8 Days Fantastic Safari in Rwanda and Congo including chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe forest, gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes national park, Genocide memorial tours, and crossing to Congo into Goma for Hiking mountain Nyiragongo active volcano.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Nyungwe National park
Have breakfast at your hotel and be ready for a drive to Nyungwe forest national park. Enroute stop at the Gikongoro Genocide Memorial site of Murambi province. Here you will learn first hand information on the events of the 1992 genocide of Rwanda. You will have your lunch in Butare, Rwanda’s second biggest city. Continue with your journey to Nyungwe national park.Dinner and Overnight stay at Nyungwe Forst Lodge ( Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hotel (Mid-range), Gisakura Guest House (Basic)
Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking – Canopy Walk / Colubus Monkey Tracking
Have an early breakfast, and headout to the Nyungwe forest park head offices where the briefing about chimps tracking takes place. After which you will enter the forest to search for the Chimpanzees. Expect to see a number of other primates like the Angolan colobus, white and black colobus monkeys among others. The park hosts 13 species of primates and these include: chimpanzees, Rwenzori colobus, L’Hoest Monkey, silver monkey, owl faced monkey, red tailed monkey, vervet monkey and olive baboon and so many others.
The park is also popular for sheltering the largest troop of black and white colobus monkeys. Return to your hotel for lunch and in the afternoon headout for a canopy walk adventure or colobus monkey tracking. Return in the evening for dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Luxury) or Gisakura Guest House (Budget)
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Kivu
Start your day with breakfast at your hotel and embark on a journey with your guide to Lake Kivu. This is the largest fresh water Lake in Rwanda and provides a perfect relaxing place when in Rwanda. En route visit the Murambi Genocide Memorial Site and the King’s palace reaching Lake Kivu in the evening to relax along the lake shores. Dinner and overnight at Lake Kivu Serena hotel (Luxury)/ Palm gardens resort (Deluxe)/ Paradise Marahide (Budget)
Day 4: Transfer to Congo to Nyiragongo Volcano Hiking
Eary morning breakfast to your hotel and drive crossing into Congo – Goma town reaching at Kibatsi village head trail of Nyiragongo Volcano. The hike starts by 9:30am. Nyiragongo is an active volcano that shows signs of erupting. Hiking this mountain takes about 5 to 6 hours
Overnight at the campsite located at the Nyiragongo volcano rim
Day 5: Transfer to Lake Kivu
After descending Nyiragongo, you will drive back to Lake Kivu for relaxing and Dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes national park – Ibyiwacu Cultural Village
With an early morning cup of coffee, set off with your guide on a 2 and a half hours drive to Musanze province home to the Volcanoes national park. On Arrival have lunch at your hotel and be ready to set off for a cultural experience at the Ibyiwacu cultural village. Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge(Luxury)/La
palme Hotel(Deluxe)/Muhabura Hotel(Budget)
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes NP – Visit Lakes Burera & Ruhondo
Be up early for breakfast at your hotel, drive to the park head offices with your tour guide. Assemble for briefing by 7:30 about the do’s and don’t when you meet gorillas. This is a standard precaution to protect the health of the mountain gorillas and the visitors. You will also be divided in groups of 8 people depending on your level of fitness.
After the Briefing and assigning a gorilla group to trek, you will drive to the head trail of your gorilla group where the trek will begin. At this point you will descend into the forest with a lead from an experienced local guide who will be in position to answer all your question as you trek in search for your gorilla family. This trek can last from 30 minutes to 6 hours hiking through bamboo trees. The length of your trek depends on how far into the forest your gorilla group has moved. You Once you meet the gorillas, only one hour is allowed with the gentle species so as not to exhaust them. In this one hour, you are allowed to take pictures, video recording but don’t forget to take time and take in this magical moment!
Once the hour is done, descend back to the head trail where you entered the forest from.
In The afternoon have an optional tour of the Lake Burera and Ruhondo located within the vicinity of Volcanoes national park.Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge(Luxury)/La palme Hotel(Deluxe)/Muhabura Hotel(Budget)
Day 8: Transfer back to Kigali
After breakfast, you will transfer back to Kigali. Upon arrival, you will have Lunch and later be transferred to the Airport for your flight back home.
End of Tour
