Rwanda is the land of thousand hills and it is among the smartest countries in East Africa. Therefore, on your first day of arrival at Kigali International Airport you may think you are still in Europe. The drive from the airport to first stopover hotel in Kigali is rewarding. Kigali is the tourism hub of the country and it is well designed and green.
While in Rwanda the first thing to come to your minds is the gorilla trekking safari experience that is highly advertised on almost the bill boards in the city. This gorilla tour adventure is the main and leading activity in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda that you can take before heading to other parks offering the other primates and wildlife.
Rwanda recently rebranded as a new luxury tourism destination and this is due to the welcome of the new international luxury hotel chains in the cities and Rwanda parks. Therefore, after these hospitable facilities it has really made the country to hike the price of some tourism products like gorilla permits from $ 750 – $ 1500 per person as well as introducing new offers like the personalized and behind the scene experience of $ 15000 – $ 30,000 respectively.
More so there are discounted offers of $ 1050 – $ 1275 per person doing combined tours in Rwanda covering 2 – 3 Rwanda parks and those attending conference and seminars in Kigali before or after in Rwanda.
The gorilla permit is double to that of Uganda at $1500 but you can never regret paying it since the access in Bombo vegetation is the best to see the gentle apes. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is just 02 hours drive from Kigali and this makes it easy to do gorilla trekking in this park.
Therefore, Rwanda tours offers the best 05 gorilla safari excursions including one-day gorilla trip, two-day gorilla trip, three-day trip, two-day Uganda gorilla trip and the three-day Uganda double gorilla trip. All these packages will give you a chance to go to one of the thousand gorilla families in Rwanda.
One-day gorilla trip is one of the best trips you can think of in Volcanoes National Park. This package will best work for you if the time you have for the safari is limited. The moment you get the plan for a one-day gorilla safari, book in advance not less than six months and pay $1500 for the gorilla permit and thereafter you will be confirmed on your trekking dates after paying. A full package for one person will go for $1950 per person including permit, transport, lodge, refreshment, food and driver guide fee.
Wake up early enough and enjoy breakfast on your lodge then you will be met by our experienced driver guide at 4:30 am in a 4×4 Land cruiser then be transferred to the park headquarters for briefing. Present all the necessary documents at the entrance including the permit then get to know the dos and don’ts during gorilla trekking.
You will be grouped depending on your level of fitness in groups of eight people to attend to one gorilla family. Head to the starting point and start searching for the gorillas which will take between 30mins to 6hours depending on where the apes slept last night. You will be escorted by armed game rangers who are well experienced in the field. The first trackers will be communicating with your rangers to let you know the exact location of the gorillas.
Once you meet them, you will take one hour to learn and understand these apes as well as watching them as they feed their young ones, play and associate. You have the opportunity to take as many photos as you can then after the one hour descend to the headquarter to pick your trekking certificate then go for lunch and transfer back to Kigali.
A two-day gorilla trip will also best work for you if you want to take a city tour in Kigali and you are really not to tied up. You have to do the booking six months before the safari date and once you have cleared $1500 for the permit. Here you will have the time to visit cultural and historical sites in Kigali as well as mountain gorilla trekking the next day costing $2650 per person including the permit, transport, food, refreshment, lodge and driver guide fee. For the case of the genocide visit, you will be required to pay a fee of $25 to use their interpretation machines if you real need them though not a must.
Wake up early enough and take breakfast on your lodge, get ready to be picked by our driver guide at 07am then start with a city tour where you will start with a visit to the genocide memorial centre to witness the remains of the over 250,000 people who were killed in the genocide. There is a lot to learn and mainly pay homage to transpired Rwanda in to a dark nation in those days.
The memorial gardens provide a place for quiet contemplation about the history of the genocide against the Tutsi. They allow visitors to reflect on how we all have a personal responsibility to prevent discrimination and mass atrocity.
It offers a powerful experience for visitors, promoting reconciliation and building peace through education. It provides a powerful and immersive experience, fostering a deeper understanding of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
You can as well visit the local markets in Kigali, art centres and then take lunch within the city centre then head to Five Volcanoes Boutique Lodge next to Volcanoes National Park where you will take dinner and overnight.
Wake up early take breakfast and transfer to the park headquarters with all the necessary documents for briefing at 07am. According to your level of fitness, you will be put into groups of eight people to trek one gorilla family. Heading to the starting point and go into searching for the apes which will take from 30min to 6hours. You will move with armed game rangers who will be communicating with the first trackers to know where the apes are.
Once located, take one hour with the apes taking photos of your choice but with flash lighting into them. Learn more about their behaviours and then descend after one hour to pick your trekking certificate, back to lodge for lunch and transfer to Kigali international airport for your flight back home.
Three-day gorilla trip will be the best for those who have time for the three days two nights in volcanoes national park. The package will give you chance to visit historical places in Kigali, gorilla trekking, visit IbyI’wacu cultural centre as well as trekking golden monkeys in the same location. The package will go for $3,330 per person including gorilla permit, transport, food, refreshment, golden monkey permit, IbyI’wacu fee, lodge and driver guide fee.
Wake up early and take breakfast from your lodge, get ready to be picked at 7am by our driver guide and transfer you to the historical places in Kigali. Start with the genocide memorial centre to see the remains of over 250,000 people who were killed in the genocide.
You will be offered a powerful experience of promoting reconciliation and building peace through education. It provides a powerful and immersive experience, fostering a deeper understanding of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Take a visit to the kandt house museum formerly known as the Natural History Museum, is located in what is now the city of Kigali, Nyarugenge District, westbound. This location was chosen as the colonial capital in Rwanda of Germany in 1907.
It illustrates the evolution of life, flora and fauna of Rwandan Natural Parks (Nyungwe, Akagera and Volcanoes), and the geological foundation of Rwanda. Adding a touch of the exotic, there is even an exhibition of live reptiles, demonstrating the intrinsic connection between nature and history.
Take lunch in the city centre and head to Volcanoes National Park. You will go straight to Lebambou Gorilla Safari Lodge or any other lodge of your choice for dinner and overnight stay.
On the new day, wake up and take breakfast then head for briefing at 7am for the dos and don’ts during gorilla trekking with all the necessary requirements. In groups of eight people depending on your level of fitness, you will be assigned a gorilla family to trek. You will take 30min to 6hours to find the apes and once you find them, take one hour with them learning their behaviours. Descend to pick your trekking certificate then lunch at lodge.
In the afternoon, visit the IbyI’wacu cultural centre which costs $25. This village gives you great opportunities to understand the cultural uniqueness of the Kinyarwanda culture and heritage. During a visit to the IbyI’wacu cultural village, you get the chance to sit side by side with the locals in their traditional homes and grass thatched huts. As you sit down, the elders will share with you information and stories about Rwanda and the rich history/heritage. Back to lodge for dinner and overnight.
Early in the morning after breakfast, back to the park headquarters for briefing for the golden monkey trekking with all the necessary documents including the $100 permit. The hike for these beautiful creatures is less tiresome compared to the gorilla trek. It also takes less hours to locate them and once located, take one hour to watch them doing their daily activities.
You will descend back to lodge for lunch then transfer to Kigali International Airport for your final flight back home.
Two-day Uganda gorilla safari which will take you to Uganda’s Bwindi national park in the Rushaga sector. Day one will start with morning breakfast at your lodge in Kigali then be met by our driver guide who will take you for a city tour in a 4×4 land cruiser then after to Bwindi. This safari will cost $1980 per person. The city tour will take you to Kigali genocide memorial, Kimironko market and art galleries in the city then take lunch and go to Bwindi through the Katuna boarder. Dinner and overnight stay will be at Rushaga Gorilla camp that is situated at the foot slopes of the forest.
Day two will start with an early morning breakfast then transfer to the park headquarters for briefing with all the necessary documents including the $800 gorilla permit. In groups of eight people, you will be allocated to trek one gorilla family depending on your level of fitness. It will take from 30mins to 3hours to locate them and once located take one hour to learn and take photos with no flash.
Descend to pick your trekking certificate and then back to lodge for lunch and transfer back to Kigali international airport for your flight back home.
Three-day Uganda double gorilla safari will also start with breakfast at your lodge in Kigali where you will be met by our driver guide, take you for a city tour in a 4×4 land cruiser then after cross to Bwindi national park. The safari will cost $3280 per person. Drive around the city as you admire the cleanliness of the city, visit the Kimironko market, the genocide memorial site then to Bwindi via Katuna boarder. Dinner and overnight at gorilla valley lodge or any other of your choice.
Day two will start with an early morning breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for briefing with all the necessary documents required. In groups of eight people, you will be allocated to trek one gorilla family depending on your level of fitness. It will take from 30mins to 3hours to locate them and once located take one hour to learn and take photos with no flash. Descend to pick your certificate, back to lodge for lunch. You can embark on the Batwa cultural visit in the afternoon. Back to lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day three early morning after breakfast, back to the head quarters for your second gorilla trekking. It will take from 30mins to 3hours to locate them and once located take one hour to learn and take photos with no flash. Descend to pick your certificate, back to lodge for lunch. Transfer to Kigali international airport for your flight back home. End of safari.