In the Land of Mountain Gorillas: The Story of an "Epic" Trip (page 2 of 8)

From what I’ve read, self-driving is easy in Rwanda but a bit more complicated in Uganda—mostly because of the state of the rental car fleet, which can be a real hurdle for Uganda. Some travel journals mention breakdown after breakdown, and when you only have a limited number of days, that can quickly ruin a trip :/

I’m not sure why there’s so much caution about self-driving in both Rwanda and Uganda. Both countries allow it, and in Rwanda, it’s really easy. Laterite roads turn into real skating rinks when they’re wet, but that’s the case everywhere. With a good vehicle, decent tires, and adapted driving, it’s usually manageable.

If you know a reliable 4x4 rental company with well-maintained, not-too-old cars, I’d love to hear about it.

Europcar and AZ Impex for Rwanda

Hi Aurore,

Hope you have a wonderful trip for your birthday! :-)

Personally, I wouldn’t worry about self-driving. Rwanda has an extremely well-developed road network (better than some parts of Western Europe). The roads are in great condition, with no potholes, and we found the signage clear.

We met an Australian family in Nyungwe who had rented a RAV4 in Kigali, and honestly, the car was spotless (inside and out).

The only thing is, when it rains, the dirt roads can turn into real ice rinks (true for other countries too), and we encountered landslides on the road between Nyungwe and Lake Kivu.

Despite that, looking back, we both think (not just me 😛) that we really could’ve done this trip as a self-drive with a 4x4.

Have a great evening!

Esther

Come on, come on, the Toyota is spacious :-)

I read your travel journal with envy last fall. The freedom of self-driving... At that time, we had already committed to the tour operator for a driver/guide.

Thanks for the photos :-)

Day 4 is still pretty hectic, but after that it calms down ;-)

Day 4:

This morning, we meet Ronnie again at 6:30 AM. But before we do, there’s some excitement at breakfast. A huge baboon managed to dodge the guards’ watch and suddenly jumps onto the restaurant terrace, then bolts toward the pool with a guard hot on its heels. 😏

At 7:00 AM, we reconnect with yesterday’s Rwandan guide for the morning and head out for another photo safari. Originally, we were supposed to cross the park from south to north and exit through the north. That would’ve let us see this lesser-known part of the park. But now, with the headlight broken, Ronnie’s worried about getting pulled over by the police, who are apparently very strict. So instead of a full day of safari, the plan is to stay in the park until 11:00 AM and then head to Kigali because one of his friends found someone to fix the car...

This morning, we head back to the southern lakes’ shores. It’s kind of baboon day—there seem to be tons of them everywhere! Big ones, smaller ones, and lots of little ones. To our delight, we cross paths with a family of elephants. 😄





There are three cars admiring the elephants, and it’s nothing like the crowds you sometimes get in Kruger when one of the Big 5 shows up. Still, we think Ronnie’s getting a little too close to the elephants… we’re not super comfortable… and sure enough, what was bound to happen, happened. The teenager in the group charges at us, which makes the guides laugh, but they laugh less when the mother does the same. Ronnie backs up at full speed, and we’re not laughing at all—you don’t mess with elephants! Thankfully, there wasn’t a car blocking the road behind us. 😮



A few antelopes and colorful birds keep us company on the way back. We drop off our guide at the headquarters, and by 10:00 AM, we’re heading toward Kigali.







In Kayonza, we turn toward Kigali and stop at a bank to exchange dollars for Rwandan francs. Since we have 5 days left in Rwanda, we want to exchange 150 dollars (in hindsight, that was a bit much). We’d read on forums that 100 USD and 50 USD bills had the same exchange rate, which was much better than smaller denominations. So we go to the bank with one 100 USD bill and one 50 USD bill, but turns out the exchange rate is different—and worse—for the 50 USD bill! Ronnie tries to negotiate with the employee for the same rate, but they refuse. We leave with our dollars, no Rwandan francs… 🤪

About twenty minutes later, we stop to eat at the Dereva Hotel in Rwamagana. After putting our things through the X-ray, we head to the restaurant. The welcome is warm—it’s the first time since Kigali that someone’s spoken to us in French. The buffet is excellent, and we eat typical dishes (ugali, matooke)—a real treat! At the end of the meal, we hear thunder rumbling. We’re relieved we don’t have any more dirt roads to drive on and that we’re on pavement. But then...

A few minutes after leaving… one drop, then two, and then THE DELUGE!!! Sheets of water are literally falling from the sky! We can’t see a thing—everything turns white, and a wind strong enough to knock over cows picks up. We’re in the middle of a storm. The somewhat porous seals let water into the car, so we huddle in the middle. I’m not reassured at all and would love to stop, but unfortunately, the road doesn’t allow it. We keep driving at less than 20 km/h… until a tree stops us again! 😱

But this time, it’s lying across the road! The wind uprooted it… We’re the first on the scene. Ronnie seems determined to do something, so we grab the ponchos from the backpack. I give mine to Ronnie, and my friend and he go out into the pouring rain to clear the tree from the road.



Our pants are soaked faster than you can say it. Ronnie grabs the same cable from yesterday and hooks the tree to the car. He backs up, and after a few minutes, the tree is pushed aside, and we can pass—the left lane is clear. By the time we put the cable away, a line of cars overtakes us, honking. People are happy to continue their journey… until the next tree!!!



And round two: the two of them go back out in the rain, push the tree, and we move forward. As the saying goes, "there’s never two without… eight😱." After successfully moving the first three trees, the Toyota’s engine overheats. Trees 4, 5, and 6 are just a few meters apart, and the 4th is way too big. Locals grab their axes, climb onto the trunks, and start cutting! Thankfully, no one gets hurt!







After an hour, the road is clear. Trees 7 and 8 were cleared by people stuck in the opposite direction. A huge line formed on both lanes. Since we’re among the first, we manage to get through pretty quickly. Phew!

We arrive at the 5 to 5 Hotel in Kigali around 3:30 PM. This time, our room faces the other side of the hill and is much more spacious—especially the bathroom. We wonder what we did to deserve this upgrade ;-)

We rest a bit and head down to the terrace for drinks around 6:00 PM. A delicious fresh pineapple juice for me, for the equivalent of 3 Swiss francs. Beer is half the price… Dinner at the hotel, and we go to bed early. Tomorrow, a long day of driving awaits.

Hi there, The trip keeps being full of surprises 😮. That’s probably what makes traveling so charming. But between the not-so-pro driver, the less-than-great car, and the weather joining in... luckily, the rest of the trip should be a bit calmer! Muriel

Hi Esther, I hope you don’t mind me jumping in and taking a tiny spot in the back of the 4x4. What a great start to your travel journal, even if it was a bit hectic! Thanks also for the beautiful photos. Jean Luc

Hi Esther,

Thanks for this vivid and beautifully illustrated story.

The colorful birds are a long-tailed roller and a little bee-eater (if it were less small and the photo taken at altitude—which we can’t tell from the picture—we might hesitate with a mountain bee-eater, but it doesn’t have the required white cheek patch).

Keep up the great work (we’re all waiting for more!)

BL

Hello, What a fantastic story you’re sharing! I’m planning to go to Rwanda with my family in 2022, and of course, to discover the country and see the gorillas. I’ve seen that the prices are outrageous 🤪—hopefully, they’ll have changed for the better by then :-) I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts and helping the rest of my family learn a bit more about this amazing country. Thanks for sharing!

Now, with the broken headlight, Ronnie is worried about getting pulled over by the police, who are apparently very strict. So instead of a full day of safari, the plan is to stay in the park until 11:00 AM and sleep in Kigali since one of his friends found someone to fix the car...

Not cool—Ronnie could’ve arranged to get the headlight fixed in the evening. But I get the feeling working isn’t really his thing.🤪

Plus, I think he was being pretty reckless—a tree could’ve fallen on your car... Taking that road in those conditions...🏴‍☠️

Between the sands of Oman, the Alaska road trip, and the one in southern Lipez, we’ll find some time to track the great apes! Even though, if I read the price right, the deal’s off for me pretty quick... Guess I’ll just have the photos... I’m in! But don’t trust the driver or the vehicle too much 😅

Day 5

Spoiler alert! No car trouble today! 😊.

After another avocado-toast breakfast, we meet Ronnie at 9:00 AM at reception. He explains he didn’t fully manage to get the car fixed because it was too expensive. Okay… at least the left headlight is repaired. We’re not quite sure what he’s trying to tell us… On our end, we’re still a little nervous about this road trip through Rwanda, wondering what car trouble we’ll run into next.

Before hitting the road, we stop by the exchange office where we get the same rate for $100 and $50 bills. Then, we head to the bank to try withdrawing dollars to pay Ronnie now that we’ve received the money back. No luck—we can’t withdraw US dollars directly. We have to take out Rwandan francs from the ATM and then exchange them for USD at the bureau. We give up because it would cost us too much in fees.

We also stop by the pharmacy because my "voice of a cracked pot" has turned into "no voice at all." Plus, we’re running low on throat lozenges. We grab some cough syrup too since, unfortunately, that’s joined the party… and it’s worrying because our first gorilla trek is in exactly one week!

With all that, we leave Kigali at 10:30 AM… way too late for my liking.

Rwanda truly lives up to its nickname, the "Land of a Thousand Hills," because the landscape is super hilly, and the road just keeps going up and down (and winding). The rice fields soon give way to tea plantations. There are tons of people walking along the roadside, and we’re pleasantly surprised to see how clean the country is.









We stop in Buye (formerly Butare) for lunch. We order veggie spaghetti, which arrives 50 minutes later. Around 2:30 PM, we hit the road again toward Nyungwe Park, known for its primates and endemic birds of the Albertine Rift. We make a quick stop along the way to snap some photos of the tea plantations.







Before reaching the park, Ronnie tells us not to be scared but that because of the nearby DRC border, the military presence is heavy. We have nothing to fear—just don’t take photos of the soldiers. Two minutes later, we see a huge armored vehicle coming toward us. Ronnie goes, "See what I mean?"

We have to cross the park to get to Gisakura, where our lodging for the night is. We thought we might take a short walk before heading to the guesthouse or at least stop to observe some animals… but no such luck. Actually, we were supposed to stay near Uwinka, where the park HQ is and where most of the trails start.

When we arrive at Nyungwe, we quickly spot a few baboons sitting by the RN6 highway that cuts through the park. Then, some L’Hoest’s monkeys (mountain monkeys). We’re thrilled and obviously want to take photos. But Ronnie seems uneasy and tells us to hurry because of the military. Yet, there aren’t any soldiers around. Still, every kilometer or so, there are 3-4 armed soldiers patrolling with machine guns.



Then, we see a big group of Angola colobus monkeys with their stunning black-and-white coats and white manes. Again, Ronnie doesn’t want to stop for photos. He just slows down. But this is one of the reasons we came! He says we’ll see colobus in Uganda at Bigodi. Yeah, but those are a different species (!). Frustrated by his lack of knowledge (or respect for us—I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt), I point out that even if they both have black-and-white coats, they don’t look the same. Between us, we think these are cuter.



We already suspected his lack of wildlife knowledge after some *very* approximate identifications at Akagera (though I’ll admit finding a guide who’s really good with birds is tough), but this was a pretty glaring mistake…

We keep driving and run into another group of colobus. Again, we ask to stop. Okay, but we can’t get out of the car because of the military… We take a few photos from a distance. Then Ronnie tells us not to mention to the park guides that we took photos of the colobus because they might charge us for it… Us: "Uh, why?" Ronnie: "Because there’s a paid activity to see the colobus." Us: "Uh, okay, but if we see them by chance?" Ronnie: "It’s paid."

We arrive at Uwinka to pick the trail we’ll do the next day… and that’s when we realize—or rather, a guide there explains—that each trail costs $40 per person (except the Canopy Walk, which is $60 per person), you *have* to be accompanied by a guide (we knew that), and if you take a "short" trail in the morning, you can do another one for free in the afternoon… Wait, for $80, we *better* get a free afternoon. We’re not done being surprised… (but more on that tomorrow).

We ask about birdwatching, and he says it’s $50 per person. That actually seems reasonable compared to the trail prices. For primate tracking, it’s $60 per person. Ronnie quickly and somewhat sharply tells us that what we paid for only covers the classic trails. Okay, relax (!), we’ll pay the difference if we’re interested. Note that we only saw the rates posted at the guesthouse. I’m including the photo here for anyone interested. For non-resident foreigners, check the FNR column, and don’t trust the "1 day" duration—it doesn’t really match reality, at least not the one we experienced.



We leave after taking photos of the trail map (I couldn’t find anywhere to buy a park map), but we don’t book anything for the next day since we’re staying in Gisakura and need to reserve at the ranger station there.



We continue toward Gisakura. The road is pretty busy with trucks, mostly Ugandan or Congolese. After about an hour (I think), we arrive at the ranger station. We finally book the "other primate tracking" for the next morning and the "Birding walk" for the day after.

We reach the Gisakura Guesthouse a little before 5:00 PM. It’s located in the tea plantation of the same name. We have a room in Building 3, next to the small reception. The bathrooms are shared (2 bathrooms for 3 rooms).





We immediately feel the cool climate due to the altitude and the humidity of the rainforest. The room is functional: a bed, a nightstand, a shelf, a chair, and a light bulb. It’s *so* cold and damp in here… Brrr, we don’t linger… and to think we’re spending the next three nights here… honestly, it’s not exactly thrilling. And we’re having a hard time believing this room fits into the "mid-range" budget category…

Even though the outside temperature is chilly, the welcome is warm. Joseph’s smile and kindness melt our hearts and will stay with us throughout our stay at the guesthouse. It’s also the only time in Rwanda we’ll speak French.

While waiting for dinner (at 7:00 PM), we take a walk in the garden and spot some birds—mostly sunbirds and flycatchers. I ask Joseph if any animals (owls, genets, pottos, etc.) come by at night. He’s never seen any but says there’s no problem with spotlighting (we brought our flashlight).





Dinner is a buffet: stew, potatoes, and peas with carrots. Two slices of pineapple for dessert. Delicious! And special mention for the pineapples!

We head back to the room and go on an expedition in the garden, armed with our rubber boots, fleeces, and—most importantly—flashlights. The garden is deserted… A guard tells us he sometimes sees an owl around 10:00–11:00 PM. We go back to our room, set the alarm for 10:15 PM, and fall asleep. The alarm goes off, and we head out with our flashlight to look for nocturnal animals. After checking every corner, including the small forest, we have to face the facts: there are no animals… The guard, apologetic, tells us he didn’t see the owl tonight. We reassure him it’s no big deal—it’s part of the magic of wildlife. He offers to wake us up if he sees it during the night. Sure thing! We tell him which room we’re in and that we hope to see him later. Back to bed now! The night will be short and restless. We take turns coughing—definitely not ideal for resting. And given how thin the walls are, our neighbors probably didn’t sleep much either… :-( And unfortunately, no owl.

Day 6

After breakfast—omelets, toast, and jam—we head to the Gisakura rangers' station. We have a meet-up at 8:30 AM to pick up our local guide. We're here for the "other primates tracking" outing, which starts at 9:00 AM. While waiting for our guide to be assigned, we spot a blue monkey sleeping in a tree behind the station building and a few sunbirds.









Turns out, they could’ve called this outing "Colobus Tracking." We set off by car with Ronnie and the guide toward the tea plantation. The Colobus group is on the grounds of the "One & Only" Lodge. After barely 10 minutes of walking through the plantation, we reach a patch of forest amid the tea plants. We’re allowed to stay for an hour. We admire the adults, the young ones, and even spot a tiny white baby clinging to its mom’s chest. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a photo of the little one.













Since it’s "other primates tracking" and it was listed as a full-day activity, I expected we’d head into the forest to search for other primates. Nope! We’re back in the car by 10:15 AM. We drop the guide off at the rangers' station, take a moment to watch more sunbirds, and head back to the guesthouse—it’s only 11:00 AM. We’re not even allowed to stop in a patch of forest between the station and the guesthouse without an approved guide.

While waiting for lunch, we watch birds in the garden and come across a pair of African paradise flycatchers.



Ronnie asks if we can eat at the guesthouse, though they don’t normally serve lunch. They give us the same meal as last night. Toward the end of our meal, we spot one, then two furry heads watching us from the eaves—vervets! We’re happy to see them and that there’s a little action, but since they’re eyeing the few fries left on our plates, we hurry to finish before they help themselves. ;-)





Ronnie tells us he managed to arrange a birdwatching outing with an excellent guide. I ask his name, and he says it’s Claver. My hopes rise—it’s a name I’ve seen in several birders’ trip reports. We’re supposed to meet at 1:30 PM at the guesthouse. At the agreed time, we head to the car. Ronnie’s waiting for us and says the guide won’t arrive until 2:30 PM... Well, we wait while watching a few birds in the guesthouse garden. The sky clouds over, and soon the first raindrops fall.

Claver arrives and asks Ronnie for the permit to go birdwatching. He doesn’t have one... ☹️ And without a permit, no birdwatching.

We drive the few kilometers to the rangers' station. It’s nearly 3:00 PM. The sky’s getting darker. The permit costs $100 for barely two hours, and the sky looks threatening. We decide to skip the activity and spend the rest of the afternoon at the guesthouse. Shortly after arriving, it starts pouring. We chat a bit with Joseph, who introduces us to "Ginger and African Teas." Super tasty!

We take the opportunity to shower before the other guests arrive. But tonight, we’ll have the cottage to ourselves. Before dinner, we meet a family of Australian travelers. They did Uganda self-drive (I’m so jealous) and are finishing their trip in Rwanda. They were with Claver this afternoon, and we were supposed to join their group—neither of us knew at the time.

Dinner is another buffet with spaghetti bolognese, rice, and peas and carrots.

We decide not to go spotlighting. The mood’s a bit gloomy—it’s cold. The day was a little light on events. If we’d had our own car, we could’ve done so many other things! 🏴‍☠️

It wasn’t just because you didn’t have your own vehicle that you were limited... it also seems like your driver wasn’t very accommodating or professional 😕. Otherwise, you could say that between the gorilla permits at $1500 and the hyper-organized tours, they really know how to do business in Rwanda . Muriel

Not being able to stop whenever you want with your own car and guide to snap a few monkey photos would drive me crazy😕. It felt like being locked up in a prison (a gilded one, sure!). When it comes to "Tourist = cash cow," they’re world champions!! Do you think the driver was worried about a police check on his beat-up 4x4, or that the cops would report him for his "laxness" in letting you take photos for free?

For sure, we weren’t expecting those prices. And the fact that every activity/observation is paid for really blows my mind a bit.

Not being able to stop whenever you want with your own car and guide to snap a few monkey photos would drive me nuts😕. It felt like being locked up in a prison (a gilded one, mind you!). When it comes to "Tourist = cash cow," they’re world champions!!

I found the experience pretty infantilizing. They tell you when you can get up, where and when you can eat, where and when you can stop...

It wasn’t for us at all, so we changed our summer destination. Originally, we wanted to go to Madagascar, but it’s not possible without a guide. So now it’s Kruger for a self-drive trip! 😄

"Tourist = cash cow" Yeah, we’ve felt like "walking ATMs" several times... unfortunately, we’ve had that impression in other parts of the world too.

Do you think the driver was afraid of a police check on his beat-up 4x4, or that the police would report him for being too "lenient" by letting you take photos for free?

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Ronnie seemed really stressed in Rwanda. He said the police were too strict there, especially with a vehicle registered in Uganda like ours. He claimed it would be better in Uganda. And honestly, we did find him more relaxed there. I don’t know if it was because of the tensions between the two countries in 2019. We saw police along the roads several times but weren’t stopped (unlike in Uganda).

Not being able to stop whenever you want with your own car and guide to snap a few monkey photos would drive me nuts😕.

It depends on the guides—I’ve never run into that kind of issue, but in this case, the agency and the guide really weren’t very professional

Hi Esther, I just read this travel journal I’d set aside a bit 😮 and I’m a little skeptical 😕. After a rocky start, despite some great wildlife sightings, it’s really too bad you had that guide 🤪. On top of that, it seems like you didn’t get all the info (what’s included, what’s not...) from the agency—because yeah, costs can add up fast...🏴‍☠️. Looking forward to the next part, which I hope will be more to your liking 🙂