Day 1: Pick-up from Airport to hotel in Kigali, Rwanda and go on a Kigali city tour
Our professional, local guide will meet on your arrival at Kigali Airport and brief you on your trip. To start things off, you will be given a tour of Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city which was named in 1907 by Dr. Richard Kandt, the first colonial resident governor of Rwanda. It is the main administrative and economic centre of Rwanda. Surrounded by lush hills of green, it is the cleanest and safest city in the region. Kigali’s face is her fortune: a dramatic beauty from which its name is derived. There are, however, other contributing factors – it is a city that delights the mind as well as the eye of any visitor and is a city where the past lives comfortably with the present.
On the tour, you will have the opportunity to see the following: Visit the 1994 Gisozi Genocide Memorial site, Visit an artisan shopping centre to view and purchase local arts and crafts among others. Diner and Overnight at Des Mille Collins Hotel (BB)
Day 2: Morning transfer to Akagera National Park and afternoon southern lake-circuit game drive
Drive to Akagera National Park passing through Rwanda’s phenomenal landscapes and living lifestyles. Check-in at Akagera Game Lodge and after a quick rest at the hotel, continue on with a southern game drive alongside the Lake Ihema circuit.
Plenty of animals can be seen, including elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, hippos, crocodiles and recently introduced Rhinos. Known as one of the most scenic savannahs in East Africa, the game drive in Akagera provides you with the opportunity to also view gentle hills blending beautifully with lowland swamps and water bodies. Dinner and overnight at Akagera Game Lodge (FB)
Day 3: Northern game drive and transfer to Butare via Kigali
Early morning game drive starts with a spectacular sunrise and early morning bird calls. Enjoy the beautiful scenery and landscape through the northern circuit where you will see hippos, crocodiles and even more wildlife than on the lake circuit. Head to Kigali for a quick lunch and then on to Butare, the original capital and intellectual centre of Rwanda. Passing through magnificent hills and cultivated countryside, we will stop along the way and visit the famous King’s Palace in Nyanza, which offers visitors a window into pre-colonial Rwandan history. For those who are interested, we can also visit the art museum at Rwesero Nyanza. Dinner and Overnight at Hotel Ibis Butare (FB)
Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park-Colobus Trek
Your morning will start early with a visit to the National Museum of Rwanda, providing you with a deeper insight into Rwandan history and culture. We will then continue on to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe is the only destination in the world where you can see up to 13 species of primates in a single location, including rare species such as Chimpanzees, the Blue Monkeys, L’Hoest’s Monkeys and the Angolan black and white Colobus Monkeys. Nyungwe presents a unique phenomenon in primate tourism due to its huge concentrations of habituated primates whose troops can include 400 to 500 individuals!
As one of the most important ornithological hubs in Rwanda, the park is also home to almost 300 species of birds, making it a bird watcher’s paradise!
Along the way, we will stop at the new Visitor’s Interpretive Centre to orient you to this magnificent park and then it’s off to your hotel to check-in and have a relaxing lunch. The afternoon will be spent trekking to the Colobus Monkeys. You will hike through lush forests, endless, green tea fields and take in the stunning views of your surroundings. Dinner and Overnight at Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (FB)
Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking
Early morning trek to the chimpanzees. Following your trek and depending on available time, we offer you a choice of value-added activities from the following like visiting the communities and tea plantations. Dinner and Overnight at Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (FB)
Day 6: Morning transfer to Kibuye, driving along the shores of Lake Kivu.
Lake Kivu is one of the great lakes in Africa and the largest of the fresh water lakes that gleam in the Albertine (Western) rift of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Kivu stands at 1461m (4,790ft) above sea level establishing it as Africa’s highest lake. The northern shore of the lake is often subject to eruptions from nearby Mt Nyiragongo.
Kibuye is Rwanda’s most attractive of lake ports, nestled in a series of interwoven and undulating hills and offering visitors spectacular views of the lake, its islands and the stunning surrounding countryside. It is considered one of Rwanda’s hidden treasures, with its lush green hills and peaceful breeze. Dinner and Overnight at Moriah Hill Hotel (FB)
Day 7: Relaxation
You can choose to spend the day relaxing by the lake for the rest of the day or take an optional boat ride on the Lake. Dinner and Overnight at Moriah Hill Hotel (FB)
Day 8: Morning transfer to Gisenyi
This morning we will continue on to the town of Gisenyi. With its waterfront and sandy beaches and excellent views of Lake Kivu, Gisenyi is a wonderful place to relax, having a captivating feel of a tropical beach resort. The afternoon will be spent relaxing and touring the communities around the town. Dinner and Overnight at Hotel Malahide Paradis (FB)
Day 9: Morning transfer to Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village in Musanze District
Morning transfer to Musanze District where you will visit and stay at the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, based in the community bordering Parc National des Volcans. At the village, you will have a wonderful, interactive experience, learning all about Rwandan traditions, culture, song and dance. You can participate in local dances and drumming, all while wearing traditional local “Umushanana” dress; shooting arrows, attending a traditional healer’s medicine show you will also have the opportunity to sample local food and banana beer and visit a local household or school. As well, you can choose to visit some of the local community projects and co-operatives to see, first hand, how your travel with us contributes to making a difference in people’s lives. You will spend the night here, in traditional houses and participate in Gitaramo, a cultural tradition of sharing stories, song and dance while sitting around a warm fire. Dinner and Overnight at Five Volcanoes Hotel (FB)
Day 10: Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Park Volcanoes
Have your breakfast, carry your packed lunch and gorilla trekking gear and then report at the ORTPN offices for registration and briefing. Drive to the Volcanoes National Park for a memorable gorilla trek. Gorilla trekking may sometimes seem to be strenuous so trekkers are required to be fit because it may take from 2 hours to 10 hours. You may have a picnic lunch along the trek if trekking takes longer hours. An encounter of the gorillas after a tiring trek is rewarding! You will return to the lodge. If gorilla trekking ends early, you may visit the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo at an extra cost (Here you you are transferred to the best viewing point where you can view the Lakes to your best). Later return for your Overnight at Five Volcanoes Hotel, FB
Day 11: Golden Monkey trekking only
Have breakfast and report at the ORTPN Office for registration and briefing, thereafter drive to the Volcanoes National Park for the Golden Monkeys Golden monkeys are one of the rarest primates in Africa. It is now believed that the only feasible population of these monkeys is left in the Virunga Volcanoes National park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. A smaller population may continue living in the Nyungwe Forest National Park in Southern Rwanda but this has yet to be confirmed. The golden monkey is a disparate species of guenon – Cercopithecus Kandti and is ubiquitous to the Albertine Rift. Dinner and Overnight Five Volcanoes Hotel, FB
Day 12: The Dian Fossey trek
We will take you to the graves of the late famous American zoologist – Dian Fossey who was murdered while on her research about Gorillas and other primates in Park des Volcans. Volcanoes NP was the pedestal for the famous naturalist Dian Fossey who carried out her research into the gorillas. She arrived in 1967 and established the Karisoke Research Centre between Karisimbi and Visoke. Since then, she spent most of her time in the park. She is significantly credited for saving the gorillas from extinction by passing on their quandary to the notice of the international community. She was murdered by an unknown assailants at her home in 1985, a crime often attributed to the poachers she had spent her life fighting against. Dian Fossey’s vitality research was later revealed in the movie Gorillas in the Mist, marked after her memoirs. She was buried in the volcanoes National park in a grave close to her research center amongst the gorillas which became her life. After trek you will return to the lodge for your lunch, Dinner and Overnight Five Volcanoes Hotel, FB
Day 13: To Kigali-site seeing
After Breakfast, check out and drive to Kigali with en-route stopovers for scenic view before arrival in Kigali. Continue to your hotel for check in and Overnight at Mille Collins Hotel (BB)
Day 14: Transfer to airport-Departure
After breakfast, depending on your flight time, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight
Prices INCLUDE:
Prices EXCLUDE: all items of personal expenditure such as entry visas, tips, telephone calls, laundry, gifts, airport taxes and all alcoholic beverages.
NB: Gorilla permits, Chimpanzee and Golden Monkey permits are subject to availability at the time of booking and therefore require booking and payment in advance
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