Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival to Kigali

Welcome to the land of a thousand hills! This small but scenically stunning country is thus known for its endless rolling green hills, which you will experience on your fly-over to Kigali International Airport.

At the airport you will be greeted by your Mahanda Africa Safari guide and driven to your hotel in a quiet leafy street in the heart of down-town Kigali. Over a complimentary drink by the hotel’s pool bar your guide will brief you on the details of your upcoming adventure.

If time allows, you are free to explore the city today. Your guide can take you on a city tour or visit the craft markets to browse amongst the pottery, carvings, batik, weaving, musical instruments, leather and fabrics on offer. Prepare to use your haggling skills!

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Day 2: Visit Genocide Memorial & Travel to Nyungwe Forest

If you get an early start today there will be time to visit the Genocide Memorial in town before setting off to Nyungwe Forest. The Genocide Memorial is a place of commemoration for the 250,000 victims buried in mass graves in the area and an important remembrance of the unfathomable brutality of the 1994 genocide. The exhibit is an intensely emotional experience but also an educational one, where you will learn about the darkest hour in Rwanda’s recent history.

On your drive out west today, you will be passing through the town of Butare, about 135km from Kigali. Here you can visit Butare National Museum displaying a range of ethnographic objects that will give you an insight into the rich traditional life and culture of the country.

At the end of the day you will reach Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of the world’s oldest and arguably Africa’s most beautiful rainforest. The forest is incredibly biodiverse with 13 known primate species in residence, from colobus monkeys, mangabeys, blue monkeys and, of course, our nearest relatives, the chimpanzees.

Nyungwe Forest is also famous among the birding community who come to spot some of the 310 bird species recorded here, 26 of which are endemic to Rwanda.

You will have plenty of time to explore the interior of the forest tomorrow.

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Day 3: Chimpanzee Tracking & Canopy Walk 

Today you will venture deep into Nyungwe Forest National Park in search of the chimpanzees.

On a Chimpanzee Tracking experience in Nyungwe Forest you will have the opportunity to follow an experienced guide into the forest to observe these fascinating creatures at a close range. Watching them interact with each other and go about their daily routine of grooming, playing and foraging is an incredible experience.

While your chances of encountering chimpanzees are high during your tracking excursion, it is never 100% guaranteed. These are, after all, wild animals with wills and minds of their own!

From the trails below the foliage, you will now head up high into the forest canopy on one of East Africa’s first canopy walks. The network of suspension bridges will lead you on a 1.5 hour walk over a deep gorge, through beautiful and lush vegetation and difference animal habitats.

The canopy walk is an optional activity. Should you want to spend your afternoon enjoying the luxurious comforts of the lodge or doing one of the complimentary activities on offer there, just let your guide know in advance.

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Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

If you think after Nyungwe Forest that Rwanda can’t get any more scenic, you haven’t seen Volcanoes National Park. The national park contains parts of the Virunga mountain range and its 5 volcanoes that form the border between Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Besides being one of the most scenic sights in Africa, the park is also the gateway to face-to-face encounters with the iconic mountain gorillas.

While the main draw of visiting Volcanoes NP is to see the real gorillas in the mist, there are other fantastic activities to experience here like, tracking excursions to find the rare golden monkeys, spectacular volcano hikes and a visit to the Dian Fossey research centre. Speak with your Travel Consultant if you would like to extend your stay in the park for an additional day to include one or more of these activities.

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Day 5: Gorilla Tracking

Encountering the rare and endangered mountain gorillas is an experience of a lifetime.

In the company of an experienced park ranger you will be tracking the whereabouts of one of the habituated family groups who live in the park and can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day.

Your gorilla tracking experience will be an exciting, yet challenging, journey along forested (sometimes muddy and slippery) slopes, tangled vines, thick vegetation and bamboo forests before you reach the territory of these gentle giants. En-route, your ranger will point out tell tale signs of previous gorilla activity like dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots. Depending on the location of the gorillas on any given day the walk can take anything from 1 to 7 hours. Once the family of gorillas have been located, settle in to the environment and enjoy the hour you have to quietly observe these fascinating primates whose habits and mannerisms remind us so much of our own.

Encountering the mountain gorillas in the wild is a truly humbling and emotional experience, one that you are sure to remember for the rest of your life.

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Day 6: Return to Kigali

Enjoy your last morning in the rainforest today. After an early lunch your guide will drive you back to Kigali for your departure flight.

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