10 days Rwanda Chimps & Gorillas Discovery

When you arrive at Kigali International Airport you will be met by our driver/guide. He will then transfer you to Kigali city which is 30 minutes away for an overnight stay & dinner.

When you arrive at Kigali International Airport you will be met by our driver/guide. He will then transfer you to Kigali city which is 30 minutes away for an overnight stay & dinner.

Visit the Botanical Gardens. Visit the locally revered hot springs in Rugarama. Lunch at Butare and later we will drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Your driver/guide will stop at the Uwinka offices to have the last update on the presence of the semi-habituated groups of chimps and colobus monkeys. This will help you to prepare your activities for the next day.

Early morning visit to Nyungwe Forest for a guided nature walk and chimpanzee tracking as well as other primates. Of particular interest are the large social groups of Angolan Colobus, which may be over 300 individuals. These are the largest troops of this species known in the world! Nyungwe forest counts for 25% of the African Primates.

Drive through beautiful countryside, crossing valleys full of agricultural produce to Kibuye. Kibuye which is one of the three resort towns on Lake Kivu is the most beautiful. We shall arrive in Kibuye, just in time for lunch. After the tasking hikes in Nyungwe, those relaxing moments on the shores of Lake Kivu are a godsend. Take a boat out on the lake to see the various islands. Swim in the refreshing, bilharzia-free waters of the Lake or stroll about in the nearby villages rambling across a number of hills. Rest of the day at leisure. Lake Kivu is unique: Its deep waters contain an enormous quantity of dissolved gas. There are, in fact, 65 billion cubic meters of methane, in other words, the equivalent of 50 million tonnes of petrol lying at the bottom of the lake under 250m of water. If it were exploited, this energy, veritable manna from heaven, would provide Rwanda with an almost inexhaustible source of energy, freeing it from worry about energy needs linked to its development projects. There is a pilot station for the extraction of methane for energy in this place.

After breakfast, either drive to, or you will have an enjoyable speedboat trip to Gisenyi. The trip is not only an encounter with local people; fishermen, and fishing villages but also with the residents of Idjwi Island (Congo) who are rowing long distances in their dugout canoes to visit the Rwanda markets. You will be picked up in Gisenyi for lunch and if time allows, we make arrangements to cross the border to Goma (Optional). Goma was devastated by the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. The visit shows the fantastic capabilities of the local population to overcome this natural catastrophe. The Nyiragongo volcano (3470 m) erupted on the 17th of January 2002 and destroyed part of Goma town. More recently, Nyiragongo’s hot lava flowed into the town and people were forced to evacuate the town.

Visit Ross Carr’s Imbabazi Orphanage. Stroll about at the lake and visit other local villages. Imbabazi Orphanage was founded by Mrs. Rosamond Halsey Carr in late 1994 at Mugongo to care for the genocide orphans. Rosamond Halsey was a young American fashion illustrator when she married an adventurous hunter-explorer, Kenneth Carr. Together they journeyed to then “Congo Belge” (now Congo DRC) in 1949 but where they later came to a pungent divorce. Kenneth left but Rosamond stayed in Congo until 1955. From there on she moved to northwest Rwanda where she stayed for the next 50 years. She witnessed all of Rwanda’s historical events, including the vinegary genocide of 1994. She is the author of “Land of a Thousand Hills: my life in Rwanda.” Have Lunch then transfer to Ruhengeri & Kinigi outside the famous Volcanoes National Park, and check into your lodge.

After breakfast, you will report to the park headquarters where your driver-guide will accomplish the necessary formalities for you. You will meet your ranger guide(s) for a briefing about the greatest animal experience ever. Then we will drive you to the slopes of one of the Virunga volcanoes for your gorilla trekking experience. After the trekking, lunch at your lodge or at Ruhengeri, and in the afternoon, if time allows, an excursion to explore the beautiful lakes in the region: Lake Bulera & Ruhondo. An excellent view of the Virunga chain of Volcanoes can be seen while there depending on weather conditions.

Second gorilla tracking (subject to availability and payment of $1500 gorilla permit supplement); or do one of the other options (at extra cost). An excursion to the top of the Bisoke volcano (3.711 m) of which the distinctive feature is a beautiful crater lake. Or an excursion to the grave of Dian Fossey and the former Karisoke Research Centre. The excursion will provide excellent background information and this is a wonderful site to see. Alternatively, a visit to the Golden Monkeys – the little-known Golden Monkey is listed as endangered, can be enthralling. The Kabatwa troop is located not so far from the Park Headquarters and the Musanga troop lives near the Karisimbi volcano and has a much longer walking distance. Alternatively, visit local communities and visit the surrounding communities. Visit the Batwa pygmies and other local communities then later transfer to Kigali city after your lunch.

Today, you will go for a tour of Kigali city including a visit to the local markets, the handicraft shops, and the Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi, which takes a few hours – such a touching visit. Time permitting, visit the Nyabugogo market, the Moslem quarter in Nyamirambo, and the Franco-Rwanda cultural center. Many hotels and restaurants here prepare local dishes. Buy some crafts and other items as souvenirs. In Rwanda, you will find many 1994 genocide memorial centers all over the country. The most important Genocide Memorials are those of Kigali (Gisozi) and Murambi (Gikongoro) and the most prominent ones are at Nyamata (70km south of Kigali) where the history of the genocide is explained. A visit to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event, but equally a learning experience. Transfer to Airport for departure. This will mark the end of your Rwanda chimps & gorillas discovery holiday.