GORILLAS AND KENYA
Oct 7th, 2006, 12:12 PM
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GORILLAS AND KENYA
Hello Everyone,
okay, looks like my ff miles can get me SF to London to Nairobi so Botswana is out this time around. Now I am thinking to do the Gorillas and Kenya.Does anyone have any input on this...how to set it up..travel from Nairobi to Rawanda(?) etc. And what to budget? All help will be appreciated!
okay, looks like my ff miles can get me SF to London to Nairobi so Botswana is out this time around. Now I am thinking to do the Gorillas and Kenya.Does anyone have any input on this...how to set it up..travel from Nairobi to Rawanda(?) etc. And what to budget? All help will be appreciated!
Oct 7th, 2006, 12:28 PM
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Nairobi to Rwanda is fairly straightforward as there are daily flights between Nairobi and Kigali on Kenya Airways and Rwandair. I think the roundtrip airfare is around $450. You can arrange transportation between Kigali and PNV through a local tour operator. Many here choose to stay at Gorillas Nest which is moderately priced, nothing luxurious, but conveniently located for trekking. Permits are $375 per trek until May 31, 2007 after which I think it goes up to $500 per trek.
Oct 7th, 2006, 12:36 PM
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My friends did gorillas in Uganda and Kenya a few summers ago. The started with the gorilla trekking and went on to their safari in Kenya. It seems like a lot of people combine gorillas with a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, so this shouldn't be that hard to organize.
Jenn
Jenn
Oct 7th, 2006, 01:21 PM
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Combining the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara with gorillas is easy!
Options aplenty:
1. Fly from Nairobi to Kigali (several flights daily). You gain an hour which is nice. 4 days or so in Parc de Volcans and back to Nairobi. See my map here: http://www.go-safari.com/Volcans/volcans.htm
2. Fly from Nairobi to Entebbe then spend 2 nights on Ngamba Island with the chimpanzees. Then fly from Entebbe to Kigali
3. You can fly from Nairobi to Entebbe and get a charter plane to Bwindi
4. You can fly from Nairobi to Kigali, visit the gorillas in Pard des Volcans then drive a few hours to Bwindi and do it again!
To see the airfares, go to www.Kayak.com and type in Kigali and NBO and Entebbe.
It is best to work with an outfitter in East Africa so they can buy your permits, air tickets, book lodges and do transfers.
Actually, it is very easy to rent a car in Rwanda and drive to the Parc yourself. Beautiful tar road except for last few Kms but this part is being worked on.
Governors Camps are completing their lodge in Rwanda near the Parc so that will make a nice package!
I have some pics of lodges in Bwindi and Rwanda here:
http://www.go-safari.com/Volcans/GorillasNest.htm
http://www.go-safari.com/Volcans/Virunga.htm
http://www.go-safari.com/Bwindi/bwindi.htm
Eben
Options aplenty:
1. Fly from Nairobi to Kigali (several flights daily). You gain an hour which is nice. 4 days or so in Parc de Volcans and back to Nairobi. See my map here: http://www.go-safari.com/Volcans/volcans.htm
2. Fly from Nairobi to Entebbe then spend 2 nights on Ngamba Island with the chimpanzees. Then fly from Entebbe to Kigali
3. You can fly from Nairobi to Entebbe and get a charter plane to Bwindi
4. You can fly from Nairobi to Kigali, visit the gorillas in Pard des Volcans then drive a few hours to Bwindi and do it again!
To see the airfares, go to www.Kayak.com and type in Kigali and NBO and Entebbe.
It is best to work with an outfitter in East Africa so they can buy your permits, air tickets, book lodges and do transfers.
Actually, it is very easy to rent a car in Rwanda and drive to the Parc yourself. Beautiful tar road except for last few Kms but this part is being worked on.
Governors Camps are completing their lodge in Rwanda near the Parc so that will make a nice package!
I have some pics of lodges in Bwindi and Rwanda here:
http://www.go-safari.com/Volcans/GorillasNest.htm
http://www.go-safari.com/Volcans/Virunga.htm
http://www.go-safari.com/Bwindi/bwindi.htm
Eben
Oct 7th, 2006, 01:41 PM
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I just "topped" my trip report from August 2003, when I visited Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, with gorillas treks in the latter two. I nearly choked when I read the quote for your recent trip to Kenya -- I'm sure that was booked with a US operator, who added a substantial mark-up and farmed the trip to Kenyan operator. I booked directly with Volcanoes Safaris in Entebbe, Uganda, and for a private landrover with driver, I think I paid around US$3,000 for my Uganda/Rwanda portion, which included two gorilla permits (at the time around $800 of my quote). The easiest option is Eben's No. 1 (fly from Nairobi to Kigali). There are a few recent trip reports for Rwanda, and they will give you the options. Its a safe country, and very easy to travel within -- my only advice is do not book with a US operator, who will double the price and turn you over to a local ground operator.
Since you have already visited Kenya, its nearly as easy to combine Tanzania (instead of Kenya) with the gorillas in Rwanda. In either case, you would fly in and out of Nairobi.
In another post, you mentioned that your miles were on AA. I believe SN Brussels Airlines (formerly Sabena) is a partner, and they are one of the few (and perhaps the only) European carriers with flights to Kigali, so you could fly into Kigali and back from Nairobi (and then only need to pay for one-way ticket from Kigali to NBO).
Michael
Since you have already visited Kenya, its nearly as easy to combine Tanzania (instead of Kenya) with the gorillas in Rwanda. In either case, you would fly in and out of Nairobi.
In another post, you mentioned that your miles were on AA. I believe SN Brussels Airlines (formerly Sabena) is a partner, and they are one of the few (and perhaps the only) European carriers with flights to Kigali, so you could fly into Kigali and back from Nairobi (and then only need to pay for one-way ticket from Kigali to NBO).
Michael
Oct 7th, 2006, 01:51 PM
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We're using AA miles for a similar trip (Rwanda and Kenya) this December). Outbound is Chicago to Kigali, return is Nairobi to Chicago and we purchased a one way from Kigali to Nairobi for about $300.
The most difficult part of the planning was finding a time when both frequent flyer seats and permits were available.
The most difficult part of the planning was finding a time when both frequent flyer seats and permits were available.
Oct 7th, 2006, 02:19 PM
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Heloo, Yes, you are right. I did use a US tour operator who in turn turned me over to A & K people in N. And this operator does not allow you to charge your trip so I lost $15,000 worth of miles which I refuse to let happen again! So...I am going to post a couple of ideas for itinerarys on the board and see what people thin. then I am going to go on line and see what I can price out. The ff mileage and flight situation is tricky. I have toleave 8/16 and be back by 9/9. so far I have been able to secure seats from SF to London on VA and then BA to Nairobi. I haven't tried going via Chicago to Kigali and then back from Nairobi. I may not have enough American mile to get all the way from the state to Africa but will now chek it out. Toshi, who are you using to book your trip and what is your Ke4nya/Rawand itinerary? Going solo like I am again gets hard. I find myself gettting so overwhelmed. thank God for folks on this board (and yourselves) for being so helpful. I appreciate it so much!
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Oct 7th, 2006, 03:04 PM
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Hi there. We did the Kenya / Rwanda trip this past May. If you get the chance, I highly recommend seeing the Gorillas. They are the highlight of most trips.
As mentioned in other posts, there are a couple of daily flights to / from Nairobi to Rwanda. We were there for there for 2 nights, and stayed at the Gorillas Nest. The hotel was fine, and most importantly very close to where you leave for your early morning trek (important as the roads were terrible). The Gorilla trek again was amazing.
We used a company out of Kenya, Gamewatchers (www.porini.com), for our entire trip. They did an amazing job, and can arrange whatever you are looking for in Kenya combined with a Gorilla Trek. I highly recommend you contact them for a quote.
Richard
As mentioned in other posts, there are a couple of daily flights to / from Nairobi to Rwanda. We were there for there for 2 nights, and stayed at the Gorillas Nest. The hotel was fine, and most importantly very close to where you leave for your early morning trek (important as the roads were terrible). The Gorilla trek again was amazing.
We used a company out of Kenya, Gamewatchers (www.porini.com), for our entire trip. They did an amazing job, and can arrange whatever you are looking for in Kenya combined with a Gorilla Trek. I highly recommend you contact them for a quote.
Richard
Oct 7th, 2006, 03:17 PM
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An excellent combination and it won't eat up a travel day or two like Kenya-Botswana would. I'd suggest securing the gorilla permits soon. I've only bought them through an agent, never directly.
I slightly prefered the gorilla trekking in Rwanda over Uganda, but Uganda offered many additional wildlife activities such as the Ngamba chimps (as Eben mentioned), the Kazinga Channel & bat cave in Queen Elizabeth, wild chimps in QE and Kibale, and Murchison Falls.
Trekking in both Bwindi (Uganda) and PNV (Rwanda) may appeal to you. If you start in Rwanda, you don't even need to lose a day for travel since you can make it to Bwindi after your gorilla visit in PNV.
Gorilla Nest in Rwanda was fine and had a nice resident flock of crowned crane.
The new facility by Little Gov's should be very nice and might present a good deal if you're also staying at Little Gov's in the Mara.
I slightly prefered the gorilla trekking in Rwanda over Uganda, but Uganda offered many additional wildlife activities such as the Ngamba chimps (as Eben mentioned), the Kazinga Channel & bat cave in Queen Elizabeth, wild chimps in QE and Kibale, and Murchison Falls.
Trekking in both Bwindi (Uganda) and PNV (Rwanda) may appeal to you. If you start in Rwanda, you don't even need to lose a day for travel since you can make it to Bwindi after your gorilla visit in PNV.
Gorilla Nest in Rwanda was fine and had a nice resident flock of crowned crane.
The new facility by Little Gov's should be very nice and might present a good deal if you're also staying at Little Gov's in the Mara.
Oct 7th, 2006, 06:01 PM
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We're using R & N Explorer for the Rwanda portion, Safariline for the Masai Mara portion, and the infamous Kennedy of Waymark safaris for the Nairobi sightseeing.
We originally wanted to do Rwanda/Uganda, but there's too much to see in Uganda for the amount of time that we have for this trip and since our return flight was out of Nairobi we decided to keep things simple. Here's our itinerary.
Day 1 - Arrive Kigali pm, overnight at Mille Colines
Day 2 - drive to PNV, overnight at Gorillas Nest
Day 3 - Gorilla Trek #1, overnight at Gorillas Nest
Day 4 - Gorilla Trek #2, drive back to Kigali, overnight at Mille Collines
Day 5 - early am flight to Nairobi, we have a few hours before our afternoon flight to the Mara so we plan on doing the "cheetah hug" at KWS. Afternoon flight to Mara. Overnight at Mara Serena.
Day 6 - game drives, overnight at Mara Serena
Day 7 - game drives, overnight at Mara Serena
Day 8 - am game drive, 11am flight to Nairobi, sightseeing and day room beofre late night flight home.
We originally wanted to do Rwanda/Uganda, but there's too much to see in Uganda for the amount of time that we have for this trip and since our return flight was out of Nairobi we decided to keep things simple. Here's our itinerary.
Day 1 - Arrive Kigali pm, overnight at Mille Colines
Day 2 - drive to PNV, overnight at Gorillas Nest
Day 3 - Gorilla Trek #1, overnight at Gorillas Nest
Day 4 - Gorilla Trek #2, drive back to Kigali, overnight at Mille Collines
Day 5 - early am flight to Nairobi, we have a few hours before our afternoon flight to the Mara so we plan on doing the "cheetah hug" at KWS. Afternoon flight to Mara. Overnight at Mara Serena.
Day 6 - game drives, overnight at Mara Serena
Day 7 - game drives, overnight at Mara Serena
Day 8 - am game drive, 11am flight to Nairobi, sightseeing and day room beofre late night flight home.
Oct 7th, 2006, 08:08 PM
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13moons,
You have gotten great advice already, so no need for me to repeat the words. 1 year ago this month I saw the gorillas in Rwanda.
http://tinyurl.com/hgzsg to see my pics
Toshi,
When do you leave again for Rwanda?
I am pretty certain you will get Richard as your guide. He is great.
You have gotten great advice already, so no need for me to repeat the words. 1 year ago this month I saw the gorillas in Rwanda.
http://tinyurl.com/hgzsg to see my pics
Toshi,
When do you leave again for Rwanda?
I am pretty certain you will get Richard as your guide. He is great.
Oct 8th, 2006, 10:49 AM
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Hi 13moons,
Patty gave you some good advice on budget. You can book the flights directly through the Kenya Airways website. My wife and I were in Rwanda in July, and we stayed at the Gorilla's Nest. That place is nice and close to trekking, but we would probably have stayed at the Hotel Muhabura in Ruhengeri if we had to do it over again just because we spent most of our non-trekking time in town. If you want a recommendation for a tour company, I would suggest Amahoro Tours. They have other things that you can do in Rwanda besides see the gorillas and the people with the company are all very friendly.
Darren
Patty gave you some good advice on budget. You can book the flights directly through the Kenya Airways website. My wife and I were in Rwanda in July, and we stayed at the Gorilla's Nest. That place is nice and close to trekking, but we would probably have stayed at the Hotel Muhabura in Ruhengeri if we had to do it over again just because we spent most of our non-trekking time in town. If you want a recommendation for a tour company, I would suggest Amahoro Tours. They have other things that you can do in Rwanda besides see the gorillas and the people with the company are all very friendly.
Darren
Oct 9th, 2006, 07:23 AM
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Hi,
I'm a bit late joining this thread but I just want to add that the Gorilla Trekking is AWESOME. You have gotten great advice already but just one more thing - I wouldn't stay at the Hotel Des Mille Collines in Kigali. We stayed there in July, the place was filthy and the people were rude and it wasn't worth half the price we paid for it. If you can I would bump for the Intercontinental or go lower in price for any of the other accomodations but DON'T stay at the Mille Collines!!!
We booked the Gorillas and Kenya independently and saved a fortune (especially on the Rwanda portion). Here's a link to my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4
Imelda
I'm a bit late joining this thread but I just want to add that the Gorilla Trekking is AWESOME. You have gotten great advice already but just one more thing - I wouldn't stay at the Hotel Des Mille Collines in Kigali. We stayed there in July, the place was filthy and the people were rude and it wasn't worth half the price we paid for it. If you can I would bump for the Intercontinental or go lower in price for any of the other accomodations but DON'T stay at the Mille Collines!!!
We booked the Gorillas and Kenya independently and saved a fortune (especially on the Rwanda portion). Here's a link to my trip report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4
Imelda
Oct 9th, 2006, 10:12 AM
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Just to follow up on Imelda's post, I remember a couple other people mentioning that they also had poor experiences at the Mille Collines. My wife and I stayed at the Chez Lando for one night in Kigali. Our room was big, clean and quiet. The hotel is pretty close to the airport and genocide memorial. The only downside was the restaurant, where it took forever to be served and receive our dinner.
Darren
Darren
Oct 10th, 2006, 06:21 AM
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I just visited Kenya (Nakuru and the Mara) and Rwanda in August. I'm not going to repeat what others have said.
A couple of pieces of advice, and you can check out my trip report if you want more detail.
I would disagree with Eben about the ease of renting a car in Rwanda and driving to the PNV. First, we found it near impossible to find a place that wanted to rent us a car without a driver. Second, it was almost as expensive. Third, I wouldn't DARE do the drive to the PNV on your own. While it's true that a lot of the road is ok, and it's just the last couple of km that is bad...it is real bad. I've never seen a road like that (and we drove from Nakuru to the Mara). It should better be called boulders thrown together. Also on the good road there are people EVERYWHERE so it takes a particularly skilled driver to navigate.
If you're on a budget, as we were, you can easily take the Virungas bus from Kigali to Ruhengeri for $2 roundtrip. It's a nice comfortable ride. From there you can catch a taxi to the Hotel Murahabura..which is just fine, but nothing special...food is good though. The hotel manager there can arrange private transport for to the PNV which is $50 roundtrip. Rooms at the Murahabura are $30. They have a lovely, albeit expensive, giftshop too.
In Kigali we stayed at the Milles Collines and very much enjoyed our stay...but others have had bad experiences. I would stay there again though.
We flew Rwandair which we booked through Kenya Air from the states. It is about $350-400 roundtrip from Nairobi.
If you have some time, I'd also recommend a trip to Kibuye or Gisenyi. Rwanda is a stunning country and it's a shame that most people only see Kigali and Ruhengeri.
You can book your gorillas permits directly through the ORPTN which takes Mastercard. I wouldn't waste your money booking through an outside operator. We were in a jam and looked to our safari operator in Kenya, Gamewatchers, to help us. Their affiliate was very helpful, but was also charging $50 more per permit. If you can't get one through the ORPTN, email some of the tour operators in the Bradt guide. We bought two from ITT for market price and didn't buy any additional travel services.
On to the budget piece...Imelda is absolutely right. For a little more effort, you can save yourself $$$.
I think my 9 night stay in Rwanda including airfare from Nairobi, 2 gorilla permits, all transportation/lodging and food was $1800.
A couple of pieces of advice, and you can check out my trip report if you want more detail.
I would disagree with Eben about the ease of renting a car in Rwanda and driving to the PNV. First, we found it near impossible to find a place that wanted to rent us a car without a driver. Second, it was almost as expensive. Third, I wouldn't DARE do the drive to the PNV on your own. While it's true that a lot of the road is ok, and it's just the last couple of km that is bad...it is real bad. I've never seen a road like that (and we drove from Nakuru to the Mara). It should better be called boulders thrown together. Also on the good road there are people EVERYWHERE so it takes a particularly skilled driver to navigate.
If you're on a budget, as we were, you can easily take the Virungas bus from Kigali to Ruhengeri for $2 roundtrip. It's a nice comfortable ride. From there you can catch a taxi to the Hotel Murahabura..which is just fine, but nothing special...food is good though. The hotel manager there can arrange private transport for to the PNV which is $50 roundtrip. Rooms at the Murahabura are $30. They have a lovely, albeit expensive, giftshop too.
In Kigali we stayed at the Milles Collines and very much enjoyed our stay...but others have had bad experiences. I would stay there again though.
We flew Rwandair which we booked through Kenya Air from the states. It is about $350-400 roundtrip from Nairobi.
If you have some time, I'd also recommend a trip to Kibuye or Gisenyi. Rwanda is a stunning country and it's a shame that most people only see Kigali and Ruhengeri.
You can book your gorillas permits directly through the ORPTN which takes Mastercard. I wouldn't waste your money booking through an outside operator. We were in a jam and looked to our safari operator in Kenya, Gamewatchers, to help us. Their affiliate was very helpful, but was also charging $50 more per permit. If you can't get one through the ORPTN, email some of the tour operators in the Bradt guide. We bought two from ITT for market price and didn't buy any additional travel services.
On to the budget piece...Imelda is absolutely right. For a little more effort, you can save yourself $$$.
I think my 9 night stay in Rwanda including airfare from Nairobi, 2 gorilla permits, all transportation/lodging and food was $1800.
Oct 11th, 2006, 04:05 PM
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I found out that Richard will be our driver - so from what I've read that is good news! We don't leave until the end of December so I'll just have to occupy myself in the mean time by reading trip reports 
Our trip was arranged by R & N Explorer.
http://www.gorillasafaris.netfirms.com
They have been very responsive by email. I'll be sure to post a trip report when we return.
Our trip was arranged by R & N Explorer.
http://www.gorillasafaris.netfirms.com
They have been very responsive by email. I'll be sure to post a trip report when we return.
Oct 11th, 2006, 04:30 PM
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Hooray Richard!
Toshi, this is him by the way: http://tinyurl.com/oyauu
He is on the left. Me in the middle and my wife on the right. We are having lunch in Kibuye.
A great guy. I may want to send you a picture or something to give to him. If you can contact me offlist sometime in the next month or so.
Any chance you know a little French?
Toshi, this is him by the way: http://tinyurl.com/oyauu
He is on the left. Me in the middle and my wife on the right. We are having lunch in Kibuye.
A great guy. I may want to send you a picture or something to give to him. If you can contact me offlist sometime in the next month or so.
Any chance you know a little French?
Oct 11th, 2006, 04:31 PM
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I hope it's ok to jump in. I've never posted before so let me know if there is a proper way to jump in.
I loved everyone's discussions on trips. I am scheduled to go to Uganda for Gorilla Trekking in January and was hoping someone could give me an idea on the weather at that time of year in the mountains. I found a website with the temp's in Entebbe for January but couldn't find any others. I am trying to plan my packing but not sure what I need to bring.
Also, regarding camera's. I have an old fashion Nikon 35 mm camera that I haven't used in a while. I'm thinking about replacing it with a digital but since I have two zoom lenses I wonder if it really worth the money. Plus I've never used a digital. Any suggestions? I like printing lareg blowups of my photos. I went to Kenya many years ago and found it easy to get great shots but I understand the Gorilla's may be more challenging because of the lighting. Thanks for any help.
I loved everyone's discussions on trips. I am scheduled to go to Uganda for Gorilla Trekking in January and was hoping someone could give me an idea on the weather at that time of year in the mountains. I found a website with the temp's in Entebbe for January but couldn't find any others. I am trying to plan my packing but not sure what I need to bring.
Also, regarding camera's. I have an old fashion Nikon 35 mm camera that I haven't used in a while. I'm thinking about replacing it with a digital but since I have two zoom lenses I wonder if it really worth the money. Plus I've never used a digital. Any suggestions? I like printing lareg blowups of my photos. I went to Kenya many years ago and found it easy to get great shots but I understand the Gorilla's may be more challenging because of the lighting. Thanks for any help.
Oct 11th, 2006, 06:22 PM
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welcome jbarne39
no rules here, really.
i am jumping in to answer your temperature question. whatever it says for entebbe, it will be a lot colder in the mountains, i think.
i was there this summer and people were in parkas and telling me "it is so warm this year."
have fun.
kerikeri
no rules here, really.
i am jumping in to answer your temperature question. whatever it says for entebbe, it will be a lot colder in the mountains, i think.
i was there this summer and people were in parkas and telling me "it is so warm this year."
have fun.
kerikeri
