Rwanda is one of the homes of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas that live in Volcanoes National Park, lying in the Virunga Conservation area where Dian Fossey dedicated her life studying the behavior of mountain gorillas. There are only three game parks in the world where these magnificent creatures can be seen and the Parc Nationale Des Volcans is one of them.
The country is well organized and enjoys one of the most peaceful regimes in Africa with the last case of major turmoil recorded in the early nineties during the genocide. Therefore safety is assured and since the government takes tourism seriously, you will enjoy world-class services. The park also has breathtaking hills folding into each other and this is a feature you will see in Rwanda throughout your stay.
Gorilla tracking/trekking is one very interesting activity where you get up close and personal with the huge creatures which are on the brink of extinction. There are only 680 of them left and over half of them live in the Virunga area.
This 3 days gorilla safari is designed to take you through the magnificent Parc Nationale des Volcans for mountain gorilla tracking only. Rwanda is a very beautiful country in fact one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and you are welcome to see for yourself. Oh, Africa!!!!
TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1: Arrive at Ruhengeri
Upon your arrival at the airport, you will be welcomed by our representative who will make you feel at home since this is a very important feeling for any traveler. The representative will be at your service and you can ask as many questions on whatever subject concerning your safari and more and he will assist you kindly.
After this short period of fraternization with our representative, you will then drive north towards the Parc Nationale Des Volcans which is where you will track the gorillas from. En route to the park, you will be treated to various sceneries ranging from the beautiful terraced hills for which Rwanda is well known, the Virunga mountains, and several other forms of flora and fauna.
Rwanda is a very beautiful country and as such you should always have your camera ready to flash because you do not know what you might see around the corner. After this long trip, you will reach the town of Ruhengeri which is like the tourist town of the park and here you will spend the night at either Gorilla Nest Lodge/La Palme Hotel/Kinigi Guest House.
Day 2: Volcanoes National Park Gorilla trekking
You will have an early morning breakfast at your hotel/lodge and thereafter drive to the Headquarters of Volcanoes National Park. While there, you will meet your ranger guides for the day and they will brief you about the behavior of the primates and most importantly on the dos and don’ts of the activity.
The rangers are a very lovely bunch and they have been trained in handling the mountain gorilla and several other animals in the park and so if you follow whatever they tell you, then you are assured of a safe fruitful trip. After this briefing by the rangers, you will be grouped and ready for the experience of a lifetime.
The gorilla tracking activity is as gripping as it is exploratory, taking you through large areas of the forest along rough paths. Therefore the trackers have to be physically fit in order to handle the sometimes muddy terrain in this mountain area. You will be gone for the most part of the day as it may take you several hours to find a group of gorillas but you will find one anyway and after that, you spend quality time mingling with the primates in very close proximity. Get your camera ready and spread the myth because this is something you have definitely never seen. You will return to your hotel/lodge after this and spend the night there.
Day 3: Departure
You will have breakfast at the hotel/lodge and then depart for Kigali. Depending on whether your flight is early or late you will take a tour of the city and here you will go to the market, handicraft shop visits, pottery projects, genocide museum visits, and many others. Kigali is a very well organized city and you travel through it with maximum ease. Transfer to Kigali Airport to find your departure flight.