SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Day Trip to Akagera National Park
This trip exceeded our expectations, not just because Akagera is a beautiful place, but also because Frank is a remarkable person. His customer care is impeccable. He is polite, considerate and knowledgeable. Very conversant in English and not imposing in the least.
We were picked up in a luxurious 4x4 at about 630am from Kigali and then driven about 2 hours to Akagera while we chatted with Frank. Conversation flowed well and wasn't strained in the least.
Really appreciated the fact that the one quoted price that we paid was all we paid that day. Hassle and fuss free! Not to mention, His rates are very reasonable for the quality of service we received.
After a brief introduction to the park and a very nice breakfast, we were whisked off for a day of fun. Frank is an excellent driver and his contacts in the guiding industry (at no additional cost) really brought the whole experience alive for us. They told us stories about the place and interesting facts about the flora and fauna. It's surprising how much you can learn on a safari!
Frank and our guide went above and beyond during the drive. The fun part was that despite having done this over a hundred times, Frank still has a sense of wonder about him, and that makes him go beyond the call of duty to serve his clients. He understands their excitement and wants them to receive the best possible experience.
We spent a considerable time looking for a great tour company and now that we've experienced what we eventually decided on, we just know we made the right choice. If you're looking for a great day out in Rwanda, look no further. Frank and his team are a great option. And who knows, you might even have found a new Rwandese FRiEND at the end of the day.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
the great leadership and professionalism
allow me to take this opportunity to thanks , the great leadership and professionalism of Golden tours and travel Agency staffs
I remember the journey to Musanze , Kayonza,south province in a very smart car , even if we were on duties of rahpc , for sure we enjoyed and were satisfied of the services
keep it up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Rwanda and DRC in 11 Days
Frank did an amazing job trying to juggle our 5 days in Rwanda with 6 additional days in DRC that we asked him to organize for us. Our itinerary changed at the last minute as two Volcanoes NP mountain gorilla permits came up just before we left home (yay!) and Frank just moved everything around without any issues. He's a great driver and a very knowledgable guide and we loved criss crossing Rwanda with him.
He then connected us with his associate for our DRC - Goma to Bukavu segment and although we had a few issues with unexpected hotel rate increases and the visa process, we managed to do it all. DRC is not for the faint of heart! Finally Frank located and coordinated with D'jambo in Kinshasa to get us to the bonobos and they did a fantastic job as well.
Thanks for the awesome tour Frank and Golden Rwanda! One note - make sure you arrive at the front gate of Akagera NP before 6PM or you'll end up in protracted discussions with NP and lodge personnel before they let you in! :-)
Mahalo Nui Loa Frank - hoping you do make it out here to Hawaii!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This tour company was everything we needed and much more!
On our safari trip with Golden Rwanda we went to many places in Tanzania including Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Kilimanjaro, and all the way to Dar es Salaam. Our tour guide was amazingly knowledgeable about the animals, places, and people and was super helpful when we needed directions or wanted to go somewhere special. Our driver had become our close friend and we loved every bit of our time with him and he definitely made the trip so much better! We had he absolute best time and would recommend this company. The price was fair and the trip was very smooth, which made things that much more enjoyable :)
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic service, reliable and trustworthy.
We made contact initially as a result of an internet search. International Golden Tours and Travel Agency replied quickly to our initial email and proved consistently easy to contact. They gave us good advise and service before we travelled to Rwanda as well as while we were there. We hired a vehicle from them to self-drive around the country including Akagera National Park. The vehicle - a 4x4 was perfect for the job and didn't let us down at all. After touring we returned to Kigali and Frank of International Golden Tours and Travel Agency took us on a city tour taking in the sights of Kigali.
We have recommended to someone else travelling to Rwanda and would not hesitate to do so again. We hope to return in the near future and would consider taking one of the full tours offered.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Guides
The guide was extremely friendly and knowledgable about all the animals! He was very kind, spoke excellent English, and made the trip a lot of fun!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One day safari tour - Akagera National Park
I had one day safari tour in Akagera National Park in October. I was visiting Kigali, Rwanda for work and had one free day with a 8pm flight back home. When I sent an email with inquiry, I explained my situation with returning flight in the evening, and I was very happy to know that the company could take me to airport right after safari drive. Frank was extremely helpful by meeting with me a day before at my hotel and going over the logistics of the tour. He showed me a photo of the car and explained that it would be a half day tour because of my flight. Also, he recommended to check out from the hotel early in the morning and go to the tour with my luggage. My driver was very professional, he provided water and made sure I was comfortable. The drive to the park was about two hours on a very good condition road. The scenery outside of Kigali is absolutely breathtaking! It is a land of thousand hills and beautiful. The park's visitor center is very nice and has an exhibit. The park has lots of animals and my driver made sure I saw most of the animals and was able to make videos/take pictures. Also, my driver recommended to pack lunch to eat in the park's picnic area which is an open space with a view of animals. We returned to Kigali early, I had plenty of time in the airport to shop, etc. This company is very responsible and provides great service to its customers.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Brilliant 12 day tour of Rwanda with Golden Rwanda Tour company.
I can't fault the service. Traveling on my own I arrived a little apprehensive of how the holiday would work out but on being met at the airport by Frank Benoit Kanyamutara, his professional but warm welcome instantly made me feel secure and there was no incident in the whole trip for which he was my driver and guide to give me any concern.
We had no strict itinerary my request was that if I liked an area we'd stay a couple days if not we'd move on. Frank did his best to show me most aspects of life round the country as well as National parks, cleaning coffee beans, a tea factory and live music one evening at a bar.
I really enjoyed my time in Rwanda and have no hesitation in recommending this tour company. Advance payments made by bank transfere went through with no difficulty and I wasn't asked for any more than initially agreed.
A most memorable holiday.
RU
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Weekend with Golden Rwanda tours
Being on the business trip I had a chance to spend a weekend with Golden Rwanda Tours and its owner Frank. And this experience was excellent! Comparing to other offers the price was very reasonable, especially for comfortable 4x4 vehicle. I had a very tight schedule and ordered 2 tours at the weekend, both started from Kigali and required to wake up at 4 in the morning. Frank was OK with that and both time picked me up at the hotel. The first tour took the whole day and was to Bisoke volcano, which was pretty nice, despite of the raining at the second part of the day. The second tour to Golden Monkey was a bit shorter and we freed at 11 a.m, so Frank suggested to visit Kivu lake and Kongo border as a bonus.
I highly recommend Frank to travel with, especially if you first time in Rwanda and need to know more about the country, people, history, food, etc. Travelling with Franks is not the official way when you have a strict itinerary and should follow the guide. He is always ready to show you some more about his country. On the way back we also did extra stops to grab some local food and to buy gifts and souvenirs. Frank became a real friend during this trip and his attitude to customers is on a extremely high level. Hope I will have a chance to visit Akagera next time with Golden Rwanda!
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great 4 Day Gorilla Tour
We did the 4 day gorilla and golden monkeys tour with Golden Rwanda. During this holiday we also did other tours with other operators in Kenya/Tanzania as well as Morocco. All of them were on the budget range of the tour price scales, but this one was by far the best of them.
Right from the time of booking, the communication was very good with Frank. He asked us about our expectations for the trip and we obviously said that we wanted to see the gorillas and the monkeys and we left the rest up to him and I'm glad we did. Being a private tour, we had some flexibility and managed to see some optional things like the twin lakes and Lake Kivu as well as a little village that has a setup where they teach you about their history and traditions (contrasted to a village we visited in Kenya where they let you look around and then try and sell you a bunch of Chinese toys they claim they made there).
The Genocide Memorial is by no means a happy place, but it is a must visit if you are in the area. If you are like almost every other North American, your knowledge of the genocide is limited to what you've seen in movies like Hotel Rwanda and the memorial gives does a really good job explaining the history of the country and how things built up to it. Really disturbing, but really interesting and important.
All of the accommodations we stayed in were basic, but clean and had very good service. One change to the itinerary was on our third night we ended up at Lake Kivu and that was actually a really nice little lakefront cabin and I would highly recommend it.
Frank was very friendly and knowledgeable and he drives a nice big newer Landcruiser, so the trip was comfortable. He definitely took the time to ask what we were interested in and personalized our tour accordingly.
When we first decided to go to Rwanda (we chose it over Zanzibar due to limited time) we thought we would just want to get in, see some gorillas and get out. I can honestly say that it was my favorite place we visited, the people were so friendly and it was really green and clean. Our only regret about our trip to Rwanda was that I wish it was a couple of days longer.