Overview
This is a short tour in the land of a thousand hills where you will visit the Volcanoes national park home to the endangered mountain gorillas. This tour is specifically for gorilla trekking which allows you to spend an hour in the presence of the endangered species of gorillas as you meet other creatures in the forest such as the rare golden monkeys if you are lucky, different bird species.
Have a chance to tour Kigali, an amazing city in Africa with great views in the background covered with different hills, and visit places like the genocide memorial grounds in Kigali, local markets or art and gallery centers and museums.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Depart to Volcanoes national park after an optional city tour depending on arrival time
Breakfast will be served in case you spend a night in Kigali. Or be picked from any agreed point and transfer to Volcanoes national park in case you have enough time, take a short city tour where you will encounter different city-based attractions like the Kigali genocide memorial grounds a place where thousands of people were brutally killed during the 1994 genocide wars.
The diver guide will also take you to the art and gallery centers where art pieces are displayed and you can purchase some as souvenirs. Check in the lodge on the arrival after a 3 hours’ drive.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking and retreat to Kigali
Breakfast at the lodge will be served as early as 7:00 am and then transfer to the park offices for registration. This is a simple process where the park staff determines which group of gorillas you will visit. The park ranger or warden discusses your fitness level and advises you of the trekking times and conditions to the various groups based upon their location in the park the previous evening. There are a total of 88 gorilla permits available each day with a maximum of eight trekkers visiting any one group.
Once the trekkers are put into groups, each group’s Lead Guide briefs the trekkers on the trekking procedures as well as the “dos and don’ts” while in the presence of gorillas. After the briefing, trekkers return to their respective vehicles for the drive up the mountain to the starting point. Trekking can take 2 to 8 or more hours if the gorillas move before the park rangers locate them the next morning.
Ranger guides stop frequently to allow trekkers a chance to rest and take photos along the way. After the trek, rejoin your driver’s Guide for a transfer to your lodge for lunch. After lunch, depart from the foothills of the volcanoes and drive south past coffee, tea and banana plantations on a scenic drive to Kigali and be dropped at any agreed point which marks the end of the tour.
