We booked our travel through Imagine Africa: imaginetravel.com

Below is our detailed itinerary – of course, it can tailored to suit your needs. The permit for the gorilla trekking was arranged by Imagine Africa.

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Day 1   Kigali Serena

Kigali 

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Day 2 Lake Kivu Serena

Lake Kivu

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After breakfast, pickup by the guide and visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial which contains a permanent exhibition of the Rwandan genocide. The center is built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried. Visit the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. This monument honors the memory of more than one million Rwandans killed in 1994 through education and peace-building.

There are three permanent exhibitions, the first one focusing on the 1994 genocide. Heading onto the second exhibition, named 'Wasted Lives' documents how some of the massacres have now been recognized as genocide by international law. The third exhibition is the Children's Room, and this room has been dedicated to the memory of the children who were killed in the genocide. These three exhibitions show how Rwandans have suffered and how they have managed to pull through.

 

Day 3 Lake Kivu Serena

Lake Kivu

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Lake Kivu is the largest freshwater lake in Rwanda, shimmering in the Great Rift Valley. It is amongst the top 20 deepest freshwater lakes in the world, making this a stunning location for swimming and relaxation.

Lake Kivu Serena is a contemporary first class hotel on the Rwandan shores of Lake Kivu.

Ideal for relaxing after tracking gorillas, Lake Kivu Serena has excellent facilities, a private beach and magnificent natural surroundings to enjoy.

 

Boat Trip on Lake Kivu: From Kibuye you can take boat trips on Lake Kivu to nearby islands: Napoleon Island with its colony of fruit bats and Amahoro Island. The lake is stunning and a perfect day out.

 

Day 4 Volcanoes Virunga Lodge

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In the morning you are met and taken to your lodge in the Volcanoes National Park, the drive is around 2 hours long.

The magnificent Virunga Mountains consist of six spectacular volcanoes, situated on the borders of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Parc National Des Volcans is a perfect destination for wildlife and adventure – it is home to the famous Mountain Gorillas, as well as being an excellent location for birding. Caving, hiking and cycling are amongst the other activities available.

Volcanoes Virunga Lodge is one of Rwanda’s top lodges, with superlative views of the amazing Volcanoes National Park. Very relaxed and comfortable, Volcanoes Virunga

Lodge offers superb adventure hikes to local villages and mountain gorilla tracking.

 

 

Day 5 Volcanoes Virunga Lodge

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GORILLA TRACKING IN PARC NATIONAL DES VOLCANS

 

Wake up early on the day of your trek and you will be treated to a hearty breakfast before being transferred to the briefing area. Here we met our guide, the rest of the trekking party to hear more about the gorilla family that has been selected for our visit.

The climb will began from a small village where we were able to see how the rural people of Rwanda live before setting off through the rolling patchwork of agricultural land on a gradual incline. The climb became steeper before reaching the entrance of the famous Parc Nationale Des Volcans home to the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

Once in the park the trek time and route will depends purely on where the gorillas are but once found amongst the lush green foliage, we had one full hour in their company. We watched the family feed, play and communicate with each other whilst taking some incredible photographs, before heading back down and out of the park where our guide and car jeep were waiting.

 

 

In the morning we departed for the Golden Monkey trek. Once back at the lodge it was time to leave for

Kigali, for our flight back.

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