4 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari - Land of a Thousand Hills
At a glance
First in this safari you may visit The Kigali Genocide Memorial commemorates the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Alternatively were could offer a different place to explore for those who may something different. There are remains of over 250,000 people are interred there. There is a visitor centre for students and those wishing to understand the events leading up to the genocide of 1994. The Centre is a permanent memorial to those who fell victim to the genocide and serves as a place in which the bereaved could bury their family and friends. The Centre is managed and run by the Aegis Trust on behalf of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide.
Detailed trip itinerary
Day 1: Kigali City, Kigali Serena Hotel (Fullboard)
Met on arrival at the Kigali International Airport by a Serena Representative and transfer to Kigali Serena Hotel for accommodation on bed & breakfast.
Ideally located on one of Kigali's most charming boulevards, the five-star Kigali Serena Hotel is built around a polished granite atrium, which showcases the very best of Rwandese cultural art.
- Maisha Spa Treatment
- Honeymoon Experience
- Natural History Museum
- Nyamirambo Women Center
- Kigali Genocide Memorial
- Inema Art Center
- Swimming Pool
- Sauna & Steam Room
- Plunge Pool
- Sundeck
- Juice Bar
- 24-hour business center
- Restaurants & Bar Lounge
On an enchanting boulevard in the heart of Kigali, Rwanda, in a secure location just a five-minute walk from the CBD, lies Kigali Serena Hotel. A distinctively rich blend of Rwandan heritage, art and culture with contemporary 5-star comfort in 148 sophisticated rooms and suites, Serena Kigali hotel provides a private and peaceful retreat like no other for discerning international diplomats and executives.
Enjoy a host of leisure amenities. Lose yourself in the tranquillity of our tropically landscaped pool. Indulge with a Mayan-inspired hot stone massage or a nature-based body wrap at Maisha Mind Body & Spirit Spa. Allow our restaurants to take you on a culinary journey, treating you to everything from expertly crafted Rwandese delicacies to enticing flavours from around the globe.
Kigali Serena Hotel is the city’s most exclusive private retreat for hosting signature social and business occasions of all manner and size with a state-of-the-art conference centre, a 500-seat auditorium and magnificent ballroom.
Discover a hotel renowned for going above and beyond to exceed all expectations and establish its reputation as one of the best hotels in Rwanda. Our unique sense of place, landscaped gardens and exquisite health spa and swimming pool set a serene backdrop for a truly extraordinary experience.
Day 2: Kigali City Tour, Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Fullboard)
Pick up from the hotel at 09:00, City tour of Kigali City including visit to the Gisozi genocide memorial sites, the Richard Kandt Museum and local markets.
After lunch drive to Gisenyi arriving late afternoon and enjoy the African sunset over the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
Serenely sited on the white sandy shores of Lake Kivu, the sixth largest lake in Africa, and surrounded by extensive tropical gardens, the tastefully open-plan Lake Kivu Serena Hotel offers the ideal holiday escape destination!
Within three hours’ drive from the Rwandan capital, Kigali City and an hour’s drive from the glorious Volcanoes National Park, home of the world famous mountain gorillas, the hotel overlooks its own private beach and offers a variety of accommodation and hotel facilities. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
- Tennis
- Canoeing at Lake Kivu
- Sunset dining & Sundowner
- Gorilla Treks
- Guided Expeditions
- Boat Rides
- Visit the smoldering Nyiragongo Volcano
- Mountain Biking
- Jet Skiing & Kayaking
- Meetings & Conference Facilities
- Wedding Events
Lake Kivu Serena Hotel celebrates the shores of this African Great Lake as a destination of astonishing beauty, where pristine beaches and the sparkling waters of Africa’s sixth largest lake come together in breathtaking fashion. Your arrival is greeted by a bright, open-plan lobby giving way to a private stretch of beach reserved exclusively for hotel guests. We welcome you to experience unparalleled warmth, hospitality and relaxation at our tropically inspired hotel in Gisenyi, Rwanda.
With guest accommodations, restaurants and a spectacular swimming pool nestled among palm trees and manicured grounds and gardens, our privileged waterfront enclave provides all the amenities you would expect from a resort considered by many to be one of Rwanda’s best.
Boasting gracious, personalised hospitality and abundant recreational activities on land and water, this 66-room getaway is the perfect choice for an extended holiday or weekend escape. Guests may choose from a selection of beautifully appointed rooms and suites and savour exceptional dining highlighted by the lakefront Kiyaga Restaurant and evening sundowners on the beach at Ziwani Café. A modern conference centre and outdoor event venues overlooking the lake set us among the area’s premier hotels for corporate and social gatherings. Lake Kivu Serena Hotel combines tropical serenity and waterfront exhilaration to create a truly unique Rwanda resort experience
Day 3: Volcanoes National Park, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Fullboard)
05:00 transfer to Kinigi at the foot hills of the Virungas for your Gorilla Tracking expedition! Carry with you our carefully sorted and packed breakfast box complete with sufficient energy giving food to sustain you throughout the tracking trip.
07:00 briefing and allocation to a Gorilla Tracking Group. Then drive to the base of the trekking together with other guests allocated in the same gorilla family. Once you have spotted the gorillas you are allowed only one hour and there after the return to the base, where you drive guide will be waiting. Depending on the time you come back you may opt to have lunch at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.
IMPORTANT - Hikers must be prepared to walk for up to 6 hours a day. Hikers must bring along their own personal hiking gear.
Volcanoes National Park
The park was first gazetted in 1925, as a small area bounded by Karisimbi, Visoke and Mikeno, intended to protect the gorillas from poachers. It was the very first National Park to be created in Africa. The park later became the base for the American naturalist Dian Fossey to carry out her research into the gorillas. She arrived in 1967 and set up the Karisoke Research Centre between Karisimbi and Visoke.
From then on she spent most of her time in the park, and is widely credited with saving the gorillas from extinction by bringing their plight to the attention of the international community. She was murdered by unknown assailants at her home in 1985, a crime often attributed to the poachers she had spent her life fighting against. She is buried in the park in a grave close to the research center, and amongst the gorillas which became her life.
Fossey's life was later portrayed on the big screen in the film “Gorillas in the Mist”, named after her autobiography.
The park is best known for the Mountain Gorilla. Other mammals include: Golden monkey, Black-fronted Duiker, Buffalo, Spotted Hyena and Bushbuck. There are also reported to be some elephants in the park, though these are now very rare. There are 178 recorded bird species, with at least 13 species and 16 subspecies endemic to the Virunga and Ruwenzori Mountains.
Dinner and overnight stay at Mountain Gorilla view lodge
- Gorilla Trekking
- Hike the Volcanoes Park
- Golden Monkey Trekking
- Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour
- Bar lounge & Restaurant
- Wi-Fi
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge is located in Musanze district northern Rwanda neighboring Volcanoes National Park. The lodge is located on the foothills of the Mount Sabinyo, a volcanic mountains that make up the Virunga ranges. The lodge is about 15 minutes from the main entrance to Rwanda’s Park National des Volcans.
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge is home to 30 individual chalets, constructed form locally-available material, each with a living area, fireplace, en suite bathroom, and private verandah. The main lodge’s restaurant serves up gourmet local cuisine garnered from farm fresh produce, while the on-site bar is stocked with all your home favourites.
The main lodge area has a restaurant serving home cooked food and a bar lounge.
Rwanda’s gorilla trekking is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (easily added on to any African safari). But there is plenty more on offer. Volcanoes National Park is the place to be for gorilla trekking and volcano hikes. Chimps and many other primates can be found in Nyungwe Forest, while savannah safaris are offered in off-the-beaten-track Akagera National Park. Rwanda has an amazing variety of primates. Aside from mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, there are many different monkey species to look out for including the very localized golden monkey, as well as l’Hoest’s monkey, Rwenzori colobus and red-tailed monkey. All of the Big Five can be seen in Akagera NP but there is no cheetah in Rwanda.
Rwanda is a great birding destination with nearly 700 species recorded within an area smaller than Belgium. Rwanda doesn’t have any endemics, occurring in the country only, but it does have several near-endemics which can be found in Rwanda and its neighboring countries. Of specific interest are the 27 Albertine Rift endemics which can be found in the high-altitude rainforest area in and around Nyungwe Forest National Park.
From a birdlife perspective, Rwanda is a fine destination any time of year, especially since the main draw here is the resident birds. Most of Rwanda’s special birds can be found in Nyungwe Forest; the birding is best here from January to June as most birds are vocal at that time. April is extremely wet, however, so logistics can become challenging. The Dry season months from June to September are easier, as forest trails are drier and hiking is less difficult. This is also the best time for gorilla trekking. Migrants are present from November to April.
- Archer's robin-chat
- Beaudouin's snake eagle
- Blue-headed sunbird
- Blue-shouldered robin-chat
- Brown-chested lapwing
- Buff-throated apalis
- Cabanis’s bunting
- Carruthers’s cisticola
- Dimorphic egret
- Dusky crimsonwing
- Dwarf honeyguide
- Eleonora’s falcon
- Grasshopper buzzard
- Grauer's swamp warbler
- Handsome francolin
- Kivu ground thrush
- Mountain masked apalis
- Neumann’s warbler
- Northern brown-throated weaver
- Papyrus canary
- Papyrus gonolek
- Papyrus yellow warbler
- Purple-breasted sunbird
- Red-collared babbler
- Red-faced barbet
- Red-faced woodland warbler
- Red-throated alethe
- Red-winged francolin
- Regal sunbird
- Ring-necked francolin
- Ruwenzori apalis
- Ruwenzori batis
- Ruwenzori nightjar
- Ruwenzori turaco
- Shelley’s francolin
- Shelley's crimsonwing
- Shoebill
- Short-tailed pipit
- Slate-coloured boubou
- Souza's shrike
- Strange weaver
- Stripe-breasted tit
- Striped pipit
- Tabora cisticola
- White-collared oliveback
- White-headed black chat
- White-winged swamp warbler
- Yellow-bellied eremomela
- Yellow-eyed black flycatcher
Day 4: Iby’ Iwacu Cultural Center (Breakfast)
Depart the hotel at 09:00, en-route you will have a stopover at the Iby Iwacu Cultural Center for first hand encounter of Rwandan culture and heritage.
Iby’ Iwacu Cultural Center.
Offering an adventurous stay in a traditional rural, Rwandan village that has existed for centuries living with and next to mountain gorillas in Parc National des Volcans. Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village gives you a rare chance to meet local people, in their environment, with a taste of our culture and traditions. The community you visit will genuinely welcome you as a special guest while they proudly present to you aspects of their traditions and beliefs. This will truly be an experience of a lifetime as you home stay with the community and become part of their family
Later depart to Kigali City arriving in the afternoon and transfer to the airport (evening flight is recommended).
End of this safari
Tour Inclusions
1st night on bed and breakfast basis at Kigali Serena Hotel- 2nd night on full board basis at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
- 3rd night on full board basis at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
- Ground transportation in 4WD 5 Seater Safari Cruisers on exclusive use
- English speaking driver guide
- 01 Gorilla permit per person @ US$1500
- City tour of Kigali City
- Visit to Iby Iwacu Cultural Centre
- 2 litres of mineral water per day per person
Tour Exclusions
Drinks- Tips for the service
- Yellow fever vaccination
- Visa
- Things of personal use
Easter & Christmas Surcharges
A surcharge would be charged per person per night on Good Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Easter Monday and on 24th 25th, 26th, 31st December and 1st January. The Surcharge would be confirmed at the time of booking for clarity purposes.
For optimal enjoyment of your safari, we urge you to carry the following:
All weather firm shoe pair, short and dress to use during the day, trouser for use in the evenings with long sleeved shirt, sweater or jacket, hat, swimming costume, sunglass, camera, binocular, sun protection cream and insect repellent spray or cream.
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