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
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Email William H. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very Professional, knowledgble and Flexible!
Umubano Tours were very professional, attentive and flexible. While I only had a 3-day tour, Umubano Tours offers dozens of different tours around Rwanda as well as into the Democratic Republic of Congo that allows for a night stay near the top of an active volcano that I wish I had extra time for. I organized my trip through Gilbert who has been with Umubano Tours for around eight years and organized a flawless visit. My guide was Didier who has been with for over four years and was very knowledgeable and open as I would ask questions not only about Rwanda’s recent history, but about the type of food, agriculture, and local traditions. Didier was also very flexible as I had other requests which he was all too happy to arrange at no extra charge. Also, Didier was very accommodating when I would ask to stop frequently to take pictures.
The city tour is very basic and probably could be avoided, but a visit to the Genocide Museum is a must and free of charge.
Visiting the Mountain Gorillas. There is a $700 permit fee and a one-day visit is probably good enough, but you have come this far and I would recommend another day as you will not only be able to compare the different gorilla families, but guarantee you will take the perfect photo/video that you may have missed the day before!
Unless you can guarantee that it will not rain when hiking, here is a list that you should bring: Waterproof Boots, Gators, Higher quality/thicker hiking pants (stinging nettles everywhere!), and gloves. There are multiple options to see the various gorilla families and each brings its own experience. Personally, I enjoyed the Susa group the most as, not only was it the largest family, but with more adult males – there was plenty of aggressive play that really made the experience worthwhile. Depending upon the shape you are in may greatly effect which family/hike you can visit. Some are affected by the altitude (around 8000 feet high) and tire much easier. Otherwise, the hikes themselves range in distance and difficulty – but even the longest hike may only be 2-3 hours uphill one way. The drive to each Gorilla family trailhead may also require a 1-2 hour drive. Porters are also available to help bring your backpack if you prefer.
Part of the fun is that the Gorillas are very active and do move frequently - so just when your guide says you are close – the gorillas have moved even further up the mountain. Additionally, the guides carry machetes and will constantly be clearing a new path throughout the hike. Once you find the family, there is a limit of one hour – but surprisingly it does not go as quick as you would think
The guides are very professional and will all but guarantee you will get close enough for an experience you would not forget!
DE
Email Geigia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Gorilla Trek Rwanda with Umubano Tours - go for it!
Great experience. At very short notice (14 days before) we decided to include a gorilla trek within our activities in Rwanda. Very easy communication with Herbert from home and great organisation at Musanze. Information, transport, payment - everything clear and reliable! The trek itself was gorgeous - still shivvering when thinking at first encounter with the Susa Group! I do recommend Umubano Tours!
Amazing Gorilla Trek!!
Umubano provided us with unbelievable service before, during and after our gorilla trek. They gave us a fair price and treated us with the utmost professionalism throughout. In addition, we also established an enduring friendship with Herbert, an incredible individual.
HR
Email Darjan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
UMUBANO TOURS excellent and very proffesional services!
Umubano tours-excellent and very proffesional services! Our group of 6 persons booked 2 weeks tour Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda with Umubano, and we were fully satisfied with their excellent services and best prices in compare with other travel agents. If you plan your tour to one, two or all three countries, I recommend Umubano tours. Bellow is my message sent after our tour to director Herbert who organized us whole tour:
Hello Herbert!
We arrived home, and we just want to thank you for excellent service for our tour. Program was great (we only missed drum makers on the way to Kampala, since they were not on the way), accommodation was very good (only at Nyungwe was a bit lower because of common showers and toilets and lodge was full of guests, but on the other hand for example accommodation with a view to lake Mutanda was stunning), and the food was great all the way. Gorilla trekking in Uganda was unforgettable.The price for the tour, even high in compare with other destinations, was the best in compare with other travel agents which I contacted, and I contacted many of them.
We all traveled a lot before, and we agree that this was the most beautiful parts of Africa we visited.
Specially we want to say that we were very satisfied with Chris as our guide and driver. We really don't have any complaint to him, since he was on high level each day.
Finally I want to thank to you for your prompt and detailed answers to all my questions and e-mails. All by you was professionally done.
We will surely reccommend your agency to anyone who plan to travel to Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. And I already recommended it to my friend who has travel agency in Croatia and who plans to run this tour in the future.
TR
Email Gul Fatma Engindeniz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I can say only one word = perfect organisation
When I decided to make a trip for Rwanda, I contacted around 10 travel agencies. Only Umubano Tours replied to all my questions very quickly. And for this reason I choosed Umubano Tours for realising this trip. My experience and my feelings have right. The organisation was perfect. My guide Didier also gave me a lot of informations about Rwanda, the life of the people. I visited a lot of African countries but this trip at Rwanda was excellent.
Email Michelle Tinkhof | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Breathtaking. Beyond amazing and beyond what words can explain. Experience of a life time !!!!!!
Their communication, organisation and tour guides were brilliant. Everything from the minute we met them were profesional. They were AWESOME!!!!!
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.
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.