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 Iain and Plum | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
We organised a 4 day tour to visit the golden monkeys, gorillas and a tour around Kigali. Herbert was extremely efficient in replying to our emails when booking our trip and we had no problems.
Upon arrival, we were picked up by our guide, Didier who drove us to Musanze for the monkey and gorilla treks. The treks were absolutely fantastic. Didier was a brilliant guide, very attentive, welcoming and extremely knowledgeable about his country. What we particularly enjoyed was hearing and seeing the true Rwanda and not just the touristy parts. Definitely feel like we've made good friends.
I have no hesitation in recommending Umubano tours. They were the cheapest we could find for the gorilla trekking (everywhere is expensive) but the experience we had was excellent.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
We went with Umubano Tours for our Rwanda Gorilla Trek. They were absolutely wonderful! Our guide, John Bosco was a delight - as was the owner, Herbert.
They came highly recommended from a friend who used them a year earlier. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to others without hesitation.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
very good safari company
I have used Umubano tours for a short gorilla tracking last May. They offered me a very good service and felt completely safe and taken care of. Herbert the owner is a very kind person, and has a deep knowledge of the area and on the gorillas. I would recommend to anyone to use them when traveling to Rwanda.
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 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.
Outstanding service: friendly, honest, thorough, efficient and with plenty of initiative
In January 2015 I toured solo Rwanda and South Western Uganda on my bicycle. The opportunity to travel came unexpectedly so I was forced to quickly put together the trip’s itinerary over a few evenings. I knew little about the area and was worried about getting a gorilla permit with such short notice during the high season. Therefore, I drafted a mail with a long list of questions which I sent to over 25 local and international tour operators. I received lots of replies, with most limiting themselves to put pressure on me to book services without addressing my queries. Only one reply clearly stood out over all the others, including some prestigious American and European-run operations: Umbano Tours. The mail Herbet Gato sent me was perfect: it was concise, knowledgeable, accurate and friendly. There was no pressure to sell services; it just explained how they could help and brought to my attention issues related to my plan that I was overlooking due to my inexperience in the region. He also put himself at my disposal to discuss my plans over the phone/Skype, even if it meant for him working late in the evenings and over the weekend. What impressed me the most is that I was obviously a ‘bad customer’ for a tour operator because I was travelling self-sufficiently with my bicycle. Umbano did not make juicy commissions from fancy hotels nor enjoyed high margins from all-inclusive fancy tours out of me. I was treated like VIP even though I booked cheap budget hostels and only wanted a gorilla permit (without guide/tour/transportation). In summary, they were friendly, honest, thorough, efficient and displayed initiative. I ended up requesting tailor-made services like car collections for myself+bike from remote non-touristic locations which were carried out with Swiss-style precision and reliability. Herbet also arranged a custom tour to the Nyiragongo Crater in Congo which took care of visa, transportation and bicycle storage. This was also perfectly organised plus I could see my safety was taken very seriously. In Congo I met other travellers who had booked similar tours with other agencies at much higher prices, thus demonstrating that Umbano offers excellent value-for-money in addition to outstanding customer service. I cannot recommend enough Umbano tours and Herbert’s assistance. To make things even better, you will also have the satisfaction of dealing with a 100% African company and thus helping the local economy. Umbano: a no brainer win-win.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Umubano is the best!
Gato Herbert and his men will be the perfect interpreters and guides for you in Rwanda. Gato has all the qualifications- he speaks several languages, seems to know everyone in the travel industry, and is passionate about his home country. Rwanda is safe, clean, and malaria isn't a big problem there. The UT staff's national pride is infectious- they simply love the villagers and the crops they raise and love going off the beaten path. Ask about the twin lakes banana beer/ basket weaving!
Everyone sees the gorillas- and that's fine- but if you want to spend some time really seeing how Rwandans live then hire Umubano Tours and spend a few more days in Rwanda!
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.
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.
CA
Email Anwar Shamsi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Trip to Rwanda Organized by Umubano Tours
I recently finished a fabulous trip to Rwanda (July 03 – July 08, 2015) that was organized by Umubano Tours. This was my first trip to Rwanda and I have come back with great memories. I had been in touch with Herbert (Head of Operations and Owner) for almost eight months prior to my trip and he helped me create an itinerary that included everything that I wanted to do and more. Herbert was always very professional and prompt in responding to my emails, answered every question with detailed answers and provided me with valuable suggestions.
Also before I write any further, I want to thank my guide (and now friend) Didier for his wonderful personality, kind and helpful nature and immense knowledge that made my trip all the more special. Didier is such a gentle soul with so much genuine love for Rwanda. I really enjoyed his company and I am so glad he was my guide.
During my stay in Rwanda I stayed at the following accommodations: “The Manor Hotel” in Kigali, “Mountain Gorilla View Lodge” near the Volcanoes National Park, “Lake Kivu Serena Hotel” on Lake Kivu and “Nyungwe Forest Lodge” at Nyungwe National Park. Each accommodation was extremely comfortable, the rooms were nicely appointed and clean, locations were beautiful, all necessities were taken care of and everyone was super nice and friendly.
The activities that I embarked on were: Kigali Genocide Memorial, Cultural Village tour near Volcanoes National Park, Gorilla Trekking, visit to a Fishing Village near Lake Kivu, Kamiranzovu Falls, Murambi Genocide Memorial and the National Museum. Each and every one of these activities was very well organized, very educational and had a profound impact on me.
I think what impressed me the most was the resilience of the people of Rwanda to overcome their tragic past and their determination to move forward and work towards building a bright future. It was amazing and heartwarming to see how friendly the people of Rwanda are and what an effort they are making to turn their lives around. I feel honoured and privileged to have visited this wonderful country and I have come back with amazing memories.
I would very strongly recommend a visit to this beautiful country and would have no hesitation in recommending Umubano Tours as the trip organizers. Thank you so much Herbert and Didier for the wonderful time that I had in Rwanda.