There are some very detailed reviews on here from previous trips so I don’t feel I need to reiterate all that’s been said…perhaps just add a few insights from a different perspective. Particularly perhaps because we were such a small group…just 6 of us, which certainly did have an effect…both positive and a little negative! Let’s get rid of the negative first…6 people meant just one jeep. We practiced seat rotation which was fine as we were all quite small, I honestly don’t know how any ‘larger’ men would have managed! The 2 back seats, especially the one on the left, were like being in a black hole…very restricted leg room and extremely claustrophobic especially on the days when we were carrying all our luggage and packed lunches and when the road surfaces were not exactly smooth!
So onto the positives…and my apologies for all the superlatives!! First we had the wonderful Damian Stent as our Tour Director and Tony as our driver. Quick note for anyone doing this trip in the future…Tony just adores Haribos which are unavailable in Uganda, so please take some with you! Damian’s patience deserves a special mention….6 ladies meant long waits at..erm ‘facilities’! He and Tony always found the best possible stops and also scouted out the nearest source of ice creams and Stoneys ginger beer!
The hotels and lodges were fantastic - especially Trackers and Treetops and mostly, being a small group, we had á la carte meals rather than buffet - I’ve never had so much fillet steak..always tender and cooked to perfection.
The boat trips were fabulous and the game drives just super. We were really fortunate with our sightings…yes…we actually saw a lion up in the tree, plus a stunning leopard and pregnant lioness too, not forgetting monkeys of all sorts, elephants, hippos, giraffes, crocs, deer, jackals and warthogs. The variety of birds was incredible. Our treks to see the white rhino and the chimpanzees were first rate…and not too tiring. No injuries were sustained and we all approached the gorilla trek with high hopes!
Sadly, it wasn’t that straightforward! No reflection on Damian who requested an easyish trek for us…we were potentially, looking at the other groups, the one with the oldest average age. We all went knowing the trek could take a few hours but obviously hoping for less. But no, we were assigned a, to be polite, novice ranger, who firstly was unable to get transport for our porters meaning a very late start and secondly had us seemingly going round in circles (even our porters were somewhat bemused)! It was only when she eventually 'left her post' at the front of the group to stay at the back with one of our number who had been taken unwell, that we finally located the gorillas. But, it took well over 4 1/2 hours of hard trekking to find the family we had been assigned…by which time we were all absolutely shattered. There was no flat walking - it was all sheer up or down and trust me, it’s not called the Impenetrable Forest for nothing! Yes, it was wonderful to see the gorillas and we were lucky that we were joined by a silverback…but…we all knew we had a long trek back! At one point, on the return, after around an hour or so trekking, our ranger told us we had another 2 1/2 hours to go…I think most of us felt close to tears at this point…I seriously couldn’t imagine carrying on for that long especially as we knew that would mean finishing our trek in the dark! Damian’s promise of cold beer kept us going and thank heavens that yet again, the ranger was wrong! I have never been so grateful to see a road in my whole life. So, a couple of points I would make - don’t even consider not hiring a porter. Mine was worth his weight in gold, as he pushed, pulled and ‘persuaded’ me to carry on. I bought poles to use but they never came out of the bag as I used the one supplied by the porter. Be prepared to fall over…I managed some spectacular ones! I think everyone in our group managed to fall or slip at least once…including some of the porters! I still have the bruises but I wear them as a badge of honour!! I’m so glad I didn’t put off this trip as I’m not sure my knees would have coped in another year or so. I would say that you really need to seriously consider your level of fitness before booking.
But, as all the other reviewers have said...I'm so glad I did it (although I would never repeat it!) Overall this truly was an amazing holiday…probably one of my all time favourites and I have already booked my next JustYou trip! If you have any questions…just ask!
