This 4-Day Rwanda Gorillas road trip leads you to northern Rwanda to see the majestic Mountain Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.
Upon your arrival in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, you will be warmly welcomed to the “land of a thousand hills.” Your driver/guide will be standing at the Arrivals Hall holding a placard with your name so you cannot miss him. After the meet and greet, you will transfer to the hotel you have chosen for an overnight stay. If your flight lands in the morning or early afternoon, you’ll have the opportunity to embark on a short city tour of Kigali, including a visit to the Kigali Genocide memorial.
You rise with the rising sun and enjoy your breakfast. After, you will embark on a memorable Kigali city tour, which will include visits to the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Kandt Museum. You also visit one of the crafts markets like Nyamirambo Women’s Centre and the National Museum. You enjoy an early lunch at a restaurant in the city center. Following your lunch, you will then make your way to Ruhengeri town close to the Volcanoes National Park or Parc National des Volcans. The park is part of a transboundary ecosystem that is shared between three countries (Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo) that is connected by the Virunga Mountains. Volcanoes National Park is a 160 square-kilometre reserve that includes evergreen bamboo forests, tropical rainforests and partial grasslands, valleys, serene lakes, a chain of volcanoes and farmed foothills. The drive is picturesque as you view these landscapes on winding roads that Rwanda is famous for. You’ll have opportunities for stopovers to take pictures and stretch along the way. On arrival, you check-in at the lodge you have chosen. If you arrive with time to spare, in the evening you can do a 2-hour trek to primatologist Dian Fossey’s tomb and the Karisoke research station.
Today, you’ll have the unique opportunity to meet the mountain gorillas that live in the forested highlands of the Virunga ranges. The gorilla trek begins with a briefing at the park headquarters in Kinigi, where you’ll be assigned a ranger and a gorilla family to trek. Following the briefing, your ranger guide will lead you to the starting point of the trek, which may require a short drive depending on the location of the gorilla group. The trek through their habitat is a truly unforgettable experience, with the duration varying from minutes to hours, depending on the gorillas’ nesting location the previous night. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Nature enthusiasts who make it add to the legacy of primatologist Dian Fossey whose research into the endangered Mountain Gorillas in the Virungas brought light to the plight of these gentle and elegant endangered big apes. When you finally locate the family that you are tracking, take in everything as you watch the gorillas go about their day – feeding on the green leaves, bamboo shoots, wild celery, stinging nettle and wild fruit. If there are juvenile gorillas, enjoy them play about and take it all in. Take lots of pictures (and a selfie if you happen to have a gorilla in your selfie frame) and video as the one-hour will be over before you know it. After, you trace your way back to the trail-head where your driver/guide will be waiting. You head back to the lodge for a hot lunch. After, you have the rest of the day to yourselves and can relax. Now is a good time to look back on your awe-inspiring encounter with the mountain gorillas through the lens of your camera.
Optional Activities/Afternoon: Visit Dian Fossey’s Tomb & Research Centre, Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
In the morning, you’ll visit the Gorilla Guardians Village or the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, where you can immerse yourself in Rwandan culture. Participate in activities like becoming a “King” or “Queen” for a day, trying your hand at knitting, learning to use a bow and arrow, and enjoying songs and dance from the Rwandan society. The word Iby’Iwacu is a Kinyarwanda word that means “treasures of our home and heritage”. The village combines all of Rwanda’s known cultural traditions, people and history into one place for display and a personal experience. Visitors get to see what life was in a typical African village setting – the lifestyle, houses, traditional dance and song, dress code, the food, herbs and how ancient kingdoms were generally organized. Visitors are given an opportunity to learn ancient hunting skills, try their hands at basket weaving/mats, carpentry. After this cultural experience, you’ll transfer to Kigali. At Kigali, you will visit Nyandungu Eco Park. Here, you can enjoy lunch and can make the 10km walk if you like. Later, you will be taken to the airport in time for you to check-in for your onward flight home.
Optional Activities: Golden monkey trek, Hike Mountain Karisimbi or Bisoke, visit twin-lakes of Burora & Ruhondo
This 4-Day Rwanda Gorillas road trip leads you to northern Rwanda to see the majestic Mountain Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. The safari takes you through Rwanda ‘one thousand hills’ on winding roads that the country is famous for. On this safari, you traverse rugged terrain, encounter fascinating wildlife, and connect with vibrant local communities, creating memories that will live with you for a long time. The history of the Volcanoes National Park is intertwined with the conservation efforts of the early 1920s when it was established alongside the Virunga National Park in the DR Congo and the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. These three parks collectively form the Virunga conservation area, primarily dedicated to safeguarding the critically endangered mountain gorillas. The park is home to 30% of the world’s mountain gorilla population that thrives on bamboo shoots and lower-altitude vegetation. American zoologist George Schaller, one of the first people to study gorillas in the wild, once said: “No one who looks into the eyes of a Gorilla, gentle and vulnerable, can remain unchanged.” And so this trip will leave you with an indelible mark on your conscience and the satisfaction that you will have added to the legacy of Dian Fossey – the trailblazing primatologist who brought light to the plight of Africa’s largest apes – that they were endangered. Before departing Volcanoes National Park to come back to Kigali, you will go on a cultural experiential to meet the Rwandans that live in close proximity with the Mountain Gorillas.
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