Overview
The 7 day safari will explore two of the three national parks in Rwanda. Upon arrival you will be transferred to home of mountain gorillas (Volcanoes National park) where you will do gorilla tracking and encounter the community of the people who used to stay in the forest and ex-poachers. Then to the southern part to visit Nyanza Kings palace Museum and the national Museum in Huye/ Butare. It will then take you west to Nyungwe forest for chimpanzee tracking.
Details
Day 1 Arrival, pick up and transfer to Volcanoes National park
On arrival at the airport, you will be met by our Safari guide who will drive you via the city of Kigali to the Volcanoes National Park. On arrival check in at your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
[Budget] Muhabura Hotel, [Midrange] Gorilla Solution Lodge, [Luxury] Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Day 2 Gorilla tracking and Iby’Iwachu cultural encounter
You will have an early breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing at 08:30 a.m. on the rules regarding gorilla tracking. You will be allocated a gorilla family to track and guides to lead you to them. The tracking experience will be a two to five-hour exercise, after which you will return to the lodge for lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will be taken on a cultural visit to Iby’iwachu cultural village. You will be welcomed by cultural songs and present their different aspects of traditions, norms, way of life and beliefs.
[Budget] Muhabura Hotel, [Midrange] Gorilla Solution Lodge, [Luxury] Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Day 3 Visit Musanze caves and Diane Fossey Tomb trail
After breakfast, you will transfer to the Musanze cave where you will have a unique experience of seeing different types of bats and enjoy views of the twin lakes and wildlife attractions. You will have lunch and take a hike to Karisoke Research Center established by Dian Fossey, an American primatologist who dedicated all her life conserving the primates. After being taken around this remarkable center, you will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
[Budget] Muhabura Hotel, [Midrange] Gorilla Solution Lodge, [Luxury] Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Day 4 Transfer to Kigali and city tour
After breakfast, check out of your lodge and drive to Kigali. You will do a city tour, visit a genocide memorial site where thousands of innocent people in Rwanda lost their lives during the genocide of 1994. You will hear touching narratives of how people were cruelly put to death on ethnic grounds. After that, you will have lunch in a local restaurant and have a local cuisine. After that, you will do an extension of the tour to markets and mount Kigali where you will have a view of the city. After return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Quite Haven Hotel (Budget), Hotel Miles De ’Collin (Mid-range) Kigali Serena Hotel (Luxury)
Day 5 Transfer to Nyungwe forest National Park
After breakfast, you will transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park. The journey is 225 kilometers. On your en route, you will visit the King’s palace museum in Nyanza just 88kms from Kigali. The palace contains kings own possessions including furniture and ornaments and is home to the Queen mother. Also encounter the herd of traditional long horned cattle known as “Inyambo”.
You will have lunch and then continue south in Huye to visit the Ethnographic Museum that exhibits Rwandan History and culture, displays of full scale traditional hut as well as original tools, decorations among others. After continue to Nyungwe and check in at your accommodation facility.
Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel (Mid-range), One & Nyungwe House (Luxury)
Day 6 Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy walk
You will have an early breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing on chimpanzee tracking. During the chimpanzee tracking, you will also come across other primates such as the golden monkey, L’Hoest’s monkey, Angola colobus, silver monkey, Hamlyn’s monkey, Dent’s Mona monkey, red-tailed monkey, grey-cheeked Mangabeys, and olive baboon among others.
Spot various types of birds in the verdant flora of this ancient forest. After the chimpanzee tracking, you will return for lunch at the lodge and after do a canopy walk on top of the Nyungwe forest.
Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel (Mid-range), One & Nyungwe House (Luxury)
Day 7 Departure
You will have breakfast and later transfer to Kigali to catch your departure flight. Lunch will be had en route.
End of Tour.