Umubano Tours
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2007)
- Member Of:
- RTTA, PURE TRAVEL & EAC VISION
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $70 to $957 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Bev and Hamish | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing, amazing, amazing.......................
Umubano Tours are amazing and Rwanda is amazing. Right from the start I felt confident in Umubano Tours, Herbert was Mr Efficient and always got back to us in record time, he always was happy to answer the many questions we had prior to booking and he arranged an great itinerary for us. We also had the opportunity to meet Herbert a few times, which we really enjoyed and he made us feel so very welcome and gave us a great insight into some of the country’s history.
We competed a 9 day tour of Rwanda with Bosco as our guide, this included Kigali tour including the memorial museum and churches, two days with the gorillas, the hike to Dian Fossey site, Lake Kivu including staying at a home stay for the night with a local family and the chimpanzee trekking and waterfall hike at Nyungwe Forest National Park. The Gorilla trekking was the most incredible thing we have ever done and we could not believe how close you get to them, the first day we saw approx. 22 gorillas and the next day approx. 12, this included silver backs and babies and we were glad we did two days as each one was very different.
We were so glad we took some friends advice and stayed in Rwanda for more days than just the Gorilla trek, there is so much more to Rwanda than just the Gorillas, Lake Kivu is beautiful and so picturesque, the home stay provided us with an opportunity to see how the locals live and we donated some items we had brought from home to the local school on the island.
Nyungwe National Park is well worth the trip down south, the drive from Volcanos National Park to Nyungwe is absolutely beautiful I could not take my eyes of the landscape of rolling hills and tea plantations and smiling children constantly waving at us. We were lucky to see the Chimps at Nyungwe National Park after only a 30 min walk into the forest they are really quick so just be aware that it’s not guaranteed and it can be hard to photograph them. During our drive out of the forest back to our lodge we also saw many Colobus Monkeys.
We couldn’t off asked for a better guide than Bosco, he was amazing, he always had a smile on his face and made us laugh and smile the whole time, he taught us so much about Rwanda and its people, was always punctual and was flexible to accommodate us at all times. We really feel we came away not only having experienced a beautiful country with beautiful people but also coming away with a friend and company that we will know we will stay in touch with.
Please come to Rwanda, we felt so welcome all of the time, completely safe and the country has been through so much and the people are so warm and incredibly friendly, we are so happy to be ambassadors for the country and cannot say enough good things about Umubano Tours and Rwanda.
Huge thanks again Herbert, Bosco and the team at Umubano Tours, you made our holiday so memorable and enjoyable and we know we will be return to Rwanda in the future.
US
Email ashley | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
good company!
We did two nights with Umubano tours in Rwanda to do gorilla trekking. They answered emails very quickly from the beginning, and I appreciated that I could pay my remainder with credit card on arrival. We stopped by the genocide museum in Kigali (a must). Our driver was great! We stopped along the way for a bit stop and he took us to a very cheap local stand to buy potatoes and chicken skewers. We stayed at Hotel Muhabura - nothing fantastic - but cheap.
The trek itself was great. We had a medium hike - about one hour. All uphill, but not too bad. The problem we once we reached the gorillas. There is a bunch of stinging nettle. It's impossible to avoid as you move about looking at the gorillas. It's so painful to touch. I wish I would have worn a rain jacket as an extra layer between me and the stinging nettle. It was quite literally awesome and terribly painful at the same time. It's a once in a lifetime amazing thing to do though!
No complaints - and I would recommend the company.
US
Email MR | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good value, hassle free
Did a Rwanda and Uganda gorilla/chimpanzee tour with them in Sept. with my sister. I started planning my trip by looking up the most recommended tour operators, then emailing all 10-12 or so of them with what I wanted to do. Umubano Tours was the lowest "bidder" that actually responded specifically to my email and paid attention to what I wanted to do (many of the others wrote back with standard tours that, if they had read my email, they would have seen would not work for me). So I went with Umubano. Was not disappointed. They were good about customizing the tour and doing whatever we liked, even after we paid and the itinerary was set. Our guide George was patient and attentive when my sister was sick, and went out of his way (making long drives to ensure we could squeeze in one last activity we barely had time for) to accommodate us. We even tacked on an extra gorilla visit at the last minute - of course Umubano only charged us what the permits cost. There was one place we stayed that was not pleasant (Chimp's Nest Lodge in Uganda), our guide said he's going to recommend they not use them anymore.
DE
Email Anna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We climbed on the mountain Bisoke in Ruanda. It was an wonderful Trip!
The Service was on Time, everything was without problemes. I really enjoyed the trip! It was great, thank you for the nice adventure.
Excellent gorilla safari
I arranged our 4 day gorilla safaris or 7 people over the Internet via their website. Our guide Bosco was excellent. He was waiting at the airport for us as promised. His vehicle was excellent and he was always punctual.
The service was excellent throughout the safari and I would book with Umubano Tours if I were to return to Rwanda.
At the end of our tour my daughter left her trip journal in the Land Rover when we said good bye to Bosco at the airport. I assumed that we would never see it again but Bosco found it in the vehicle and rushed back to the airport to return it to us just before our flight departed. Needless to say she was overjoyed.
US
Email Sam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
1 day 1 night Gorilla Trek - fantastic experience
Herbert was fantastic. Prior to the trip, he and his team were very responsive over email. Our trek and 1 night stay went by without a hitch, and the group had a blast. On the day itself, Herbert picked us up promptly from our hotel in a comfortable safari jeep. He was a great host and driver, and was also very knowledgeable about the area and the gorillas. We stayed at Villa Gorilla, which was a really lovely, homely experience. The food and views were amazing. Highly recommended!
Email Sara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great personalized experience to see the gorillas
My mom and I booked a 4-day Gorilla/Golden Monkeys/Dian Fossey tour in March 2016. Our booking was completed over email with Herbert who was very responsive to initial inquiries and sent us a very detailed itinerary. He also customized our tour based on our flight schedules.
Our driver Didier was very friendly and helpful. He managed to get some extra gear for us that we did not have, and offered to take us to other tourist destinations in the afternoons on the days with shorter hikes in the morning. He also managed to get us an easier hike to see the gorillas because we had a tough hike up Bisoke the day before.
We also enjoyed our stay at Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge. The beds were very comfortable and food and service was excellent (by Rwandan standards).
Our only complaint is that the difficulty level of Dian Fossey/Mt Bisoke hike was a bit misleading. In the itinerary, it is described as 90 minutes to 3 hours depending on fitness level. In reality, it is more like 90 minutes to 5 hours (one way), and the slopes are steep and get very slippery even after a drizzle (expect to fall).
Email Dillon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Friendly, professional, efficient
I can't say enough good things about Umubano. They answered all my questions pre the tour, the pick-up in Kigali was efficient, the driver friendly and the accommodation near the park was clean and warm. All at a very reasonable price. And, of course, seeing the gorillas was a mindblowing, once in a lifetime experience! Highly recommended.
Email Donald and Carole | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Touring Rwanda with Umubano
We have recently returned from a week in Rwanda excellently organised by Umubano Tours. Our travels incorporated Kigali, chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe then on to Lake Kivu where we visited Napoleon's Hat island with its 5 million bats before heading to the Volcanoes National Park and the highlight of our trip, trekking both the gorillas and also the golden monkeys.
Everything was seamlessly organised by Umubano and we felt relaxed and comfortable in their care knowing that they had paid great attention to detail and everything was planned and ready for our trip. All communications beforehand were replied to very quickly and all questions answered to our satisfaction. When we arrived at Kigali airport we were met by Bosco who was to be our driver and guide for the whole week. What a pleaseure it was to spend time with him. Always smiling and friendly Bosco went out of his way to be helpful even to the extent of getting one of our shoes repaired when it broke during the chimpanzee trek. By the end of the week we not only had a driver and guide but a friend. Thank you Umubano. You were great and we recommend you without hesitation.
AE
Email Andrey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great stuff!
Hey there
We (couple 32yo) came from Dubai to Rwanda to visit the guerrillas. Never though it would be so great really. Guides very friendly and helpful, and the whole processed is very well arranged (mind that it's in pretty much wilderness, mountains have no paths etc.). We took medium distance route, and have to say seems right - don't go long unless you're really fit :)
Great thanks to guides, to community and to gorillas!