Gorillas & Masai Mara: Safari Holiday, Kenya, Uganda & Rwanda

Our Clients’ Reviews

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Average Review Rating: from 127 reviews.

Lisbet Winther

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written November 2012
    Great trip with many highlights and lots of wildlife throughout the trip.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

    The wildlife, the fantastic scenery all along the route from Kigali to Nairobi and not at least all the happy smiles from the people we met everywhere. The remote campsites were the best and most peaceful – except from the ‘visitors’ during the night between the tents .......

What did you think of your group leader?
       Our guide Often and his team did a great job throughout the trip, always happy smiling and they were on the spot to get everything working smoothly, tried to make everyone happy. I have to say they are all great ambassadors not just for their own country but also knew how to show the best of Rwanda and Uganda. Often was very knowledgeable about all the places we travelled through, the history, the wildlife etc, surely very experience and qualified guide with many years on the road and knew all the places we visited which made things work smoothly again and again
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you travel ‘Land Only’ and not on the Group flight from London, make sure if you intend to extend the stay before or after that you are fully aware of the timing of the Group arrival, departure and possible changes to the planned ‘Trip Itinerary’ so you don’t end up double dip with some of the sightseeing or possible waiting time.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It’s a great trip, take the ‘long’ drives as a rest from all the activities and enjoy the scenery – you won’t regret going on this trip through some very interesting countries and not at least all the wild life. Maybe primitive travelling at times, but that comes with the trip and the fun of it all
Bernard Pereira

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written October 2012
A tremendous shared experience of travelling across East Africa; visiting Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and viewing all manner of wildlife.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
It has got to be the point at which we had hiked for approaching one and a half hours to meet the Urugamba Gorilla Family in Rwanda. We were in the middle of the forest, our guide Patrick's walkie-talkie squawked, and he announced "Gorillas in 3 minutes". True to his word, we rounded a bush and there they were. It was a privilege to watch them so close up, and an hour never passed so fast.
Close behind must come our day in the Masai Mara, starting with the sunrise baloon flight (Yes it is expensive, but you may only be there once and that is what credit cards or for); and continuing with a day of criss-crossing the trails to see Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Giraffe, Zebra, Antelope, Wildebeest etc. Sadly, no Leopard, but that means we may have to book another safari.
What did you think of your group leader?
All tour groups take time to join together, and we were a full group of 18. At the start, Clara seemed somewhat reserved and formal, but steadily loosened up and revealed a sly and somewhat wicked sense of humour. She led a great team including Bonfas (our driver), Elias (the cook) and Godfrey (jack of all trades). Congratulations are due to all of them for keeping us together, on time and feeding us extremely well.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
There is a reason that we have given this review 4 stars rather than 5, and it is not that we failed to see a Leopard! We were warned beforehand, but the tour involved a tremendous amount of road travel on various qualities of roads - We estimated that we must have spent in excess of 5 full days travelling out of 15 days in East Africa. However, this was inevitable given the sandwiching of Masai Mara and Gorillas in one tour. Still, you should not let that put you off, and and as long as you are prepared, it is fascinating to sit and watch African life go by.
Money. The Trip Notes advise you to take US Dollars and change them into local currency in each country, but how much? We spent about USD 550 per person during the tour including Kenya & Uganda Visas, gifts, local tours etc. (the Baloon Safari was paid by credit card); also changed about USD 50 per person into local currency in each country for incidental food and drink. Warning: This did NOT include budgetting for Bunji Jumping, Jet Boating or White Water Rafting in Jinja.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Forget the cliches about Darkest Africa. Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are vibrant developing countries with friendly people and positive attitudes. Be prepared to "rough" it somewhat, as you will see when you get to the Lake Mburo campsite (Warthogs in the car park, Hippos in the lake); but a great group comprising us tourists and our support team led by Clara, coupled with a shared sense of humour, will make it a great experience. GO!
Ann & Bernard Pereira
Peter Tapley

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written October 2012
Our second Exodus trip:Gorillas this year and Polar Bears last year.The first day each trip was unbelievable.'Beat That!'The second day did beat that and the third day increased expectations.... 'don't stop the world we don't want to get off'.Now looking forward to Antarctica and/or Namibia and/or .... whatever next!? Thanks to Exodus' expertise,knowledge and planning our experiences of the world's peoples and other mammals must be second to none
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Realising and then accepting that a 'keep 5 metres' distance from gorillas!' doesn't apply to gorillas keeping away from us. After an initial few minutes of mutual wariness we might as well have been members of their troup/family.They carried on and walked by us or around us ...never through us. WOW! Were we lucky or has this become the norm!? The eyes of the younger animals say so much but we didn't look directly at them;there were warnings about that also.
What did you think of your group leader?
One or two unforseen circumstances were dealt with aplomb and expertise and even if the leader wasn't able to directly deal with things beyond his control he knew of someone who could. Individual queries or needs were dealt with as if we were the most important member of our group at that time.
The expertise and knowledge of the leader through years of Exodus experience meant that the encounters of our group of all things animal,vegetable and mineral were many and varied and rarely boring.
Our leader was a great bloke whose care and humour was much appreciated.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Kigali to Nairobi can't be beaten even by the Nairobi to Kigali variation.
The end of September seemed much less plagued by Mosquitos than we feared.This year may have been unusual but the massing of Wildebeest and Zebra by the Mara at the end of Sept/beginning of October was an amazing sight. To the locals they were a welcome sight at this time.
The long and sometmes bumpy journies were well chronicled before the trip.They are a necessary if somewhat uncomfortable part of a long overland trip necessary if we were to see and experience so much.Pack a pillow/cushion.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The tipping of guides/trackers/porters etc quite apart from our Exodus team was a drain on our resources.While it was acceptable as a way of inflating local economies and local families needs we thought that there might have been a more comfortable way devised for us to sometimes part with our goodwill,for example a communal pot/kitty. We were not reluctant to give but regular group discussions about what to give became a bit waring and deflected some of the enjoyments of the trip.After a flat rate group agreed contribution for such services we could always have given more as applicable.
Michelle Cemm

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written October 2012
An unforgettable trip with some remarkable experiences. But some long drives and days with limited activities.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Without doubt the top and tail of the trip: Gorillas and Masai Mara. Also really enjoyed the walking safari in Lake Mburo and the game drives around Lake Nakuru.
Rwanda was completely unexpected, a beautiful, clean, safe country and one we would recommend without hesitation.
What did you think of your group leader?
Julias was an amazing group leader. He was funny, caring, knowledgeable and dealt with any problems quickly and efficiently. The rest of the crew, Mike, Ken & George were equally fantastic. They made the trip as comfortable as possible (not easy with some of the more basic facilities and conditions). I was the only vegetarian in the group and Mike catered for this by preparing special meals. The food was varied and we even had some home comforts, everything from Weetabix to Chips!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
1) Take ear plugs, some of the camps are very noisy into the early hours and with early morning starts sleep can be limited.
2) Take a couple of warm jumpers, a lot of the trip is at altitude, so sitting outside having an evening meal can get chilly.
3) For the lockers a normal TSA type padlock is suitable; but make sure it's a combination lock!
4) Do not leave any valuables in your tent, especially in the campsites with permanent tents. Always lock them on the truck. Unfortunately there was an incident in our group where a tent was broken into and belongings stolen.
5) Take a smaller bag to pack enough clothes etc for a couple of nights away from the truck (at the Masai Mara).
6) Take something to do on the long drives.
7) If you are planning to do any of the activities at Jinga, check your travel insurance before you go. A few of us had to spend the day in the camp as we didn't realise we weren't covered until we got there. The Rafting contains Grade V rapids, so you will probably need to tell your insurance company in advance.
8) Before we went we specifically asked how much money we should take for tips, additional activities etc. We needed a lot more than advised and would have preferred a trip where tips were organised by the tour leader.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We did the reverse itinerary and would recommend this. It means you do the Gorilla Trek at the start of the holiday when you are still feeling fit and well! We then finished at the Masai Mara which was a real high point to end the trip on.
We gave the holiday three stars as the trip notes didn't give us an appreciation of just how much time would be spent either driving, or in camps without organised activities. It was an absolutely fantastic holiday, but if we were to recommend it to a friend we would say do the Gorillas and Masai Mara and miss out the middle section.
Whilst you shouldn't expect any level of home comforts (definitely no Power Showers there!), the facilities were not as bad as we were expecting. And in many of the camps we were able to upgrade to rooms, cottages and even dorms, although this was probably because it was after the main season.
Victoria Jones

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written October 2012
This was a great holiday but we did have a good group of people so we were lucky. There was a lot of driving though and not much exercise which I found difficult. I'm not sure how we were supposed to do some of the activities listed in the itinerary as there was no time.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The gorillas were definately the highlight and then the sunrise, hot air balloon ride over the Masi Mara, this is a must if you can afford it you won't regret it!
What did you think of your group leader?
Clara was very sweet but not always clear with information.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Not everywhere had mosquitoe nets and some of the places that did have them, they had holes in them! However not sure if it was the time of year but we did not have a great problem with mosquitoes.
We did use our padlocks to lock our things away in our lockers, despite reading on a review previously that this was not the case.
It was very cold at night in Kenya so do take warm clothes!
Do be prepared for a lot of time in the truck driving and a numb bum! I did not find it an active holiday at all, so if you usually exercise a lot you will get restless. Take a good book to read.
Be warned there is something called African time! Things may take a lot longer than expected or be later than advised. Just relax and go with the flow but don't drink too much, as the journey may not be an hour but could be two and it is not always possible to stop for the loo!!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Be prepared for cold showers or no showers!
Keeley Wills

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written October 2012
An amazing trip from start to finish and we would recommend it to anyone!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The time we spent with the Gorillas was incredible and even exceeded our high expectations of the experience. The hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara, although expensive, is worth every penny, again an unforgettable exerience. We also hired a dugout canoe at Lake Bunyoni and enjoyed paddling around (mostly in circles!) on the Lake, if you go around the edge you see some colourful birds up close. On the last day we opted to do a walking safari at Lake Naivasha and loved it, we walked around very close to lots of animals and got some great photos. We had previously been to Botswana on safari and on this trip we saw far more whilst on safari, we saw every animal we could think of! We certainly ticked off the Big Five this time, the safari on this trip is amazing.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader Often was faultless, he was funny, patient, thoughtful and went out of his way to ensure we were all happy, comfortable and well looked after. Often relly seemed to care that we had the best experience we could whereever we went and we really appreciated that. Our support team (Wilson the cook, Benard our driver and Onesmas) all did a great job too and the four of them made an excellent team.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
We took waterproof jacket, trousers, gaitors and gardening gloves primarily for the Gorillas trekking and we appreciated having all of them. We actually wore our waterproof jacket and trousers at other points during our trip although we experience a fair bit of torrential rain whihc may be because we travelled in October. When you get to the point on the gorilla trek where you have to leave your bag (just before you encounter the gorillas) make sure you take your gardening gloves on with you (and don't leave them in your bag at this point), this is when you will need them as the terrain where we were with the gorillas was a little slippery and we needed to grab onto the vegetation at some points. Take a smaller secondary bag for having some overnight clothes with you, when we travelled to the Masai Mara we left our rucksacks in the locker on the truck and only took a few days of stuff. If you do the white water rafting at Jinja and want to purchase the photos take a USB stickwith you, we didn't have one and it took days of chasing before we received the big photo files by email. Have something (books, kindle, games) to entertain you on the long truck journeys, we spent a lot of time travelling and there is often interesting things to see out of the window but having something to do or entertain you on these journeys is helpful, I wrote my travel journal a lot, some roads are bumpier than others but I managed to write a lot whilst travelling on the truck. Antibacterial hand gel is a must although the hygiene around the campsite is provided with hand washing before eating, a testament to the fact that noone on our trip got ill, despite the basic conditions that our team had to prepare our meals in, they did brilliantly. Small dry bags are another good addition to your luggage for separating and organising your stuff between bags and lockers. Take a fair sized padlock for the locker on the truck, we had a locker on the end of the row and I think you get a little more storage space on the side of those lockers. A clothes line is also useful, we had our laundry done (very successfully) at jinja but also washed stuff in between and dried it on our washing line.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Be open minded! We weren't really sure what to expect of the trip and were so pleasantly surprised by tthe standards of what we did, food etc but you need to understand that it is Africa and when things aren't exactly as you would expect them to be go with it!
Susanna Daw

GORILLAS & MASAI MARA

Written October 2012
A comfortable truck trip covering a lot of ground
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The most inspirational moments of the trip were a very close encounter with the gorillas in Rwanda, white water rafting in Uganda and the balloon trip over the Masi Mara
What did you think of your group leader?
Often is a very accomplished leader, who was fun to be around. All the crew (Wilson, Benard and Onesmus) were charming and tended to our every needs. We certainly ate well during the trip!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Pay heed to the baggage allowance and the size, there is nowhere to put luggage apart from the lockers at the back. We were lucky as our truck wasn't full so could have a couple each, but if the truck is full you need to have a bag that fits the dimensions given. And take a padlock, preferably a couple as only a few of them actually fit through the holes.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
This trip does not go to the main cities, apart from Kigali so don't expect to be able to see anything of Kampala (which was a shame) nor Nairobi. There can be a long wait at Nairobi airport as you are dropped off very early.
All our meals were taken from the truck, apart from the first night, so make the most of it! The food from the truck is plentiful but high in carbs, which I perfer to avoid. I put on a lot of weight!
The trip to the gorillas is a bit of a lottery. You will certainly find them, but how long or how strenous the walk is depends on the day, not on whether you choose "long" or "short" trips. You can hire a porter to carry your bag / water / you. I chose that and the walk was absolutely fine (about 2 hours but not strenous). The others went on the long option and drove a long way but walked very little.