Itineraries
This 10-day tailor-made tour encompasses the natural highlights of Rwanda – gorillas, chimps, Nyungwe Forest, Lake Kivu and the lakeside towns of Kibuye and Gisenyi - as well as the two main urban centres: Butare, the cultural centre in the south, and Kigali. Above all, you get to know Rwanda on this tour – the beauty of the fertile countryside and the daily lives of the people.
Silverback mountain gorilla - Volcanoes National Park
Depart from London Heathrow on the Kenya Airways overnight flight to Nairobi.
On arrival at Nairobi, transfer onto the Kenya Airways flight to Kigali. On arrival, you will be met by your private driver/guide and taken to the Kigali Serena to stay overnight, dinner and breakfast included. During the day, you will be taken on a guided city tour of Kigali and also have the opportunity to change money and relax by the hotel pool.
Built on a hillside, Kigali is a small capital city, without many landmark buildings, the city tour takes a couple of hours and includes the old town (Nyamirambo) and Muslim quarter, the new handicraft village and other shops and the Gisozi Genocide Memorial. The memorial is very moving, but we suggest that you visit it later in your tour.
After breakfast, travel by road to Nyungwe Forest National Park and stay two nights at the simple Gisakura Guesthouse, on the edge of the forest. All meals are included.
On the way, you stop in Butare (2½ hours from Kigali) to see the National Museum, and for lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch you will be taken to see a performance by the astonishing Intore dancers and musicians. When you leave Butare, inform the driver if you wish to stop at the Murambi Genocide site on the road to Nyungwe. Otherwise, the drive from Butare to Nyungwe is 2½ hours.
Nyungwe Forest
Extending for nearly one thousand kilometers square over the mountains of southwest Rwanda, Nyungwe Forest National Park protects the largest single tract of montane forest remaining in Africa. It is a remarkably rich centre of biodiversity, with 86 mammal species, 280 birds, 120 butterflies and about 100 varieties of orchid. It is the most important birding site in Rwanda.
The main attractions in Nyungwe are large troops of Ruwenzori colobus monkeys, and the resident chimps. Guides lead you through the forest in search of these elusive beasts. We saw them high up in the canopy during a three-hour walk, but it was worth just being in the forest, and sightings can be better. We also had good sightings of grey-cheeked mangabey and l’Hoest’s monkeys. The national park was recently gazetted – not a moment too soon - to spare the forest from the depredations of agriculture. Fields of maize, beans and bananas are intensively cultivated right up to the forest edge.
Ruwenzori colobus monkey
Day for guided forest walks in search of primates, birds and to enjoy the stunning scenery in the forest.
A long and very scenic drive (about 5 hours) on unmade roads to Kibuye, on the shores of Lake Kivu. Stay overnight at Moriah Hill Resort. If you arrive there in good time, you can take a boat out on the lake (optional). All meals are included.
Longish drives on un-made roads may not appeal to everyone, but they do offer the opportunity to see life as it has been lived for centuries, virtually unchanged. This is a scenic route and provides the opportunity to see the people at work – cultivating bananas, cassava, sorghum, beans, rice, potatoes, and even coffee in their steep, tiny fields. In addition there are several massive tea plantations, villages, innumerable tiny brickworks, and surprises around every corner.
Lake Kivu forms the border between Rwanda and the Congo. It’s a beautiful and mysterious lake, alive with traders and fishermen in their dugout canoes.
Today you head north-east, parallel to Lake Kivu, to Gisenyi to overnight at the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, all meals included. This beautiful drive (3–4 hours) is largely on unmade roads and takes you through an area of intensive subsistence farming, as well as the remains of the Gishwati Forest.
Gisenyi is a somewhat faded lakeside resort - and also a border crossing point into the Congo. The shoreside is lined with crumbling colonial villas. Today, it is enjoying a renaissance as it boasts its first international standard hotel - the Kivu Serena It is a pleasant hotel, right on the lakeside, with its own private pool.
Lake Kivu at Gisenyi
Relax at your hotel or explore some of Gisenyi, before the afternoon drive to Musanze at Parc National des Volcans. Stay two nights at Gorilla Mountain View lodge, all meals included.
Gorilla Mountain View is a fairly simple lodge, although each room has en-suite facilities, and for gorilla tracking purposes, this hotel is well-located.
Make an early start for the Parc National des Volcans, where you will make your first gorilla trek. On arrival at 07h00, you are met by staff from ORTPN Park Headquarters who brief you on conduct during gorilla tracking. The trackers then lead you into the forested slopes to seek one of the groups of Mountain gorillas. Reaching the gorillas can be quick, or it can take a few hours.
Golden monkey - VNP
Today you can either do a second gorilla trek, or choose one of the following activities*: visiting the golden monkeys, a nature walk (birding in PNV is excellent), climbing Mt Bisoke or visiting the tomb of Dian Fossey. (The latter two activities are suited for those who are reasonably fit). In the afternoon, you will be driven to Kigali (2½ hours) to stay overnight at Kigali Serena, breakfast included.
Mountain gorilla - VNP
Today you could visit to the Genocide Memorial Museum before you transfer to the airport for your flight to Nairobi, where you connect with the overnight flight to London.
Arrive London early morning.
From £3485 per person sharing
Ring 020 7226 1004, or email us, if you would like to speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable consultants.
Price includes: fights on Kenya Airways from London via Nairobi to Kigali, accommodation based on double or twin room occupancy, transportation in private 4WD vehicle, guiding, meals, activities as indicated and one gorilla permit.
Does not include: personal items (drinks, tips, phone calls, laundry & travel insurance).
* Costs for nature walks in PNV, Dian Fossey memorial visit, a visit to the golden monkeys and climbing Mt Bisoke are £73 each per person. A second gorilla permit is £350.
We will be happy to arrange accommodation in other hotels. Email for details or
ring 020 7226 1004 if you would like to discuss your plans with one of our expert consultants.
Photographs courtesy of Richard McManus (main photograph), Chania Hemsley-Smith Rainbow Tours & Ariadne Van Zandbergen