On arrival at the Kanombe Airport found in Kigali, the tour guide will drive you to your Hotel where you will dine and slumber. Dinner and sleep at Hotel Gorillas (FB)
Following breakfast have a city tour and visit the Kigali Memorial Genocide Centre: which well exhibits Rwanda’s the history of the genocide on video shows, see photographs, read some written accounts see a number of articrafts, read personal testimonies as well as exhibitions. The exhibition shows a section referred to as wasted lives which refer to the genocides plus holocausts in Southwestern Africa, Bosnia, Armenia and Cambodia. After your lunch drive to Volcanoes National Park to trek gorillas.
Dine and slumber at budget Kinigi Guest House, Moderate La palme or Luxury Mountain gorilla view Lodge . You may even upgrade to Super luxury Sabinyo Silverback lodge (FB)
Gorilla trekking is usually the highlight of all Africa safaris. Parc national des Volcans is the best location to trek these uncommon yet fascinating mountain gorilla (the Gorilla beringei beringei) in Africa. This park is found on Rwanda’s border with DR Congo, and Uganda. This chain of mountains has 7 volcanoes and the Karisimbi is the highest standing over 4500 meters.
The slopes covered with bamboo and rainforest vegetation are home to some of the last surviving mountain gorillas that were first studied comprehensively by George Schaller and, not so many years ago by Dian Fossey who carried out her study there the 13 years until she died mysteriously at Bisoke.
Without her persistent efforts of fighting against gorilla poaching, may be there wouldn’t be any gorillas left in Rwanda (you can read her book Gorillas in the Mist). There are 4 habituated gorilla families within Parc National des Volcans, counting the Susa Group having 35 individuals. The other gorilla families are: the Sabinyo having 13 individuals, the Amahura having 16 individuals as well as Group 13 having only 6.
It is not very challenging to find them and each gorilla family can be visited by a maximum of 8 people each day, hence availing 32 permits each day. After gorilla tracking, return to your hotel and relax. Dine and slumber at Kinigi Guest House, La palme, or Mt Gorilla View lodge(FB)
Following breakfast drive to Gisenyi to trek golden monkeys. After lunch enjoy a community walk to interact with the resident who may actually entertain you with cultural dances. You may choose to observe the locals brewing local beer from yellow bananas. Dine and slumber at Paradise Malahide Hotel or Serena Hotel (FB)
After breakfast and driveto Lake Kivu for a boat ride around the Virgin Islands like the Napoleon’s Hat Island and there you can ascend to the peak of the hat to view the thousands of Angola bats in the blue skies. Following lunch continue to Butare the intellectual centre of Rwanda to visit the national university plus the Institute of Scientific Research as well as the national museum. Dine and slumber at Hotel Faucon (FB)
Nyungwe Forest is among the greatly safeguarded montane rainforests in the whole of Africa. It extends over an expanse of 970 sq km and offers breathtaking scenery looking over the forest plus Lake Kivu, in addition to sights to the north of the far away volcanoes of Parc National des Virunga.
The primary attraction here are the guided tours when tracking the large troops of black & white Angolan Colobus monkeys ( which may have as many as 400 members in every troop) or even chimpanzees. Roughly there are 270 species of trees, more than 70 species of mammals, 275 species of birds plus a profusion of orchids as well as butterflies. Dine and slumber at Gisakura Lodge
After breakfast proceed with chimpanzee trekking within the Nyungwe forest. This forest is home to huge chimpanzees troops only comparable to those in Uganda’s Kibale Forest national park. The L’Hoest’s monkeys plus the white Angolan Colobus monkeys do make primate tourism within this forest equivalent to no other in Africa. After lunch, drive to Nyanza the historical seat of the long ago kings of Rwanda.
Visit this palace and listen to the traditional story-telling done by village elders. Actually, The Intore dancers, who attained reputation in the international cultural expo held in Brussels back in 1958, are currently part of the great Rwanda legends.
This warrior’s dance is a gem of the choreographic heritage of this country, adorned with a lion mane completed with sisal fiber plus rings of bells worn in their ankles together with an angelic choir and an exciting rhythm, this is the type of cultural dance which will be organized if you request. Dine and slumber at Hotel Ibis
Day 8: Return to Kigali Following breakfast drive to Kigali and later be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.
END OF THE 7 DAY RWANDA PRIMATE SAFARI.