On arrival in Kigali, you will be met by your expert guide who will accompany you throughout your safari. Your destination today is Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge, approximately 4 hours by road from Kigali. The lodge is located across the border on the Uganda side of the Virunga Volcanoes, and offers stunning views as you relax with pre-dinner drinks on the wide-open terrace.

2 nights Mount Gahinga Lodge

Today’s activity choices include gorilla tracking in Mgahinga National Park (permit purchase required), a Batwa Heritage tour, and hiking the Mahuvura, Sabinyo or Gahinga volcanoes. The Batwa is one of Africa’s oldest tribes, and experiencing their rich culture and history is a special element of your stay here. A visit the Gahinga Batwa Village will expose you to their traditional forest life and their methods of hunting and gathering medicinal plants.

After breakfast, depart with a park ranger to track the golden monkeys through the mountain’s bamboo forests. Following lunch back at the lodge, a 2.5-hour drive delivers you back across the border to Rwanda and your lodge base for the next three nights. The Virunga Lodge enjoys a ridge-top location with stunning panoramic views of imposing volcanoes and misty lakes, making sunset a special occasion this evening. Should the weather cooperate, you may be treated to an intoxicating performance by the Intore Dance Troop, showcasing the colorful Rwandese culture.

3 nights Virunga Lodge

Gorilla tracking day has arrived! After a gentle climb for 1-3 hours, you will spend up to an hour in the company of one of the five gorilla families in the park. Occasionally the gorillas are more elusive, and the hike will be a bit longer, so the full day is dedicated to this experience. A personal encounter with these gentle apes is indescribable and humbling, as you witness their natural behaviors and their raw power and beauty. Conclude your day at the lodge after a most memorable wildlife encounter.

You have a choice of activities today, including: another gorilla trek (additional permit required), a hike to the grave of well-known gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey and the gorilla cemetery, a visit to an inland beach location at beautiful Lake Kivu, a walk to the village near Lake Bulera, or a tour of the former Imbabazi Orphanage and lovely gardens.

This morning, you will depart for Kigali. Should time allow, we highly recommend a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which is the final resting place of more than a quarter million Tutsi people who fell victim to the 1994 genocide. The 1.5-hour tour is a moving remembrance of this violent history, where more than 800,000 lives were lost. Continue to the airport and bid farewell to this precious region of Africa.