Rwanda is famous for its gorilla trekking opportunities in the Virunga Mountains. This is where Dian Fossey researched and habituated mountain gorillas in the 1960s. Although gorilla trekking is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the country has a lot more to offer.
Rwanda is worth visiting as an up-and-coming destination offering primate walks, volcano hikes and bird watching in Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe National Park, plus boat trips on Lake Kivu in the Rift Valley and classic safaris in search of the Big Five in low-key Akagera National Park.
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to Kigali Serena Hotel for overnight. – Lunch & dinner on own account.
Kigali Serena Hotel
After breakfast, OPTIONAL Join your driver/guide on a City Tour of Kigali, includes the Memorial Centre and Crafts centers. The history of Rwanda dates back centuries, Kigali has been a part of it for a hundred 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. Since then, the city has seen major economic development resulting in what it is today; a vibrant African city of 1 million with wide boulevards, an international airport, world-class hotels and restaurants, crafts & curio shops as well as a lively, cosmopolitan population. Visit the Kandt Museum, tour old Kigali and the Craft centers, visit the genocide memorial site where you learn about Rwanda’s history pre-colonial to 1994 genocide as well as other genocides in the world. Tour more and see the new developments; the recovery has been incredible, a true testament to humankind’s resilience.
Followed by lunch on own account, you will proceed to drive to Ruhengeri at the foothills of the Virungas. You will arrive at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in the afternoon in time for dinner and overnight.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge
After an early breakfast, drive to Volcanoes National Park HQs to be allocated a gorilla tracking group. 0700 hrs: Briefing by your trackers then drive to the trail head for the start of an amazing adventure.
Our exhilarating trek, in the footsteps of the rare and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas, the largest living primate on earth, starts in the cultivated foothills of the Virungas with stirring views in all directions. Upon entering the national park, her paths littered with fresh spoor of the mountains’ elusive buffalo and elephant, trekkers will be immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with colorful bird calls, butterflies, etc. Through gaps in the canopy, the magnificent Virunga peaks, among the highest in Africa yet easily accessible, are glimpsed, beckoning an ascent.
Weaving through overhanging vines, moss-covered hagenia and giant lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate, our experienced trackers, they spent their entire lives in or close to this forest, soon bring us up close with the family.
Upon sighting the gorillas, you will stay with them for a magical hour as they go about their daily life, feeding, playing, resting; raising their young. Coming face to face with a giant silverback must truly be one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth!
This afternoon will be spent at leisure enjoying the view of the Virunga Mountains. Dinner served at the lodge.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge
After breakfast, drive back to Kigali and be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.
– End of Our Services
