DAY 1
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your booked-in hotel for overnight
DAY 2
After breakfast, enjoy a City tour of Kigali. The history of Rwanda dates back centuries and Kigali has been part of it for 100 years. Founded in 1907 as a German settlement, Kigali did not become the capital until Rwanda’s independence in 1962 when it replaced the colonial seat of power in Butare. Visit the Kandt museum, see old Kigali and the craft centres then visit the genocide memorial site. Learn about Rwanda’s history from pre-colonial times to the 1994 genocide and how this country has dealt with that past. After lunch in Kigali, drive to Ruhengeri (approximately 2.5hrs) arriving in the early evening at the Volcanoes National Park HQs. In the evening, cultural dancers troupe will spice your stay with memorable Rwandan dances (at an extra cost per person) Dinner and overnight at your booked Volcanoes Lodge
DAY 3
Transfer to the Volcanoes National Park HQs for your first day of trekking. After briefing by your trackers, drive to the trail head for the start of your amazing Gorilla Tracking adventure. Registration is a simple process where the park staff determines which group of gorillas you will visit. The park staff discusses your fitness level and advises you of the trekking times and conditions to the various groups based upon their location in the park the previous evening. There are a total of 88 gorilla permits available each day with a maximum of eight trekkers visiting any one group. Once the trekkers are put into groups, each group’s lead guide briefs the trekkers of the trekking procedures as well as the “do’s and don’ts” while in the presence of gorillas. Porters may be hired for the trek to carry your backpack and gear. After briefing, trekkers return to their respective vehicles for the drive up the mountain to the starting point. The trek starts in the cultivated foothills of the Virunga’s offering stirring views in all directions. When it enters the national park, trekkers will be immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with the colorful bird calls, chattering golden monkeys, littered with fresh spoor of the mountains’ elusive buffalo and elephant. Through gaps in the canopy, the magnificent peaks are glimpsed among the highest in Africa yet easily accessible.
Trekking can take from two to six hours depending with whether the gorillas moved. The guides stop frequently to allow trekkers a chance to rest and take photos along the way. Weaving through overhanging vines, moss-covered hagenia trees and giant lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate, our experienced trackers, who have spent their entire lives in or close to this forest soon bring you up close with one of the Gorilla Families. Upon sighting the gorillas, you will stay with them for a magical hour as they go about their daily life, feeding, playing, resting and raising their young. Coming face to face with a giant silverback must truly be one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth! After the trek, rejoin your driver guide for a transfer to your lodge/hotel for lunch. After lunch, visit to Iby’iwacu village at an extra cost as you depart from foothills of the volcanoes and drive to your booked in Lake Kivu lodge for dinner and overnight
DAY 4
After breakfast, spend your early morning at leisure enjoying optional activities at the hotel. Later depart eastwards past coffee, tea and banana plantations on a scenic drive to Kigali. Everything and everywhere sheer green and hanging on the hills. Rwanda truly – land of a thousand fertile green hills (Approximately 3 hrs) Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
