Rwanda Safari- 5 Days- Ultimate Mountain Gorilla Tour

5 Days

Itinerary

The arrival of your flight at the Kigali International Airport. Meet and greet assistance by Akagera Aviation. They will assist with quick clearance at the immigration. Once done, you will be handed over to and warmly welcomed by our representative outside customs and immigration hall.

Transfer to your hotel in the city. Arrive and check in assistance. Tour briefing will take place at the lobby. Dinner will follow and overnight stay.

Half board basis (Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)

Hotel options;
Budget: Five to Five, Quiet Haven, Hill top view hotel
Mid-range: Onomo Hotel, M Hotel, Amata n’Ubuki, Ubumwe Grande, The Manor
Deluxe: Heaven Hotel, Radisson Blu, The Kigali Marriott or Four Points Sheraton
High end: Retreat by heaven or Villa Kigali

Breakfast at the hotel and check out.

09h00: Proceed on a guided city tour that will include visits to the Kigali Genocide memorial and the Choose Kigali arts gallery. Other options can be the museum for campaign against genocide, a fashion house or local market.

Have lunch at the Heaven Restaurant.

At 14h00, have a leisurely drive to Musanze & Volcanoes National Park region. Arrive in the evening at 17h00 and assisted with check in over a welcome drink (non-alcoholic). Dinner will follow at 19h00. Overnight stay.

Full board basis (Lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast)

Lodge options:
Budget: La palme Hotel, Faraja Hotel, Fatima Hotel
Mid range: Classic lodge, da vinci, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Deluxe: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Bishops House
High end: Bisate lodge, Singita lodge, Virunga lodge, One & Only Gorillas Nest Lodge

Early breakfast at the lodge, then transferred to the park headquarters in time for Golden monkey trek briefing that’s scheduled to take place at 07h00.

At 08h00, proceed to trailhead and begin the adventure.

After this experience, descend from the mountain. Join your driver and head back to the lodge for lunch and cleaning of boots.

This afternoon at 14h30, you will have an exclusive visit to the Gorilla Guardians Village. Return to the lodge in the evening. Dinner and overnight.

Full board basis (Lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast)

Early breakfast at the lodge, then proceed to the park headquarters in time for your Gorilla Trek briefing over coffee at 07h00. You will be transferred to the trailhead where you will join others and start your guided walk at 08h00.

There is no other wildlife experience quite like an encounter with mountain gorillas. That precious hour spent in their company –
watching the group playing, sulking, teasing each other, eating, or dozing just like we do – is extraordinary.

And the gorilla tracking safaris in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park are among the best in Africa. After this exciting experience, descend from the mountains and rejoin your driver guide. Drive to the lodge for lunch.

This afternoon, you will visit the twin lakes of ruhondo and burera. Return to the lodge in the evening. Dinner will follow at 19h30 and overnight stay.

Full board basis (Lunch, dinner, bed & breakfast)

Breakfast at the lodge and settle any extra expenses you may have incurred during your stay. Check out time is 10h30. Set off for Kigali. Arrive in time for lunch at the Pili Pili Restaurant or similar.

If time permits, visit the Haute Baso shop, where they have unique art pieces and crafts that you could buy as souvenirs for family back home. Later, transfer to the Kigali International Airport.

Bid farewell to your driver guide and proceed to check in for your outbound flight.

Net Rates | Upon request

Kigali
Rwanda’s capital and biggest city stretches across undulating lush hills surrounded by towering mountains, the largest of which is Mount Kigali, rising 1850 metres above sea level. Kigali is the country’s financial, commercial and cultural hub, served by an international airport and featuring a wide range of accommodation options, restaurants and points of interest, including the Kigali Genocide Centre, an atmospheric market and numerous craft shops. With its interesting architecture, busy streets, meandering boulevards, and green hillsides, Kigali is said to be one of the most attractive cities in Africa and is definitely worth a visit.

Volcanoes National Park
Bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rwanda, the Volcanoes National Park is best known as a sanctuary for the region’s rare mountain gorillas. Visitors flock here to experience a face to face encounter with these intriguing creatures. The park is set high on the jungle-covered slopes of the volcanic Virunga Mountains. Highly regulated treks through the reserve allow visitors to spend an hour at a time with these incredible primates in their natural habitat. While the gorilla’s are without a doubt the main drawcard, visitors can also look forward to exploring a network of scenic hiking trails, visiting the tomb of the world-famous Dian Fossey and the Karisoke Research Centre, and enjoying a beautiful day hike to the crater lake on Mount Bisoke.

Gorilla permit note: Once permit is bought, it cannot be refunded or inter-changed. Before confirming the tour, please ensure that you request for availability of permits based on the number of participants because there are only 96 permits issued per day.

Passenger Information:-

  • In case of non-availability, we may have to reroute and provide alternative accommodation at lodges of similar category.
  • Passengers should bring only soft-sided bags on safaris as our vehicles have limited luggage space
  • All the passengers must have Identification Card/Passport with them throughout their travel.

Tipping:
Tipping is not compulsory but always enthusiastically received if you are happy with the service and would like to tip. There are no set percentages for tips. Local culture believes the level of tips should be at the discretion of the client and any token of appreciation is gladly received.

These are our suggestions: We recommend that you tip your guide direct at the end of your stay in camp; as a rough guideline you
might want to tip from US$5-10 per person/ day.

Inclusions

  • Meet and greet assistance on arrival
  • 1 Covid 19 test upon on arrival at the airport for primate trek on day 3 & 4
  • Airport and inter-hotel transfers from day 1 to the last day
  • Accommodation at hotel in Kigali on Half board basis
  • All activities, visits, entrances and extra meals/drinks mentioned in the itinerary
  • Full board from day 2 to lunch on last day
  • Private use of a safari land cruiser from start to end of tour
  • Services of a professional, experienced English speaking driver guide
  • Bottled mineral water in the vehicle during the tour
  • 1 Gorilla permit per person (this includes briefing at RDB offices, guide, trek – US$1,500.-)
  • 1 Golden monkey permit per person (US$ 100)
  • Emergency Medical Evacuation Services
  • Our assistance

Exclusions

  • Excluded
  • International and domestic airline tickets unless where indicated,
  • entry visa fees,
  • optional extras whilst in Kigali
  • drinks throughout the trip,
  • tips and gratuities,
  • Personal expenses such as telephone calls, mini bar, porter-age, travel insurance, etc.