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 Five Volcanoes Hotel (or upgrade to the Sabyinyo Silverback or Virunga Lodge)...LD
View Lodging
Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights)
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.
Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights)
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.
Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights)
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
View Lodging
Ruhengeri, Rwanda
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights)
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.
Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights)
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.
Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda
Days 1 to 2 (2 nights)
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, Rwanda
Day 3 (1 night)
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
Length:
4 days
Arrive:
Kigali, Rwanda
Depart:
Kigali, Rwanda
Meals:
Meals as indicated
Activity:
Hiking / Trekking, Wildlife and Natural History
Trip Level:
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
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Examples:
Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Examples:
Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
Examples:
Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Examples:
Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Examples:
Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.
Examples:
Visa Requirements
Effective January 1, 2018, nationals of all countries can obtain their visa upon arrival in Rwanda without prior application. No passport photos are necessary, and the visa must be paid for in USD. The current fee is $50 USD for each applicant and the visa is valid for up to 30 days.