Thank you for your message, I arrived back to Australia about a week ago but Phuong is still continuing her African adventure and is currently on Safari in Kenya.
Gorilla Safari
Excellent from start to finish, our driver was friendly and informative and allowed us to stop along the way to check out animals such as elephants, buffalo and baboons.
The lodge was fantastic, very spacious and well stocked with everything we could possibly need, the meals were filling and enjoyable.
The gorilla safari itself was very well run, we were surprised as to just how fast we encountered gorillas, turned out to be a far shorter day than we anticipated but I believe that may have been because our driver requested a nearby family due to Phuong’s knee injury which was very kind of him.
Rwenzori Mountains
Above everything the guides and porters were absolutely phenomenal! They were all friendly, caring, attentive to our needs, patient and insanely fit! Ochoro and Zebedee were fantastic guides, extremely knowledgeable and proficient in mountain climbing. Also special mention to Arnold, the soldier who accompanied us who also assisted us (and caught me a few times as I tripped in the mud). The meals were enormous, I don’t think I finished a single one because they were huge, so I was never hungry for the entire duration of the trip. Also was very impressed with the range or meals we had considering the logistical challenges in transporting the food and cooking it. The huts were luxurious, warm and dry with surprisingly comfortable beds. The mountain range itself is beautiful, so much variety, so many different landscapes and climate zones, felt truly privileged to have been able to explore it.
In terms of recommendations, I believe the 1st 2nd and 3rd day were a bit short and could probably be merged into 2 days. Some sections of the track are pretty bad – particularly on the 7th day (1st day of the descent). In saying that I understand all the existing boardwalks were carried up and built by porters and locals from the Kasese region which is very very impressive! I am surprised the Ugandan Government hasn’t stepped in to supply a few helicopters to transport supplies to continue building boardwalks along the most muddy sections. I also understand there is nothing you can do about that, more a criticism of the Ugandan Government for not prioritising the National Park and preventing further damage to the environment. And finally, this recommendation may be more because I am Australian and don’t come from a tipping culture, it would be nice to get a rough guide as to what an appropriate tip for the guides and the porters should be. Like I said they were all fantastic, not a single criticism about their performance, it was honestly the highlight of the trip being surrounded by such great people with a shared passion for the mountains. Each and everyone of them went above and beyond and it’s the first thing I reflect on when asked about the trip. It would just be nice to know what is considered appropriate as I would hate to under-tip. We encountered another group of Swiss/Australians and they were similarly uncomfortable in trying to calculate what the tip should be.
But overall it was a truly amazing experience, very professional crew, very luxurious in terms of food and accommodation. It was the best organised trek I’ve ever done and Rwenzori Trekking Services will be an organisation I will gladly recommend to anyone I know who wants to take on Mt Stanley!