3-daagse Gorilla Trekking Luxe Safari in Oeganda

Bamboo Ecotours overtrof onze verwachtingen tijdens onze tour. Vanaf het allereerste begin, bij het plannen van onze reis, Edison reageerde op onze e-mails snel. Hij liet ons ook de verschillende accommodatie opties die ze bieden en was zeer behulpzaam met het visum proces, in voortdurend contact via WhatsApp en e-mail. Een week voor onze reis deelde Edison de naam van onze Gids, waardoor we ons veilig en voorbereid voelden. Jackson, onze Gids, was het beste wat we hadden kunnen vragen. We kwamen aan op Kigali airport en reden helemaal naar Uganda voor ons eerste verblijf. Onderweg wees Jackson op veel interessante inzichten over Kigali, en we hadden zelfs een koffiestop (je moet trouwens Afrikaanse koffie proberen! ). Op onze tweede dag nam Jackson ons mee naar Bwindi National Park, waar we onze trekkinggroep ontmoetten. Een ding dat we geweldig vonden aan de gorilla trekking, naast de gorilla’s zelf, is dat het niet druk was. Groepen worden verdeeld tussen 8 tot 10 personen, en elke groep bezoekt een andere gorillafamilie. Op deze manier ervaren de gorilla’s niet te veel menselijke interactie en voelt de ervaring persoonlijker. Vanaf het moment dat je je eerste gorilla ziet, begint de tijdslimiet van een uur. We werden begeleid door de Gids, twee parkwachters, en er is ook een optie om iemand in te huren om je spullen te helpen dragen. Hierna gingen we naar ons volgende hotel (dat een prachtig uitzicht op Lake Buyonyi had) en genoten van een geweldige nacht. Ik wil even de tijd nemen om zowel Jackson als Edison van Bamboo Ecotours te bedanken voor het geven van de beste ervaring.

Absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. Edison was so fast to respond to all of our (many many) questions and send in depth information well in advance, including what to expect, what to pack, what we would need to cross the boarder from Rwanda to Uganda and back (vaccines, visas etc), and contact information for our guide, Jackson. Jackson made our trip the absolute best experience possible. He was extremely friendly and knowledgable, answering all of our questions along the way. We booked the 3 day gorilla trek and golden monkey hike with coffee tour: Notes: bring small American cash if you can as it is accepted/expected everywhere. We landed in Kigali at 7am with a very quick walk through customs. We had a quick stop for breakfast at Bourbon Coffee at the airport and grabbed a sandwich for the road. Jackson picked us up right after our breakfast (he knows the area well and can make great recommendations for breakfast and lunch stops). We made a stop at the Genocide Memorial which should not be missed. It was extremely emotional walking through the museum and learning more about the cold history of the Rwandan genocide and we really appreciated having time to take it all in. We continued our drive through to our coffee tour in Uganda where we saw first hand the process of coffee making from field to cup. The family even let us try our hand at processing and making our own coffee from freshly picked beans through to roasting. The coffee was fantastic and we bought a few bags ourselves. We then headed to Rushaga Gorilla Lodge which was hands down one of the most beautiful accommodations we have had the privilege of staying at. We had an early morning start (7am) to head to the Gorilla trekking. The Batwa people started us off with a cultural dance to get everyone in the mood and then we were off following our guides with directions from our trackers. We hiked for just under 6 hours. These hikes are not "hard" but there is some marsh, some steep inclines and it is very wise to bring proper high ankle hiking boots and gaters to protect against mud, water, ants and other jungle funs. The gorillas were unbelievable, a true once in a lifetime experience. The guides answered all of our questions and helped us make the most of our hour with the family of 12 including several babies. We took a quick lunch break hillside after exiting the jungle, taking in the stunning views. After getting back we thanked our guides and headed back to the lodge, taking time to pickup some souvenirs from the locals. We had a relaxing afternoon poolside and enjoyed some afternoon relaxing on the deck of our jungle cabin. The dinners are the lodge were fantastic and lunch and breakfast were also provided. (They over feed you for sure so no worries about food on this trip!) Our next morning we started at 5am to drive through to Mgahinga Gorilla National park (a part of the Virunga mountain range) to hike to see the golden monkeys. The hike again took us through jaw dropping scenery. You can also view gorillas here or climb to the top of the mountain even. The hike took roughly 5 hours and again we had one hour with the monkeys as they jumped through the trees and came down to check out what we were doing. We took a lunch break in the town with Jackson on the way back enjoying some rolex and vegetable curry which were fantastic. We picked up some more local coffee here too before starting our 4 hour drive back to Kigali. All in all this was hands down the BEST tour company we could have chosen for sure and we will most definitely be back again!

We hadden van begin tot eind een geweldige ervaring met Edison en het team. De Gorilla Trekking-ervaring is een absolute must voor natuurliefhebbers en Bamboo Ecotours was de perfecte reisagent.