Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Itineraries

He was a bomb, a kind and nice driver-guide, excellent service, good price, there is no better driver in Uganda than them, I highly recommend

We had an amazing trip!! Everything beginning to end was so much fun ! We were very limited with time and we wanted to get the most of our short trip in Uganda! Everything was arranged and taken care of , our driver Emmi was so good . He pointed out the things we’d have missed on our own , he was knowledgeable about everything we saw and asked about. We got to see so much ! The gorillas, chimpanzees, tree climbing lions, leopards, and so much more !! Our trip was tailored exactly to our speed and we so appreciated it!! We highly recommend Valiant Safaris, they take care of everything!!

I believe there is nothing better than seeing animals in their natural
habitat and this trip gave me the privilege of seeing a family of 10 gorillas
in their home. It was a hard trek through the mountain forest (don’t
underestimate the difficulty, my trek was 6 hours!) but spending time
watching them was awe inspiring and will stay with me forever. The tour is
full on with each day adding yet another highlight as we travelled through
Ugandan and Kenyan game parks via Lake Victoria. The tour started with
gorillas and ended with the migration in the Masai Mara which I saw from a
sunrise balloon trip. The tour leader, driver, cook and assistant were
fantastic; I have never travelled with such a fun, kind, efficient and
professional team.
There were several; spending time in the company of gorillas, seeing lions,
leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara and seeing elephants and hippos in
the Queen Elizabeth National Pearl but perhaps the most thought provoking was
visiting the genocide museum in Kigali.


Jacob was excellent. He was calm, funny and had a very good ‘bush
telegraph’ for spotting animals.


Just go!

This was our third camping trip with Exodus and this is almost becoming our
preferred trip type - being cheaper doesn't hurt either. We were amazed at
the shear number of animals we saw in Kenya and Uganda long before we got to
the Gorilla area. We saw the big five, and mostly with babies!, great
scenery, wonderful lakes and rivers. Game drives were varied not only in the
nature of the country visited but also sometimes in the 'bus' sometimes in
4X4s and sometimes by boat. There were some longish drives but with lots to
look at, stops for snacks and toilets, and time to charge cameras etc for the
next stop. We felt very well looked after the whole time, and guided through
formalities of border crossings etc. We were a smallish group of nine which
meant we had lots of space, and we got on well.
I guess it has to be the gorillas - being so close and watching while they
just got on with their lives. The babies were adorable and the silverback
huge, but they seemed very peaceful.


Jacob was really great, as were the other members of the team - KFC,
Stonecold & Dolly. They looked after us really well and bought great calm and
humour to the whole trip. In many ways they made it possible for us to have
the great time we had.


I considered taking my walking gaiters but decided against it - almost the
first thing Jacob said was "I hope you all brought you gaiters for the
gorilla trek"! In fact we did well using two pairs of socks with the long
pair on the outside and trousers tucked into them. It worked out fine. Do use
a porter for the gorilla trek, it makes life a lot easier just having your
bag carried, and the occasional hand up, but it also brings much needed
employment to the local community.


We would highly recommend this trip - Go prepared for some early mornings,
some laughs, some drives but mostly some amazing sightings.

The stunning scenery and the awesome wildlife were just two factors making
this one of the best trips I have ever experienced. The four man crew were
what made it extra special.
The Masai Mara went well beyond expectations, with clear access to all of
"the big five." Plus many many more species of birds and animals were on
display throughout all of the national parks visited. The accommodation was
clean and pleasant, the truck spacious and comfortable even over rough roads
and on long journeys, while the meals were always made from fresh
ingredients, very tasty and excellent quality.
The mountain gorillas were awe-inspiring, well worth the climb up to see
them. The optional chimp safari was also an amazing experience.
The close proximity to lions, cheetahs, giraffes, rhinos, elephants - the
list goes on and on; was extraordinary within such beautiful surroundings. I
felt very privileged to share the pristine environment with them.


Jacob was an excellent leader; professional, extremely patient and efficient,
always friendly and caring. His knowledge and enthusiasm was enhanced very
ably by the other crew members; Albert, Stone Cold and Raymond (Dolly). All
four created a wonderful team whose one wish was to make our holiday go
smoothly and be unforgettably enjoyable.


The padlock for the personal locker on the truck needs to have a thin, but
long shank.


Everyone should have this experience once in their lives. Thank you guys.

Having been on many trips of discovery with Exodus, I had never been on one
that offered so much.
The itinerary was exactly right.
The starting point is Rwanda were we met our leader for the tour Jacob, as
usual a friendly face after a long flight out from the UK.
After a nights rest, the next day we visited the Museum to the genocide which
took place in the mid nineties, the museum has graphic pictures of this
terrible time in Rwanda`s history. A reminder of how the west turned it`s
back on the suffering of a whole group of people.
Onto our first highlight, the mountain Gorillas. After a long trek up into
the foothills of the Parc National des Volcans we met our first Gorillas
after about an hour of walking through mud and clothes clawing undergrowth
and overhead vine. This first encounter was unbelievable, such gentle
creatures given the size of the alpha males. We spent an hour with them and
they just carried on eating/ playing and sleeping as if we were not there.
On into Uganda, no problems with crossing the border and onto Lake Bunyonyi.
With the lake there are opportunities to take boat rides on the lake or hire
canoes for a leisurely paddle.
On through Uganda with it`s abundance of wildlife, mammals and bird life.We
had our first encounters with the real wildlife in all their natural
environment.
Adrenalin seekers will love Jinja as the site we stay Adrift, were you can do
white water rafting on the Nile or perhaps bungee jumping.Or you can just
take a stroll around the local are to veiw the many and varied bird life.
On into Kenya, this is when they asked to see our Yellow fever certificate,
other than that it again was straight forward.
Due to adverse weather we had miss the village camp, however not to worry,
onto the Masai Mara.
Arriving at lunch time we enjoyed yet another great lunch prepared as always
by Wilson and Ester.
We then had a half day taster into the game park. Nothing could have
prepared me for what I was about to encounter. All you ever see on TV was
there in front of you in all it`s splendour, to many to list. The next and
last full day of the tour(excluding travel days) you again go into the park
for a full day`s game drive. Amazing experience, so well organised and lead
by the team, from the leader through the driver and cooks who took so much
care of us.
Thank you .
This is not an easy choice, but it has to be the Gorillas, so human like.


Jacob, I have been on may trips with Exodus and all the leaders are
excellent. Jacob`s leadership and ability to adapt to required changes puts
him at the very top of the top leaders.


If you want to visit Africa and this appeals to you then do the same
trip(reverse) it seemed to us who travelled together the best itinerary.
Gorillas first then working your way though to the Masai Mara to end your
trip.