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Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Mountain Gorilla View Lodge


1°25’42.7"S 29°33’18.5"E

Reviews of Mountain Gorilla View

Wildlife sightings and reviews

114 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Mountain Gorilla View and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jun-2018, 24 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Mountain Gorilla View.
Mountain Gorilla

100% success

Buffalo

24% success

Elephant

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Spotted Hyena

0% success

Showing 11-20 of 114
Duration
Arrival date
T&M
Queensland

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 2 Jul 2022
"If the focus is seeing the gorillas it's a good solution. I have stayed here twice, the last time was 6 years ago.

Nothing much has changed since then. The chalets are very large and the staff work hard to keep them looking good. It is very reasonable as a launch point to get to the park each day.

The fireplace in the chalet is really cosy, and the water always hot. Food is basic and buffet style. You can hire gators and gloves for the trek. Check credit card facilities with Expert Africa as Reception told us we could we pay with a credit card but on check out they said it wasn't possible." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in Zambia; 5n in Rwanda; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Sightings Report

Mountain Gorilla

2 sightings

Mrs J
North Vancouve

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 30 Jun 2022
"We had a great time at Mountain Gorilla View lodge. We felt safe! The freestanding cottages were outstanding.

We loved the wood burning fireplace that they lit every night. Loved the hot water bottles placed in our bed every night.

The staff and could not do enough for us. The chef did a great job. The food was excellent. Its a great location. Just a short walk to the Dian Fossey Museum. Highly recommend visiting the Museum.

The local people performed dance and song every night. They were so good. We danced with them. Amazing to see." See all these reviews: 6n in Rwanda; 6n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs D.
New York

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 18 Oct 2021
"The Mountain Gorilla View Lodge served as our base for gorilla and golden monkey trekking. The drive from Kigali to the lodge was beautiful with all the hills, people, and livestock along the way. The lodge itself was rustic and comfortable. Rooms were large and had a fireplace that the staff would help start every evening. It was cold at night and into the early morning in mid-October but in addition to the fireplace, a small space heater and hot water bottles to heat up the bed were provided to keep us warm. The lighting in the bathroom was a bit eerie and could be improved. Our room ran out of hot water the first night but that was likely due to my wife taking a long hot shower :)

Dinners were served buffet-style and would always be a soup (which was fantastic, especially as the weather was cold), a grain, a meat, vegetables and dessert. Chef Alfred would also be manning a table where he would cook up some stir-fry on the spot. Food overall was average and nothing to write home about. Towards the end of each night, Alfred would entertain us by singing some African songs which was a great way to end the meal. For lunch, a good array of options were provided for us to order from and we felt that the non-buffet style was slightly more to our liking.

Every evening, a local dance troupe comes by for some pre-dinner entertainment and we got to experience it our second night. It got our group dancing a bit and we all had a good time.

For gorilla trekking, the lodge rents out gloves and gaiters. The gaiters ($5/day) are a must for trekking and it'll protect your clothes and shoes from the mud and prevents safari ants from getting into your clothes. We didn't rent gloves and were OK without them. When we got back from trekking, the staff provide complimentary boot cleaning and they do a phenomenal job. Our muddy boots would always come back looking like new--we don't know how they do it! Complimentary foot massages are also provided if you want them upon returning from trekking.

There is a small gift shop at the lodge but prices are somewhat higher than outside the lodge--a premium for extra convenience I suppose. Wi-Fi, albeit not the fastest and a bit spotty, is available in the main lodge. All of the staff was very kind and service was good. One thing we noticed was that the staff did not wear masks here though. Our group wasn't bothered by this but others may be. Overall, we had a pleasant stay at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge and would happily stay here again." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Mountain Gorilla

1 sighting

Mr W.
Brussels

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 7 Aug 2021
"Had this nice end-of-the-world feeling, with a menacing view of a mean morning mountain from our bungalow that we could look at satisfyingly in the evening after a successful ascent.

Lit fireplace in the bungalows and hot water bottled between the sheets!" See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 5n in Rwanda; 4n in Zambia; 1n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Mountain Gorilla

7 sightings

Dr and Mrs P
Greece

"Great location and very friendly staff"

2 nights Arrived 9 Feb 2020
"Great location with superb views.
The lodge needs refurbishments here and there. Nice, huge room. Very friendly, great service by the staff.
Food just ok; no ice for mixed drinks :(. It gets quite cold - in the mornings and evenings. A joy having the fireplace in the room." See all these reviews: 6n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Sightings Report

Mountain Gorilla

2 sightings

Ms. K
Laramie

"Luxury stay at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge"

2 nights Arrived 6 Aug 2019
"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge was fantastic. Reading previous reviews on other websites Gorilla View was rated as "simple," however, I would say that this was a luxury lodge and WONDERFUL! If anyone is in the area they should absolutely stay here. You get a luxury stay for half the price of other places! The lodge was also only 10 minutes from the starting point for both the golden monkey and the mountain gorilla meeting area.

Every night employees would walk you back to your lodge to ensure you arrived safely. They would also set a fire for you every night, and on top of that, each night a hot water bottle was in the bed to keep you warm! The lodge was set back into the trees and had a very secluded, authentic feel. The communal area with wifi and a fire was great for meeting other travelers and was very cozy.

Great stay at a great place!" See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda; 4n in Kenya
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Mountain Gorilla

1 sighting

Rusty Hudak
Stow, OH

"Mountain Gorilla Lodge"

3 nights Arrived 21 Jul 2019
"The staff was great and food was very good. The rooms were nice and plenty big. The only downside was the shower did not work well in our unit.

The nightly entertainment was very enjoyable" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 4n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
ERinSTL
Saint Louis

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"

4 nights Arrived 30 Jun 2019
"Rooms are in separate cabins, some a fairly long walk from the central lodge. The rooms are quite spacious, with a separate sitting area next to a fireplace. The fireplace was the only source of heat, and the room was quite chilly by morning, when the fire had burned down hours earlier. The comforter was enough to keep us warm as we slept, however.

Electrical outlets are 220V, but have a universal configuration that accepts US two- and three-prong plugs. If you have voltage-compensating electronics, you can use them without an adapter.

All meals are offered as buffets. There is typically a very wide choice, and I never had a problem finding something to like. Quality is average: neither praise- nor complaint-worthy. Adjacent the dining area is another fireplace, surrounded with chairs, which is a nice pre-dinner gathering place for guests to share stories – and a beverage – from their days’ experiences.

Strongly suggest to your clients that they bring their own gaiters and gloves for monkey and gorilla treks. The gators in particular are almost a necessity, and the lodge “rents” pairs for US$5 each per day. We took gloves with us on our gorilla trek, but found them unnecessary.

One extreme negative that should be addressed by the lodge, but almost certainly will not be: I thought the shower was a death trap. It is apparently formed of poured concrete and painted with a shiny enamel paint. The slope to the drain is steep and the surfaces extremely slippery when wet (which is all the time during a shower). I fell immediately upon setting foot into the shower area. The area is bordered by a line of fist-size rocks set into the concrete. If I had landed on one of those, I fully expect that I would have been severely injured. As it was, I only experienced a moderately painful contusion on my forearm. I count myself very lucky." See all these reviews: 6n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Good
Sightings Report

Mountain Gorilla

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs D
Wimbledon

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge"

2 nights Arrived 28 Oct 2018
"This is the second time I have stayed at the Lodge. IT provides good accommodation and service.

It has been expanded and now only provides buffet style meals. The choice and quality are pretty good.

The proximity to trekking points for gorilla viewing is very good." See all these reviews: 4n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Mr + Mrs M
Vancouver

"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 25 Sep 2018
"The setting of Mountain Gorilla View Lodge was perfect, and the staff and rooms were excellent.

The foot massage and boot cleaning after the gorilla trek were particularly nice touches." See all these reviews: 5n in Zambia; 3n in Rwanda
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Mountain Gorilla

1 sighting

Showing 11-20 of 114
87%
114 reviews of Mountain Gorilla View by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
55
45
12
2
0
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