Hike and Kayak Rwanda

This was a wonderful trip exploring many parts of Rwanda which is exactly what I wanted. Some parts were a bit challenging, but it was always fun and the group was great. The local guide was fantastic and really helped make it a great trip! The highlight for me was the Gorilla Trek, but really the whole trip was such a great experience.

There were a lot of early mornings and this is a very active trip, but there was some down time in the evenings which was nice.

Really enjoyable experience for a first timer in sub Saharan Africa, the country is beautiful and the people are friendly and accommodating. The Cycling was better than expected and a great way to see rural village life, the kayaking although enjoyable was quiet and not as much wildlife as expected although great for bird watching, hiking Karisimbi was my highlight, tropical woodland with lots of mud and summiting alongside soldiers is a first. Some people did ask for money which came across as rude but they were mostly children and wasn’t common. I didn’t have any uncomfortable moments with locals a would recommend using local currency as opposed to USD and tipping seems to be expected. Overall A fantastic experience.

A really tough but great Journey. Our Guide Pax organized the trip perfect. The trip would benefit from extending it by at least 1-2 days to allow some time for rest inbetween activities. Add a day of Kayaking to really get into the vibe. Also some more time for acclimatization would be beneficial for example by climbing Mt Visoke or visiting Diane Fossey´s grave.

All in all make it a whole 2 week trip by adding a few days and half day activities with some rest time in between.

It’s nice way to explore this beautiful country. It was indeed pretty challenging because of busy schedule: you go from one activity to other with no stop. I loved 1st cycling: proper off road mountain biking through the village and with great panoramic views. Kayak was really nice, simply relax and enjoyable. Hike was challenging and not only due to attitude, but also because of mud all the way up to the top. If you used to hike with rubber boots, probably would be best (all porters, guides, soldiers were in woolies). Additionally lack of proper sleep stopped people to go up (one night in camp, then very short night sleep, and again short night sleep on floor of basecamp). Packing list of bags was confusing: basically I could have one big luggage, that would stay or transferred to hotel, one bag for porter to carry to basecamp / or to ho on boat for camp on lake, and daybag. Would be great to add Safari, as otherwise there will be not much of wildlife. I would say it was a bit pricey.

This trip is more 3.5

Pros- Rwanda is clean, safe, fairly well organized, with some interesting spots. Good produce, though restaurants seem to be out of fresh fruits and veggies on a number of occasions. Lake Kivu was the highlight.

Cons- overpriced for what it is. Hospitality is not at the level Rwanda charges. For the record this is my 10th country in Africa, 60th overall so some decent benchmarking. White person clearly means tips/money whether kids in villages who scream “money” every time they see us, even if we drive by not so subtle reminder to tip everyone everywhere. Other examples I won’t go into. Communication between the guides and office could be tightened too - the agenda was changed and we only received mid-trip, numerous requests we made about kayaks/sleeping arrangements were not passed down. Frankly, could be shortened by a couple of days.

Exceptional tour that truly gives you the unique and local experiences in the country. Definitely listen to the advice in the description - the activities are very challenging, but very rewarding. The group leads worked tirelessly to give us a smooth experience. Gorillas were an absolute top lifetime experience! Rwanda is a beautiful country we got to experience with a great set of guides and a fun group. Pax, Nshuti and Nina were exceptional guides and organisers!

The trip was very enjoyable. Highlights included; golden monkey tour, kayaking and canoe trip. Description of hiking not reflective of difficulty, description suggested normal hike with some steep sections, the reality involved mostly steep hiking, lots of mud and fresh trail to be cut, at times lots of pulling with hands/trekking poles, probably amounting to a grade 1 or 2 scramble.

This trip to Rwanda was exciting, varied, fun, challenging and truly memorable. Rwanda is a great country to visit; friendly people, good roads and lots of different experiences available. Our guides were super keen, enthusiastic and encouraging. Some moments were tough, but the trip was very worthwhile. My highlights were swimming in Lake Kivu and the views at sunrise as we climbed Mt Karasimbi. I thoroughly recommend booking the gorilla trek too.

Such a unique itinerary - using kayaks to travel point to point (the only kayaks in the country?!), camping on uninhabited islands, hiking through mountainside villages, exploring local coffee culture/farms and climbing the country’s tallest peak all within a week. Never have I come back from a holiday with so many stories from one holiday, nor has one holiday generated so much interest from friends, colleagues and family. The local guides were passionate and entertaining. Steve was responsive to hiccups in the plan, acting efficiently and honestly. How unique it was to be exploring the country beyond the gorillas, the military escort was far from anything I’ve ever experienced!

Loved the kayaking - nicely paced days, sufficient variety in scenery and activities, able to chat with different members of the group. Lake Kivu is beautiful and very peaceful. Eloi and Grasien were great- enthusiastic, friendly, motivated. They went above and beyond.

The team went out of their way to make sure everyone was happy and comfortable - even rearranging itineraries for specific individuals, and sourcing replacement kit.

The adventurous nature of the trip and the exposure to Rwandan culture was absolutely beautiful. It was the most adventurous experience I've had for some time and whether encountering wildlife, summiting with soldiers or strolling through villages where they've rarely seen muzungus, it's a trip I'll never forget.

Fantastic & exciting country, two epic adventures on one trip.

Swimming in Lake Kivu was great, views of the volcanoes at dawn as we started out the ascent of Karisimbi also.

The immersion in Rwanda and its people, the beautiful scenery and the adventure were great. I thought the hot spring massage and the coffee tours were great additions to the trip.