Embark on this unforgettable 12-day road tripping through Rwanda for golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park and gorilla trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park through Kigali. The booking process was simple and all my questions were answered quickly by Jackie from Self-Drive Kigali tours. Payment process was exceptionally good, as the payment provider even allowed transferring the down payment via PayPal and the remaining balance could be paid in Euro.
We booked a Toyota Land cruiser TX with Self-Drive Kigali that was suitable for self-driving tours and could go off the beaten trucks safaris in Rwanda and Uganda. But you can also use this car for family trips as its stylish and eye catching. This Prado is a very good 4WD
The Prado is a very good 4WD we tested it off-road extensively many times and it was in a good condition. The Prado is a comfortable cruiser and gets the job done with little stress. The car was delivered in very good shape and could handle all types of roads. The steering is well weighted, the engine and auto was a quietly dependable combination, without ever being actually exciting. They even sent us someone to help us cross the border from Kigali to Rwanda and his help was very welcome.
Since our trip was a 12 day, we drove to the Volcanoes National Park for golden monkey tracking. If you are keen on photographing animals this is the trip for you especially if you are not going to stay in Volcanoes National Park. The golden monkeys are wonderful and there were so many that everyone (you join a tracking group) got excellent opportunities for great photos.
and we went to the base area for briefing. It is well-kept, clean bathrooms. Very good cafeteria for free coffee. We were then split into groups and assigned to a guide. The groups consisted of max 8 persons, and max of 12 groups per day. I want to applaud the government; they maintain their policy and conservation.
The following day we crossed to Uganda via Cyanika boarder and drove to Bwindi Forest. We decided to do gorilla trekking in Uganda because of the cost of permit in Rwanda is high US$ 1500 per person and for Uganda is a bit cheaper US$ 800. In the mountains of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, we had a “once in a lifetime” encounter with a gorilla family.
The forest has a habitat with a minimum of 459 mountain gorillas which is close to over half of 1000 numbers that are known to thrive in the world. Bwindi is also rich habitat for Afro-montane flora, counts of birds including the African broad-bill which is found in Ruhija and Congo, it also has the forest animals like elephants, and duikers. The magical hills of this park offer scenic and sightseeing experience from this tour.
The tour started with a short briefing at Rushaga gorilla headquarters about the do’s and don’ts of the forest. Shortly after we entered the rain forest. It was just breathtaking to visit these powerful creatures in their natural environment. The preparations with hiking boots as well as the rain protection clothes really paid-off.
Our range guide, Eddy, was super knowledgeable and has been doing this job for more than 20 years. He did give us an in-depth explanation about mountain gorillas in general, the sounds that they make, how to react, the rules wearing face mask in presence of gorillas and what will roughly happen throughout the experience, how long we will have to walk this may range from 2-8 hours and the family which we were about to meet.
In our case we were so lucky to be allocated to the Nshongi gorilla family. A family of 25 mountain gorillas, including 3 silver backs, juveniles and babies. After we went back to the van and were driven to the closest accessible point. From there, we were given walking sticks and also given the opportunity to make use of bag porters to walk more freely and faster. Bag porters are a way to support the local community – do consider making use of them, but also be mindful of the load you give them to carry.
Walked in thick vegetation for around 1.5 hours. Would recommend wearing good hiking shoes covering the ankles, trousers, take a rain jacket, plenty of water and some snacks. The guide gave us numerous water and photo breaks along the way. Trackers joined us mid-way to slowly and softly lead us to the gorillas.
Gorilla experience, am speechless, a humbling, mesmerizing, once in a lifetime. We heard the rumbling sounds and knew we had arrived. From here on, we wore our face masks and one hour starts ticking off so as not to stress the primate family. After the one-hour is up, the guide will lead you back.
This may not necessarily be the same route but, they will communicate with the drivers, depending on where the gorillas are located. in conclusion: I would definitely rent a car from this company again for my tour.
