Agnes was very helpful in setting up our trip...

Rwanda | Nov 19 - Nov 25, 2023

It is clear that this hotel is catering for high end customers and expats. Overall it was good. But the rooms were extremely small. We tried to stay in one room with two bed, for me and my daughter. It was too cramped. We switched to two rooms. The food is OK but not great. The facilities are not maintain well. They advertise they have a gym, When I went there, only one machine worked, they others were hazards, an accident waiting to happen. They do not provide towels in the gym or the pool, you have to request, they bring it on demand, with a bit of delay. I switched three rooms, each one of them had maintenance issues. Squeaky and wobbly bathroom doors. Leaking faucets. In the last room, the sink plug with sink in and could not be taken out. I had to request technician to come fixed twice. The view from the dining area are superb, the pool area is nice as well. The hotel had a gate and cares need to check in before they enter. It give the feeling of safety.

We loved that lodge. The staff was attentive and kind and the lodge is incredibly nice, spacious, the room was humongous surrounded by lush vegetation. The gardens around the building were very nice, and very well maintained. We stayed in this lodge for three nights. The first night were on our own, no other guests. Their loss, our gain. We were treated by the staff very well. They were attentive to our needs. they have dining area down stairs and upstairs, they have sitting area downstairs and upstairs. Wherever we chose to sit in the evening, they immediately brought a movable "stove" to warm the area. The second night, we were joined by others, the staff was as attentive as the previous night. The evening, the local singers/dancers came to the lodge to give a performance. Everyone had good time. They invited us to join in their dancing. Last day we stayed there, we had to wake up very early (before 4:30) they prepared early breakfast for us, and bagged lunch. We went on a long, tough hike. the trail was muddy, it rained the whole day, when we arrived back to the lodge, We did not want to enter because we were so dirty. They insisted and helped, brought a staff help clean our feed and clothes. We had to do our laundry as we were leaving very early next morning. By far the experience in this lodge was the best we had.

Very nice location, not as nice as Davinci lodge. The room is very small, it does not fit two independent beds. We had to rent another room.

Was very nice, We loved the trip to the market, As we liked the stop at the question coffee shop and the gallery. We were supposed to visit the Genocide museum, but an unknown VIP occupied the museum and we could not enter that day. Peter P, our driver and guide was incredible throughout the trip. He was helpful, knowledgeable and patient with all our questions. We loved him dearly.

Overall, this experience was great. We started as all the trip to the Rwandan National Parks by going to the Headquarter, after a short briefing, we were driven to the starting point, we met the guide and porters. From there a short hike through nice farming field. we arrived to the edge of the forest. The monkeys rushed out to greet us, or to steal potatoes. All we needed to do was to stand and watch the monkeys. After some time on the edge of the forest, our guides recommended that we cross the short bridge to the forest. Monkeys there were thriving, many of them going about their business, some played, some stood around as if posing for our cameras. We saw at lease two mothers with tiny babies, the guide mentioned one of them was one week old. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

This visit was very informative and nice. We do appreciate that us visiting such place may help give people some employment and income and prevent them from reverting to poaching in the forest. But I cannot prevent the feeling that the whole thing is staged.

This hike was an experience for the ages. We are experienced hikers and have been on big mountains and in very difficult conditions. As we started the hike, rain started falling down. When we entered the forest, around 8:00Am, it ws pouring, the trails filled up with water. When we were asked at the beginning of the hike if we needed a porter, we, my daughter and I said, naively, we will take one, as we had only one backpack. Our guide asked as many porters to come with us as guests. This was a very wise decision. soon all of the guests discovered that, the porters' support is essential. They are young, strong and knowledgeable with the terrain and vegetation. The rain was relentless, the dirt turned into slicky mud, water was rushing down the trail. our porters and guides, were great at finding paths side stepping the most difficult parts. When we reached the top, we were grateful that we had the guides and the porters, but it was foggy and windy and because we were soaked in water from the rain and from the stepping in the rushing water, we took the mandatory picture and heading down. The fog prevented us from seeing the crater lake. Going down was even more difficult than going up. Again the porters were great at helping, supporting and steering us to the safest paths, All the guests said at the end that this experience will stay with us the rest of our lives.

It was just a long drive from the north to the south. Our driver and guide was great in answer our questions and entertaining us during the drive, but the drive itself was nothing special.

We came to the forest on the designated day, but we decided not to take the walk that day and deferred it to the drive back home. It was raining and we wanted to enjoy the walk. We agreed with our guide, Peter, that we will need to pay the entrance fee again. When we came the next day, the weather was nice. The walk itself is VERY short, nothing special about the hanging bridges for anyone who visit a forest. The bridges are very short compared to the 2km long hike. The park guide, the one who works for the forest, was annoying, he started hinting that in order to answer any question he needs 20USD. not once but multiple times. The guides and porter should know that this is a bad way to get any tip.

The guide, Oscar, from the forest service was great and knowledgeable. Our own guide, Peter, joined us in this walk and birdwatching, he was helpful and knowledgeable as well. It was a great experience. He, as should be, was patient. At the beginning of the walk, we heard several birds, but not always saw them. then we turned the corner and were rewarded by money birds, several times. Also, the walk was at the edge of the forest on a small dirt road adjacent to the tea plantations. with farmers collecting the tea leaves. which was a bonus. I do bird watching on a weekly basis, this experience was exceptional.

With patience, we were rewarded with a great experience. We watched several Chimpanzees from a close distance. The Park guide warned us before the trekking started that sometimes, it takes time for them to locate the chimps. and that we may need to move from place to place. She was in constant communication with the trackers (Apparently, there are 35 of them who work in the part and help locate the chimps, before the tourist come) nd qt time we had to just stay still auntil she get the signal. There was one/two false alarms. Finally, we reached a place where there three chimps, but they were at the treetop, we could see them but not clearly. As we started going back, she got a signal that some chimps are at a certain location, she dispatched one of the porter/trackers on a short cut. The rest went slower on the main path. The tracker, was very fast, almost sprinting up the hill, causing us to huff and puff and profusely sweat. but we were reward with chimps, climbing down an high tree, stopping to eat, Hanging around for a while as if posing for out cameras. Very nice.