Overview
Join your ranger-guide for the exhilarating experience of tracking and observing the mountain gorilla clans that reside in the spectacular montane forests of Parc National des Volcans, where researcher Dian Fossey was based for 13 years. The hiking terrain ranges in altitude from 3,800 to 8,500 feet and preserves one of the largest natural forests in East Africa.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Kigali, Rwanda / Parc National des Volcans
Upon arrival in Kigali, Rwanda, you are met for a morning city tour, including the Genocide Memorial Centre, a moving memorial to those who lost their lives in the genocide of 1994 that split the country apart. Afterward, a spectacular 2.5-hour drive brings you to Kinigi, headquarters of the Parc National des Volcans. The drive brings you through awe-inspiring scenery with the towering green shapes of the 12,000-foot Virunga Volcanoes dominating the landscape. Overnight at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (or upgrade to the Sabyinyo Silverback or Virunga Lodge)...LD
Kigali, Rwanda / Parc National des Volcans - Day 1
Five Volcanoes Hotel
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Located in an Eden-like setting of tropical plants and flowers that attract many hummingbirds is the Five Volcanoes Hotel. This boutique hotel has a lovely lounge area, restaurant, and bar overlooking a nice pool and the surrounding hills leading to Rwanda's Parc National des Volcans. Guestrooms have four-poster beds, spacious bathrooms, and private balconies with garden views. Guests are free to explore the property or unwind in the traditional sauna and steam sauna. If you have time, be sure to enjoy a cocktail at their bar during sunset—the views are quite spectacular.
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
This lodge has a great location and it’s an ideal base for gorilla tracking, just a 15-minute drive from park headquarters. The simple bungalows are built in a lovely setting on the lower slopes of Mt. Sabyinyo and offer a private bathroom with hot-water shower, a wood-burning fireplace, and a veranda. Electricity is provided by generator. A special touch: the staff puts a hot water bottle in the guest beds at night to help with the chilly night air.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
With a stunning location at 8,000 feet on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes, Sabyinyo has stone-built bungalows that each have a bedroom, sitting room, outdoor veranda, fireplace, large bathroom, and a walk-in dressing room. The meals at Sabyinyo are excellent, served family-style in the main lodge. Sabyinyo is a sister camp to the well-known Governors Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve and it’s one of the best lodges in Rwanda. It was on Condé Nast Travelers “Hottest New Destinations” list in 2008.
Virunga Lodge (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
With its isolated setting high on a mountaintop, Virunga Lodge is a calm sanctuary from the rest of the world, offering spectacular 360-degree views of the Virunga Volcanoes and the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo, especially breathtaking at sunrise and sunset. Eight spacious “bandas” (cottages) feature a large bathroom and private outdoor terrace. Guests gather around a candle-lit table at a single seating to share the events of the day. Later, you can relax around a log fire and swap more tales of adventure. Lighting is via solar power (which also provides the hot water), and phones and cameras can be charged in the main lounge, where there’s also intermittent Wi-Fi.
Days 2-3
Gorilla Tracking
After your briefing with a ranger-guide for guidelines on gorilla tracking during the next two days, enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of tracking and quietly observing the mountain gorilla clans that reside in the park’s montane forests, researcher Dian Fossey’s base for 13 years. The hiking terrain ranges in altitude from 3,800 to 8,500 feet and preserves one of the largest natural forests in East Africa. The tracking can be tough—you begin early in the morning and hike through dense forests at moderate altitudes for three to six hours, depending on where we find the gorillas. The hiking is on moderately steep and thickly forested terrain, and the climate is hot and humid. But the rewards are tremendous and the rigors forgotten as soon as you spot a gorilla family and become absorbed in watching these gentle creatures. Overnight at your preferred lodge on Day 2, late afternoon return to Kigali on Day 3, with overnight at the Kigali Serena Hotel on Day 3...BLD each day
Gorilla Tracking - Days 2-3
Five Volcanoes Hotel
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Located in an Eden-like setting of tropical plants and flowers that attract many hummingbirds is the Five Volcanoes Hotel. This boutique hotel has a lovely lounge area, restaurant, and bar overlooking a nice pool and the surrounding hills leading to Rwanda's Parc National des Volcans. Guestrooms have four-poster beds, spacious bathrooms, and private balconies with garden views. Guests are free to explore the property or unwind in the traditional sauna and steam sauna. If you have time, be sure to enjoy a cocktail at their bar during sunset—the views are quite spectacular.
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
This lodge has a great location and it’s an ideal base for gorilla tracking, just a 15-minute drive from park headquarters. The simple bungalows are built in a lovely setting on the lower slopes of Mt. Sabyinyo and offer a private bathroom with hot-water shower, a wood-burning fireplace, and a veranda. Electricity is provided by generator. A special touch: the staff puts a hot water bottle in the guest beds at night to help with the chilly night air.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
With a stunning location at 8,000 feet on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes, Sabyinyo has stone-built bungalows that each have a bedroom, sitting room, outdoor veranda, fireplace, large bathroom, and a walk-in dressing room. The meals at Sabyinyo are excellent, served family-style in the main lodge. Sabyinyo is a sister camp to the well-known Governors Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve and it’s one of the best lodges in Rwanda. It was on Condé Nast Travelers “Hottest New Destinations” list in 2008.
Virunga Lodge (Optional Upgrade)
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights), Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
With its isolated setting high on a mountaintop, Virunga Lodge is a calm sanctuary from the rest of the world, offering spectacular 360-degree views of the Virunga Volcanoes and the twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo, especially breathtaking at sunrise and sunset. Eight spacious “bandas” (cottages) feature a large bathroom and private outdoor terrace. Guests gather around a candle-lit table at a single seating to share the events of the day. Later, you can relax around a log fire and swap more tales of adventure. Lighting is via solar power (which also provides the hot water), and phones and cameras can be charged in the main lounge, where there’s also intermittent Wi-Fi.
Kigali Serena Hotel
Day 3 (1 night), Kigali, Rwanda
The Serena is a large, well-appointed business hotel in the commercial heart of Kigali with air-conditioned rooms, a swimming pool, and an excellent breakfast buffet.
Day 4
Kigali / Depart
Transfer to the airport for a midday flight from Kigali...B
Details
2 days gorilla tracking, hikes of 2-8 hours, including one hour spent with the gorillas, on steep and sometimes muddy forests with no trails
