals on me....and take my shoes away to be washed! I have never experienced service like that anywhere. The food, also, was incredible. I can't say enough about this hotel, which Billy recommended.
Billy promised me the trip of my dreams, while we were setting up our plans, and he delivered! It was everything I imagined.
I highly recommend allowing him to set up your trip, and to travel with him. I will be passing his information on to people I know who are interested in visiting the gorillas in Rwanda.
First off, I was a female travelling alone, and that often produces extra caution when travelling with a many you don't know, in a country you don't know, where they speak a language you don't know.
Billy, and his Intern Samuel, accompanying me on this trip made all the difference. Billy and I formed a 'relationship' via text weeks before the trip happened so I was completely at ease. There were no surprises, and Billy was always 100% honest with me on everything including length of treks and difficulty levels. If I was even slightly disappointed with something, he made up for it in spades the next day (this only happened once and no fault of Billy's at all).
I went on a 4 day tour with him which included a day of travel, 2 days gorilla treking, and one day to Dian Fossey's camp/grave site. What an incredible experience. I have raved about the trip with anyone and everyone who will listen.
I stayed at the 5 Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, and was treated like a queen. Everyday, when I returned, someone would remove my shoes and socks, rub my feet, put sandals on me....and take my shoes away to be washed! I have never experienced service like that anywhere. The food, also, was incredible. I can't say enough about this hotel, which Billy recommended.
Billy promised me the trip of my dreams, while we were setting up our plans, and he delivered! It was everything I imagined.
I highly recommend allowing him to set up your trip, and to travel with him. I will be passing his information on to people I know who are interested in visiting the gorillas in Rwanda.
Written December 6, 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.
Dragonspirit.ca
4 contributions
Dec 2022 • Solo
I took a one day trip which left my hotel at 4am! Miraculously we heard the Amahoro family as soon as we entered the park and saw them few minutes later, which is rare. We saw multiple members of the family: adolescents playing together in a tree, a mother and baby with accompanying male, individuals in trees. They were so close we had to move out of their way! All very calm and peaceful. The guides and porters were great and I strongly recommend Krish the driver who made sure everything was in order the day before, and after taking care of me through the trip introduced me to some local food for lunch. It was an amazing experience !
Written December 16, 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.
Daniel
Stockholm, Sweden4 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
What an amazing trip! Billy helped us With our 4 days visit to Rwanda and Uganda. We were a group of 11 Swedes of mixed ages and the arrangements were impeccable. Best tour guide so far in our 1 year African adventure. Everything worked like a charm.
We flew in to Kigali, Rwanda were we were picked up by 2 very nice Landrovers that were stocked with beverages. We then drove to Uganda where we had a very nice trekk and visited a beautiful Gorilla family with 3 silverbacks and a baby. What a wonderful experience and worth every penny. We walked and slept in the footsteps of Diane Fossey.
Once back in Kigali (which was an amazing city; clean, safe, friendly and modern). We visited the genicide muaeum and some monuments. The visit to the Nyarubuye church was very emotional.
I highly recommend Rwanda Gorilla Trek to anyone that want an A+ experience. I am already in the planning of a second trip with Billy and the crew to visit the Chimpanzees in Kibale Forrest.
We flew in to Kigali, Rwanda were we were picked up by 2 very nice Landrovers that were stocked with beverages. We then drove to Uganda where we had a very nice trekk and visited a beautiful Gorilla family with 3 silverbacks and a baby. What a wonderful experience and worth every penny. We walked and slept in the footsteps of Diane Fossey.
Once back in Kigali (which was an amazing city; clean, safe, friendly and modern). We visited the genicide muaeum and some monuments. The visit to the Nyarubuye church was very emotional.
I highly recommend Rwanda Gorilla Trek to anyone that want an A+ experience. I am already in the planning of a second trip with Billy and the crew to visit the Chimpanzees in Kibale Forrest.
Written April 13, 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.
ASMcC
New York6 contributions
Jun 2022
The gorilla trek was the highlight of our week in beautiful Rwanda. The whole trip was made perfect by our excellent guide Nathan Byiringiro of African Travel (africantravelinc.com) who organized all the logistics seamlessly and who was not only highly knowledgeable and professional, but also a warm and lovely person and great company. A fantastic experience.
Written June 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.
Irene
5 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
To observe these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat is outstanding – mothers with their precious babies, boisterous juveniles, and more adult members all going about their daily routines of feasting, frolicking, and grooming under the protective eye of the majestic silverback.
Our choice of Rwanda Gorilla Trek/Active African Vacations was exceptional from our booking with friendly efficient Haddy, to our knowledgeable and personable driver/guide Billy, whose networking with the different groups (national park rangers and guides, trackers, porters) provided a safe and amazing safari, and also can’t forget to mention the staff at Five Volcanoes Hotel for our fine stay – our sincere thanks and appreciation to all.
I must say, the two-hour trek to get to our designated “Muhoza” gorilla family, was far from an easy walk in the park but if I can do it at almost age 80 and my husband Rick just a few years behind – you can too. An extraordinary adventure!
Irene & Rick Butler
Our choice of Rwanda Gorilla Trek/Active African Vacations was exceptional from our booking with friendly efficient Haddy, to our knowledgeable and personable driver/guide Billy, whose networking with the different groups (national park rangers and guides, trackers, porters) provided a safe and amazing safari, and also can’t forget to mention the staff at Five Volcanoes Hotel for our fine stay – our sincere thanks and appreciation to all.
I must say, the two-hour trek to get to our designated “Muhoza” gorilla family, was far from an easy walk in the park but if I can do it at almost age 80 and my husband Rick just a few years behind – you can too. An extraordinary adventure!
Irene & Rick Butler
Written December 20, 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.
AjKamath
Hong Kong, China247 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
Absolutely amazing - definitely a once in a lifetime experience.
Everything, from the time I arrived in Rwanda to the time I left, was extremely well organized and enjoyable.
Planning the itinerary was easy with the team providing bespoke itineraries and flexibility on the accommodation/food options. Emmanuel was an exceptional guide and ensured that I had a comfortable and enjoyable experience. He ensured I was able to see almost all the wildlife/birds that I had on my checklist. The game drives and birding experiences were great - however, the highlight was most definitely the Gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking. Highly recommend this activity and Rwanda + Uganda for an amazing adventure.
Everything, from the time I arrived in Rwanda to the time I left, was extremely well organized and enjoyable.
Planning the itinerary was easy with the team providing bespoke itineraries and flexibility on the accommodation/food options. Emmanuel was an exceptional guide and ensured that I had a comfortable and enjoyable experience. He ensured I was able to see almost all the wildlife/birds that I had on my checklist. The game drives and birding experiences were great - however, the highlight was most definitely the Gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking. Highly recommend this activity and Rwanda + Uganda for an amazing adventure.
Written February 10, 2024
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.
5fortravel
San Francisco218 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
For those of use who like the convenience of getting it on done on the phone, instantly with WhatsApp, Billy’s your guy. I texted him to arrange a same day Gorilla trek and got all communications and payment done on WhatsApp in real time rather than pinging back on forth on email.
The fact that he was so quick to reply gave me more trust in him. Also accepts M-pesa which was handy when ATM card got disabled.
There was a tiny mixup in pickup time that gave me 10 min of anxiety but other than that, it was smooth sailing. You can rely on Billy to be responsive.
The fact that he was so quick to reply gave me more trust in him. Also accepts M-pesa which was handy when ATM card got disabled.
There was a tiny mixup in pickup time that gave me 10 min of anxiety but other than that, it was smooth sailing. You can rely on Billy to be responsive.
Written June 22, 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.
Scott H
Dewey, AZ6 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
We had 5 couple in Rwanda & Uganda for 2 Silver Back Mtn Gorilla Treks and this organization did a Great job in all areas, including our lodging & food. Knowledge of the areas we traveled in. Our guides had incredible relationships with people along our route not to mention great knowledge they shared about both countries & moving between the 2 countries was as simple as it could be!,
Billy & Phillip were extremely helpful to all of us & kept all 10 of us entertained while able to shift on the fly to stop at a bank or pharmacy at the last minute,,
Billy & Phillip were extremely helpful to all of us & kept all 10 of us entertained while able to shift on the fly to stop at a bank or pharmacy at the last minute,,
Written February 28, 2024
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. We used Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris and our contact was Ivan. However they were ridiculously expensive. We paid $25000 for a 2 week holiday for two of us not including flights. This was an all inclusive package with accommodation, meals and tours paid for but even though we didn't have to arrange things ourselves, we thought it was excessive for what we got. Our driver was not at the airport to meet us because the tour company had given him the wrong flight details allegedly and we had to phone twice (costing us a lot as it was an international call) for our driver to come and collect us. The timings that the company provided as to journey times was way out by a huge margin.
Written June 25, 2019
Hi, we are trying to find the website for this company to get hold of an email contact but are really struggling! Any help much appreciated!
Written May 10, 2018
We booked through our Travel
Company... &Beyond
Written May 31, 2018
Does anyone have an email address for Maggie??
Written April 17, 2018
Does anyone have an email address for Maggie??
Written April 17, 2018
yes - but I can't put an email address on this answer (TripAdvisor rules) you can reach her through the info email contact at their website.
or she is on whats app if you have her phone number
Written April 19, 2018
Is there a company that offers a drive to see the Gorillas rather than the hike?
What is the best hotel to stay in for viewing the Gorillas?
Written September 30, 2017
No, a hike is always required as these gorillas are living in their natural environment which is in the undeveloped mountains. There are different degrees of hikes, we took a "medium" difficulty hike which was actually quite intense.
As for the hotels, we were in Kigali and Rwanda Gorilla Trek came to pick us up.
Written October 1, 2017
We have a party of 4 to 6 who would like to visit the silverbacks next October 2017. Can you help arrange this?
thanks,
Karin
Written December 28, 2016
I'm not sure what you mean in 'helping you arrange this'.
Written December 29, 2016
Bart Phong
Singapore, Singapore
We have 3 days in kigali, what do you suggest to do
Written November 14, 2016
Is there a difference in the Gorilla experience itself with the longer or shorter trek?
Written September 17, 2016
No difference in the experience. Shorter trek is easier on you and quicker!
Written September 19, 2016
I am planning a gorilla trek to Rwanda with my dtr. I am 70 years old, in pretty good shape but certainly not like when I was 50 and probably not even 60. Can you get put in a group with a shorter trek to see gorilla? My dtr and I would not have to trek together. What is the best way to get answers and get started? Thanks
Written August 14, 2016
They put you in a group of people with similar fitness levels! Some hikes are 6+ hours. Some are 1 hour. You can let the guides know what would better suite you :)
Written December 29, 2016
Showing results 1-10 of 10