KI-NRT

This review is for the Uganda portion of our recently concluded Kenya/Uganda trip, which included stays at Hemingways, Ngare Serian, Mara Plains and Giraffe Manor (Kenya) and Protea Hotel Entebbe and Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (Uganda.)

TLDR:

- We thoroughly enjoyed our entire trip, and don't regret it one minute
- Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge was a wonderful property that's at least as good as Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Rwanda
- We encountered massive service issues with both our tour operator (Kabiza) and Protea Hotel Entebbe
- Overall, Uganda's infrastructure (especially the roads) and service levels lags that of Rwanda
- If you intend to do a Gorilla trek once in your life (and only once), one-hour "standard" Gorilla treks are recommended, and Rwanda is the place to do it

TRIP PLANNING

For a January trip, we knew going in that our options were limited in terms of a safari location to combine with the Masai Mara region. While doing my due diligence, I stumbled upon something that got our heart racing - a four hour Mountain Gorilla habituation experience in Uganda:

https://kabiza.com/kabiza-wilderness...bwindi-forest/

Four hours with a Mountain Gorilla family, rather than one? And an opportunity to participate in the habituation process? After a few e-mail exchanges with Jon Blanc at Kabiza, we had a feeling that it would be our second "once-in-a-lifetime" Gorilla experience. We previously went on two Gorilla treks in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park), which to us was one of the best wildlife experiences on Earth. Our review of Sabyinyo/Rwanda is here (actually, I piggybacked onto bhrubin's excellent report.)

Trip Report: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Rwanda)

Kabiza's website had the most comprehensive information about the habituation experience, and online reviews of Kabiza were generally quite good. Jon Blanc (the owner) was generally friendly and responsive in his e-mail replies, so I was predisposed to giving them my business. However, a handful of his comments came across in a way that seemed to lack empathy, and it was often one word too many. First off, he suggested that we fly into Kigali (Rwanda) and overnight there, and then they'll drive us to Bwindi the next day (he said "3 hours," but everything I've read suggests it's closer to 5 hours.) His rationale was that the landscape was beautiful on the drive through the Virungas (as well as the terraced hillsides and tea plantations), and it's cheaper than going via Entebbe, where the drive to Bwindi would take 9 or so hours. I told Jon that we've been to Rwanda before and enjoyed the scenery, but we wanted a complete Uganda experience this time so we'd like to fly from Entebbe to Kisoro (the gateway town to Bwindi.) His response: "Fly-in Safaris are less than 1% of our business, and the majority of our clients fly into Kigali and fly out from there unless we add on other things in Uganda. By the way, I could have a return flight in the States for less than what Aerolink offers per person between Entebbe and Kisoro." Another example: suggested a hotel (to overnight) in Entebbe, but I told him that I'll be using Marriott Rewards points to stay at the Protea. He said it's a "cold, business hotel and that few - if any - of his clients choose to stay there." It wasn't THAT offensive, and they seemed reputable enough, so I stuck with Kabiza, which turned out to be the wrong decision (more on that later.)

Since we were flying round-trip between Entebbe and Kisoro (the gateway town to Bwindi), we decided to spend one night in Entebbe both before and after our Gorilla sojourn. We soon learned there are no real luxury choices in Entebbe. Perhaps in Kampala (actually not), but that's at least an hour away (2+ hrs. with bad traffic), so we decided not to risk it. Protea seemed to be the safest choice for several reasons:
1) South Africa-based Protea Hotels is the largest hotel in Africa, with over 100 properties in 8 countries. It was acquired by Marriott in 2014, meaning that it promises to live up to basic international business hotel standards
2) It's a mere 15 minutes from Entebbe Airport
3) It is located right along the banks of Lake Victoria
4) A Junior Suite was relatively inexpensive

We were scheduled to arrive into Entebbe from Nairobi at 4:45PM, so we planned to check into Protea and rest up before the early morning flight to Kisoro the following day. The return flight was slated to touch down at Entebbe before noon, so I booked a private "behind the scenes" tour at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre for that afternoon, and then planned to have dinner at Goretti's Beachside Pizzaria and Grill (highly rated outdoor restaurant along Lake Victoria) before flying out on Turkish Airlines early the next day.

When doing our research on lodge choices in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, we learned of four locations: Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija, which has 3, 4, 1 and 2 accessible Mountain Gorilla families, respectively. We also read that Gorilla permits are sold on a first come, first served basis, at least when it comes to the choice of the aforementioned 4 areas. Looking at lodge choices, Sanctuary's Gorilla Forest Camp (located in Buhoma) and Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (Nkuringo) looked like the most upmarket options. Sanctuary Retreats operates a portfolio of safari lodges (Chief's Camp in the Okavango being the most noteworthy) and expedition ships, and seemed like the safe pick. Clouds Mountain is owned by Wild Places, which has 4 properties in Uganda, including the acclaimed Apoka Lodge in the very remote Kidepo National Park (it's on our bucket list!) In our case, the choice was more or less made for us - there's only one family that is currently being habituated, and that family is in Rushaga, and our intention was to go for the habituation experience for our first trek, followed by a "regular" (1 hour viewing) trek the following day. Even if we were only to do the standard treks, we probably would've stayed in Rushaga - it's in the Southern sector of Bwindi, whereas Buhoma is on the North Side. Rushaga is closer to both Kisoro as well as to Kigali (if you choose to drive up from Rwanda) by at least 90 minutes. Although Clouds is located in Nkuringo and not Rushaga, they were only about 45 minutes apart, so we prioritized comfort over access and went with Clouds.

PROTEA HOTEL BY MARRIOTT ENTEBBE

Our stay here was a failure of epic proportions. Where do I begin? For starters, not only was a driver not waiting for us upon arrival at the airport, it took at least another half hour after calling the hotel to have someone arrive on the scene. When I complained to the driver, he said that they don't come to pick up their guests until they called the hotel after arriving at the airport. What? As soon as we reached the hotel, I asked to speak to the GM or duty manager. The front desk agent said "the manager is not in today because today is Saturday, and he doesn't work on Saturdays." Say what? I then told him what the driver told me (about needing to call them to have a driver come get us), to which he responded with a straight face - "the driver is wrong... you just need to confirm an airport transfer with us in advance." When I told him that's precisely what I did, he excused himself to the back room to look into the matter - for over a half an hour. After returning to the front desk, I told him to just get me a key so that my sick wife could relax in the room. He said it'll be just a few minutes before they get to the bottom of the transfer issue. I calmly asked him to give us a room key, but before doing so, I demanded service recovery. He pulled out a meal voucher with a $20 limit and no drinks included. I told the agent that was far from acceptable - an upgrade to a Presidential Suite would be barely sufficient. He checked his computer and found that they only have one Presidential Suite room and it was already accounted for, and there was no other room category between the Junior and Presidential Suites. I told the agent that I was planning to give them a 1-star review on TripAdvisor, but was going to reserve judgment until we complete our current stay. Anyways - at this point, I was too tired to argue, and we quickly retreated to our quarters. If only that's how things ended....

Immediately upon entering our room, I noticed that it was about 25 square meters - small even by entry-level room standards. Dumbfounded, I turned to our porter and asked him if this was a Junior Suite. He replied "I don't know." I picked up the phone and spoke with the same agent that checked us in. Here's how the conversation went:

ME: Hi... ummm... we booked a Junior Suite; can you double check that we did?
AGENT: Yes sir, yes you did.
ME: I thought so. The room we're currently in is super tiny - to the point where I'd be offended if it was an entry-level room
AGENT: ......
ME: We are in room xxxx.. can you check if this is a Junior Suite? Because I don't think it is.
AGENT: Yes sir, that room is a Junior Suite
ME: Are you 100% certain? As I said, the room is tiny
AGENT: Sir, the room is spacious enough for Protea to designate it as a Junior Suite.
ME: I'm absolutely certain this is not a Junior Suite. Please look in your computer and find another Junior Suite room.
AGENT: Okay, I've found one. It's room xxxx
ME: Thanks
AGENT: ......
ME: So.. are you going to bring the key to this room, then escort us to the real Junior Suite?
AGENT: Yes, I can do that sir
ME: Okay, please do so right away


Uhhh, this is a Junior Suite?

A few minutes later, he arrives at our room with a poker face and a new room key, and asks us to follow him to another Junior Suite. Before doing so, I ask him to come inside and take a look at the current room he assigned us. He took a look, and said "okay, now I will take you to your new room."

Seriously.. that's it.

The Junior Suite room was adequate, and breakfast was terrible (we wound up having a full banana and... nothing else.)

Kabiza had arranged for transfer the next morning to Entebbe Airport. Nobody showed up...

So, at the last minute we asked the front desk to arrange a hotel driver to take us there. In case you're wondering.. yes, they charged us for it, but at this point I wasn't going to argue for risk of missing our flight.

The flight from Entebbe to Kisoro is a short (90 minutes) domestic flight, and we were advised to arrive at the airport one hour prior to the scheduled 7:45AM departure. We got to the Aerolink check-in counter at precisely 6:43AM, and it was completely empty. An empty flight during the off-peak period, right? Unbeknownst to us, we were late arrivers and almost missed the flight. An Aerolink agent came over and barked "you're late... hurry up now, give me your passports!" After hurriedly checking us in, she escorted us through passport control and security and then to a waiting bus that was to take us to the plane. The bus was full of people, so I asked the agent whether the other passengers were on a different flight. She said "no, you're all on the same flight, and you two are the last ones to show up. They've all been impatiently waiting for you."

I apologized to the rest of the passengers during the bus ride, but wondered why we're about to board the flight when it was still only 6:55AM. It turns out that all of the other passengers were notified by either their tour operator or the hotel (or both) that the flight departure time was changed the previous night to 7AM. Another strike for Kabiza and Protea.


View of Lake Victoria on our Aerolink Uganda flight from Entebbe to Kisoro

We arrived in Kisoro and spotted a Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge 4x4 vehicle, believing it was there waiting for us... or so we thought. As we shook the driver's hand and introduced ourselves, another couple came to the vehicle and identified themselves as Clouds guests as well. Hmmm, okay, we asked for a private driver/guide; in fact, that was supposed to be the default at Clouds, but perhaps for round-trip the airport transfers (2 hours each way) it was a communal one?

That's when the driver told us he was assigned to take the two other guests to the lodge, but not us. He called management at Clouds to ask about our plight, and learned that since we booked with Kabiza and not directly with Clouds, we were supposed to have a Kabiza-assigned driver for the entirety of our time there. The driver added that Clouds management just now had called Kabiza, confirmed that our Kabiza driver would get to us in about 20 minutes.

The Kabiza driver (Jackson was his name) profusely apologized for being late. He said he had no idea that Aerolink's flight would arrive so early. Well, he was the only driver that didn't know about the change.

Aside from this hiccup, Jackson turned out to be a wonderful host and full of knowledge. I later learned that he was a freelance guide (he never threw Kabiza under the bus, but I suspect that Kabiza failed to inform him of the flight schedule change) and served all areas of Uganda, including Murchison Falls, Kidepo, Queen Elizabeth N.P., Kibale and other major wildlife regions in the country.


A view of the Ugandan countryside

After 2+ hours of very bumpy driving (no paved road to speak of between Kisoro to Bwindi), we finally reached our destination for the next 3 nights, fillings thankfully intact - Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.

CLOUDS MOUNTAIN GORILLA LODGE

FINALLY! An oasis of comfort, tranquility and predictability in wild Uganda. Much to our delight, everything worked like clockwork. Clouds won't ever be confused with Aman, but compared to everything else we experienced in the country, it was positively Aman-esque. We were assigned a butler (Innocent was his name) who was completely dedicated to us while at Clouds. A housekeeper named Christine also looked after us during our time there; she was equally proficient. Innocent was attentive, prompt in his actions, friendly without being overly chatty and was always quick to try and anticipate our needs. Christine was a sweetheart, and was stellar in arranging our room, our laundry and in spotlessly cleaning our muddy shoes after returning each day from our long and exhausting Gorilla treks. We had long conversations with Innocent (initiated by us), where he talked about his upbringing, his own family, his way of life and his dreams for the future. We learned that he has no running water and needed to walk 2 miles each day to fetch water, and just recently saved up enough money to install solar panels - just enough to power the lights in his home so that his kids could study in the evenings.


Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge - common area

Given that Innocent took care of our every whim, we didn't find it necessary to interact much with the rest of the staff. To the extent that we did, however, they were personable and helpful.

The property grounds are pretty, and well groomed. It was not as dramatically situated as Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Rwanda, which had sweeping views of the surrounding landscape and had multiple imposing volcanoes in the distance. From Clouds we were able to see the surrounding terraced farmlands as well as rolling hills as far as the eye can see. It certainly conveyed a sense of remoteness. Both the common area as well as the cottages were very reminiscent of Sabyinyo - upon first glance, I had flashbacks of our Rwandan experience due to the similarity; it seemed like the same architect had designed both properties, which isn't a bad thing at all. The main area consists of a large lounge area, dining room and a bar, and was tastefully furnished and adorned with traditional African sensibilities. Rooms were stand-alone units that had a separate living and bedroom, although there was no door to divide both areas. It was definitely roomier than the spacious-enough Sabyinyo. The restroom was extremely large - plenty of space to store all of our belongings without having to think too much about efficiently organizing them. Dual wash basins and a separate shower and tub rounded out the in-room amenities. Being a newer property, Clouds also showed less wear and tear compared to Sabyinyo, although the latter in no way can be considered shabby. Overall, Sabyinyo has better views, while I'd give a very slight edge to Clouds when it came to the actual hard product and personalized service.









As was the case with just about everywhere else we stayed (save for Giraffe Manor in Kenya), food was decidedly mediocre. The vegetables were fresh out of the property's garden, and nothing was inedible; however, none of what we had was particularly memorable. On the positive side, at least they did not try too hard to be fancy with any of the dishes. Salads were fresh, and main courses usually consisted of grilled chicken or some meat dish, or some sort of pasta - reasonably well executed. The packed lunches for our Gorilla treks were also quite basic; mainly a simple sandwich along with bananas, apples and some juices.... we considered it nothing more than fuel for the treks. Let's just say that we wouldn't consider Clouds as a culinary destination in the way that Singita Lebombo is

GORILLA TREKS

We had the habituation experience the first day and a regular trek (1-hour Gorilla viewing) the second day, and both of the hikes took place in the Rushaga area of Bwindi, which was a bumpy (and often slippery when it rained) 45 minute drive from Clouds. We had to be at the Rushaga headquarters by 7AM for the habituation experience, which meant leaving Clouds by 6:15AM. We were woken at 5:15AM, had breakfast at 5:45AM and left a little late due to time spent putting on our gaiters (provided by the lodge.) It turned out not to be a problem, because we were the only guests on this day's hike.

A few notes about Gorilla treks in general:

Do not underestimate the altitude. In both Uganda and Rwanda, the trekking takes place at elevations of 2000-3000 meters - enough to take the breath out of you (although not high enough for altitude sickness to be a major concern.) Although the elevation depends somewhat on the trek and the family you visit, Uganda overall is about 500 to 1000 meters lower than Rwanda, and we definitely felt the difference. One thing to note: we came from the Masai Mara and Nairobi, which are about 1700M and 2300M above sea level, respectively, so we were already quite acclimated to the altitude, whereas we arrived in Rwanda having flown in from a much lower altitude location (Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania). No matter how fit you are, if you're spending a while in Rwanda or Uganda you might want to think seriously about spending at least one full day getting acclimated to the altitude. Or, try planning an itinerary that has you spending your pre-Gorilla days someplace that has some elevation.

Definitely hire a porter. You might think "you got this," but it's only $20, helps the community, and they really do come in handy. Trekking through hilly terrain really does take a toll; have them carry your stuff, your back and shoulders will thank you for it. The biggest benefit to having a porter comes from their assistance in traversing through steep or muddy/slippery terrain as well as occasional steams/rivers - they'll help you navigate through the tricky spots. In fact, for almost the entire trek Mrs. KI-NRT's porter guided her while holding her hand, and Mrs. KI-NRT wasn't about to let go! The odds of slipping and falling are quite high; make sure to throw any macho-ness out the window and have a great time


DO hire a porter. You're welcome!

A few notes about the Habituation experience:

There are a few differences between a regular trek and the habituation experience. First off, there is only one Mountain Gorilla family that is currently in the process of being habituated; all other accessible families are considered habituated and are accessed via "standard" treks with 1-hour viewings in groups of a maximum of 8 guests. The habituation trek limits the guest count to four, and allows for up to 4 hours of viewing time once you find the Gorilla group. Cost wise, a permit for the standard trek goes for $600 (per person per trek) in Uganda vs. $1500 for the habituation trek. By comparison, Rwanda does not offer a habituation experience and permits now go for $1500 as of 2017 (up from $750 the year prior.)


Wild and stunningly beautiful Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

The habituation trek was definitely strenuous worth it.... but not mind-blowingly awesome. When we got to the Gorillas, I thought "okay, that wasn't too bad." Except that we weren't done. They were constantly on the move, so trying to follow them through the very steep and bushy terrain was an adventure in itself.... the undergrowth really is slippery and treacherous, much more so than in Rwanda. We had amazing viewings and interactions with the Gorilla families in Rwanda, and the memories were still fresh on our minds. Gorillas in the habituation family were good deal less relaxed around us, and were constantly on the move to get away. As a consequence, we didn't get to see their true colors - not in the way that we did in 2015. In Rwanda, we saw playful young Gorillas running around pounding their chests, and more than one time they slapped our legs as they raced past us (mainly, I supposed, to show off their "alpha-ness in our presence.") There were a few whimsical moments where a child started wrestling with a much older sibling, constantly being thrown around but getting up each time and asking for more.







We were the only ones on this trek, and we really enjoyed our time with the ranger/guide, trackers and security officers that accompanied us on the habituation experience. We got to know them quite well, and the amazing stories we shared and things we learned will forever be firmly planted in our memories.

We felt that 4 hours was way more time than we needed. In fact, after about 3 hours, we decided to call it quits and headed back to the trailhead.


Look ma, no trails!

Because we were due back in Rushaga the next day for our regular Gorilla trek, we asked the ranger if he could pull some strings and get us an easier hike tomorrow. He said "no problem, I can arrange that, especially since you two had a tough day today and you're VIPs to us for spending more time and money in Bwindi."

While we enjoyed the bucket list experience of having an authentically raw encounter with an unhabituated Gorilla family, we had higher hopes of experiencing more colorful and intimate interactions with a habituated family the next day. But before I get into that, I'd like to briefly pause for (another) special announcement regarding yet another Kabiza epic fail (and the biggest one of the trip by far)....

I began to sense there might be an issue when talking to our driver (Jackson) on our way back to the lodge. I told him that we were relieved from receiving assurance by the ranger that we'd have a much easier trek in Rushaga the next day. The usually animated and engaged Jackson paused for a moment, and in a muted tone replied, "that's nice." Hmmm....

Later that evening, as we were finishing up our dinner (we dined in our cottage), Jackson came over to tell us that we were scheduled to trek from Nkuringo, not Rushaga.

Come again?

Nkuringo is widely regarded as the most difficult area/family to visit not only in Bwindi, but all of Africa (and therefore the world.) Nkuringo, by the way, is both the area as well as the name of the Gorilla family that resides there. Steep valleys and towering peaks need to be traversed in Nkuringo, and you need to hikes 1000 meters down a valley.... and that's just to get to the trailhead from the main office! There are numerous accounts of the exertion necessary to keep from falling head first down a sheer cliff face and sitting in some places at a 70-degree angle. No way, Jose. I pulled out my phone and showed Jackson an e-mail between myself and Jon Blanc (Kabiza's owner) where we clearly stated our desire NOT to trek in Nkuringo, to which Jon explicitly obliged by saying "okay, sure, I'll have you down for both treks out of Rushaga." Mrs. KI-NRT was still recovering from a fever that inflicted her more than 2 weeks ago, and I'd be damned if I was to subject my exhausted and long-suffering wife to such extreme rigors the next day. Jackson said he'll try to reach Jon to get this settled, but ultimately failed in his efforts to do so.

The next morning, I noticed an e-mail from Jon Blanc in my inbox. Below is a copy/paste of his message, in full.

Dear KI-NRT - greetings from Kampala where it is midnight and you are probably soundly sleeping at the edge of the rainforest. I understand that the habituation experience went well and believe I and Geoffrey Mugambwa take every aspect of a trek into account, most of we know know that we are dealing with the realities of nature and the wild.

Apparently you wanted to shift the gorilla trek - we buy a permit in your name by region, that means when we shift regions the Uganda Wildlife Authority charges money...this was apparently at the advice of a UWA employee - the Nkuringo group today that he advised against used what I personally call legends of old. The Nkuringo Group was the only group that could be accessed here when Clouds Mountain Lodge first opened and they had the lion share of permits causing a great controversy...today in South Bwindi we have many more...today a trek with the Nkuringo is about half a day...

We will certainly comply with your wishes - we can do so but there is a 150 usd per person fee - 300 usd total - what we are trying to do on your hehalf is a waiver for the fee using Ugandan logic..."this shift for gorilla trekking is not because of the client but an employee of UWA." There should be no fee since it was your emploee that suggested it and not considering where permits were bought and not considering the cost factor. We will do our best to make it happen without cost because we want you to enjoy the activity and not be thinking oh, if we only had listened to the ranger...we are in the wild - unpredictable things happen...but trekking is part of conservation and having money to do so...pre-trackers go out find where gorillas are - phone it is via satellite phone and the rangers take you to the GPS location...there is a lot of behind the scenes.

I will be here thinking of you and hoping for another incredible encounter with the Gentle Giants of the Forest...wishing both of you a great trek tomorrow...jon

So.... here's Jon, without any information on the accurate accounts that had transpired the previous day (and apparently no recollection of our e-mail exchange from several months ago when he confirmed that we'd be at Rushaga both days), assuming he's made no mistake, blaming the ranger for urging us to do a location switch, and attempting to resort to shady logic (and unethical tactics) to skirt payment for a mistake that HE made.

When we met up with Jackson at the lobby lounge, he stated that he had been trying to reach Jon, but to no avail. Hoping that Geoffrey Mugambwa (who I found later was one of Jon's lieutenants) could help resolve the situation, I asked Jackson to call Geoffroy so I could speak with him. After briefly conversing with Geoffrey, Jackson ended the call, turned to me and said "Geoffrey can't speak to you because there's nothing he can do. He needs to talk with Jon, because only Jon that can make such big decisions." Furious, I demanded that Jackson call back Geoffrey once more because he and Jon were clearly ill informed. During my conversation with Geoffrey, he seemed sympathetic to our plight, but explained that he would need to talk with Jon before he could make anything happen.

So... what do we do? Take our chances by going to Rushaga and hoping that Kabiza had successfully arranged for a location change fee waiver? Or resigning ourselves to having to pay the $300, and even then, facing the risk that permits may already be sold out in Rushaga? Or gut it out and go on the Nkuringo trek? In the end, I decided to pay the money and cross our fingers that we'd be able to trek in Rushaga.

Thankfully, we were able to do the trek from Rushaga.


Traffic jam in Bwindi

Compared to the unhabituated Gorilla family, this one was slightly more engaging. However, it was still a far cry from our close encounters with the two Gorilla families in Rwanda. Mind you, they're highly intelligent primates and their behavior can change day-to-day (or even minute), and I would in no way, therefore, consider myself an authority on the quality of the actual Gorilla experience based on a mere 4 total treks. It's really a crapshoot, IMO. What I can say is that after the previous day's outing, the standard Gorilla trek felt like rush hour by comparison. Although 8 guests may not sound like much, the thick vegetation really made clear sightings very challenging (more so than in Rwanda), and we found ourselves having to jostle with the other visitors for the best position to observe and photograph the Gorillas. The hike to the Gorillas took about an hour and was not super steep, but it was again very slippery due to the thick undergrowth (the vines on the ground really make one's foot slide around, especially in the early morning and after rains - it really is hard to get solid footing anywhere. It really does live up to the moniker of "Bwindi Impenetrable Forest." In contrast to Bwindi, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda comprise of bamboo forests that allows for better penetration of light, making hiking and photography much easier. Ditto for Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (very few people go to the DRC these days due to the security issues as well as very low service levels.)


More entertaining than WWE



One advantage we had over the others that day: several of the trackers were the same folks that accompanied us on the previous day's hike, and we tipped them well. Perhaps because of this, as they whacked away at the bushes to make a clearing (for better views of the Gorillas), they continually put out their hands and urged us to follow their path ahead of the other guests. Now, I don't condone this behavior (on their part or ours), but after coming so far to see these fascinating apes and only one hour to observe them, we couldn't resist the opportunity to take advantage the opportunity that was afforded to us. Although YMMV, you may want to think about tipping trackers in advance for the potential of preferential treatment, since I'm sure that you'd tip them at some point anyway.


Dominant male silverback





KABIZA (CONTINUED) / PROTEA HOTEL BY MARRIOTT, PART DEUX

After finishing our trek, Jackson asked if we wouldn't mind speaking with the Bwindi Park warden as he'd like to know what happened. I was more than happy to oblige, and explained everything that had happened. I assured him that UWA had done nothing wrong, the ranger from the previous day was a honorable individual, and that Kabiza was at fault. I'm not certain of the aftermath, and whether it's the UWA that holds the power between the two (i.e. they can easily revoke Kabiza's ability to directly purchase permits on behalf of their guests), or whether they are dependent on Kabiza to bring them visitors and therefore need to tread more cautiously. No matter, I just wanted to make sure that the ranger (Obed was his name) would not get in trouble.

After returning to Clouds, I quickly fired off an message to Jon Blanc @ Kabiza and attached the prior e-mail exchanges that concluded with Jon confirming that he had booked both treks to take place in Rushaga. I also expressed disappointment that neither he nor Geoffrey have checked up on us even once, and they haven't followed up with us regarding the airport transfer issues that we encountered in both Entebbe and Kisoro. Shortly thereafter, I received the following reply:

Dear KI-NRT - I am very sorry to have angered you...that is certainly not my intention...I will take a look and the main thing is that you enjoyed your trek today..thank you....jon

A few hours later, I received this:

Dear KI-NRT - Greetings - when you are met at the airport in Entebbe tomorrow we will give you 150 USD - our contribution to the change of gorilla groups...thank you and enjoy dinner at the lodge - the meal most likely will be a lot better than what I will prepare and I hope you had a taste of our fruit this far..jon

I quickly corrected him - it was $150 USD per person, not $150 total, which he acknowledged.

I debated long and hard about where to stay prior to departing Entebbe. We were booked to stay at the Protea once more, but after exploring other options, nothing stood out as a no-brainer alternative. More than that, I was curious as to the type of service recovery (if any) we'd experience after our previous stay's debacle.

We were met in Entebbe by Geoffrey, who promptly gave us $300 in cash and drove us to the Protea. He said he'd like to talk about what had happened, and waited in the lobby lounge while I checked in. We were greeted by a lady at the front desk, who promptly gave us our keys. I asked her if there was any mention in their system regarding the service issues we encountered a few days ago, and she responded by saying "no, I'm sorry sir, I don't see anything in the system, and am have not been made aware of the issues." I immediately asked for the manager to come down and meet me in the lounge.

For the next hour, I took turns explaining to Geoffroy and the Protea manager all of the mistakes they made, since they didn't seem to know or care to admit all of the mistakes. I scolded the manager for not taking account of our recent stay, and not offering any form of service recovery (again.) I mentioned there were systematic failures at his property - lack of training, mentoring and personnel evaluation - and wound up demanding an upgrade to the Presidential Suite (he willingly complied.) As for Geoffroy, I didn't even know where to begin. Without going into the gory details, I did tell him that I was surprised Jon did not come and personally greet me here, nor was there any effort to go beyond simple e-mail communications. Basically, no explanation of what went wrong and why, and any corrective measures they intended to take to avoid such failures in the future (Geoffrey noted that Jon is "old and not in the best physical condition"... fair enough.) Without such assurances, there is no way in hell I could ever recommend Kabiza to anyone. For his sake, I mentioned that he should have a long, hard conversation with Jon Blanc - if Jon does not enable an environment that empowers his staff to do the right thing - on the spot - for their guests, and Geoffrey actually cares about his career and reputation, he should seek employment elsewhere.

Protea has only one Presidential Suite room (it has a name... "Juliet"). By most standards, this would be considered a large, one-bedroom suite rather than a Presidential one. It was spacious (probably around 120 square meters), had two balcones with sweeping views of Lake Victoria and a nice, comfortable king size bed. Furnishings were minimalistic and cheap, as if everything could've come from Ikea.


Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe - Presidential Suite living room


Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe - Presidential Suite bedroom


View of Lake Victoria from our balcony

We didn't spend too much time in the room on our last day at Entebbe. We visited the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (i.e. "Zoo") in the afternoon, followed by dinner at Goretti's Beachside Pizzaria and Grill. The former was awesome; the latter.... not so much (flat and tasteless pizza, and super slow service, even by African standards. Not sure why it's so highly rated on TA.)

We paid $70 a head for a private tour of the UWCEC - we were assigned a zookeeper, who took us around in one of their vehicles, getting off at various points for intimate encounters with many of the major animals, including Cheetahs, Lions, Giraffes, Chimpanzees, Rhinos, Caracals, Servals, an adorable little baby orphan Elephant and one of the most charismatic large birds in the world - the incomparable Shoebill. I'm not aware of too many other places in the world (if any) that allows guests to feed and pet such exotic animals. Yes, the ethics behind such interactions is often in question, but we were sufficiently comfortable with the UWCEC's mission and the treatment of its residents. Not to mention, our proceeds would go to keeping the orphaned animals well fed. The grounds and cages were in very good condition - not depressing like some other zoos we've visited in developing countries. $140 is a screaming bargain if you fancy such an experience!


Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre behind the scenes tour - Edward the baby Elephant


"Sushi" the Shoebill


Rothschild's Giraffe

SUMMARY

To say that our Uganda trip was full of challenges and infuriating moments would be one of the biggest understatements of my life. It really tested our patience and mettle. We knew going in that we were visiting a (very) developing country with spotty infrastructure and service, but we were not prepared for the extreme failures that we had to deal with. That said - call me a masochist, but I really enjoyed the trip. As they often say, the most memorable moments of a journey are the things that DO NOT go as planned, and there were plenty of those moments! We revel in new and different experiences, and if anything, trips like these contributes in making us more tolerant and appreciative of what we have in our own lives. Mrs. KI-NRT is very much a "princess" when it comes to amenity, comfort and service expectations, which is why I was surprised when she said that she misses the Gorillas already.

A few final notes and tips:

Uganda has more Gorillas than Rwanda and the DR Congo combined (480 out of a total population of 880.)

The gorilla experience will be the same regardless of the which lodge you stay at. Just make sure your permits are purchased as far in advance as possible so you're not left stranded once you're there.

If we were to do it over again, we'd definitely book everything directly with the lodge. No need for a tour operator, unless you're planning on a complex Uganda itinerary and are visiting more than a few areas in the country.

Rwanda vs. Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest elevation: 1190 to 2607 meters
Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) elevation: 2400 to 4507 meters

Infrastructure (especially roads): Advantage - Rwanda
Accessibility: Rwanda
Service levels: Rwanda
Gorilla experience: Rwanda
Quality of Gorilla viewing: Rwanda
Easier treks: Uganda (in general; depends on trek, and YMMV)
Wild and remote environment: Uganda
Cost: Uganda, although be reminded that you'll have to factor in the Entebbe-Kisoro flight costs, which amounted to $542, round trip, for each of us.

Top Mountain Gorilla lodge options and costs (2018):

Bisate Lodge in Volcanoes N.P., Rwanda (by Wilderness Safaris): $1650 per person per night; Six "thatched pods" (forest villas)
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Volcanoes N.P., Rwanda: $970 - 8 stone cottages
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge (Nkuringo, Bwindi I.F.): $640 - 10 stone cottages
Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Buhoma, Bwindi I.F.): $635 - 8 tented suites

Permit costs:

Rwanda "standard" Gorilla trekking permits: $1500 per person per trek
Uganda "standard" Gorilla trekking permits: $600 (typically lower in April, May and November, although this is often published at the very last minute, depending on supply/demand)
Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience permits: $1500

SanDiego1K

I love every report that you write. I learn so much from them. Thank you for going thru in such detail the epic fails and what was positive of the trip. It was enormously valuable. Are the people with whom you dealt the only ones who do the habituation tour? A friend is enroute to also take the habituation tour. I am now concerned for her as to what she might encounter.

offerendum

Fabolous!What a great journey with great animals! And what comes to my mind first? The impressive Junior Suite.... Shame on me

KI-NRT

If you're asking whether Kabiza has exclusive rights to permits, the answer is no. I asked the Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge manager whether they can secure the permits on behalf of their guests, and they said they can. It's just that nobody seems to know it's on offer, either because Uganda doesn't market it well, or they think it's not worth promoting it due to it being such a niche thing (the trek being limited to 4 guests - there's only one family that's currently being habituated.)

MacMyDay

Huge fan of all your reports - so much information I don't need to go there anymore. Luckily you didn't talk about Bistage, as we're in Bistate Lodge in October, and it is my most anticipated trip of the year.

KI-NRT

Please do report back on your Bisate experience! The property had not yet opened when we visited Volcanoes N.P. in 2015... if we do go Gorilla trekking again, we'll most likely stay at Bisate.

Especially if your stay there is as amazing as the one you had at the FS Westcliff

obscure2k

I just sent our mutual friend a copy of this report.

5DMarkIIguy

I have always wanted to do a gorilla trek. Will keep this thread in mind when the time comes. Thanks a lot for a very thorough report. What an incredible and fabulous journey.
Regarding Protea and the flight schedule change from Entebbe to Kisoro, you booked the flight with Kabiza? Kabiza supposed to arrange for airport transfer. Why is Protea getting the blame? Your second stay at Protea seems to be okay. Protea is like a cheap marriott. Wondering if you are expecting too much at a mid tier property.

aa213bb

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for all of your detailed and informative reports.

Larkin

Wonderful report! Thank you so much for sharing. We plan to go to Bisate Lodge in Rwanda summer of 2019! Very excited!

Pausanias

Quite agree. And not only Marriott, it's also Uganda. If my car wasn't waiting for me I would have just shrugged it off and got a cab. Also, I don't think threatening a bad review on TripAdvisor is the right way to go. Apart from that, a lovely report on places I will never visit. I don't quite know why, but gorillas have never done it for me.

KI-NRT

My bad for being ambiguous in my reporting, so please allow me to clarify.... for our arrival transfer (from Entebbe Airport to Protea), we booked it with Protea, not Kabiza. The Kabiza-coordinated portion of our trip was to commence on the morning of day 2 (the transfer from Protea to Entebbe for our flight to Kisoro.)

Both were failures. The first mishap was Protea's responsibility. The second issue was all on Kabiza.

Protea is not luxury, but it's purported to be a solid business hotel (with a price that is intended to reflect this promise.) Business hotels are supposed to be efficient and get the basics right; in this regard, Protea fell way short of the mark, at least when we were there.

Michael82

Great Report!
fyi:
2019 singita plans to open a lodge in rwanda for gorilla trekking.

Ericka

BENLEE

Wow... that's an epic review. Well Done. ^