R5: Rwanda Gorilla & Wildlife Safari Kigali / Akagera NP / Volcanoes with Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking PRIVATE SAFARI: We can offer this private safari all year round according to your preferred dates. YOUR TOUR IN DETAIL DAY 1: Kigali Airport / Kigali The cost includes return economy airfare with RwandAir from Johannesburg to Kigali Airport (depart: 16h45 arrive: 20h45). At Kigali Airport, you will be welcomed by the guided transfer you to your hotel in Kigali. Overnight at Kigali Serena Hotel with breakfast included. DAY 2: Kigali / Akagera National Park After breakfast, we enjoy a City Tour of Kigali and visit the Genocide Museum. The Kigali City tour offers one an indepth view of Kigali; past and present, assuring that one feels the real heartbeat of the city. Tour old Kigali and the craft centres. You will also tour more recent developments in Rwanda. The nation's recovery is incredible and a testimony to humankind's resilience. "Cleanliness and Security" is the motto of Kigali. By this motto, the city is a safe and secure place to live, visit, and to explore! The tour also includes a visit to the Genocide Memorial Centre, which is regarded as one of the best museums in Africa! Learn about Rwanda s history from the pre-colonial era to the 1994 genocide war that shocked the world. No matter which part of the world you come from, this is the one place you must visit in your lifetime to be reminded and re-educated of life s fragility and the danger of the human vulnerability. The memorial commemorates the bravery, the strength and unmatched struggle of the people of Rwanda and also is the burial site of the victims of the Genocide of 1994 (In 100 days, an estimated 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed in the genocide). A trip to this memorial centre is not only an educational experience that will offer you a thorough insight into the country's painful past but also provides a genuinely moving experience. You cannot appreciate this beautiful country and its friendly people if you haven't visited this memorial centre. Enjoy lunch in Kigali before we travel South East to Akagera National Park. The park is set at a relatively low altitude and dominated scenically by a labyrinth of swamps and lakes that follow the meandering course of the Akagera River. Enjoy an afternoon game drive. Overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge with lunch, dinner & breakfast included.
DAY 3: Akagera National Park Enjoy the day exploring the wonders of the park. With a morning game drive before returning to the lodge for lunch. The prehistoric-looking shoebill stork is a feature bird of the papyrus wetlands of Akagera. During the afternoon enjoy a boat trip on the beautiful Lake Ihema. You will sail along the water edge, which is covered with trees, drift past many giant hippos and crocodiles. For the serious birder, a boat trip is a must. Overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge with lunch, dinner & breakfast included. DAY 4: Akagera National Park / Volcanoes National Park After a morning game drive, return to Kigali for lunch before travelling to Volcanoes National Park driving through the stunning scenery of flourishing green hills and valleys. Almost the entire country is 5-7 thousand feet high and incredibly lush. Huge indigenous forests, enormous tea plantations and other types of farming stretch as far as the eye can see. Overnight at Virunga Lodge with lunch, dinner & breakfast included. DAY 5: Volcanoes National Park GORILLA TREKKING Early morning departure from the lodge to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi for your mountain gorilla trekking experience. After the briefing from the authorities at the park, headquarters enjoy a short drive to the starting point. The treks usually start in cultivated land on the base of the volcanoes from where you guided up into the beautiful dense misty forests. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is one of the most memorable wildlife encounters in Africa, if not the world. Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are a critically endangered species. At least 480 mountain gorillas inhabit this (Virunga) complex and live at altitudes from 2300-4500m ranging within the southern part of Virunga National Park (DRC) and the Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda. There is a feeling of mutual understanding as you watch them in their own home, going about their daily business. The gorillas are wild animals; their behaviour is not predictable or controlled in any way. By tracking them, you are opening the doorway into their home and seeing them in their natural environment. Gorilla trekking is for sure a life-changing and once-in-a-lifetime experience. Daily visits have an impact on gorilla activity patterns and are a source of animal stress therefore the strong justification for the only spend one-hour rule. This is adequate time for photography and observing these great primates in their natural habitat. In the afternoon, visit the nearby Iby'iwacu cultural village. A guided walk through this village will reward you with an unusual and unforgettable experience as you visit different sites in this community. Visiting the king's house and listening to all the Kings' stories and meaning of all items within this house. You will enjoy different types of traditional dances performed by community members like Intore dance and Ibyivugo using local and traditional musical instruments. Visitors are allowed to participate in the day to day activities of a Rwandan traditional to get the real touch of being a true Rwandan. Overnight at the Virunga Lodge with lunch, dinner & breakfast included. DAY 6: Volcanoes National Park GOLDEN MONKEY TREKKING Early morning return to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi for your Golden Monkey trekking briefing. This rare species is listed as endangered, and there are currently two troops of the monkeys have been habituated, both of which number around 80 members. The golden monkeys live in the bamboo vegetation towards the base of the Volcanoes. Overnight at the Virunga Lodge with lunch, dinner & breakfast included. DAY 7: Volcanoes National Park / Kigali Enjoy a morning at leisure or enjoy one of the many activities on offer at the area (cost will be for your account and is not included in your package). Enjoy lunch at the lodge before driving back to Kigali across beautiful landscape of rolling verdant terraced hills. On arrival in Kigali, we'll stop for dinner (cost will be for your account) at a restaurant in Kigali before your transfer to Kigali Airport for your flight home. Your flight home departs at 22h20 (Rwanda time) arriving 02h10 (South African time).
International clients: Please arrange your flight to depart late afternoon or arrange with us any extra overnight accommodation and transfers you may need. End of service COST OVERVIEW Due to currency fluctuation, please contact us for current prices! INCLUDED: Return economy airfares with RwandAir from Johannesburg to Kigali Airport o Including airport taxes Transfers from Kigali Airport with English speaking driver guide Accommodation in Kigali with breakfast Accommodation on safari in full board basis (breakfast, lunch & dinner) Services of your professional and knowledgeable English-speaking driver guide. 4x4 Safari vehicle o Reference Books o Litre of water per person per day City tour of Kigali Genocide museum visit in Kigali o Including entry fees X1 Gorilla trekking permit in Volcanoes per person (US$1,500 per permit) o Professional trackers while gorilla tracking X1 Golden Monkey trekking permit in Volcanoes per person (US$100 per permit) o Professional trackers while tracking Plus, activities as stipulated in the itinerary, incl: o Boat safari (Akagera NP) o Game drives (Akagera NP) All National Park entrance fees & ranger fees Comprehensive support from our operational office in Rwanda for the duration of the safari Travel information pack EXCLUDED: International clients: International flights and related taxes Entry visa to Rwanda (cost is US$30.00 can obtain on arrival) Malaria Rwanda is a malaria area Travel Insurance (Highly recommended) Meals and drinks not specified Laundry services Gratuities to the driver/guide, trackers, hotel staff & porters All expenses of personal nature. Optional activities. PLEASE NOTE: All prices are subject to change due to the rate of exchange fluctuation or any unexpected price increase. Prices are based on a per person rate. Children trekking restrictions: o Gorillas trekking No children younger than 15 years Term & Conditions apply.
DESCRIPTION OF LODGES: Kigali Serena Hotel (Kigali) Rating: Luxury Ideally located on one of Kigali's most charming boulevards, the five-star Kigali Serena Hotel is built around a polished granite atrium, which showcases the very best of Rwandese cultural art. The hotel is situated only 10 km from Kigali International Airport. Total number of rooms: 148 guest rooms and suites Ruzizi Tented Lodge (Akagera National Park) Rating: Semi-Luxury Tucked away in the riverine forest on the edge of Lake Ihema this small, private, lodge offers spacious tents dotted along the forested lakes edge. Sheltered by large trees and swaying palms, the lodge is a cool, calm and quiet retreat in the spectacular setting of Akagera National Park. The tents are located along a boardwalk stretching either side of a thatched central reception area. A deck along a short boardwalk overlooks the lake; an ideal place to sit with a sundowner, around a cosy campfire each night. The lodge has been designed to sit gracefully within its natural surroundings, all accessible by wooden boardwalks and entirely powered by solar. Total rooms: 9 Tents (including a family tent & Treetop tent) Virunga Lodge (Volcanoes) Rating: Semi-Luxury The magnificent Virunga Lodge is perched high on a ridge and has stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes and the twin lakes Bulera and Ruhonda. The organic, bush-chic design reflects the local building style and offers eco-luxury comforts to all guests. Total rooms: 8 cabins - built from rough grey stone, have red tile roofs and windows to take in the view.
Stay longer! Rwanda is the ideal destination for more extended stays as it offers many activities that can be enjoyed by all travellers. These include trekking mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, chimpanzee and other primate watching at Nyungwe Forest National Park as well forest and canopy walks, visits to Lake Kivu Rwanda s largest freshwater body, wildlife safaris and game drives at the Akagera National Park, and mountain climbing, hiking and biking on any of the volcanoes at Bisoke, Mikeno, Muhabura and Sabyinyo. Tell us more about your interests, and we will tailor-make a package for you. We can also send you a tailor-made quotation similar to the above itinerary! A tailor-made safari is one designed specifically for you, around your taste, budget, people travelling, interests and more. This itinerary is also an example and can be refined and changed to make it perfect for you. Prices on tailor-made safaris depend on how many people travel, the time of travel, preferred accommodation standards and seasonal prices from the low season (April, May & November) to high season (December to March & June to end October). Please inquire for more details about dates and prices. explore Africa our playground!