So many positive reactions have been shared that it is difficult to determine what would be additive rather than repetitious. I am 78 years old, and have been traveling globally for literally half a century. I had been on three previous African safaris, but had never gotten to see the mountain gorillas. I was frankly a little panicking, given my age and the fact that I live at sea level.
I and my son rented a 4×4 car from Self Drive Kigali for a self-drive adventure and the experience was exceptional. The company was flexible, allowing us to do a one-way rental from Rwanda through Uganda, Kenya, and drop off in Tanzania. Their offices in Kigali, Kampala, Nairobi, and Arusha made it easy to explore East Africa without worrying about returning the car to the same location.
Thanks to Moses, Jackie and Maike for their excellent service in providing all the necessary information and documents for crossing borders, as well as being available and responsive whenever we had questions during the trip. The car was in excellent condition, fit for self-drive safaris, and the new rooftop tent made camping in East African national parks a lot of fun. Highly recommend Self Drive Kigali for anyone looking for unique experiences in East Africa.
In Rwanda, we did a mountain gorilla trekking experience and it was awesome. However, I had no problems, either with the altitude probably assisted by the fact that I spent several days at five thousand plus feet in my country before flying to Kigali, or with the trek from the ranger station up to the gorillas. I went with my 52-year-old son, and read up on the trip in advance definitely read “Gorillas in the Midst”; don’t rely on the movie which is more about Dian Fossey than the gorillas.
The ages in our group of eight ranged from 34 to 78 (me), and we were assigned the Kwitonda group of 33 guerillas, the largest in the park. We walked about 30 minutes across moderately sloping farmland before we reached the boundary of the National Park. Then it was uphill, but only for 30 minutes before we (including the guides) were surprised by the appearance of the gorilla family, who were lower down than the trackers had anticipated.
They were on the move, and it is impossible to describe the experience of suddenly realizing that you are literally walking in the midst of more than 30 gorillas. The first one we encountered was the 3rd ranking silver back, Kigoma, whom I thought was enormous, but he was soon displaced by Karevuro, the group’s huge dominant silver back. We had been instructed that the gorillas regarded themselves as the dominant primates in the Virunga’s, so our mission would be to get out of their way if necessary.
Within less than a minute we realized that we were surrounded by gorillas of every shape and size. Only the infants being carried on their mothers’ backs and young juveniles even bothered to look at us; the older gorillas just kept moving as if we weren’t there. In fact, the most difficult part of the morning’s experience was tripping over vines while endeavoring to move aside.
Of course, you are instructed not to approach within several meters of these magnificent creatures, but when they are following the silver back’s lead, the feeling is similar to having a procession of pedestrians passing you on the sidewalk they were that close.
I realize that we were very lucky in the relatively short hike, the fact that it was dry season and so the “paths” were neither muddy nor especially slippery, and because the gorillas in the group assigned to us were so numerous and so very active at that early point in the morning.
Some suggestions: (a) if you are a senior citizen and no longer accustomed to what could be strenuous activity at a relatively high altitude, prepare in advance. I used my gym’s exercise equipment at an incline and frequently walked up the stairs to my 9th floor apartment;
(b) stay hydrated and don’t drink alcohol for a couple of days in advance; (c) get a porter (for US$10) to carry your backpack with your camera equipment and one or two extra layers of clothes; (d) don’t bother to bring metal hiking poles with you; they will give you a sturdy stick that is more than adequate. But definitely DO IT; it will be one of the most exhilarating days of your life.
We also went ahead and drove to Kenya and Tanzania, we wanted to experience the natural highlights of these two countries and at end we had a wonderful safari. The highlights were the amazing animals, the beautiful landscapes, and the friendly and welcoming people.
We saw all of the Big Five on our trip and had very close encounters to Lions, Leopards, Hippos, Elephants, and so many more. My son and I had an unforgettable experience seeing so many animals in their native habitat. We are so happy we found such a great company to book through, I recommend self-drive Kigali for car rental services.
We left the car at the airport in Tanzania and took a flight to Zanzibar. We added three days at the beach in Zanzibar to the end of our safari. It was a great way to relax after a busy safari
