I had a great experience with Mist Rwanda Safaris from start to finish. We started planning our trip several weeks in advance and Brian was efficient and thorough in his communications. By the time we arrived in Rwanda, we knew exactly what to expect. Eric, our guide, was a gracious host and made sure we had everything we needed throughout the day - including a stop in the town that makes akabanga chili oil on the way home. We learned so much from him about the Gorillas and Rwanda (he's a great photographer too!). Overall, this was an experience of a lifetime and this company handled it with ease!

I was so happy to get contacts of Mist Rwanda Safaris a day before we needed to plan the next day. Two of us were joined to other group of 3, and the experience was amazing the whole day, visiting a national park (5am we were picked up, and returned 20:30). It was great to have a Safari car - as roof opened and allowed more visibility and better trip even standing and observing the nature. Seats were comfortable for the long journey. Our driver was Cedrick - would repeat and repeat driving with him - caring, knowledgeable. When we could not leave the park due to standing Rhinos on the road, situation was handled properly, without risking, and with full respect to the passengers, nature, vehicle and rules. I strongly recommend them, Brian (boss?) was very responsive via whatsapp while agreeing and clarifying the details.

I had the very good fortune to have Gavis from Mist Rwanda Safaris as our guide in Rwanda. He was the most prepared and organized person I have ever met. Not only did all of our adventures go without a hitch, but every time we came to a new situation, he would explain first what would happen and anything we needed to do. This was very helpful when it came to tipping as I was not always sure what the customs were. Gavis was super knowledgeable and open about all things Rwanda. My wife and I got to the point that we were trying to come up with obscure questions just to stump him. We failed! We had a comfortable trip to see the Gorillas and Golden Monkeys and learned a lot along the way. For me, more important than any of this, was that I feel I made a true friend. Gavis and I spoke about many topics and at the end of our short 5 days together I knew he was special. I even gave him a hug at when we were parting and I am definitely not a hugger. To be honest, I would return to Rwanda just to visit Gavis. I would whole he

Easily a highlight of our trip to Rwanda. Though the day started early (0430), the ride to volcanoes national park was comfortable on a well appointed vehicle with plenty of snacks and room to relax. Our drive (Eric) was amazing and provided countless pieces of insight, not just about the gorillas but also about the country of Rwanda and it’s history. The drive is about 2.5hrs through mountainous countryside and small villages, which provided ample fodder for questions and conversation with Eric. We stopped a couple times for photo opportunities as well which was nice. Once at volcanoes you meet with the guides from the park and are assembled into groups of 6-8 people and assigned to one of the 5 gorilla families that inhabit the region. You then get your “complimentary” cup of coffee or tea prior to getting gaiters and driving to meet the porters (hire one, they are former poachers and this keeps them gainfully employed and out of trouble). Now you, your group, guide, and porters begin the hike to meet the trackers. The trackers follow your family of gorillas from dawn till dusk so they always have an idea of where the family is and make sure none are lost. Our hike took us through rolling/mountainous farmland and villages where we had the opportunity to interact with some local farmers and kids. The guide and porters are great about teaching about some of the flora and fauna in the area. Once you meet your trackers, you leave all your bags and food with the porters and just take your phone/camera the final 100m to where the trackers have followed the gorillas. There you are allowed (by law) one hour with the gorillas. We had two silverbacks, maybe a dozen adult females and males, then a few baby/toddler gorillas. We followed them from some farm land outside the park, across the river and into the jungle. You certainly get closer than feels safe but knowing that the guides and trackers spend everyday with them and know exactly how they behave, what the body language means, what the sounds mean, and how they communicate… makes you feel a lot more comfortable. Just listen to them and there is virtually no danger. It was amazing to be able to cohabitate even for an hour with the gorillas and interact with them. Certainly something I’ll never ever forget, and likely will do again. At the end of an hour, you hike back to meet your porters and then from there meet your driver. The drive back is about the same experience though we stopped at a local restaurant for lunch and to get our shoes washed (note they wash but do not dry your shoes… so bring a pair of sandals or clean shoes too). The food was great and it was nice to sit and eat, and decompress from the hike. Then you’re back in the truck and on the way back to Kigali. Honestly, I was a little skeptical of the price but knowing that the money is being used to protect the gorillas and acquire land to expand the boundaries of the park certainly helped justify the cost. Also, at the end of the day this was simply an amazing experience that was well worth the cost for such a unique experience. I cannot speak highly enough of Brian and Eric, they were responsive, professional, organized, and personable. Eric made the trip amazing and would 100% travel with him again.

Mist Rwanda Safaris is amazing. This summer I was living in Kigali and I did three different trips with them (all separated by a couple weeks/months). They were so amazing the first time that I just kept coming back! The first trip I did was a three day gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda. The trip included gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, visiting cultural villages and the Ellen DeGeneres Campus. I was placed with Kayi, an amazing guide! I can’t say enough about how wonderful he was throughout the trip! He was so helpful, calm, resourceful, and extremely nice. He made me feel that everything was under control and helped me had a great time. He even fixed everything when the hospital screwed my COVID tests the day of the gorilla trek and found a solution while having me stay calm throughout (“You go get coffee, I’ve got this.”). He definitely helped make my trip much better and was the best company, specially for a solo traveler (did my first trip by myself). The second trip my partner and I did 6 days in Uganda. The itinerary included Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi, Safari in Queen Elizabeth, and Chimp trekking Kibale. Our guide was Gavis! He was super nice, always had great conversations, and made our trip all around more enjoyable! He’s also quite good at spotting animals (specially birds!) and we had a lot of fun with him! The third and final trip was a 4 day in Akagera National Park (in Rwanda). Activities included day and night safaris, boat safaris, and balloon safaris. This time our guide was Fred. Fred was great as well! We spent 4 days enjoying his company. Always with a smile (even at 6am), always attentive and helpful, and simply amazing company! You can tell he really enjoys his job! We had a lot of fun with his stories and were very happy that he was our guide for this last trip. Overall, going with Mist Rwanda was a great choice. Every trip went flawlessly, every guide was great (each in it’s own way), and every memory formed was amazing! Brian, the leader of Mist, was always fantastic. He was always super responsive, all around the clock, and had great customer service. He was also very patient and flexible. Every single trip was fantastic and I can’t thank Brian enough for the incredible itineraries that he helped us prepare! Thank you so much!! I really can’t recommend you enough :)

It was our best decision to pick Mist Rwanda Safaris to help us with our Rwanda vacation. We did 1 day gorilla trekking, 2 days in Akagera NP, 3 days in Nyungwe NP and small half day trip to Nyamata and Ntarama genocide memorial places and it was just perfect. No problems, no mistakes. We saw and did everything that we wanted and more. Our driver/guide Kayi was awesome. He picked best spots for food, his driving skills are amazing, he spotted so many animals in Akagera (even leopard lying in tree like 50 meters away), he stopped for landscape photo everywhere we wanted, he arranged our rapid and PCR test, no question about Rwanda was left unanswered, he even cut our walking stick from gorilla treking into 2 pieces, so it fit in our suitcase and finally he even took us to the airport. It was our best vacation ever and mainly because of Mist Rwanda Safaris, so dont even think about hiring some other travel agency. Mist Rwanda will do everything for you and whatever you want to see and do in Rwanda, you will.

My partner and I had a wonderful eleven days in Rwanda with Mist Rwanda Safaris leading us the entire way. Visiting Rwanda to go gorilla trekking has been a dream of mine for many years, but little did I know there was so much more to experience in this enchanting country. Brian helped me to design a dream trip that encompassed deluxe and luxury accomodations, a canopy walk, chimpanzee trek, gorilla trek, and golden monkey trek. In addition, we had an opportunity to see much of the country, learn it's history, and appreciate it's people/culture through various other activities. Our guide, Simon was amazing. From the moment we met him, he felt like family. He was extremely kind, professional, generous, and always went above and beyond to ensure we were having the best possible experience. I cannot say enough good things about Simon and his thoughtful, humble nature. This trip was life-changing! I'm so glad I chose Mist Rwanda as our tour company and would happily use them again and refer others to them.

Mist rwanda safari is truly a remarkable and affordable company. A huge thank you to Umuhoza for great communication regarding my solo gorilla trekking trip. The experience with the Amahoro gorilla family at volcano national park was amazing. Also not forgetting Simon who is a wonderful driver making sure that you get the most out of your trip and ensuring your safety.

Mist Rwanda Safaris is an incredible company and we can’t recommend them high enough. We spent 2 weeks in Uganda & Rwanda with them (tailored made package). Our trip was arranged by Brian, who constantly altered our itinerary according to our wishes. He couldn’t have been more helpful and accommodating. Our guide / driver was Kayi who is an incredible guy and would always go the extra mile getting us what we wanted, such as tasting local food or stopping at the right place to get the perfect photo. He was really good company and was great at teaching us the local lingo! We would definitely recommend asking Kayi as your driver!

The Full Package - A bespoke Rwanda and Gorilla Experience that I have no hesitation in recommending. The Mist Rwanda Safaris’ team went above and beyond providing a truly personal touch that further enhanced what was an amazing experience!

NB note - after a bad experience I spoke to Brian at Mist Rwanda and he very professionally handled my complaints below and apologised. The review below reflects a bad experience with a 1 day trip to Akagera. The negative experience may partly be due to just a 1 day trip being too short, so please keep that in mind. Our group was also rushed because some members needed to return to the airport on the same day. I have therefore changed this from 2 to 3 stars The 1 day trip to Akagera NP was not great. Partly because 1 day is too short, but also because of various gripes I had with the poor service from Mist Rwanda Safaris. I offer this review in the hope it helps Mist Rwanda Safaris provide better service, and help others have an honest sense of a 1 day trip. A day trip to Akagera is limited because you arrive after 9am and drive in the heat of the day when animals are less active. The rest of the day feels like a rush to get as much in before heading back to Kigali. The vehicle arrived late to pick us up early in the morning. On the Park, the driver would drive very fast, at one time dangerously overtaking another safari vehicle. The guide also did not know many bird species, and even suggested at one time there were two species of giraffe on the park (not the case). We also spent very little time at each sighting before the guide insisted we rush on. The guide was not very responsive to the desires of the guests. We rushed between sightings, and it was not very relaxing. We also followed very closely behind the lead vehicle, and we all were covered in layers of dust (literally layers washed off our faces various times). We also had a flat tire back in Kigali, and the driver did not have a working jack. I might be biased as I have been on over 100 trips to nature reserves in Souther Africa (where I live), all of which were significantly more enjoyable than this. This was a very disappointing experience, for the money paid.

I rate one star because it is impossible to score 0. I am tremendously disappointed with this tour operator. In April I initiated the booking of the Gorilla tour, we agreed on the date for July and Kaddu Brian started to arrange the permits. In April they confirmed that the permits had been applied for correctly and that everything was ready for the tour in July. Two weeks before my trip I contacted Brian to ask him about the last details of the excursion and received no response. I started to worry a few days later and insisted sending another email asking if everything was going well. He then replied saying that there were problems with the permits and that the government was blocking them. You will understand my surprise when I assumed that we already had the permits since April. I got no clear answers from this company that all the time evaded responsibility and blamed the government. Thanks to some colleagues I found out that the permits were sold out, so I assumed that the problem was that they did not reserve the permits when I requested them. When I wrote to them to accuse them of this they told me that to reserve the permits you had to pay for them in advance and that since I had not paid they had not reserved them. They DID NOT give me this information at any time until it was too late. The result: we could not see the gorillas. They played with our time and our illusion and their management of the conflict was disastrous. My advice is to book with another tour operator and above all to manage the permits yourself with the government directly through their website and without intermediaries. I booked activities with other companies with much more competitive prices. I hope you improve your management and do not disappoint anyone as much as you did with me.

3 day primate trekking. From our first communications with Brian I was very impressed with their responsiveness, detail he provided. We also had limited time but wanted to squash in as much as possible and Brian was happy to adjust our itinerary to best suit us. We did a 3 day trip covering the Gorilla trekking (Virunga National Park ) as well as Chimpanzee trekking (Nyungwe Forest National park). We felt like we were in good, competent hands at all times. Kayi our driver & tour guide made our trip memorable and were happy to share local information as we drove along. We appreciated the Wifi & drinks and snacks that were on board since our trip covered such vast distances every day. The only thing we would change is to come LONGER next time to see more of this beautiful Land of a 1,000 hills!

Wow there are no words to describe what an unbelievable trip to Rwanda my mother and I had. All planned seamlessly by Brian and our tour guide Gavis. The most incredible human beings. They went above and beyond to make this trip special and memorable. We cannot recommend them enough! 10/10 service and experience!!!

The entire experience with Mist has been amazing. Brian was very quick to respond and very accommodating with my itinerary. Unfortunately I did not get to visit the gorillas due to covid restrictions, but I will definitely work with Mist whenever I visit Rwanda in the future.

Mist Safaris assisted us with a Gorilla Trekking experience, which was combined with a visit to lake Kivu. Brian was exceptional with understanding our requirements and tailor making a trip to suit our needs. Our guide Fred was knowledgeable and really took care of the finer details. The team made the trip so memorable. I would not hesitate to recommend Mist. Really ten out of ten !!

I cannot recommend Mist Rwanda Safaris strongly enough. Brian is the best person I have ever worked with in all of my travels - responding to texts and calls around the clock and making sure every question is answered and every detail thought through carefully. His attention to detail, great personality, kindness, and incredible professionalism made my trip to Rwanda an unforgettable experience. Seeing the gorillas was a bucket list item and I cannot imagine going with any other company. I even had to rearrange my accommodations after missing a flight and Brian calmly worked his magic to ensure my trip would still be successful less than 24 hrs before I arrived. Thank you!!!!!