Overview

DAY 1: ARRIVE KIGALI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by Virunga Programs driver/guide and be transferred to your hotel in Kigali arriving for overnight on bed and breakfast.

Driving distance: 15 Minutes
Activity: 0
Overnight: Overnight: Lemigo Hotel
Meal Plan: Bed & breakfast

DAY 2: DEPART FOR NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast a guide from Amahoro tours will be waiting to pick you up and you will depart for Nyungwe National park which takes about 6 ½ hrs drive via Butare visiting en-route, the famous National Museum at Butare and the ancient King´s Palace at Nyanza. The museum was donated in 1989 by the Belgium government with some ethnic collection, the design and concept all realized in co-operation with the Royal Museum for Central Africa of Tervuren; Belgium. Ethnographic objects are grouped together according to the theme giving premium information on the daily life. Traditional ceramics and basketry are still manufactured and belong to the finest handicrafts of the region. The National Museum remained surprisingly untouched during the civil war in 1994.Have Lunch in Butare and thereafter continue to Nyungwe national park arriving for dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Driving distance: 6 ½ hours
Activity: At Leisure
Overnight: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, dinner, Bed & breakfast

DAY 3: CHIMPANZEE TREKKING + NATURE WALK

Take an early morning breakfast then with your packed lunch drive to this park for the starting point of your chimpanzee trek. Two species of chimpanzee occur in Africa. There is the Bonobo and the Common Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes (often shortened to Chimpanzee, and sometimes referred to as the Robust Chimpanzee). The largest remaining populations occur in central Africa (Gabon, DR Congo and Cameroon). About only 400 individuals, the population in Rwanda is an endangered one. However; it should be mentioned that it is not guaranteed to see the chimps as they are unpredictable and can move long distances in one day. Nyungwe National Park is the largest block of montane forest in East and Central Africa and it is an incredibly rich area of biodiversity. Later depart for your nature walk visiting Kamiranzovu waterfall. The forest comprises amongst many things at least 200 tree species over 280 bird species and more than 100 different types of colorful butterfly which make it a true feast of the senses for the nature lover. Later return for dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Driving distance:
Activity: Chimpanzee Trekking + Nature walk
Overnight: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, dinner, Bed & breakfast

DAY 4: COLOBUS MONKEY TRACKING + CANOPY WALK

After breakfast today with your packed lunch we head again to the National Park, you will have the opportunity to do the Columbus monkey trekking. The most famous of Nyungwe primates is the Ruwenzori Columbus a race of the further wide spread Angola Columbus which is confined to the Albertine Rift. The Ruwenzori Columbus is extremely arboreal as well as acrobatic leaf-eater, simply differentiated from any different primate discovered in Nyungwe by its contrastive black general colour in addition to snow-white whiskers, shoulders plus tail tip. Have your lunch then go for the canopy walk which sets 50 me­ters above the ground with a 150-meter walkway and is the first of its kind in East Africa and third on the continent after South Africa and Ghana. It allows visitors to see the forest from above the trees and be at eye level with birds and monkeys that inhabit the upper storeys of the forest. Return to your hotel/lodge for dinner and overnight.

Driving distance:
Activity: Columbus Monkey Trekking + Canopy Walk
Overnight: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, dinner, Bed & breakfast

DAY 5: DEPART FOR KIBUYE

After breakfast you will depart for Kibuye which lies at the eastern tip of Lake Kivu. Kibuye is often hailed as the most impressive scenic spot of the lake. The unpaved road gently curves back and forth as it weaves through hills and mountains beside the lake from Gisenyi to Cyangugu. Eucalyptus trees line the road, while every corner of the hills is terraced with bananas. Villagers smile and wave; you’ll end up with hands tired from waving, and feel like royalty at the end of the trip! Arrive for lunch at Moriah Hills Resort then take a boat trip to the island of Amahoro Napoleon’s island -with its’ colony of fruit bats (aptly known as one bar island as all it has on it is one bar). Deeply incised creeks, towering mountain ranges and islands offer a magnificent panorama. Later stay dinner and overnight at Moriah Hills Resort.

Driving distance: 3Hours
Activity: 1 Hour boat ride
Overnight: Moriah Hills Resort
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, dinner, Bed & breakfast

DAY 6: DEPART FOR GISENYI

After breakfast continue on to Gisenyi, Rwanda, the largest port on Lake Kivu arriving in time for check in and later lunch at your hotel. Take a swim at Lake Kivu one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The afternoon is spent in this largest port on the Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu (You will be in the company of our guide to show you around). Enjoy a boat ride to one of the islands in Lake Kivu. Simply explore the town, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the local market or wander through the leafy streets admiring the old colonial buildings .Later stay for dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Driving distance: 3Hours
Activity: 1 Hour boat ride
Overnight: Kivu Serena Hotel
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

DAY 7: DEPART FOR RUHENGERI + INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE
After breakfast you will depart for Ruhengeri area the second largest town in Rwanda, with its stunning backdrop of five volcanic mountains – The Virungas; arriving for lunch then an afternoon visit to Red rocks Intercultural Exchange centre to join the local brew makers to understand the chemistry about the process of brewing a local beer from bananas fruits. If you find the activity interesting enough you can join the women in squeezing the juice out of the bananas and drink a glass of juice (Optional). Understand how long juice takes to turn into alcohol after adding in sorghum floor. Enjoy the big glass of our local brew. Among other activities they also do basket weaving and with your visit this local community will be proud of this activity and families supported financially. Later drive to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Driving distance: 2 hours
Activities: City Tour + Intercultural Exchange
Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

DAY 8: GORILLA TRACKING

After an early breakfast, you will proceed to the National Park headquarters – Kinigi to meet your guides for the day. After completing our park formalities, we are embark on a once in a life time experience of tracking mountain gorillas. Once you spot them you are allowed to spend an hour watching your closest long lost cousin. This is perhaps one of the most breath-taking wildlife experiences on earth!!! You get so close to these awesome giant primates. You stare at each other blankly not knowing who to break the long silence first. Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virunga is a magical experience. These massive primates are extremely rare, with less than 700 living today. You will get within meters of the family, and be privileged to spend an hour amongst them. The trekking may be fairly strenuous; up to six hours or longer at a relatively high altitude. We encourage for your own enjoyment to make sure that you are perfectly fit and healthy. (We’ve had people as old as 70 years old do gorilla tracking so this should not be a problem; all you need is to ask your driver guide to request a shorter group for you if cannot you trek far) It is important to bring good hiking boots, long trousers, gloves for protection against stinging nettles, some snacks & sweets (for you, not the gorillas) as well as sufficient water as the rain forest gets hot and humid during the day. You will spend one hour with the gorillas, but it is an hour you will never forget. Return to your hotel for lunch and later dinner and overnight.

Driving distance: 45 minutes
Activities: 1 Gorilla Trek
Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

DAY 9: GOLDEN MONKEY TRACKING + IBY’IWACU VILLAGE VISIT
This day is set out for Golden Monkey tracking in the Volcanoes National Park. Entering dense stands of bamboo interspersed with open glades; you will make your way deep into golden monkey territory. Guides lead visitors to the habitat of groups of ‘habituated’ golden monkeys – monkeys that have become accustomed to human presence. Though viewing is kept to a maximum of one hour, travellers can get an up-close look at the golden monkey in its natural habitat. Adult monkeys frolic in plain view, feeding on bamboo leaves and leaping from perch to perch. Females carry their young, completely comfortable among onlookers. Later visit Iby’iwacu Cultural Village a Non-Profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park through provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and livelihood based projects. Return to your hotel to freshen up and have lunch then later dinner and overnight.

Driving distance: 45 minutes
Activities: 1 Golden Monkey Trek
Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

DAY 10: BISOKE HIKE

After an early breakfast and with your packed lunches; you will depart for Kinigi and on to the starting point of your hike. Mt Bisoke stands at 3700m; it has the typical conic shape of a “perfect” volcano and in its crater lays a deep crater lake. The volcano does not present an exceptionally demanding climb but it is nevertheless still a tough hike. The high elevation demands extra strength of climbers and the whole excursion can take between 5 hours and the whole day depending on the speed of the walk and the frequency of stops. The ascent typically takes around 3 hours. During the climb, you will cross a series of different vegetation habitats starting with bamboo forests, then moving into Hagenia – Hypericum forest and finally moving through Senecio – Lobelia bush near the summit. The trek starts at 07:00am from the Park’s headquarters in Kinigi. Porters can also be hired from the park headquarters but a professional guide from the park will accompany you for the hike. Return for dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Driving distance: 45 minutes
Activities: Bisoke Hike
Overnight: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

DAY 11: CITY TOUR + DEPART

After breakfast you will depart for Kigali and your day starts with a complementary tour of the city. Named in 1907 by Dr. Richard Kandt, the first colonial resident governor of Rwanda; Kigali city is surrounded by lush hills of green and is referred to as the land of a thousand hills. Get to visit interesting spots which may include; the craft market, Gisozi genocide memorial site & Kigali museum. Also engage in last minute shopping in one of the friendliest African capitals, before returning to the airport for your onward international flight back home.

Driving distance: 2 Hours
Activities: City Tour
Overnight: 0
Meal Plan: Breakfast