Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Upon arrival at Kigali international Airport , you will be welcomed by the Safari guide of Rwanda Safaris and head straight for the city tour of Kigali , this will be an orientation about the entire trip and understand more about the 1994 Genocide , visit the local market that may reward you with the chance to taste the local Rwandese food in a local restaurant that will be selected by the Safari guide.
In the late afternoon you will start on the 3 hours drive to volcanoes national park passing through the rolling hills ( land of thousand hills ) where your expected to arrive at Virunga Lodge in the Late evening .
Dinner and overnight
Day 2: Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park
After Morning breakfast at the lodge , pack your hiking boots and head straight to Volcanoes National Park headquarter for the orientation about the gorilla trekking rules and regulations which are similar to the ones that the reservation team shared with you . These gorilla trekking rules are uniform in all the three gorilla trekking destinations in Africa ( Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo ) with the intention aimed towards the conservation of the primates in their wilderness.
The briefing stage involves the registration of the tourists , passport copies , confirmation of the gorilla trekking permit number as you enjoy the morning coffee at no cost.
After the briefing you will be driven from the park headquarter and head straight to the starting point of the gorilla trekking is always varying depending on the gorilla family that you were allocated at the orientation, gorilla trekking in Rwanda lasts for a duration of 3-5 hours depending on the location where the Mountain gorillas last spent their night and the season of the food . After this you will return to the start location where your safari guide and proceed to the lodge for the fresh lunch and relax as you wait for the visit to the Ellen De Generes campus to learn more about the mountain gorillas that conserved the apes during the early years.
Dinner and overnight as above.
Day 3: Mountaineering experiences to Mount Bisoke Crater
After Morning breakfast, you will head back to the park headquarter for the unique Mountaineering tour to Volcanoes National Park which is among the virunga Massif, hike to Bisoke Mountain that is one of the 6 mountains that make up the Virunga Massif that are shared between Uganda , Rwanda and Congo .
On the mountaineering tour you will explore the crater lakes in Volcanoes National park which is among the 3 National park located in the virunga Massif . You may spot some birds , small primates as your hiking to the Mountain . The hike to summit takes 3 hours on average depending the pace of the climber, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Golden Monkey Tracking & Visit to the Gorilla Guardian Village
After Morning breakfast at the lodge , pack your hiking boots and head straight to Volcanoes National Park headquarter for the briefing about the golden monkey tracking rules and later register , jump into the safari jeep and head to the head tail for the golden monkey tracking in the park . The activity will last for about 3-5 hours and you will return to the lodge for lunch and later head for the visit to the Gorilla Guardian Village for the unique cultural experience of the local culture !
Return back to the Lodge for Dinner and overnight.
Day 5 : Visit Twin Lakes – Ruhondo and Burera, Transfer to Kigali
After breakfast you will head to the twin lakes, Rubondo and Burera, while here you can simply enjoy the magnificent views of the lake or choose any of the activities that include canoe rides, fishing using local methods as you mix and get a chance to interact with the local people mainly fishermen, or visit communities mainly the traditional healers, later return to the lodge for lunch before proceeding with the 3 hours drive to connect to Kigali City , Drop off is Kigali International Airport for the Flight back home .
