6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking and Cultural Safari – Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at The Airport in Kigali

On your arrival at Kanombe airport in Kigali, you will be welcomed by our professional driver guide who will transfer you to your booked Kigali hotel/lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Kigali Serena Hotel (Luxury/Upmarket), Hotel chez Lando (Mid-Range/Standard), Hotel Okapi (Budget)

Day 2: Morning City Tour And Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.

In the morning after breakfast, you will embark on Kigali city tour .The city tour will take you through Gisozi genocide memorial center where you will have time to listen to the comprehensive history of Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and the events of the massacres, including personal accounts.

You will view the Photographs, video clips, and artifacts of the genocide. After touring the site, you will proceed to other attractive sites within the city national museum among others.

After lunch, embark on a scenic drive of 80kms about 2-3hours to the Volcanoes national park, home to the endangered mountain gorillas.

The drive to the eastern part of Rwanda is very fascinating as it will take you through impressive landscape scenery dotted with natural setting and local populations.

On arrival to the park, you will drive to your lodge to check-in, have dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Standard/Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel (Budget).

Day 3: Early Morning Gorilla Trekking And an Evening Cultural Encounter With The Iby’wachu Cultural Village.

After an early morning hearty breakfast, you will be driven by your driver guide to the park headquarters for a briefing at 70:30am to 8:00am regarding gorilla trekking etiquette in Volcanoes Park.

While at the park headquarters, you will meet other trekkers and you will be divided in groups of eight individuals who are allowed to trek one habituated mountain gorilla group.

After briefing, you will be led by ranger guide to hike through the verdant jungle searching for mountain gorillas.

The activity which will take 2-8 hours needs someone to be physical fit since it involves a lot of hiking the hills and slopping the Valleys.

Gorilla trekking process is tedious but impressive when you finally set your small eyes direct to bit big round eyes of the mountain gorillas.

When you eventually meet the gorillas, you will  be allowed one hour with them, seeing them feed, play and look for their young ones.

While staying with the gorillas, you will be required to maintain a distance of 7 meters away, also turn off the flash of your camera as you take pictures.

Right after one hour, you will retire back to the starting point and transfer to your lodge for late lunch and relaxation.

After late lunch and relaxation, you will embark on an evening cultural encounter with the local communities around volcanoes national park.

The cultural encounter will give you a rare opportunity to interact with the local people in their natural environment, with a taste of their unique culture and traditions.

On arrival to the village, you will be genuinely welcomed by the community as special Visitors. After cultural refreshment, entertainment, you will retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Standard/Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel (Budget).

Day 4: Dian Fossey Hike and Transfer to Lake Kivu.

In the morning, you may embark on trek to Dian Fossey Tomb. The trek will offer you golden opportunity to visit Karisoke research Center, established by Dian Fossey.

You will visit Dian Fossey Tomb and visit the house where this prominent American researcher was killed from and learn more about the activities of Dian Fossey of mountain gorilla conservation .

Afterwards, you will retire back to your lodge for lunch and relaxation. After relaxation, embark on transfer from Volcanoes to Lake Kivu to enjoy adventurous activities like boat ride around the Virgin Islands like the Napoleon’s Hat Island.

The drive distance of 62 kilometers about one and half hours’ drive will lead you to home of adventure in Rwanda-Lake Kivu. On arrival to the lake, you will drive to your lodge to relax in the cool atmosphere of Lake Kivu, have dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury), Stipp Hotel (Standard/Mid-Range) Paradise Malahide (Budget).

Day 5: Do a Boat Cruise to Virgin Islands, And Transfer to Nyungwe Forest Park

After an early morning relaxed breakfast, embark on boat cruise to explore the Virgin Islands like the Napoleon’s Hat Island.

While at Hat Island, you may ascend to the peak of the hat to view thousands of Angola bats in the blue skies.

You may also enjoy swimming in the, Crocodile free, bilharzia free water of Lake Kivu  and after exploring the adventurous activities retire back to the lodge for lunch and transfer to Nyungwe national park.

After lunch, embark on drive journey of 189 kilometers from Lake Kivu to Nyungwe Forest national park. Immediately you arrive to the park, you will connect direct to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge, (Luxury) Nyungwe Top View Hotel (Mid-Range), Gisakura Guest House (Budget)

Day 6: Early Morning Chimpanzee Trekking and Transfer to Kigali With En route Visit to The King’s Palace at Nyanza, Butare Museums and Murambi Genocide Memorial Site.

After your early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for memorable primate’s encounter. Nyungwe National Forest is an ideal destination for lovers of primates, with 13 different species living. In the park you will be briefed by the park ranger guides and divided in groups of 8 people.

At exactly 8:00am, you will be led by the ranger guide through the beautiful forest trail to trek the fascinating chimpanzee creatures.

Along the trails you may enjoy the nice melodies of different bird species housed in the forest and you may also have chance to enjoy the views of other primates like grey-cheeked mangabey, monkeys.

The activity takes between 2-6 hours but experienced guides will also make sure that they take you where you will have to see the primates as fast as possible.

Face to face encounter with the chimpanzees is very amazing because you will observe them play, feed and rest.

After this worthwhile experience, you will embark on transfer to Kigali. The fascinating journey of 225kms will take you through amazing scenery all around the area.

The driver guide will drive slowly to allow you capture the best photographs. You will have lunch en-route and a number of stopovers at Butare National Museum, Nyanza (Rukali) as well as Malaba coffee factory, Murambi Genocide Memorial Site plus other exciting areas.

On arrival to Kigali, the drive guide will drop you to your Kigali place of stay or Kanombe airport for your flight back home.

End of The 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking and Cultural Safari

Getting There

Safari Inclusions

• Gorilla Permit (for gorilla trekking safaris)
• Chimpanzee Permit (for chimpanzee trekking safaris)
• Full Board Accommodation on Safari
• Transportation in either 4X4 Safari Van or 4X4 Safari Land Cruiser all with Pop up roof & AC
• Fuel
• Professional English Speaking driver guide. Any other foreign language speaking guide can be arranged on request.
• Entrance fees to the tourist sites including Protected areas mentioned
• Activity fees of the tourist activities mentioned
• Bottled water while on safari
• Border crossing fees (for cross border safaris)

Safari Exclusions

• General tips for the driver guide, site guides and service staff at the lodges
• Laundry Services
• Other Beverages / drinks of personal nature like Alcohol
• International Flights (Arranged on request)
• Domestic Flights (Arranged on request)
• Visas
• Optional Activity fees
• Other extras not mentioned in the Itinerary
• Airport Transfer (Arranged on request)
• Accommodation in Kampala or Kigali unless it is part of the Itinerary (Arranged on request)

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