Upon arrival, you will be welcomed in Rwanda by our professional tour guide, transfer to your Hotel for a welcome meal and a briefing about the Chimpanzee and Gorilla trekking Safari. Then you will take on a City tour in Kigali, visit the genocide memorial in Gosozi or Maramba, the old town of Nyamirambo, the new handicraft village, the Batwa pottery and dance centre, and the Kimironko fruits. And then later you will be transferred to the hotel of your dinner and overnight at Hotel Gorillas / Kigali Serena hotel
This morning after breakfast we head to Butare; an intellectual city of Rwanda and the second largest of Rwanda cities. Butare which is now HUYE hosts the National Museum (supreme museum in East Africa) which is one of the best sources of information about the cultural history of the country and the region.
Along the road to Butare, you will pay a visit to Nyanza; presently Nyabisindu, the former Mwami’s palace (King’s palace) and the base of the feudal kingdom. Later you will have a thrilling concert of the national ballet with the Intore-dancers. The performance is considered by many as one of the highlights of your safari. Lunch is foreseen in Butare. Connect to Nyungwe Forest National park, dinner and overnight at Gisakura Guest House / Nyungwe Forest Lodge.
After early breakfast, you will assemble at Uwinka tourist information centre for briefing before you start you hike in Nyungwe forest. The landscape is craggy and sheer, and you will be at relatively high altitude. Good hiking boots are highly recommended. The hike will expose you to the commonest species such as large communal troops of Angolan Colobus, which may be over 300 in number, and many bird species. It may be a strenuous walk but guides always make it more enjoyable and informative by giving you information about the flora and fauna that you encounter while on the walk.
After Lunch, the exploration continues along different beautiful trails available then encounter the superb waterfall trail of Gisakura is probably the most thrilling along .The afternoon trek may take 2 – 3 hours, and it will also expose you to more birds and primate species such as the Angola Colobus Monkeys and the endangered Golden Monkeys. An encounter is a thrilling moment!
Dinner and Overnight at Gisakura Guest House / Nyungwe Forest Lodge
A trek into Nyungwe forest (A trekkers’ paradise) gives an opportunity to encounter with Chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys and blue monkeys around Uwinka after a less strenuous hike. You will connect to the Bigugu Mountain trail which takes you to the highest peak in Nyungwe Forest at 3000m above sea level. Along the trek, bird lovers are certainly in for a treat as Nyungwe hosts so many Albertine rift endemics that you will encounter along the trek to Bigugu Mountain. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Have early breakfast and embark on our journey to Kibuye, through the green fields of tea plantations before exploring the shorelines of Lake Kivu. Kibuye is the most beautiful resort of the three towns on Lake Kivu. To refresh from trekking in Nyungwe, you may spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Take breakfast and proceed for a speed-boat trip to Gisenyi. You will encounter fishing villages of Lake Kivu and also have an opportunity to interact with people of Idjwi Island, it is thought to be the largest inland island in Africa the eighth largest in the world. Idjwi is roughly halfway between the DRC and Rwanda. You can also cross the boarder to Goma in Congo (Optional). Goma was devastated by the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. The Nyiragongo Volcano which is 3470 metres above sea level erupted on the 17th of January 2002 and shattered part of Goma town. The eruption ruined the homes of over 120,000 people and caused over 100 victims. Your visit to this site will exhibit fantastic capabilities of the local population to surmount this natural upheaval! We drive to Kinigi for an overnight at Kinigi Guest House / Mountain Gorilla’s Nest.
After early breakfast, drive for an assembly at Kinigi Park Head quarters with packed lunch, meet your ranger guide for a briefing about the greatest primates experience ever to see the only left Mountain gorillas in the world the ones that might have led to the murder of an American Zoologist Dianne Fossey as she tried to research about them and also save them from poachers. The gorilla trek in Rwanda starts from the foothills of Virunga volcanoes and you will be led by an experienced English speaking ranger guide. The guide will give you information not only about the gorillas but also about the other flora and fauna that you will encounter along the trek. The time taken to track gorillas is unpredictable and depends on the movements of the gorillas. If tracking ends early enough, you will take a short excursion to discover the beautiful lakes of Lake Bulera and Ruhondo. Here you will have a magnificent view of the Virunga chain of Volcanoes. Return for dinner and overnight at your lodge.
This is the day to say farewell to your fellow travelers, the guide and to a country that has been your home for a short while. Following breakfast, you will drive to Kigali City and transfer to the airport and catch your flight back home.
