Travel reviews by Dr L from California
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
1
Excursions taken
1
Maruska saved our bacon
Rwanda between 30 Jun 2017 and 3 Jul 2017
"The trip was great! At the time I first contacted Expert Africa I was in a panic because the previous tour company we had contracted with had failed to confirm our accommodations with Virunga Lodge while telling us that our accommodations were all arranged. Meanwhile we had already purchased our flights to fit those dates.
Maruska worked through all the possible options with us. We were looking at more high end places like Virunga Lodge to make it special for our traveling companion but finding matches between hotel availability and possible new flight dates was difficult and proving to be wildly expensive. Maruska then suggested that she check with Mountain Gorilla Lodge to see if they had availability for the dates that fit our original flights. I hadn't been impressed with the descriptions I had read of Mountain Gorilla Lodge (they should work on that), but Maruska assured us that the accommodations, though simple, were quite clean and comfortable. This worked out.
We kept our original flights, stayed at Mountain Gorilla Lodge (which was way nicer than expected!) and saved tons of money on our trip. So thank you Maruska for your patience and your smart thinking!
Expert Africa arranged a private guide and vehicle for these travellers, and they commented:
Jeremiah was a wonderful guide. He was a very safe driver and very accommodating to our requests. He was charming and knowledgeable, a pleasure to spend time with. We hope to bring other friends next year so hope we can get him as our driver again."
Maruska worked through all the possible options with us. We were looking at more high end places like Virunga Lodge to make it special for our traveling companion but finding matches between hotel availability and possible new flight dates was difficult and proving to be wildly expensive. Maruska then suggested that she check with Mountain Gorilla Lodge to see if they had availability for the dates that fit our original flights. I hadn't been impressed with the descriptions I had read of Mountain Gorilla Lodge (they should work on that), but Maruska assured us that the accommodations, though simple, were quite clean and comfortable. This worked out.
We kept our original flights, stayed at Mountain Gorilla Lodge (which was way nicer than expected!) and saved tons of money on our trip. So thank you Maruska for your patience and your smart thinking!
Expert Africa arranged a private guide and vehicle for these travellers, and they commented:
Jeremiah was a wonderful guide. He was a very safe driver and very accommodating to our requests. He was charming and knowledgeable, a pleasure to spend time with. We hope to bring other friends next year so hope we can get him as our driver again."
Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
"Gorilla Mountain View Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
30 Jun 2017
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Gorilla Trekking Safari
"Fabulous!"
1 Jul 2017 • Morning excursion
We were very fortunate to have the well known and entertaining guide Francoise. He is very knowledgeable about the gorillas having been working with them since Dian Fossy's time. We had a great time with him.
Our group was Kwitonda, a large group of 29, which we saw probably a dozen of including lots of young ones who were very actively playing and generally showing off. It was so amazing to be so close to them and them completely unconcerned. In fact we had to keep backing up to avoid making physical contact.
We reached them fairly easily, which was great since one of our group was elderly and had sustained a sprained knee on the way to Rwanda and had to be carried the entire way in a litter. The porters did a wonderful job getting her up and back while also giving others a hand as needed.
All in all we couldn't have hoped for a better experience
Our group was Kwitonda, a large group of 29, which we saw probably a dozen of including lots of young ones who were very actively playing and generally showing off. It was so amazing to be so close to them and them completely unconcerned. In fact we had to keep backing up to avoid making physical contact.
We reached them fairly easily, which was great since one of our group was elderly and had sustained a sprained knee on the way to Rwanda and had to be carried the entire way in a litter. The porters did a wonderful job getting her up and back while also giving others a hand as needed.
All in all we couldn't have hoped for a better experience
Excellent
Being close to the start of the trekking is a plus.
A slight downside for us was that the meals were buffets rather than a la carte, but the food was good and there were lots of options, including local options which we very much appreciated experiencing. Being able to order a freshly made omelet at breakfast was also a plus.
The staff was friendly and helpful. We appreciated the extra touches of a nice fire being built for us in the room and the hot water bottles in the bed. We were also traveling with an elderly friend us who had sprained a knee in a wheelie bag incident in Charles de Gaulle airport, and had some difficultly getting around. So for one night and one breakfast we asked if someone could bring the meal to her room. So one of us worked with a staff member to pick out what we wanted, and they delivered everything for the three of us to her room and came back to pick up later. It was quite lovely!
These travellers trekked up to see the gorillas, and commented:
Fabulous!
We were very fortunate to have the well known and entertaining guide Francoise. He is very knowledgeable about the gorillas having been working with them since Dian Fossy's time. We had a great time with him.
Our group was Kwitonda, a large group of 29, which we saw probably a dozen of including lots of young ones who were very actively playing and generally showing off. It was so amazing to be so close to them and them completely unconcerned. In fact we had to keep backing up to avoid making physical contact.
We reached them fairly easily, which was great since one of our group was elderly and had sustained a sprained knee on the way to Rwanda and had to be carried the entire way in a litter. The porters did a wonderful job getting her up and back while also giving others a hand as needed.
All in all we couldn't have hoped for a better experience."