7 Days Rwanda Gorilla and Chimp

After breakfast at your hotel in Kigali, you leave the city behind and drive south through the hills of southern Rwanda. Your first stop is Nyanza, where you visit the King's Palace, a reconstruction of the traditional royal residence and a window into the history of the Rwandan monarchy. From there you continue to Butare, home to the Huye ethnographic museum, whose collections cover the country's cultural heritage, craft traditions and everyday life.

Lunch is served en route before you carry on towards Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa. You arrive at your lodge in the afternoon, with time to settle in, rest and enjoy dinner. The forest lies close by, and tomorrow begins early with your chimpanzee trek, so a quiet evening and an early night are well worth it.

04h30: Start early for early morning forest nature walk in the park tracking Chimpanzees in the forest.

This is the time to watch the forest's birdlife too.

Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy the canopy walk. (Cost offered separately)

Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast at the lodge, you leave Nyungwe Forest National Park behind and drive towards Lake Kivu. You stop for lunch along the way, then continue on to the lake, where you spend the afternoon at leisure on its shores. You may simply relax by the water, or take part in optional activities available in the area at your own cost.

Dinner and overnight are at your lodge beside the lake. The following morning, after breakfast, you set off on a scenic drive towards Volcanoes National Park, the base for gorilla trekking in the days ahead.

Breakfast at the lodge.

Depart on a scenic drive towards Volcanoes National Park. Arrive at Ruhengeri, the base for Gorilla trekking at the Parc National des Volcans.

Ruhengeri is the base for Gorilla trekking at the Parc National des Volcans. The town is located only 25km from Uganda boarder and is relatively a small city of about 70,000 people. The constant flow of humanity is quite remarkable. The Town has great views of the surrounding volcanoes. People are very friendly here and although a former Belgian colony (and thus French-speaking), many people speak English here. It is an approximately 2.5hrs drive from Kigali to the Volcanoes National park.

Lunch at your lodge.

Afternoon, visit the magical twin lakes Burera and Ruhondo.

Early breakfast at the lodge.

0620 hrs: Transfer to the Volcanoes National Park HQs for your first day of trekking.

0700 hrs: Briefing by your trackers then drive to the trailhead for the start of your amazing Gorilla Tracking adventure.

Porters may be hired for the trek to carry your backpack and gear. The cost is ten USD per person/per day. We advise that you utilize this service.

Your trek starts in the cultivated foothills of the Virunga’s offering stirring views in all directions. When it enters the national park, trekkers will be immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with the colorful bird calls, chattering golden monkeys, littered with fresh spoor of the mountains’ elusive buffalo and elephant. Through gaps in the canopy, the magnificent peaks are glimpsed, among the highest in Africa yet easily accessible, beckon an ascent.

Weaving through overhanging vines, moss-covered hagenia trees and giant lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate, our experienced trackers, who have spent their entire lives in or close to this forest, soon bring us up close with one of the Gorilla Families.

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!

After the trek, rejoin your driver Guide for a transfer to your lodge for lunch. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure.

Breakfast at the lodge.

Drive back to Kigali

Enjoy a City Tour of Kigali (cost of city tour included)

The history of Rwanda dates back centuries, Kigali has been a part of it for 100 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.

Visit the old Kigali and the craft centers then visit the genocide memorial site. Learn about Rwanda’s history from pre-colonial times to the 1994 genocide; learn about other genocides in the world and how this country has dealt with that past. Tour more and see the new developments in Rwanda; the recovery has been incredible, a testament to humankind’s resilience.

Transfer to the airport for your outbound flight. Flights after 1300Hrs recommended (cost of flight not included)