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5 days
Daily Tour
Unlimited
English, French
Our 5-Day Gorillas in the Mist tour is an ideal occasion for travelers to Rwanda to trek Mountain Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park as well as hiking to the tomb of the late Dian Fossey; the American primatologist considered as the pioneer of successful conservation of Mountain Gorillas.
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed by our designated meet-and-greet lounge host, who will help you with Immigration procedures and luggage collection. Please look for a white signboard with your name. Thereafter, you will be handed over to our waiting driver guide, who will transfer you to your hotel for check-in, dinner and overnight. Lodging: The Retreat (Luxury), Hotel Des Milles Collines (Midrange) or Chez Lando Hotel (Budget) Meals: Dinner
Meet and greet with our driver guide at the airport or hotel and then drive to Kigali Genocide Museum; a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of remembrance and reflection. Learn about Rwanda's tragic history and the resilience of its people. Here you will pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi and gain a deeper understanding of the country's journey towards healing and reconciliation. After the memorial visit, you will embark on a scenic drive to the North Volcanoes National Park, home to the endangered species of Mountain Gorillas. Along the way, you will enjoy the scenic beauty of the hilly countryside and understand why Rwanda is known as ‘The Land of a thousand hills.’ Upon arrival at your lodge, check-in and rest. Dinner and overnight stay. Lodging: Singita Kwitonda Lodge (Luxury), Sambora Kinigi Lodge (Mid-range) or Ingagi Park View Lodge (Budget) Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
The highlight of your journey awaits on this day-Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. After breakfast 06:30 am, head to the headquarters and meet with excellent and well-informed local park guides, who will share with you the etiquette of Mountain Gorillas tracking, based on their experience with Gorillas and after that, board your safari vehicle and drive to the trailhead. Hike into the forest to where the Gorillas were seen the night before and track from that point with the communication of the advance group of trackers. The trek can take from 1 to 8 hours and climb to an altitude not in excess of 7,500 feet. The terrain is rough and at times muddy. Although the hike is physically demanding, the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthy. Once the Gorillas are located, all fatigue is forgotten, as the experience is often described as ‘one of the most thrilling and meaningful wildlife encounters on earth’. When your one-hour time with the Gorillas group ends, return to the starting point where your driver guide will be waiting for you. He will take you back to the lodge for lunch followed by an afternoon at leisure, reflecting on your life changing experience with Gorillas. Dinner and overnight stay. Lodging: Singita Kwitonda Lodge (Luxury),Sambora Kinigi Lodge (Mid-range) or Ingagi Park View Lodge (Budget) Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Early breakfast and then 6:30am drive to the park offices, where you will be briefed and allocated a guide/tracker for Dian Fossey Tomb hike. After that, board your safari vehicle and drive to the trailhead. Karisoke Scientific base was set up by Dian Fossey; an American famous Primatologist who was murdered in Rwanda back in 1985 while studying and protecting Mountain Gorillas, in the areas between two volcanoes: Mt Bisoke and Mt Karisimbi (from which the name Karisoke was derived from). This campsite stands at an altitude of around 3,000m and contains a graveyard where several of Dian Fossey’s favourite Gorillas were buried. Dian Fossey is also buried near the graves of her beloved Gorillas. The trek takes around 3-4 hours, hiking through some of the most beautiful stretches of Hagenia-Hypericum forest in the Volcanoes. When the tour is finished, head back to your lodge for lunch and rest. Lodging: Singita Kwitonda Lodge (Luxury),Sambora Kinigi Lodge (Mid-range) or Ingagi Park View Lodge (Budget) Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
On this day after breakfast, visit the recently opened Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to learn much about the legacy of late Dian Fossey and the conservation of Mountain Gorillas. Established in 1967, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works to protect, study Gorillas and their habitats and to empower people who live near their forest home. With a team of almost 300 working in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Fossey Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organisation dedicated entirely to Gorilla conservation. In 2022, the organisation moved to its first permanent, purpose built home: the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund nestled in a beautiful, reforested landscape near the Volcanoes National Park. The Ellen Campus is the workplace of the Fossey Fund team and it is also open to the public. Visitors are welcome to explore the state-of-the-art public exhibit and nature trails and to interact with Fossey Fund staff who have dedicated their careers to saving Mountain Gorillas. When this tour is finished, farewell to Volcanoes as drive back to Kigali and onwards to Kigali Airport. Drop-off and departure. END OF THE TOUR!