Reviews of trips to Lake Kivu

"We truly had a wonderful time on this trip.

The Expert Africa/Primate Safari part was only 8 days out of 22, but we have no regrets about the organisation, the pace and the activities. Rwanda is still developing its tourist industry, which means not everything runs perfectly, but also that people working in the tourist sector are not yet as jaded or cynical as in neighbouring countries. This was reflected in the friendliness of the staff, who were almost always willing to do that little bit extra to make things right.

Likewise, we were favourably impressed by our knowledgeable and highly professional driver-guide from Primate Safaris: we learned a lot about the country's history, politics and nature from our lengthy conversations with him and he drove extremely carefully. If there is one thing we would have liked to have seen more, it was Nyungwe Forest - it is a beautiful place. The two days we spent were too short: the activities are quite far apart and the general atmosphere merits a 3-4 day visit at least.

On the other hand, we were delighted to go gorilla tracking on two separate occasions. The permits are extremely expensive - even by the standards of rich Western tourists - but we saw something completely different on each day. The other primate-related activities (chimpanzee, colobus monkey and golden monkey tracking) were also rewarding. One piece of advice, though: don't leave without a pair of binoculars! They really do make the wildlife viewing experience much more intense.

In short, this was an extremely memorable and well thought-out trip - and we'd warmly recommend it to anyone who wants to explore this mountainous part of East Africa.

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You may already know this, but Turkish Airlines fly direct to Kigali and Entebbe from Istanbul several times a week. With excellent connections from Manchester, Edinburgh, London and possibly other regional airports too, this makes Turkish a good (and cheap!) option for flights to this part of Africa." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"Our itinerary (Kigali - Volcanoes - Kibuye (Lake Kivu) - Nyungwe - Kigali) let us see a good cross section of this beautiful country. It was structured for the most part aroung gorilla or other primate treks. They were wonderful but anyone considering a similar itineray should understand that most treks take place in the early morning and as a consequence there is a lot of spare time in lodges/hotels that can be quite remote from other facilities and have few of their own- bring a few good books for if the weather is bad! Monkeys (or canopy) in Nyungwe could have been done on same day as chimps and a day saved.

Expert Africa (Liz, Eleanor and Chris) were very helpful in addressing what at the time (Dec 12) was a delicate security situation in the Rwanda/DRC border area with changing FCO advice. As a result we did not stay in Gisenyi which would have more going on than Kibuye.

Our vehicle/guide were provided by Primates Safaris who were very good - we would recommend them if available." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Rwanda safari

"Patrick was a great personable driver who added to the overall holiday with his knowledge of the country and willingness to engage in conversation.

Rwanda is a great country who have put the past behind them and are looking forward to a bright future (hopefully). The country is the cleanness I visited in Africa, the people are friendly and embrace all visitors. Children are keen to engage in conversation to practise their English. Food was surprisingly of very good quality. An up and coming country on the world stage and one I would recommend to visit.

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A suggestion would be to offer a boat transfer on the lake for one leg of the journey rather than driving.

If I was to do it again, I would suggest doing the trip the other way round i.e. starting at the Forest and finishing with the gorillas as a highlight. I know that most trips are subject to getting the gorilla pass so this may not always be possible." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Rwanda safari

"We very much enjoyed our trip, and would happily recommend Expert Africa to any one wishing to go to this lovely country.

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No" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Rwanda safari

"Fantastic holiday....worth every penny!

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The only comment I could make is that Travellers should be informed that they must always bring wet weather gear regardless of season rather than just giving a "suggestion". When it rains it really rains and we were there in the dry season!

Everything else was wonderful and we would especially like to thank our guide (Alex), who really made our holiday" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"The trip was amazing. It was the combination of the history, the culture and the wildlife that made it all so special. Our driver Sam was very good and answered all our questions and was very helpful in taking us to the places we especially wanted to see that weren't necessarily on our itinerary.

The genocide memorial in Kigali was exceptionally powerful and thought provoking and we would advise anybody travelling to Rwanda to visit there, preferably at the start of your trip because then it is even more incredible to appreciate how far the country has come when you see people working together so harmoniously in the fields and villages.

The wildlife is amazing, the views are beautiful and the people so friendly

We would definitely recommend doing two gorilla treks because you get two very different experiences. Our first trek the gorillas were eating and then on the move through the bamboo. Our second trek we arrived during "social hour" so the youngsters were all playing. Grit your teeth and pay the price it is so worth it." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Rwanda safari

"Gorilla trekking exceeded expectations. The time and experience was made more enjoyable interesting and educational by our driver Patrick Tembo. Rwanda and its people who were all warm and friendly deserve all the help and advice we can give them.

Other travellers might like to visit the Ubushobozi. Org, this is a charitable project which helps teenage girls suffering from abuse HIV and exploitation. We purchased some very nice bags made by the girls and were entertained by them when they showed us their traditional dancing. A very pleasant afternoon in Musanze." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Rwanda safari

"Additional Feedback - Patrick our guide was wonderful sometimes his timekeeping was slightly off but he excelled in everything else, the roads through Rwanda were sometimes very poor especially from Nyungwe to Lake Kivu however it was so scenic. he was so knowledgeable and catered to our whims especially with the gorillas,

We have already recommended Expert Africa to so many people after this trip for both the advisory service before and the quality of the holiday. We had the most wonderful holiday surpassing all our expectations. Thank you so much for arranging it.

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We couldnt fault the service" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"We had expected an itinerary which we only got from our guide on arrival in Ruanda.
We found we had a very long and bumpy trip from Kigali to Nyungwe and from Nyungwe to Kibuye. These were unexpected and not pleasant.
We wondered why we had 4 nights in mountain view lodge rather than 3 nights and last night in Kigali> Most others seemed to do this.

THE PERSON WHO MADE OUR TRIP SPECIAL WAS OUR DRIVER IN RWANDA, AIMABLE. He broke our long journey to Nyungwe with a stop at the National museum. He made our last day in Rwanda special as he suggested we left very early so we could spend time at the Genocide museum before we caught our flight to Zanzibar. He shared his own experiences of the politics of Rwanda and the Genocide. He really looked after us

Overall the trip was great we enjoyed all the primates, Rwanda. Zanzibar and Mafia" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 10 on a Rwanda safari

"Absolutely fantastic. Rwanda is a beautiful country.

Our guide Theo was wonderful and we saw so much more than the gorillas (which were amazing). We would strongly encourage anyone to visit Rwanda and to see as much of the country as possible.

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the only small improvement would be to have one night at Kibuye and then a second night either at Gisenyi (FCO permitting) or back in Kigali. That would still leave time for a boat trip on the lake but would provide nicer accomodation." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Rwanda safari