Most Inspirational Moment
Almost every day held magical moments of some sort, chimp trekking was a great start, gorilla trekking was just amazing - being able to get far, far closer to this beautiful animals than we had ever dreamed, and having the time to be able to watch them interact with their family was just incredible.
Watching lions in the early morning, having zebras outside our window, watching monkeys swing around the swimming pool, watching the sun go down over the savannah, being caught in the middle of an incredible storm, eating by torchlight, the boat safari seeing elephants and hippos, and the amazing variety and range of bird life - superb.
Taking time to chat the very friendly locals, especially our visit to one of the orphanage schools in Bwindi.
The penny dropping that the reason the bell boy is introducing us to the toilet, basin and shower in our ensuite bathroom is because he doesn't have one at home and can't imagine that you do either.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader and guide, David and Benjamin were fantastic, doing everything they could to make sure we had a great trip. David's daily briefings were superb and made sure we knew exactly what we would be doing when, what we needed to wear, how long the day in front of us would be and how much extra money, if any, we might need. Benjamin has a truly in-depth knowledge of wildlife, birds and animals and an incredible number of 'contacts' to ensure we got the very best out of our holiday at all times.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Some of the lodges provide mosquito spray for the rooms, some don't - you will probably benefit from taking your own so you can spray your room at night as in most locations (not Bwindi) mosquitoes and other insects are rather persistent. A good personal anti-muzzy for your own skin is also essential.
Working out how much money to take and how much to exchange from the trip notes is a challenge - you do need cash, there are next to no ATMS or banks anywhere on route. We took $500USD and changed $200USD into Ugandan schillings - we could probably have done with another $100USD on us to buy a few more souvenirs, or if you want to drink a lot more Nile Special in an evening.
David and Benjamin organised a group kitty for us for tipping purposes which worked brilliantly, you'll need $50 per person to contribute to this for the entire holiday.
The gorilla trek porters costs $15 plus $5 tip (the only tip you pay yourselves if you do a kitty) - but you can pay them in almost any currency, including Ugandan of course.
When the trip notes say 'basic' they mean basic - you will be living out of your bag for most of this holiday with nowhere to unpack even if you had time! In two of the lodges there is electric light in your room, but no power sockets, charging is done in reception, however be prepared for relatively frequent power cuts - bring fully charged spare batteries and don't expect there to be working WiFi all the time.
Gaiters are a useful addition to your walking boots; they prevent your laces getting caught on undergrowth in Bwindi and prevent ants from getting in your pants elsewhere.
I was really surprised that gluten free can be done (in the main, not pudding!) by most places - make sure Exodus and the group leader know what you can and cannot eat. There are no snacks anywhere, so take your own if you can't live without.
Be prepared for some very long days in the 4X4 jeeps - if you have a bony bum, you may want to bring something to sit on.
Suggestions
The local children tend to point and shout 'Muzungu' at you - this means 'white traveller' and they are just being friendly; white people are relatively few and far between and we spent a lot of time waving and saying hello as we drove along - their huge smiles in return were fantastic.
Depending on which gorilla family you trek, it can be a long slog over tricky terrain - we went through a muddy swamp and subsequently almost vertically up through dense trailing vines and thick undergrowth over uneven terrain, fording streams and climbing around and under trees and bushes at relatively high altitude (1,190 to 2,607 metres (3,904 to 8,553 ft). Walking in the Lakes or the Peaks doesn't come anywhere near in terms of what you are likely to encounter. I can't begin to describe how stunningly beautiful it is or how magical it is to spend time with the gorilla families, and it's categorically worth every drop of sweat. The group does go at the pace of the slowest person, porters are worth their weight in gold whether you think you can manage without one or not, but do make sure you are physically fit enough to take this on - you need to be able to keep up with the trackers and the gorillas if they swing off through the undergrowth rather than conveniently sit down in front of you and pose for photos - your 60 minutes goes very fast.
