Rwanda Safari & Gorilla Trek

Day 1: Arrive to Kigali
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, we have organized a meet and greet service. They will assist you through immigration and collect your luggage whilst you have a drink in the lounge. Once these duties are fulfilled, they will escort you to the arrivals hall and connect you with your driver guide, who will transfer you to the Park Inn Hotel for breakfast and tour briefing. After breakfast, we will head to One Cup Cafe for a coffee-making experience. One Cup Roasters Master Coffee Class - One cup roaster is a locally owned Coffeehouse & Lounge that offers Coffee Roasting services, Packaging, Customized coffee gift Bags and Supply to both Local and international Specialty coffee shops, Hotels and private consumers. At this facility, you will not only see coffees, but will also have a chance to indulge in one of the most Authentic and Traditional Coffee experiences in the city of Kigali. The unique journey from CROP to CUP which will leave you with alot of knowledge about Rwandan Coffee values, History, and Culture and how it benefits Local communities and the Country. After this experience, we will have a 20-minute transfer to the Nyamirambo Walking tour and a Traditional Lunch. Nyamirambo Women Walking Tour - Nyamirambo Women Walking Tour (Includes Traditional Lunch with Aminatha). Nyamirambo Women’s Centre (NWC), a Rwandan NGO, was launched at the end of 2007 by 18 Rwandese women living in Nyamirambo, Kigali. Together they created a project which aimed to address gender-based violence, gender inequality, and discrimination. Today, NWC’s mission is to provide education and vocational training to women who do not have the means to pay for such training on their own, so that they can gain better opportunities for employment. At the end of 2013, NWC launched the product line “Umutima,” which means “heart” in Kinyarwanda. With this project, NWC trains and employs women from the community to create a large variety of women’s accessories, children’s clothing, and home décor products. At the moment there are over 50 women employed by Umutima as seamstresses. Umutima and NWC have grown into a unique, self-sustaining model where the profits earned through Umutima are used to fund NWC initiatives, in addition to providing benefits and a fair wage to the seamstresses. Walking Tour of Nyamirambo This tour begins at 10:30 am at the Women’s Centre with an introduction and a local language lesson. After the language lesson, We then begin with a walking tour which then weaves through Nyamirambo, one of Kigali’s oldest neighborhoods. Along the way guides lead participants into a women's hairdressing salon where the adventurous type can get a free braid, into a family compound to pound cassava leaves by two mosques and a lookout view over Kigali; and into a tailor shop to feel the fabrics you'll otherwise see styled on the streets. The tour will take about 2 hours and will end with a traditional lunch at the home of Aminatha , One of Nyamirambo's finest cooks. After this tour we will either go to your hotel for check in or do optional activities at Kigali Genocide Memorial or Kimironko market.

Day 2: Kigali to Akagera
Today we will depart at 7:00 am where your driver guide will meet you at the Hotel Reception for your transfer on today's activity, we begin our 2.5-hour scenic drive to Akagera National Park in the eastern part of Rwanda. Akagera NP Game Drive - We will arrive mid morning at around 9:30 am at the park reception for registration and proceed for the southern sector game drive. This circuit is particularly known for its Giraffes, Zebras, Baboons, Waterbuck, and Buffalo. After this morning session game driver, we will driver to our lodge for lunch and check in. Afternoon by 3:00 pm we will embark in our vehicle with enroute game drive towards Lake Ihema Boat Safari. Lake Ihema Boat Safari - In the late afternoon we will head to Lake Ihema in time for our 4:30 pm boat safari. This is an opportunity to get up close from a whole new perspective and see hippos, crocodiles, and many of the 423-bird species of Akagera, all whilst watching the sunset over this magical first day. After the boat safari, we will return to our accommodation for dinner and overnight as we prepare for the full-day game drive the next day.

Day 3: Akagera NP to Nyagatare
Today we will depart at 7:00 am where your driver guide will meet you at the Hotel Reception for your transfer on today's activity. Then we are off on a full day’s game drive as we make our way from the southern part of Akagera NP all the way to the northern sector via a stop at Akagera cafe for lunch. After lunch we proceed to the northern sector which is quite often a great region to spot predators, rhino and giraffes. The northern sector has wide savannahs and is where we are most likely to spot Lions and Rhinoceros’. The lions have introduced about 7 years ago and their numbers are increasing very healthily, and The rhinos are only less than a year in the park so it will be a great day if we manage to spot them. This is a big savannah country with several lakes dotting the landscape creating further opportunities to spot birdlife and hippos. Late in the afternoon we will exit via the northern gate (Nyungwe Gate) of Akagera NP and transfer to Mantis Epic Hotel and suits for check in and overnight.

Day 4: Nyagatare to Volcanoes
Today, after our breakfast at the hotel, we will check out at 10:00 am for your 4 hours scenic transfer to Volcanoes NP via a lunch stop at Sooko restaurant stop after 2.5 hours driving. After lunch we will make the final 90-minute transfer to your accommodation in Musanze at foothills of Volcanoes NP, where you can check in and refresh before we head out to our afternoon activity at 3:00 pm. Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Fund - The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is an expansive, 12-acre property that rests adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda. The campus showcases the best in sustainable architecture, local resourcing, and environmentally responsible practices and will offer state-of- the-art laboratories, a scientific conservation library, and meeting space for large groups. The goal of the campus is to inspire everyone who visits, to cherish gorillas and encourage a lifetime of conservation. After this activity, we will transfer you to your accommodation and relax with the lodge facilities as we prepare for tomorrow's adventure.

Day 5: Volcanoes National Park
Today we will depart at 6:30 am where your driver guide will meet you at the Hotel Reception for your transfer on today's activity. Mountain Gorilla Trek - Today you have a unique and privileged experience to trek and meet at close quarters the rare Mountain Gorilla. There are only around 1063 of these magnificent creatures left in the world with around 1/3 of those in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Early in the morning after breakfast, you will be taken to the park headquarters where you will be educated on the trek, Gorilla behaviour and assigned in to groups of suitable fitness. The trek can take between 2-6 hours depending on the movements of the Gorillas. This is considered one of the great natural animal encounters on the planet. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search for the Gorillas. You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures that will entertain you with performances for about 1 hour once you find them. After descending back down the Mountain head back to your lodge for lunch as you swap memorable stories for your experience with Mountain Gorillas. In the afternoon you can either relax at the lodge or take an optional activity on your own account such as a Musanze Authentic Community Walk or Iby'Iwacu Cultural Village Experience.

Day 6: Volcanoes National Park
Today we will depart at 6:30 am where your driver guide will meet you at the Hotel Reception for your transfer on today's activity. Golden Monkey Trek - It's a short drive to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters to register and receive your briefing for the trek. Then you will be transferred to the starting point of the trek. Golden Monkey's on average are a much easier trek than the Mountain Gorillas, but of course occasionally nature doesn't cooperate. Like the Mountain Gorillas you will get to spend an hour with these active, unique and beautiful monkeys which are quite rare. Rwanda has probably the most accessible troops of Golden Monkeys in East Africa. After this experience, we will embark in our vehicle and transfer back to the lodge for lunch, freshen up and head out for the next activity.

Day 7: Volcanoes National Park to Kigali
The transfer from Volcanoes National Park to Kigali it is a 3-hour drive. Mukungwa River Canoe Experience - This short excursion near Rwanda’s famous gorillas is the perfect way to see the lush countryside for which this beautiful country is so famous! Peacefully spending 2½ - 3 hours on the water, you’ll be surrounded by numerous species of birds, meet friendly communities and witness rural life as you pass by. And if you are lucky, you may also see the otters. Most of the trip is on gentle, flat water that is perfect for relaxing and soaking up the scenery. There is just one small rapid (that can be easily walked around) and a short section of faster-moving water that adds a little excitement to make a fun and enjoyable trip. Farewell Dinner - Repub Lounge - Arriving at Repub Lounge for a beautiful farewell dinner where you can reminisce about your favourite parts of your incredible experience. We wish you a safe onward journey with memories that will move you long after you return home