Board your international flight to Kigali, Rwanda’s capital. When you arrive, you will be quickly escorted by our representative, who will transport you to your preferred accommodation. As this is your first day, you will have plenty of time to explore Rwanda’s vibrant capital.
You’ll have the opportunity to visit the bustling local markets and the Caplaki craft co-operative, where you’ll find local craftsmen selling handicrafts such as jewelry, paintings, batik, fabrics, wood carvings, traditional masks, baskets, bags, scarves, and beading in wooden huts.

After breakfast, you’ll be driven to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda’s mountainous southwest. The park’s rain forest is home to chimps and monkeys, as well as an abundance of bird life and butterflies.

Today, you’ll go on a guided hike through Nyungwe National Park’s dense forest in search of chimps. This is an incredible wildlife experience on par with gorilla tracking. While the trek is undoubtedly exciting, it can also be difficult because the chimps are very mobile and are constantly running around in the canopies, moving from one location to another.
During your visit to Nyungwe National Park, you will also have the opportunity to cross the Canopy Walkway, a 200-meter bridge suspended 50 meters above the forest between giant trees. The walkway provides incredible views of the upper canopy and is excellent for spotting wildlife (many of the primates live in trees, so you’ll have a better chance of spotting them from the walkway), as well as a fantastic way to see the forest’s birds and butterflies.

Today you will leave Nyungwe and travel to your next destination, which will be on the white sandy shores of Lake Kivu. Relax on the stunning palm-fringed beaches, kayak on the lake’s calm waters, take a boat tour to nearby islands or coffee and banana plantations, hike in the surrounding hills, or visit Imbabazi Orphanage.

Following a hearty breakfast at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, you will be driven from Lake Kivu to Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park), a four-hour drive through breathtaking scenery. When you arrive at your lodging, you will be briefed on the upcoming gorilla trek.

After an early breakfast, you’ll travel to Kinigi, in the Parc National des Volcans, at the foothills of the Virungas, to begin your trek. Your tracker and guide will take you deep into the forest in search of your designated gorilla family. Depending on the exact location of the gorilla family you’re tracking, your trek could last anywhere from 30 minutes to eight hours.
When you meet the gorillas, you will have the opportunity to spend up to an hour quietly observing them. The gorillas will most likely be just a few meters away from you, going about their daily lives – feeding and interacting with one another – under the watchful gaze of the silverback. You will be transferred back to your accommodation in the late afternoon, where you can spend the evening reflecting on your incredible encounter with Rwanda’s wild mountain gorillas.

This morning, you will be driven back to Kigali, where you will have the opportunity to visit the Genocide Memorial and Education Centre, a permanent memorial to those killed during the 1994 genocide. You will then be driven to the airport to catch your flight home or next destinationation.