Day 1: Arrive Kigali
You will be met on arrival into Kigali and transferred to a local restaurant for lunch and a briefing from your guide.
After lunch, depart for Volcanoes National Park. Leaving Kigali, you’ll drive through beautiful terraced hillsides that are characteristic of much of Rwanda’s landscape, and then gradually higher into the Virunga volcanoes. On a clear day, you can expect stunning views of the highest of the Virunga Peaks as you approach the town of Ruhengeri.
NB. Your itinerary starts from Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, and assumes you arrive in the morning. A night in Kigali is not included in the itinerary cost, but can be arranged if your flight schedule requires it.
Check-in for three nights at Virunga Lodge (full-board).
Virunga Lodge
Virunga Lodge is situated in a spectacular location on a hillside overlooking the Virunga Volcanoes and the twin lakes of Ruhondo and Bulera. It has just ten spacious bandas, set among well-maintained terraced gardens. From this base in the high Virunga mountains, you can track mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, explore the shores of lakes Ruhondo and Bulera, or enjoy guided trekking excursions into the Virunga Mountains. The lodge is situated just three hours' drive from Kigali.Day 2: Gorilla tracking
Today is spent gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park. Tracking the gorillas through the densely forested mountains of the Virungas is a magical experience.
The gorillas are free-roaming, and the national park vast, so you cannot be sure how long you will spend in the park tracking them—some days, you can get to the gorillas, spend an hour with them, and be back at the base before noon. Sometimes, however, the gorillas are more elusive, and tracking can take several hours, especially when it is wet and muddy. While sightings are not guaranteed, they are expected.
On reaching your gorilla family, you will spend an hour with them, watching their interactions from a distance, before returning to your lodge for lunch. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 3: At leisure
Today is a free day. You can spend another morning with the gorillas (on payment of an additional permit at the time of booking), or alternatively, you might like to spend the morning tracking the golden monkeys, another rare and elusive primate that has made a home for itself in the Virunga Mountains.
Other possible activities include a tour of Lake Kivu, or a guided hike on Mts Karisimbi or Visoke, or a visit to the Karisoke Gorilla Research Centre.
Day 4: International departure
Depart Virunga Lodge after breakfast and return to Kigali, arriving late morning.
Depending on your flight schedule, you may have free time in the city this afternoon, in which case we can arrange for a tour of the city before you transfer to the airport for your international flight out.
Gorilla Weekend Rwanda
Gorilla Weekend Rwanda
This short-break gorilla safari will see you spend three nights at the luxurious Virunga Lodge, as you explore Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park in search of the endangered mountain gorilla. The 4-day itinerary can be booked as a standalone programme or as an add-on to a longer East African safari. You can also extend your stay in Rwanda to include Lake Kivu and/or Akagera National Park.
Outline Itinerary
Price guide
Please contact the office for more information
Uganda, Rwanda and Cape Town
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Botswana & South Africa Mobile Camping Safari
My trip in Botswana was absolutely incredible, everything from the people to the food was perfect.
