Wilbur Begumisa the founder and managing director
Gorilla Trek Africa
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2004)
- Member Of:
- NU & AUTO
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Chirag & Hemal | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Horrible
We had been wanting to go to Rwanda to see the gorillas for a few years. We chose Rwanda over Uganda due to the conservation efforts of the country. A trip like this costs a lot of money so we had to really plan it out. We have traveled all over the world and have been to Africa many times including Tanzania, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya and Botswana. In March 2019, from online research my husband, Chirag Amin, contacted the company, Gorilla Trek Africa, working with their senior consultant Nelson. Chirag asked them to create a luxury package as we were travelling without our children after many years.
There were some things my husband wanted to do such as go to Congo while we were there. He threw out some ideas but wasn’t really guided one way or another to say whether some of those things are plausible. Eventually we had an itinerary. So comes July and we are ready to go, we confirmed multiple times that this was a luxury package as we were paying luxury package price. We packed everything on the list that was provided by the agency. We flew from Tampa to DC to Brussels to Kigali. Before we had even landed and started our trip we got an email from Nelson saying
We previously told you that the balance can only be paid in in cash in
>
> new USD bills or by card/ bank not later than a week to the start of
> the
> tour. It is very disappointing to hear that you want to pay by card at
>
> this late hour.
We weren’t sure why he was disappointed, I guess they want cash but we wanted to pay by card. It wasn’t even the cash/card issue it was the tone the email took as soon as he learned we were paying by card and we hadn’t even landed yet. I told my husband this does not sound good, so we managed to half the balance in cash and the other half by card not to make HIS disappointment worse.
Night 2, we got to our first hotel which wasn’t bad but were told by multiple people it is a 3 star even for Rwanda. We figured we will address it later, let’s see how things go. The food was to be included in the package so we went for lunch. The menu was extensive and looked pretty good. I asked for a salad, they didn’t have lettuce. Fine, I asked for a sandwich, they didn’t have cheese. Fine, how about some pizza? Again no cheese. That narrowed the choices to soup and meat and rice. This wasn’t an issue as it was one of our first meals. However, by meal 3 we had eaten the same thing 3 times. The shower was slimy but the bed was comfortable.
Our second day we went to go see chimpanzees before we were to leave for Goma/Congo. On our tour we met many people and told them about our plans and where we were staying in Goma. One of the gentle man was from Germany living in Kigali, a journalist that has traveled all over that area. Him and his companion as well as our driver advised us the hotel in Goma is maybe a 2 star. Our friend on the tour said you won’t be able to stay there, its barely $40 a night. Chirag contacted Nelson and expressed his concern, Nelson said he can change the hotel as there are other options but it will cost us 300$ USD to change it. First, a hotel that was 40$ a night was booked for a luxury package while another option was available and then we were charged $300 to change it!! Nelson’s email even said the hotel in Goma is just OK. We also expressed out concerns about the hotel we were currently staying at. In response, Nelson said our expectations and African reality were no matched. He further went on to say
Once you lower your expectations, you will have a great trip experience
just like what others always get
I see you are just being so picky and complicated and this will
compromise your trip experience.
We asked for a luxury package, paid for a luxury package to not only receive sub par accommodations but unprofessional, rude and unacceptable customer service. We were asked to LOWER our expectations. This made Chirag upset as believe me we paid a lot of money for this trip. He told Nelson that this was upsetting in return Nelson said
We are all human!
Just the way you get pissed off, i as well can get pissed off!
Let us not make an issue out of this
We need to cooperate if we are to have a good trip, otherwise threats
won't make any good for any of us
You either enjoy your trip or ruin it, the ball is entirely in your
hands
So my over all review, if you want to pay luxury prices, then receive sub par accommodations and even worse treatment, book with this agency. We encountered many tourists that were staying at nice hotels so it has nothing to do with the African reality. This agency hopes that you are a naïve traveler and won’t know any better so they can charge for a luxury package but then treat you like crap once they get your money. Why book a hotel that $40 a night 2 stars and they say oh there is a better option, it will cost you $300 to change it. Why was booked to begin with? Chirag never gave Nelson a ceiling for the price of the package so he charged A LOT but delivered nothing and then HE was disappointed when we didn’t’ bring cash. The email excerpts are just the tip of the iceberg. He never apologized and even stopped contacting us to fix anything. And if you say anything they will get pissed off and cut off contact. This is highly unprofessional, so forget about the money, book with this agency if you want to be treated badly.
US
Email Trulie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A 14 day Magical Adventure with Gorilla Trek Africa
What an amazing adventure Gorilla Trek Africa provided for myself and my friend and travel partner. We are two middle-age women that took a 14-day trip around Uganda in August. The main focus for our trip to Uganda was experience the mountain gorillas, but it ended up being so much more. Definitely a trip in a lifetime.
There are many companies to choose from when traveling to Uganda, but I would highly recommend Gorilla Trek Africa for several reasons. In our travels we were able to see many tour companies along the way and we are so grateful for choosing GTA and the personal service they provided. We were not crammed in a vehicle with people we did not know, rather had a private tour. The main reasons I would recommend Gorilla Trek Africa is their communication, organization and passion.
The communication was amazing. William is the United States representative while Nelson is the coordinator in Uganda. Both encouraged us to contact them with any and all questions and concerns - which we did. Before the trip we wrote and called numerous times with many questions and every single time our emails and calls were quickly and happily returned. Nelson is wonderful, but it was nice to have William as the United States Representative to be able to call and talk to without the language and time difference. After completing the trip and traveling to Uganda, I am more aware of the level of organization needed for this type of trip. Not only were there the lodge accommodations but also permits needed for every game park, gorilla and chimpanzee permits and so many small details I would not have even thought of. Gorilla Trek Africa took care of every detail seamlessly. Even when our airline changed our return tickets to a later day at the last minute, (do NOT use Turkish Airlines!!), Nelson quickly was able to get us accommodations and a park permit for an extra day.
In my opinion, the main reason that our trip was such a success and I will have a lifetime of fond and happy memories is because of our personal guide, Elvis. He was professional, fun and easy to be with and had an amazing ability to find wildlife. You will find that many tour companies will provide visitors with a driver while Elvis was a genuine tour guide. He was incredibly knowledgeable, and we learned about Ugandan history, politics, social issues, and the communities. On our safaris, Elvis would share facts and information about all the animals, birds and fauna on the safaris. I also want to point out that Elvis is an amazingly skilled driver. This is no small thing in Uganda. Our trip involved many long drives that included congested (crazy) urban streets and treacherous mountain roads. Not once was I nervous or worried, he handled each environment skillfully. Elvis has a passion for wildlife, Uganda and for providing amazing service to his clients!
I look through my pictures of the trip almost every day. On our gorilla treks we saw several Silver Backs and babies. During our safaris we saw 7 leopards, including one eating his kill in a tree. We saw elephant playing, giraffes running, hippos sparring, monkeys stealing bananas, Chimpanzees, Rhinos.
I am very appreciative of the service and care that we received by Gorilla Trek Africa.
My recommendations: Besides my main suggestion to definitely book with Gorilla Trek Africa, I would also suggest booking the gorilla trek for two days. It is expensive, but I do not regret the extra expense as each day was magical
