Rwanda Gorilla Encounter - 5 Days

Jeff with mountain gorillas of Rwanda, silverback

“I'm still pinching myself - I just can't believe I was actually able to trek through Rwanda's Volcanoes NP and spend time with the amazing mountain gorillas!”

Start your 5 day Rwanda Gorilla Encounter with a relaxing night in Kigali followed by a tour of the city and harrowing Genoice Museum. After lunch you are driven to the Volcanoes National Park. After settling in, embark on a once-in-a-lifetime full day trek through the forest’s lush terrain to meet the incredible mountain gorillas up close. Spend unforgettable moments with these majestic creatures in their natural habitat, guided by expert trackers. Finish your adventure with a morning trek to see the highly endangered golden monkey's before returning by road to Kigali.

Choose between two accommodation grades - Standard and Upgrade. Alternatively mix and match accommodation from each grade to create your perfect adventure.

Interactive itineraries for each accommodation grade can be viewed below.

Kigali - City Tour - Genocide Museum - Volcanoes National Park - Trekking to see the Mountain Gorillas - Trekking to see the Golden Monkeys

Interactive standard itinerary

Interactive upgrade itinerary

Detailed itinerary

You will be collected for your Kigali City Tour and Genocide Museum Visit with lunch in Kigali. The Kigali City Tour offers you an in-depth view of Kigali, past and present, bringing you the genuine heartbeat of the city which is inhabited by one million people.

The tour begins as a historic journey through the city with a guided tour from the first modern building from which the capital city was first founded, to the rapidly growing neighbourhood’s that are changing the face of the city.

The Genocide Memorial site is a grim reminder of the senseless massacre of innocent’s lives in 1994. The memorial is the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, a place for remembrance and learning. The Memorial also sheds light on other massacres including Cambodia, the Balkans and the Holocaust. Rwanda’s recovery, growth and development is incredible, a true testament to humankind’s resilience.

After lunch, continue to your lodge in the Volcanoes National Park area and relax in preparation for your big day.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience! Report time at park Head Quarters is 07.00am. There are a total of 80 gorilla permits available each day with a max. of 8 trekkers visiting any one group. You will be divided into groups according to your level of fitness and allocated a gorilla family. Your lead guide will brief you regarding the trekking procedures as well as the “do’s and don’ts” while in the presence of the gorillas. After the briefing, trekkers return to their respective vehicles for the drive up the mountain to the starting point. Trekking can take from two hours to a full day, depending on the gorilla’s movements. Once located, visitors can spend one hour observing the gorillas.

Stay at:
Standard - Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco-Lodge or similar
Upgrade - Bishops House or similar

After an early breakfast you are picked up at 6.30am for a 7.00am trek to see the golden monkeys. Golden monkeys are among the most endangered primates in Africa and it is believed that the only viable population of these monkeys is found in the forests surrounding the Virunga Volcanoes. The golden monkey is a distinct species of guenon - Cercopithecus Kandti and is endemic to the Albertine Rift. It’s usually a 4hr trek, but this depends on ones fitness.

After lunch return to Kigali.

Stay at:
Standard - Hotel des Mille Collines or similar
Upgrade - Kigali Serena or similar

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