thegreatprojects.com

Gorillas, chimps and so much more...

Just came back from Uganda/Rwanda on the Great Gorilla Project – a truly wonderful, eye-opening, challenging experience. From the very first contact with the team in London to the final farewell in Kigali, the whole thing was handled professionally – all questions and concerns promptly dealt with. The project team in Africa, Peter and Dennis, were amazing – always happy and willing to answer our questions, openly and honestly, and always looking for ways to improve our experience. They coped brilliantly with all the issues thrown at them and were willing to be flexible when we suggested tweaks to the itinerary, and even, whilst always looking for ways to improve the overall experience, ensuring we had the opportunity to watch the football (Euros) in the evenings, an unexpected bonus! Our group collectively wanted to do more volunteering elements, so Peter and Dennis arranged for a second session to be spent at the children’s Development School helping to repaint another classroom. The days spent at the school were amazing – heart-warming and funny – very much among the main highlights of the trip. Also, we wanted to find a way to further help the Batwa pygmy community that we visited– Peter and Dennis discussed specific needs with the community leader, took us shopping to buy various provisions for them and then took us back to the village to distribute all the goods. Of course, the gorilla and chimp treks were brilliant – all three different and challenging, but we were rewarded with lots of close up encounters, and some fantastic photos/videos. The rangers, guides and porters were so helpful, knowledgeable and keen to make our experience as memorable as possible – it was great to see the local communities directly involved and benefiting from the gorilla conservation program. A special mention should be given to the staff at Golden Monkey in Kisoro, where we spent most of our time, particularly Benard, who was our wifi guru and kept us fuelled with cold beer, Claire, Eric and James, whose happiness and positivity was infectious. Also to Abbott, the chef, who kept us extremely well fed throughout and, finally, to Sheba, the owner, for continually striving to make every aspect of the trip perfect for our group. I’m sure each group is different so it is important that the team is keen to hear requests and suggestions and to put forward options for accommodating them, as well as to learn for future groups. Overall, as an opportunity to visit somewhere a long way from the main tourist trail, to get a real feel for life there and experience some genuine bucket list activites, this trip can’t be beaten – go and do it, with an open mind and a willingness to muck in and be flexible, you won’t regret it.

Date of experience: Jun 17, 2024