12 Days Gorilla Trekking & Wildlife Experience

An unforgettable encounter with the endangered Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda.

Day 1: Kigali International Airport | Overnight at Retreat Hotel

Welcome to Rwanda! Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, our representative will meet you. Outside customs and immigration hall, Safari briefing and introduced to your driver guide. Transfer to Retreat hotel.

Day 2: Kigali City | Overnight at Retreat Hotel

City tour. After breakfast at 10:00 am, you will head for a city tour. Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda, commemorates the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The remains of over 250,000 people are interred there. There is a visitor center for students and those wishing to understand the events leading up to the events of 1994. The Center is a permanent memorial to those who fell victim to the genocide and serves as a place in which the bereaved could bury their family and friends, and a clear reminder of the cost of ignorance

History: In April 1994, reports of systematic mass murder within Rwanda began to filter out of Rwanda and circulate throughout the world. Little, sadly, was done to halt the mass killing. To outsiders, the genocide was represented as tribal-based ethnic violence, with the Tutsis as the victims and the Hutu as the perpetrators. Precisely how many people were murdered may never be known; estimates vary between 500,000 and over a million. The number of people killed is widely accepted as being somewhere close to 800,000 after returning to the hotel for an overnight stay and dinner.

Lunch will be at Africa Bite Restaurant, and later, after the city tour, they will head back to the Retreat Hotel.

Day 3: Kigali – Akagera National Park | Overnight At Magashi Lodge

Approximately 3hrs drive

After breakfast at 7:30 a.m., you will check out and transfer to Kigali Serena Hotel for your shuttle to Akagera National Park. Upon arrival, the camp manager will brief you on your three-day program.

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is located in northeastern Rwanda, along the border with Tanzania. It is named after the Akagera River, which flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Ihema. The rolling hills of Acacia and Brachystegia Woodland, with scattered grassland and swamp-fringed lakes along the meandering Akagera watercourse, combine to create a park of breathtaking scenic beauty.

Day 4: Kigali – Akagera National Park | Overnight at Magashi Lodge

Approximately 3hrs drive

After breakfast at 7:30 a.m., you will check out and transfer to Kigali Serena Hotel for your shuttle to Akagera National Park. Upon arrival, the camp manager will brief you on your three-day program.

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is located northeast of Rwanda, along the border with Tanzania. It is named after the Akagera River, which flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Ihema. The rolling hills of Acacia and Brachystegia Woodland, with scattered grassland and swamp-fringed lakes along the meandering Akagera watercourse, combine to create a park of breathtaking scenic beauty.

Day 5: Kigali – Akagera National Park | Overnight At Magashi Lodge

Approximately 3hrs drive

After breakfast at 7:30 a.m., you will check out and transfer to Kigali Serena Hotel for your shuttle to Akagera National Park. Upon arrival, the camp manager will brief you on your three-day program.

Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is located northeast of Rwanda, along the border with Tanzania. It is named after the Akagera River, which flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Ihema. The rolling hills of Acacia and Brachystegia Woodland, with scattered grassland and swamp-fringed lakes along the meandering Akagera watercourse, combine to create a park of breathtaking scenic beauty.

Day 6: Kigali – Volcanoes National Park | Overnight at Basite Lodge

Return to Kigali -Drive to Volcanoes National Park (2hr30min). On this day, when you return from Akagera, you will meet your guide at the Kigali Serena Hotel for a short break before transferring to Volcanoes National Park.

Parc National des Volcans: In the heart of Central Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat,” wrote the eminent primatologist Dian Fossey, “are great, old volcanoes towering up almost 15,000 feet, and nearly covered with rich, green rainforest – the Virungas”. Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the Volcanoes National Park protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range – home of the rare mountain gorilla – and the rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp, and heath. The mysterious rainforest is alive with the calls of colorful birds and the chattering of the rare golden monkey and littered with fresh spoor of the mountains’ elusive populations of buffalo and elephant. The magnificent peaks are glimpsed through gaps in the forest canopy, easily accessible and among the highest in Africa, beckoning an ascent.

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking | Overnight at Basite Lodge

Early/packed breakfast at your lodge; 6:00 am transfer to the Volcanoes National Park HQs 7:00 am Registration, 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 80 gorilla permits available each day, and a maximum of eight trekkers can visit any group.

Once the trekkers are divided into groups, each group’s Lead Guide briefs them on the trekking procedures and “dos and don’ts” while in the presence of gorillas. After the briefing, trekkers return to their respective vehicles to drive up the mountain to the starting point.

Porters may be hired for the trek to carry your backpack and gear

You will be allowed an hour with these beautiful creatures. After the trek, you will return to the lodge for lunch and the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Day 8: Kigali – Akarega National Park | Overnight at Basite Lodge

Second gorilla trekking/golden monkey trek: Early breakfast at 6:30 am; transfer to the Volcanoes National Park’s Office to undergo the now familiar gorilla trekking formalities. Then, enter the forest for the second trek, visiting a different family from yesterday. After the trek, rejoin your driver Guide for a transfer back to Bishop House.

Later in the afternoon, you will visit the little-known but compellingly beautiful twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo, where you can have a cup of Rwandan coffee while admiring the scenic view.

Day 9: Akagera – Nyungwe National Park | Overnight at Nyungwe House

In the morning, after your breakfast, you transfer to Nyungwe National Park.

Nyungwe National Park: In the southwest corner of Rwanda, Nyungwe National Park is an untouched natural rainforest filled with exciting biodiversity. Over 1000 square kilometers, Nyungwe is undoubtedly one of the world’s most beautiful and pristine mountain rainforests. It’s believed to be one of Africa’s oldest forests, staying green even through the Ice Age, which explains its diversity. Home to habituated chimpanzees and 12 other primate species (including a 400-strong troop of habituated Ruwenzori Black & White Colobus), it’s also a birder’s paradise with over 300 species, including 16 endemics. It is home to 75 different species of mammal.

Upon arrival, you will check in at the lodge, which is located within the tea plantation; you will visit the farm and do the harvesting until the point of testing.

Day 10: Chimp Trek Nyungwe National Park | Overnight at Nyungwe House

Early in the morning, hike into Nyungwe Forest, the natural habitat for a huge population of Chimps. Chimpanzees are great apes that are closely related to humans. Nyungwe Forest hosts these intelligent primates, which are an endangered species. Later, after the trek, you will return to the lodge in time for lunch.

In the afternoon, you will go for the canopy walk, another option offering a splendid view over the lush forest with its magnificent biodiversity. Hardwood trees dominate the upper canopy while the lower part is beautified with a large selection of orchids, flora, and fauna that flourish better in the higher altitudes. Dinner and Overnight at Nyungwe house. (FB)

Day 11: Departure | Nyungwe National Park – Kigali International Airport

Today, you will have breakfast and check out for your helicopter transfer to Kigali. Upon arrival, lunch will be at Heaven Boutique Restaurant, and you will do some last-minute shopping before you head to the airport for your departure flight.

Includes

Airport transfers

Ground transport per private 4WD vehicle

English-speaking driver/guide

Accommodation in places mentioned in the itinerary

Meals as described in the itinerary

Bottled mineral water in the safari vehicle

Activities and excursions mentioned in the program

Excludes

International flight

Visa for Rwanda

Meals and drinks not mentioned above

Items of personal nature

Tips