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5 Days Gorilla Trekking Rwanda

Rwanda, Northern Province, Munsanze
Not Rated
Duration

5 days

Tour Type

Daily Tour

Group Size

Unlimited

Languages

English, French

Overview

This 5-Day double Gorilla Trekking Expedition will take you to the only location in Rwanda where Mountain Gorillas can be found: the Volcanoes National Park. You will have the opportunity to spend two hours in total with these endangered creatures and witness their everyday activities in two successive days of tracking.  You will gain a deeper understanding of the park and its inhabitants and have the chance to see other various wildlife species living in the park.

Highlights

  • Kigali Genocide Museum
  • Local Culture Immersion
  • Two days of lifetime encounter with Mountain Gorillas
  • Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport

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

Day 2: Kigali Genocide Museum and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

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), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (Mid-range) or Ingagi Park View Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: First Gorillas Tracking

The highlight of your journey awaits on this day-Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. After breakfast at 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.
After that, board your safari vehicle and drive to the trailhead of your first Gorilla Trekking experience. 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), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (Midrange) or Ingagi Park View Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Second Gorillas Tracking and Local Culture Immersion

After breakfast 06:30 am, head to the headquarters for procedures leading up to your second Gorillas tracking, visiting a different Gorilla family. When trekking is finished, head back to your lodge for lunch and in the afternoon; visit the Gorilla Guardians Village Kinigi to engage in the local cultures and lifestyles; lifestyles; where you’ll meet former park poachers now turned into conservationists and experience first-hand local traditions. Dinner and overnight stay.

Lodging: Singita Kwitonda Lodge (Luxury), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (Midrange) or Ingagi Park View Lodge (Budget)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Transfer to Kigali and International Departure

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!

Included/Excluded

  • All airport transfers
  • 4 nights’ lodging in Luxury, Mid Range or Budget properties as indicated in the itinerary
  • All Meals as indicated in the itinerary
  • All Gorilla trekking permits and Park entrance fees (Double Gorilla Trekking)
  • All other tour activities as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Ground transport in a 4x4 Land cruiser vehicle
  • English-speaking driver guide
  • Free mineral drinking water in the vehicle
  • Local taxes and handling charges
  • Items of Personal Nature
  • All Tips to Hotels/Lodges/Camps staff and Safari Guide
  • Other meals not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that are not accompanying meals
  • All International flights and departure taxes
  • Visa fees and Travel Insurance

Tour Length

Multi day

Tour's Location

Rwanda, Northern Province, Munsanze
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Organized by

Ikaze Rwanda Tours

Member Since 2023

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