Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi & D.R. Congo
I am an experienced solo traveler and often coordinate my trips with local guides. My experience with Africa Adventures Safaris was one of the best I've ever had. Nicholas worked with me to develop a trip tailored to exactly what I wanted and the time window that I had- he was excellent to work with and really gave me great advice about what was and was not doable in my timeframe. Amazingly, this level of personal service also ended up being the least expensive but most comprehensive of all of the options I explored for my trip to East Africa.
My guide when I arrived was Sam Elliott. It can sometimes be difficult to be in a car with even the closest of friends for 11 days , but not with Sam- he was the consummate professional, answering all of my questions and engaging in a wide range of discussion topics addressing everything from local customs and commerce the geopolitics, the genocide, and the civil society issues in Burundi and Uganda. Sam also communicated with people in seemingly a dozen languages as we traversed East Africa, and was able to really help me connect with people.
My aggressive itinerary included lots of primate tracking: Lowland Gorillas in Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Congo, Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys (a highlight not to be missed) in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable park in Uganda, and Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park. Rwanda and Uganda are amazing as advertised. I found Burundi to be very culturally interesting (highlighted by the Gishora Drum Sanctuary) and distinct from Rwanda- worth a day or two to see, but not worth lingering. Similarly, going to Congo was an adventure in itself and the gorilla tracking there is a different experience- much less touristy than in Rwanda. I was a bit nervous about it, but it was relatively (to itself) safe at the time and Nicholas had made excellent arrangements (my guide there was local to Bukavu and was excellent- but I forgot his name).
Most amazingly, not a single thing went wrong on the entire trip. For anybody who has traveled extensively in Africa, you know how unbelievable that is. Africa Adventures Safaris took care of everything and everything went nearly exactly as planned on my itinerary. Given the countries I was in, that is the most amazing thing of all, and a tribute to their preparation, local contacts, and professionalism. As I told Sam when I left, I don't think I could have had as good of an experience in this region without him and without Africa Adventures Safaris. Thank you again!
