10-Day Gorilla Luxury Safari Private Tour Rwanda and Parc des Volcans

Welcome to the "land of a thousand hills". Rwanda is an excellent place to get to experience East Africa. Come meet with the friendly locals, track the mountain gorillas and take in wonderful lakeside views, all from the comfort of your luxurious lodgings. This luxury tour has been designed to bring you in close contact with all of the highlights as well as the tumultuous history of this fascinating country. Only the best lodging has been chosen combining excellent comfort and service.

Day 1 - Arrival in Rwanda
Your driver/guide shall meet you at Kigali Airport to pick you up from your flight, and drive you to the hotel.

Depending on your time of arrival you may be able to visit some of Kigali’s craft markets. Where you can browse amongst the pottery, carvings, batik, weaving, sculpture, musical instruments, leather and fabrics on offer. Prepare to use your haggling skills! All activities and purchases today are at your own cost.

You will stay at the Hotel Des Mille Colines, made famous by the film 'Hotel Rwanda' located in the central district of the city with wonderful views, swimming pool, and high standards of service.

Accommodation: Hotel Des Mille Colines
Meal Plan: No meals inclusive today

Day 2 - Nyamata Church and the Genocide Memorial
After breakfast, you drive south of Kigali, through beautiful countryside seldom visited by tourists. In the small town Nyamata you will visit a genocide memorial church.

In 1994, when the genocide began, many ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus took refuge in churches, believing militias would not enter these sacred spaces. However, as priests, nuns, and church officials systematically fled Rwanda after the genocide began, large-scale massacres occurred in Catholic churches throughout the country. In some cases, priests and other officials were complicit in the killings.

The Bugesera district was one of the area’s most devastated by the genocide. From a population of 62,000, only 2,000 survived. Over 5 days 10.000 people were killed in and around the grounds of Nyamata Catholic Church.

After this visit, you will head back to Kigali to stop at the the Genocide Memorial and Education Centre, which opened in 2004. It’s a dignified tribute to the victims, including a poignant Children’s Memorial, and a detailed description of the darkest hour in Rwanda's recent history.

Accommodation: Hotel Des Mille Colines
Meal Plan: Breakfast is inclusive

Day 3 - To Nyungwe Forest
Today, you will set off towards the famous Nyungwe Forest. This is one of the largest forests in East and Central Africa, abundant with flora and fauna including 13 primate species from colobus monkeys, mangabeys, blue monkeys and, of course, our cousins the chimpanzees.

Nyungwe Forest is also a famous location for birders. With about 310 recorded bird species, 26 of which are endemic, this is one of the most important - and still little known - bird-watching destinations in Africa.

Your lodge is situated in the middle of a beautifully verdant tea plantation just on the edge of the forest. Swim in the heated infinity pool before experiencing an evening of fine dining.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, late lunch, and dinner

Day 4 - Chimpanzee Tracking
This morning you have a very early start. After breakfast you shall proceed to the chimpanzee tracking trail in either the Cyamudongo or Uwinka sections. The total population between the two groups is a healthy 80 individuals. You will not soon forget this exciting up-close encounter with human's closest relative.

After the chimp tracking you can relax at the lodge or choose an optional activity that you can discuss with your guide.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner inclusive

Day 5 - Forest Canopy and Waterfall Hike
Today you shall go for East Africa’s only canopy walk. This walk takes place above a deep gorge cutting across the massive forest. Lasting about 1½ hours, the walk takes you through some beautiful foliage and animal habitats. Along the way you'll have the chance to spot blue monkeys and unique birds that dwell in the upper levels of the forest canopy.

In the afternoon, a waterfall hike is in your program. This trail begins from Gisakura Guesthouse next to the ORTPN offices (a 15 minute drive from the hotel) and takes between 3 and 6 hours round trip, depending upon how frequently you stop to sightsee and whether you choose to drive or walk from the guesthouse.
The first part of the trail is basically following the road to the vehicle park before delving into the forest. You will have to cross various streams before making a steep descent to the base of the small, refreshing waterfall. Monkeys are frequently seen along the way and the steep slopes provide excellent views into the canopy.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner inclusive

Day 6 - To Kibuye on Lake Kivu
After a relaxed breakfast you shall drive to Kibuye on the eastern shores of Lake Kivu. Time allowing, you can visit the Ndaba Falls or take a walk around Kibuye town. In the afternoon you can try to rent a boat and visit a few islands. All activities today are at your own cost.

The lodge is perched on stilts above the shores of Lake Kivu. It is a beautiful set of wood-built structures with a private beach and a good restaurant. All rooms have a balcony overlooking the lake.

Accommodation: Cormoran Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast is inclusive

Day 7 - To Gisenyi
Today you continue along the scenic Lake Kivu coast, winding through valleys and small villages to the northern town of Gisenyi just next to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In the afternoon you can visit the local market and see the day-to-day life of the people. Try your local lunch at Auberge de Gisenyi or Bistro Restaurant. Boat tours on Lake Kivu are also possible.

The hotel overlooks its own private beach and has a panoramic restaurant, indoor and beachside bars, a luxury swimming pool, and complete gym and health centre.

Accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Meal plan: Breakfast is inclusive

Day 8 - To the Parc des Volcans
Today you shall drive northeast to the town of Musanze close to the Virunga Volcano range. This beautiful area represents the gateway to the gorilla tracking.

The Gorilla View Lodge is situated on the edge of the dense forest of Parc des Volcans. From your large room you can look out over tropical rainforest as well as the mighty Mount Sabinyo. In the evening you can enjoy a camp fire and some entertainment from a local dance group.

Journey time: 1½ hours
Accommodation: Virunga Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner inclusive

Day 9 - Gorilla Tracking
Today is probably the highlight of your trip! You'll have an early start for this special day. From the lodge, you drive into the park about 30 minutes to the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et Des Parc Nationaux (ORTPN).

The head ranger of the ORTPN will divide you into groups based on interest and fitness. The gorillas you will track belong to one of the seven habituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day.

Matoke Tours purchases the permits in advance but is unable to reserve a specific gorilla group as it is for the head-ranger to decide this in the morning!

From the ORTPN office your driver/guide will take you as close as possible to the starting point of your tracking. The track will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes and bamboo before you eventually reach the gorillas’ current location. En-route, your guide will point out signs of previous Gorilla activity, including dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots.

The time taken to track the gorillas can take as little as half an hour to as much as 8 hours! Once the gorillas have been located, you will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Rwanda’s own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

Journey time: 30 minutes by car, tracking time varies
Accommodation: Virunga Lodge
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner inclusive

Day 10 - Back to Kigali
After a relaxed breakfast, you travel back to Kigali in time to catch your flight back home. Sadly, this is where you say goodbye to Rwanda. But you may also decide to extend your trip to another country in the region. Matoke Tours offers extensions to Uganda, Tanzania or the islands of Zanzibar. Contact us for all possibilities.

Note: This programme is only possible when your flight departs from Kigali at 3 p.m. or later. If you need another night in Kigali, we will be happy to make a booking for you.

This is the end of what we hope has been a fabulous trip!

Accommodation: NOT INCLUDED!
Meal plan: Breakfast is inclusive

Please book this tour now via our 24/7 hot line 
 +256 777 506 150 , +256 704 63 50 44   OR via 
our email info@gorillatourbooking.com. or gorillatourbooking@gmail.com
 We are warmly waiting for you inquiry!

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9 Days Rwanda Birding and Gorilla Tracking Tour

Day 1: Arrival for Rwanda Birding Safari


Arrival for Tour and transfer to Akagera National Park

Akagera boosts of a rich bird Checklist of over 525 species, this reflects the extremely wide diversity of habitat. 44 species of raptor, Papyrus Gonolek, Shoebill Storkand a good number of Palearctic migrants, amongst which Lesser Kestrel, Great Snipe and Black-winged have been recorded. The park represents the northern limit of distribution of a number of Zambezian biome species, including Sauza’s Shrike, Arnot’s Chat, and Long-tailed Cisticola. One species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome, seven of the Afrotropical Highlands biome, nine of the eleven species of the Lake Victoria Basin biome that occur in Rwanda have been recorded at this site.
The park also has a health mammal list of over 50 species among which include the African Elephant which was introduced to the park in 1975.

On the way, we hope to pocket African Palm Swift, Little Swift, Mottled Swift, Black-headed Waxbill, Black-crowned Waxbill, Red-collared Mountain Babbler, Archer's Robin-chat, Collared Apalis, Crowned Eagle, Slender-billed Starling, Grauer's Scrub-Warbler, Common Bulbul, Village Weaver, Red-eyed Dove, and many more.
Overnight at Akagera Game Lodge (Full Board)

Day 2: Whole Day Birding Akagera National Park – Rwanda Birding Safaris
Today we look for the species listed in the over 500 species checklist known to Akagera, species will include; White-crowned Black Chat, Familiar Chat, Black-winged Bishop and Arrow-marked Babbler, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Shoebill, African Open-billed Stork, Egyptian Goose, Long-toed Lapwing, Spur-winged Plover, Black Crake, Long-tailed Cormorant, Great Cormorants, Goliath Heron, African Marsh Harrier, Bateleur, Red-faced Barbet, Long-tailed, Trilling, Tabora, Rattling and Winding Cisticolas, Miombo Wren Warbler, Green-capped Eremomela, Red-faced Crombec, Rueppell's Long-tailed Starling, Amethyst Starling, Senegal Lapwing, Water Dikkop, Brubru, Bare-faced Go-away Bird, Brown Parrot, Red-necked Spurfowl, Broad-tailed Warbler, Bennett's Woodpecker, Sooty Chat, White-winged Black Tit, Flappet Lark, Souza's Shrike, Crested Barbet and many more. Other wildlife may include; Giraffe, African Elephant, Hippopotamus, Reedbuck, Waterbuck, Warthog, Impala, just to mention but a few.
Overnight at Akagera Game Lodge (Full Board)


Day 3: Birding to Volcanoes National Park for Mountain Gorilla Trekking

We set out in the morning, bird some birding spots along the way arriving in the late afternoon.
Overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge | Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (Full Board)


Day 4: Rwanda Gorilla Tracking- Volcanoes NP

The main activity today will be Mountain Gorilla Tracking. Mountain gorillas are the largest living primates and the world's most endangered apes with an estimated population of less than 800 left in the wild of the whole world and none in zoos. The Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei), was not yet known to scientist until 1902. They are the next closest living relatives to human beings after the two chimpanzee species, sharing 97% DNA with us. Do leisurely birding in the afternoon around Volcans environs.
Overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge | Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (Full Board)Regal Sunbird


Day 5: Birdwatching Tour to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Overnight at Nyungwe Forest Lodge | Gisakura Guest House (Full Board)

Day 6: Birding Nyungwe Forest National Park of Rwanda – (Optional Chimpanzee Tracking)

Nyungwe forest is situated in south-west Rwanda between Lake Kivu and the international border with Burundi. Nyungwe is divided north–south by a line of mountains that reach 2,600–2,900 m and which form part of the Congo–Nile watershed. As a result, Nyungwe is composed of two areas differing in pedology, vegetation, water-flow and biodiversity.
This wonderful birding area lies west of Butare, with the Butare to Cyangugu road passing straight through the middle, providing excellent roadside birding. A total of 275 species have been recorded in Nyungwe, reflecting the wide habitat diversity and altitudinal range. These include, all the 25 species of the Albertine Rift mountains Endemic Bird Area that occur in Rwanda, Chapin’s Flycatcher and Rockefellers’ Sunbird (both globally threatened, restricted-range and biome-restricted). In addition, 11 of the 23 species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome and 71 of the 74 species of this biome of Afrotropical Highlands that occur in Rwanda have been recorded at this site. Generally, Nyungwe is certainly the most important forest for the conservation of montane birds in the region.

We have an early morning breakfast then set out to Uwinka for the Albertine Rrift endemic birds search. Among the many we look out for, include; Kivu Ground-Thrushm, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Red-chested, SunbirdRegal Sunbird, Rockefeller’s Sunbird, Miombo Rock-Thrush, Mountain Masked Apalis, Black-faced Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Collared Apalis, Grauer’s Warbler, few Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Stripe-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Red- throated Alethe, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Ruwenzori Turaco, Great Blue Turaco, Handsome Francolin, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Olive Woodpecker, Mountain Greenbul, Rwenzori Hill-babbler, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Northern Puffback, White-starred Robin, Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird, Dusky Crimsonwing, Thick-billed Seedeater, Streaky Seedeater, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Variable Sunbird, Waller's Starling, White-bellied Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, just to mention but a few.

Overnight at Nyungwe Forest Lodge | Gisakura Guest House (Full Board)

Day 7: Another Day Birdwatching Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda
We look for species probably missed the previous day, we hope to tick-off Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Mountain Sooty Boubou, Rwenzori Batis, Blue-headed Sunbird, Sharpe's Starling, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Dusky Tit, Doherty's Bush-shrike, Siffling Cisticola, Bronze Mannikin, Golden-breasted Bunting, Neumann's Warbler, Red-throated Alethe, Mountain Wagtail, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Equatorial Akalat, Black Cuckoo, Kungwe Apalis, White-bellied Robin-chat, and many more. We try our luck and listen out at night fall for the Rwenzori Nightjar (a nocturnal species), Albertine Owlet and Red-chested Owlet.
Overnight at Nyungwe Forest Lodge | Gisakura Guest House (Full Board)

Day 8: Transfer to Kigali for the Last Night
While birding to Kigali, we visit Murambi Genocide Memorial Museum and National Museum.

Day 9: Departure – End of Rwanda Birdwatching Tour



Please book this tour now via our 24/7 hot line
 +256 777 506 126 , +256 704 63 50 44   OR via
our email info@gorillatourbooking.com. or gorillatourbooking@gmail.com
 We are warmly waiting for you inquiry!
Book a gorilla  safari to Uganda and Rwanda

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7 Days Rwanda primates and Wildlife Safari in Parc National de l`Akagera

7 Days Rwanda primates and Wildlife Safari offered by Gorilla Tour Booking Safaris is the Great Mega Rwanda Safari that will help you to explore and enjoy Rwanda Safari activities like Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Willdife Watching in Akagera National Park and Chimpanzee Tracking in Nyungwe National Park. This 7 Days Rwanda Safari has 6 Nights in Best Budget Rwanda Safari Lodges that will be selected my the Traveller during the Time of Booking
7 Days Rwanda Safari invloving Primates and Willdife.

Day1: Kigali-Volcanoes
After breakfast, meet our guide and thereafter transfer to volcanoes via the undulating thousand hills of Rwanda, with stopover at some of the genocide memorials, lunch en-route and then after spend the evening taking the village walk to local community’s projects. Dinner and overnight at Lebombou lodge/Laplame Hotel/Kinigi guest house. Meal plan: H/B

Gorilla Trek RwandaDay2: Rwanda Gorilla Trekking
Have breakfast, thereafter continue to the park head quarters for briefing about the mountain gorillas in the mist and the park as well, after enter into the jungle to search for the mountain gorillas and you meet them stay with them for about an hour while taking the unforgettable photographs and videos. Have your packed lunch, and then return to the park offices for your gorilla trekking certificate. Return to lodge for dinner and overnight, meal plan: F/B

Day3: Second gorilla trekking
After breakfast, return to the park offices for another briefing as the previous day, after enter into the rain forest jungle searching for the mountain gorillas but today you visit another gorilla group and take into the rules and regulations of yesterday trekking and when you meet the primates take the unforgettable photographs and videos. Thereafter return to park offices for your trekking certificate of that gorilla group and then return to lodge for dinner and overnight, meal plan: F/B

Day4: Volcanoes-Akagera Wildlife National Park
After breakfast, with our leisurely drive return to Kigali with visit to other museums, with lunch in Kigali and then after drive to Akagera wildlife national park an extension of Tanzanian plains where you can spot variety of wildlife species like the lions, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs among others. Dinner and overnight at Akagera game lodge, meal plan: F/B

Rwanda-Wildlife-SafarisDay5: Game drive & Boat ride
Dawn game drive to look for early riser wildlife species and other wildlife like the lions, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, warthogs, water and bush backs, among others. Return to lodge for lunch and after in the evening prepare for boat ride along the Ihema Lake and over the cruise expect to spot various wildlife along the shores and birds as well. Return to lodge for dinner and overnight, meal plan: F/B
Day6: Akagera-Kigali
After breakfast you can enjoy a more morning game drive to spot more wildlife that you missed yesterday. After embark the safari vehicle and transfer back to Kigali with lunch en-route with another stop to some local markets to shop souvenirs’ and curious to take home. Dinner and overnight at Kigali Serena Hotel/Okapi Hotel, meal plan: F/B
Day7: Departure
After breakfast from the hotel take another city tour visiting more genocide memorials experiencing the historical and tribal issues that made Rwandese massacre each others. Lunch and after proceed to the airport for your flight transfer.

End of services

The safari includes:

Ground transportation
Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
Gorilla permits
Lunch
Visit genocide memorials
Village walks
Game drive
Boat ride
Visit local markets
Professional English speaking guide

Exclusions:
Airfares, Visa, tipping fees to locals and porters while trekking gorillas, Laundry, Cigarettes, Luxury drinks and any other personal nature expenses not mentioned in the itinerary.

Please book this tour now via our 24/7 hot line 
 +256 776 566 077 , +256 704 63 50 44   OR via 
our email info@gorillatourbooking.com. or gorillatourbooking@gmail.com
 We are warmly waiting for you inquiry!

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