7 Days Genocide and Gorillas

Day 1: Arrival

Arrive at Kigali airport where you will be welcomed by our company representative/driver and transferred to your Hotel for Briefing- Dinner and overnight in Kigali the capital city of Rwanda, at Kigali Serena Hotel/Hotel Des Mille/ Hotel Rwanda /Kigali Novotel Gorilla hotel or Iris Hotel.

Day 2: Discovering Kigali - Kigali City Tour

Kigali is a place to get acquainted with the Rwandan pace. Excursions in and around Kigali offer a first impression of what Rwanda looks like. The many hills seem to stretch forever, usually featuring a lush green colour due to the abundant rainfall from the two main rainy seasons. Of course, visits to some of the historical genocide sites are possible. The exhibition in the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre tells the history of Rwanda leading up to genocide in 1994 and catalogues the details of the genocide using photographs, video, written accounts and a range of artifacts. This site has been constructed in memory of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that took almost 1,000,000 lives in 100 days while the world stood by and watched. The Kigali Memorial Centre is a site of burial for around 250,000 victims of the genocide, which comprises of a main historical exhibition, a Children’s Memorial exhibition and an exhibition on comparative genocide, called Wasted Lives. You will also visit Camp Kigali, the venue of the massacre of 10 Belgian UN Blue Berets which happened on the first day of the genocide.
After lunch you will proceed to Kinigi, the home of mountain gorillas, passing through magnificent views of the beautiful, hilly countryside which gives Rwanda its name as “a country of a thousand hills”. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking Rwanda

Go gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans. Tracking the gorillas through the light mountain forest of the Virunga is a wonderful experience. Although the hike is physically demanding, the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthwhile. After tracking the gorillas, return to your lodge for lunch. Some gorilla families however are more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy. Dinner and Overnight at your lodge.

Day 4: Lake Kivu and Nyungwe National Park

After breakfast transfer from Parc National des Volcans to Nyungwe Forest via Gisenyi to view Lake Kivu, with a stopover for lunch in Kibuye. Lake Kivu is a wonderful tourist centre and is safe to swim so bring your swimming kit for a quick lunchtime dip. There are many stunning beaches, gorgeous landscapes and the sunsets are regularly stunning. Check in at Gisakura Guest House for the Dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Chimp Tracking

After a very breakfast we begin our trek into the forest to search for chimpanzees, hundred-strong troops of the delightfully acrobatic Angolan Colobus monkeys, as well as the handsome L’hoest monkeys. Nyungwe forest is a nature lover’s paradise, the only remaining mountain rain forest in East and Central Africa. It’s a rain forest that is home to 13 different primate species, including humankind’s closest living relative the chimpanzee, in addition to the L’hoest monkeys and the largest known troop of agile Angolan Colobus in the world. In the afternoon (depending on trekking time), Visit local artisan groups to learn and participate in this and other local community income generating projects. This is also an opportunity to buy local crafts products or Watch cultural dance performed by one of the local community dance groups. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Day 6: Nyungwe – Birding tour

An extensive network of well maintained walking trails leads through the forest to various water falls and viewing points. Nyungwe does, however, deserve more time; anybody who wants to watch birds will need more time and dedicated birdwatcher might never wish to leave. Guided nature walk in the forest to see a variety of animals and some of the three hundred bird species found here, which include the Ruwenzori turaco and black and white casqued hornbill. Picnic lunch. Return late afternoon to relax at your lodge.

Day 7: Kigali and transfer at the airport.

After having breakfast at your lodge, return to Kigali. Visit the cultural museum in Butare enroute. Transfer to Kigali or to the airport for your home bound flight.