What an absolutely wonderful trip! My wife and I have talked about going to see the gorillas for many more decades than I care to admit to, so when we finally decided to look into doing it, we wanted it to live up to all those expectations. We struggled through trying to work with several tour companies with their "cookie cutter" packaged tours, none of which seemed right -- and then we found Alissa and Heaven Experiences. We spoke with her about what we wanted to do, discussed the kind of budget we could work with, and she and her team put together what ended up being an epic 16 day tour hitting every national park in Rwanda (ok, we only passed through a corner of one of them, but did spend time in the rest) before moving on to Kenya's Maasai Mara. We saw gorillas, chimpanzees, golden monkeys, lions, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, water buffalo, hippos, leopards, crocodiles, swimming cows (yes, they really do have swimming cows, there) and more birds than I can possibly remember. We toured Kigali, spent time at the moving Genocide Memorial, the Ellen DeGeneres museum dedicated to Diane Fossey, visited art galleries, the central market, and ate at some really, really good restaurants including the two at the Retreat By Heaven where we stayed on three different occasions thought our stay. Yet as memorable as all that was, we were also struck by the Rwandan people. We have traveled extensively in the "developing world" and were struck by how, everywhere went, it was remarkably clean and how, regardless of where we went, we never felt the least concern for our safety. Our tour guide and driver, Oscar, was with us throughout our time in Rwanda and he was terrific. He was enormously helpful, a fountain of information, and made every effort to ensure that everything went well -- as well as being a very nice guy. You could not go wrong by asking to have him as your guide. Still, top kudos have to go to Alissa, not only for putting together a fantastic trip for us, but also for putting together a terrific team at Heaven, at Retreat by Heaven, and now at Heaven Experiences. Thank you Alissa.

Incredible hotel with great food and amenities Hotel staff amazing Warm and friendly Honorine was outstanding and her attention to detail was fabulous Cant wait to go to back

Recently visited Rwanda with family and we had an amazing experience with Heaven! Pick up from airport made the experience easy and smooth. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful. We ate at both restaurants on property and were impressed with the menu selections. Highly recommend trying some of the local cuisines at heaven. Can’t wait to come back!

The trip of a lifetime! The staff was the most amazing! Everything was taken care of. I cannot recommend Andrew enough. Andrew was the best driver! He made sure we safely and efficiently made it everywhere we needed to go. Anything we requested to see or do he made sure to make it happen! He safely handled the bumpy roads and made it the most comfortable for us. We did multiple tours and day trips and were lucky to get Andrew through it all. Each tour was better than even expected and we got to experience so much! Cannot recommend any and all of the Heaven experiences enough!

Heaven Experiences organized an 8 day tour throughout Rwanda for my husband and me. We had a fabulous trip. We started and ended the trip in Kigali and stayed at the beautiful Heavenly Retreat boutique hotel. Their staff was very professional and enthusiastic, our room lovely and the dining the best we had during our 8 days in Rwanda. From Kigali we toured the country in a Heaven Experience vehicle with a driver/guide accompanying us for the duration. They arranged hiking with the chimpanzees, golden monkeys and the gorillas. We also had a day trip to Akagera national park. From meeting us at the airport until dropping us back off 8 days later we were cared for in every way! We especially loved our stay at The Farmhouse in Volcanos National Park. Be warned the chimpanzee trekking is super difficult. We wish we had been warned about the difficulty because we ran out of water and food but survived haha. Our gorilla hike was 6 hours total (our assigned family kept moving). By comparison the golden monkeys just walked into a nearby cultivated potato field and hung around for over 30 minutes! All three hikes are in nature so you never know what you will get. In addition we visited the Genocide Memorial Museum and from our guide learned a lot about this part of Rwandan history. Our guide Oscar was 10 years old and orphaned during the genocide and so he shared some heartbreaking memories with us. We were touched by this experience. In summary Heavenly Experiences provided us with a trip we will remember forever. Booking through a local travel agency was much better than booking through a secondary travel company based in another country. When we had question while touring I was able to quickly reach out to Gerald who works in the office to have my question answered. Plus the owner Alissa personally met with me over zoom when I was in the planning stages of the trip. She listened to my goals and desires for the trip and was able to guide her staff in putting together the perfect 8 day tour. In summary I highly recommend a trip to Rwanda and working with Heavenly Experiences.

Great tour and guide! The route was good and the guide, Nina, super friendly and knowledgeable. We had a good time and can recommend it!

This is the 4th time I have visited Akagera park. The other 3 times, I was part of a group and we did the one day up and back in a safari vehicle. My wife had never been, so instead of the one day up and back (which is just a long day). I opted for a multi day. Hours on the internet...options, companies, quotes...etc. Heaven experiences was responsive with email, had good reviews, but ultimately went with them, because and I had previously stayed at Heaven and trusted them. Day 1: 0430 start, but with an actually tasty packed breakfast with coffee and lunch from Heaven (not a typically boxed nasty). Our private safari vehicle and private driver (Oscar) confirmed the agenda and we were off. Of the 4 Akagera drivers I have been with, Oscar, was really the best, timely, professional, kind and attentive. We pelted him with the usual thousand questions about Rwanda, Kigali and the Park, and he managed us well. Got to the park about 0730, drove around a bit saw a few animals (hippos, alligators, birds, zebra, baboons..etc) , amazing scenery, and searched for elephants and lions. The evening boat ride was the highlight of the day, with more animals we could see from the water (closer hippo's experiences). Day 2: 0700 start, good drive through the southern park of the park in the morning, zebras, baboons, hippos, warthogs...etc. lunch back at the hotel, few hours off, then a 1900 night tour. Rhino's pretty up close, and a few other things, but no luck with the lions. Day 3: 0700 start , We picked up our park guide (Jean-Paul, super smart guy), and we immediately found the herd of elephants. Other vehicles figured it out too, and came and left after about 15 minutes. Our guide told us to be patient and wait, then 2 different herds of elephants walked by, complete with momma and baby elephants playing etc. We finished our 6-7 hour drive north, lots more elephants, hippo's, zebra's, deer, baboons, warthogs, giraffes, alligators...etc, so much they become Meh..., and then you realize it is all about the whole experience and not about any specific event or animal. Oscar and Jean-Paul became more comfortable with us after 3 days, basically became our friends. Lunch in the park was at a place called 'Picnic" You would think that the food would be sketchy, but the food and view was phenomenal, we enjoyed it for an hour (coffee was great too). I was initially aphrenrsive about the cost and time for the 3 days in Akagera ( it is hard to explain why paying for 3 days seeing animals you can see in the zoo makes sense) but it is not about the animals, it is also about the totality of experience (always felt safe) we were able to share with Oscar and Jean-Paul. So, recommend 3 days, private and the Heaven Experience organized tour was worth it (just overall well done). And, thank you Heaven, Oscar, Jean-Paul and Heaven Experiences, upon return from our vacation to a few countries, this event was our highlight.

We booked a gorilla trek through Heaven upon arriving in Kigali. Emma helped us with all of the details which we were so grateful for because we had been told by another tour group that there were no more permits available. We stayed at the Retreat and Bridgit picked us up and whisked us away in a nice 4wd vehicle before dawn. At the park, we were placed in our tour group with our national park guide and porters. We hiked through agricultural fields, then forest, where trackers informed our guide that the gorillas were nearby. We left our belongings except for our cameras with the porters and walked with the guide and trackers to where the gorillas were. Then, the magic started. We spent an hour with the gorillas. The guide let us know what was needed to keep us and the gorillas safe. The experience was beyond words. Afterwards, we hiked back down the mountain where Bridgit was waiting for us for the return trip to Kigali. We stopped for souvenirs and snacks on the way back, as well as a pharmacy because I had been stung by a bee on the previous day and needed medication. Bridgit and Emma made sure that we had the most wonderful experience of a lifetime. Highly recommend!

Emma suggested and brought us on this guided neighborhood walk after we settled in at the Retreat as a way to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. We walked by the President’s compound and visited notable sites during the country’s genocide. We also visited the thriving neighborhood center with shops, eateries, and the “Kigali” sign for the perfect photo opportunity. It was a great introduction to the city’s past, present, and future. Highly recommend!

We booked this trip while staying at the Retreat. Apollo picked us up and brought us all around the city. We started with the Genocide Museum which, in a word, is impactful. You simply must visit it and I wish everyone in the world could visit it. Afterwards, we went to a large variety of local shops where skilled craftspeople and artists were creating and selling their works. We had lunch at Heaven’s restaurant, then went to the market. The tour was a great way to see a lot in a day. Don’t forget to bring cash! Most places took credit card, but cash was needed for the market.

We were group of 3 people, staying at the Heaven and we went for a 1 day Mount Bisoke Hike, totally organized by Heaven Experience, specifically by an amazing guy, who was Jamal. First of all, he clearly organized the whole trip: itinerary, guide, transportation, payment, packed breakfast. We basically left at 4:00 (you need 3 hrs to get at Vulcanoes park) with Oscar, who was again amazing (second time we have been with him). Very kind and with a super comfortable vehicle. After the hike, he also came a little bit further the end of the hike to let us recover and avoid further miles. Overall, we literally just hiked. Everything was managed by Jamal and Oscar. Regarding the hike: simply amazing. But be careful because you need to be trained and fit to do that. It has been a tough hike, but totally worthed.

Honorine is a great guide and gave us a great city tour. She was very flexible, and even though our plan kept changing, made sure we saw the best things and told us plenty of history along the way.

I spent 2 days in Akagera park with other 2 friends of mine. The organization have bene amazing and impeccable. Jamal took care of everything. We just needed to have fun. We have been picked up at Sat morning by a private guide and brought to Akagera park where we had a first flavour of safari (southern part of the park). During night we stayed in a really amazing lodge (with swimming pool and gym). The day after we spent the morning on a boat trip and the rest of the day in the northern part which is the best one to spot animals with an local park guide, beyond our usual guide, provided by the hotel. One particular mention to Oscar, the guide of the hotel that has been our driver (you get a new safari jeep just for you, with everything inside like wifi, water, ...) for all the two days in the safari (you go around the park with the hotel jeep) and he was always available for any doubts or curiosity.

We used Heaven to do 4 day trip in north (Gorilla trekking + Lake Kivu). Highlights - Jamal is incredibly consultative and flexible when planning your trip. - Driver Oscar was the most safe driver we had in the country (very important as we had little kids) - Overall experience was bucket list and truly top notch. Gorillas for us was amazing but most importantly they found kid activities on a farm nearby which allowed us to have separate experience Highly recommend addition of canoe trip if you go north with them. Rare experience to connect more with local culture.

We spent a few days at the Retreat and had the best time with Heaven experiences! Jamal was fantastic, and organized a seamless experience for us which included a gorilla tour (shoutout to Oscar, our guide/driver!). Jamal was also super helpful in getting information about the city - where to go, eat, see art, and to find the best views! 10/10 would recommend.