Main Activities :

1. Touring the city of Kigali
2. Visiting the Gisozi Genocide memorial site
3. Gorilla Trekking at the Volcanoes National Park

Day 1. Kigali city and genocide memorial site tour – Head to the Volcanoes National Park

A guide from Mission Africa Safaris will come to pick you at your hotel or airport at 8am to begin your gorilla tour. The first activity is to tour the city of Kigali. You will go visit the renowned Kigali Gisozi genocide war memorial site to learn more about the genocide that took place in 1994. After the genocide memorial center, you will then go visit local markets in Kigali and other interesting places. After the tour, you will have lunch and start the the 3 hours journey to the volcanoes national park. The journey will expose you to beautiful, mountainous and green countryside. No wonder Rwanda is indeed “The Land of a thousand hills”.

Day 2: Gorilla tracking at the Volcanoes national park – Departure.
Wake up very early and take quick breakfast as you wait for our guide. You will be taken to the Kinigi park headquarters for briefing on gorilla trekking. This briefing takes place at 7:30 am and is designed to share with you rules and requirements for gorilla trekking in Rwanda. You will be given an opportunity to hire a porter and choose among the 10 habituated gorilla groups in Rwanda. Once that phase is done, you will begin tracking the gorilla group along with your porter and park Rangers. Depending on the location of your particular gorilla group the activity may take anywhere between 1 to 5 hours. Once you sight the  gorilla group, take as many photos as you can. Follow instructions from your guide and stay calm even when a gorilla family member comes close to you.

Once the one hour with the gorillas is done, you will head back to the starting point where you will find our guide waiting to take you back to the lodge for lunch and rest. The driver will start the journey back to Kigali later in the day. Ensure that you book a late flight if your plan is to depart on this day.

End of Tour

Gear for Gorilla tracking :

1. Hiking boots
2. Thick cotton gloves
3. A raincoat
4. Light snack and mineral  water
5. Porters to help with extra luggage

For the best gorilla trekking experience

1. Be in good shape
2. Wear proper footwear designed for difficult terrain
3. Take rain into consideration
4. Move with sufficient water and packed snack
5. Reserve some tip for the guides and rangers. They make the entire experience worthwhile.

Important Notes

1. Accommodation and Dinner is not included in the itinerary but can be included
2. The minimum age for gorilla tracking is 15 years
3. Clients should ensure that they know the visa and inoculation requirements including at transit points.
4. You are required to have a yellow fever immunization card to enter Rwanda
5. Depending on your country, online visa application is a must before travel

Safari Quote Includes

1. A safari vehicle
2. An English speaking private Driver/Guide
3. Fuel the entire tour
4. Gorilla Permits
5. Daily Drinking water
6. Lunches
7. Pickup and dropping in Kigali
8. Tour of Kigali city

Safari Excludes
International flights, visas, personal expenses like tips, beverages, wines and Insurance.

Davinci Gorilla Lodge: Davinci is a mid-range lodge built in Kinigi. It is close to the park headquarters and the offices of the Rwanda Development Board. Davinci Gorilla lodge has twin, double, triple and family rooms. The rooms are all self-contained with hot showers, bathrooms, bathrobes, room service and free Wi-Fi. Each room has a balcony with great views of the Virunga volcanoes. Other amenities and services at the lodge include a children’s playground, barbecue, private parking, a restaurant and a bar. When going out for gorilla trekking, residents can request for packed lunch in advance from the restaurant. Davinci lodge stands out because it offers great value and at an acceptable rate when compared to other hotels in the area. The lodge is also very popular with tourists who have come to the volcanoes national park for mountain hiking, gorilla trekking and visiting the grave of Dian Fossey.

Virunga Hotel: Virunga Hotel is arguably the best budget lodge within the Volcanoes national park area. It is located in the District of Musanze (84 kilometers away from Kigali) and is one of the oldest hotels in the area. It is built with about 25 self-contained rooms (single, double and twin arrangements). There are also family and executive rooms. Each room has free internet, a TV, towels, bathrooms, showers, a telephone and a refrigerator with refreshments. The executive room has a kitchen of its own, air conditioning and personal workspace. Virunga Hotel is built within the center of Musanze town hence allowing resident to go for a tour of the town or access facilities like banks.

Bisate Lodge: Bisate means ‘pieces’. It describes how one of the cones of the volcanoes was eroded through years of erosion. Bisate lodge is one of the best Luxury Eco-lodges in Rwanda. It’s rooms have been described as warm, comfortable and with amazing views of the volcanoes national park. The rooms are very spacious and furnished with everything that a luxury lodge could have. High quality local furniture was used to build the lodge and highly skilled local craftsmen were hired to implement the final design.

Bisate lodge has a central lounge with a fireplace to allow visitors mingle and share their adventures while on a safari in Rwanda. Bisate lodge also has a bar with some of the best wines in the country. Other services on offer include luggage space, dressing lounges, a bar, coffee machines, a private butler, private massage and laundry. Private walks are arranged to explore a forest close to the lodge or go for birding. Other alternative activities include visiting a nearby tree nursery, planting a tree, visiting the local community in the Village or exploring a nearby cave.