This gorilla safari will take you to Volcanoes National Park in the land of hills involving the newly established 5 star luxury lodges and camps to stays while on your ecotours in Rwanda and offering extra touch and feel extra ordinary hospitality services and tourism. The park harbors the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda side that are always available for ecotourists who would love to carry out Rwanda gorilla tours.
Volcanoes National Park has several habituated mountain gorillas and is known to be easier to trek than any other park that is home to gorilla population. Mountain gorillas in Rwanda are known to move for shorter distances and therefore this makes them easier to combine with other treks like golden monkey and giving you that unique experience in the jungle world.
Once you land at Kigali International Airport in Rwanda, you will be welcomed by your guide and transferred to Serena Hotel one of the luxury options in Kigali for dinner and overnight stay. We ride our travelers using 4×4 Land cruiser V8 giving you all the comfortable luxury setting including the country’s beauty. You will be at ease inside this car and all your baggage will be accommodated.
The guide will brief you on the entire journey and leave you to rest then early morning he picks you up to start you Kigali city then to gorilla journey through the undulating landscapes and the green vegetation. Upon arrival head to the eco-friendly Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel and relax and then in the evening visit to the Dian Fossey Museum and Campus. Return to the lodge for the dinner and overnight stay. With your guide take short briefing about the gorilla trekking experience the following day and other business of the day.
By 8am, you will be done with breakfast and take a 2hours drive to volcanoes national park but before the drive, you will take a city tour where you will be able to visit the historical and cultural sites. The king’s palace is one of the places that you should visit for a cultural trip to the Rwanda. The palace is the right place for tourists to get to know all the past kings of Rwanda, see the royal regalia that was used by the kings that is the shields, spears, animal skin that was used to show bravery and locally made jewellery for the kings. You can take as many photos as you want and also sit on the throne meant for the kings where a chief will come and mock ordain you either as queen or king.
Visit the Rwandan Genocide Memorials. These sites hold memories, remains and belongings of millions that lost their lives during the dark times of the 1994 Rwandan genocide triggered by racial and tribalism mentalities. However, there has been a remarkable change since the past events and this has seen has seen the rise of quite a number of memorial museums where different people, among them survivors of the brutal history can go to reflect, grieve and remember those they lost to the genocide.
Take lunch in the city and continue to volcanoes national park. On arrival, you will go direct to Bisate lodge where you will have your dinner and overnight. You have the time to refresh as you enjoy the extra ordinary services of this lavish sanctuary, with six forest villas in a secluded location, just outside the southern border of Volcanoes National Park. The lodge is close to the town of Musanze, and just a 20-minute drive from the park headquarters, putting Bisate in a great position for trekking access.
It offers some remarkable views of Bisoke volcano. Some of the villas also have a view of two other prominent volcanoes, Mikeno and Karisimbi. The lodge itself is actually situated within a very small volcanic cone of its own which has been extinct for a long time.
The reforestation project attracts several types of small antelope and numerous bird species to the area. There are two short nature trails on the property which guests can walk without a guide. These follow the eroded crater rim and from here it is definitely worth getting up early to watch the sunrise.
Each of the six forest villas at Bisate Lodge has a small cloakroom in which to leave your boots after a morning trekking, before opening into a spacious lounge and bedroom area. The rooms are very modern in design, and have a large double or twin bed, plus a seating area which can be used as a daybed, and a big fireplace. There is a mini bar and tea/coffee station, a writing desk and a tablet loaded with lodge information.
Early in the morning after breakfast, head to the park headquarters for briefing. During the briefing time, you will present your permit which will have costed you $1500 and any other documents required then be allocated a gorilla family out of the 12 families that fits your ability in a group of 8people per family.
After giving you the instructions, you head to the starting point where you will start your trek from. The guides will lead you to where the gorillas slept the previous day. This involves hiking through the bamboo forest looking for the gentle apes and once in contact with them, you will take one hour watching them feed, associate, breast feeding and many other activities giving you the chance to take as many photos as you can.
After the trek, you descend to the headquarters for your trekking certificate then to the lodge for a luxurious lunch and relaxation as you memorize your trek. After lunch, you will take a visit to the IbyI’wacu village one of the leading cultural attractions in Rwanda. The Village combines all of Rwanda’s known cultural traditions, people and history into one place for display and a personal experience. International visitors get to see what life was in a typical African village setting.
You will be given an opportunity to learn ancient hunting skills, try weaving baskets/mats, carpentry. It is also a great place for relaxation while offering opportunities to purchase local craft, gifts and souvenir to show friends back home. It also offers opportunities to listen to several unique local musical sounds including the Ingoma, Amakondera, Umuduri, Inanga, Iningiri, Ibyivugo and Agakenke.
After all is done, head back to your lodge and enjoy the unique kind of service delivery as you memorize the day’s activities done. Dinner and overnight here as you wait for your transfer the next day. After breakfast in the morning, you will be transferred to Kigali for your departure depending on your program.
