Our 5 days Rwanda luxury gorilla safari is an amazing safari that will take you to Volcanoes National Park, where you will be able to engage in the thrilling gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking experience, where you will have the opportunity to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in their habitat.
During the safari, you will also engage in a cultural tour where you will visit the Ibyi’wacu cultural village and also the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.
Highlights
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Kigali
Day 2: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 3: Gorilla trekking experience
Day 4: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
Day 5: Visit Ellen De Generes Campus and depart for Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to a hotel in Kigali
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed by our driver guide from Achieve Global Safaris, who will brief you about the safari and then transfer you to the hotel for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
On the second day of the safari, you will have breakfast at leisure, check out of the hotel and meet up with your driver guide to go for a short Kigali city tour where you will visit Kimironko market, the Kigali genocide memorial center, art centers, and others.
After the city tour, you will have lunch and later transfer to Volcanoes National Park with stunning views of the rolling hills, beautiful scenery, and traditional homesteads, among others. Upon arrival, you will connect to your booked accommodation for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking experience
After an early breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from your lodge with your lunch box to transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of gorilla trekking.
After the briefing, you will be allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek, an experienced park guide and park rangers. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park starts at around 8:00am and takes about 2 to 6 hours depending on where the mountain gorillas are located. During the trek, you will be rewarded with views of other primates, mammals, bird species, and colorful butterflies, among others.
Once the mountain gorillas are located, you will get a chance to spend one hour with them in their natural environment, ask questions about their behaviors, habits, and lifestyle, watch them feed, play, rest, groom and breastfeed young ones, take pictures and record the breathtaking moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour with the mountain gorillas, you will return back to the lodge for an evening of relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Golden monkey trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
On the fourth day of the safari, you will have an early breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a golden monkey trekking briefing, after which you will be allocated an experienced park guide and park rangers.
Trekking golden monkeys takes about 2 to 5 hours, depending on their location, because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During the golden monkey trekking, you will be able to spot other wildlife species and once the golden monkeys are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their habitat, watching them feed, playing, jumping up in trees, taking photos, and recording videos.
After the golden monkey trekking, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch, and then you will go on an interesting Ibyi’wacu cultural tour in the neighboring villages, where you will interact with the local people, learn about their culture, history, and way of living, listen to their ancient stories, visit their farmlands, and enjoy their traditional performances, among others. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Visit Ellen De Generes Campus and depart for Kigali
On the last day of the safari, you will enjoy a hot breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet with your driver guide to transfer to the Ellen De Generes campus, where you will see the art exhibits that show 60 years of gorilla conservation and visit the gift shop with local crafts, among others.
After the tour, you will start the journey back to Kigali with an en-route lunch on the way and upon arrival, your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali International Airport for your departure flight or drop you off at your hotel depending on your schedule, which brings your safari to an end.
Includes
- Gorilla trekking permits
- Golden monkey trekking permit
- Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
- Ellen DeGeneres campus visit
- Kigali city tour
- Professional English-speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Ground transfers (in a 4WD vehicle)
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled drinking water
Excludes
- International air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses include buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, and tips, among others.
