Explore two incredible national parks in Rwanda on a 7-day journey. Our tour starts with a short overnight stop in Kigali before we venture deep into the jungles of Nyungwe Forest National Park, home to chimpanzees and a wide range of other primates. Next we drive to Volcanoes National Park to meet the famous mountain gorillas, a truly unforgettable experience.
Flight from Johannesburg to Kigali Airport. Our friendly safari team will welcome you. Transfer to Park Inn by Radisson Blue to enjoy breakfast (included), drop your bags, and refresh. As you drive through the city, you will notice why Kigali's motto is "Cleanliness and Security."
The second stop will be at the Genocide Memorial Centre, one of Africa's best museums! Learn about Rwanda's history from the pre-colonial era to the 1994 genocide war that shocked the world. The memorial commemorates the bravery, strength and unmatched struggle of the people of Rwanda. It is also the burial site of the victims of the Genocide of 1994 (In 100 days, an estimated 1 000000 Rwandans were killed in the genocide). A trip to this memorial centre is not only an educational experience that will offer you a thorough insight into the country's painful past but also provides a genuinely moving experience. You cannot appreciate this beautiful country and its friendly people without visiting this memorial centre.
After visiting the museum, we will stop for lunch at Repub Lounge (included), where you can taste some of Rwanda's local food and enjoy stunning city views.
Check in at the hotel and spend the afternoon at leisure, or visit the Kimironko Market. Here, you will find handicrafts and souvenirs, colourful baskets, vibrant kitenge fabrics, seamstresses ready to make you a dress, fresh vegetables and fruits, household goods, and a meat and fish market.
Stay: The Park Inn by Radisson Blue
Room: Standard room
Meals: Breakfast on arrival, dinner & breakfast the next morning
Enjoy an early breakfast at the lodge before your transfer to the park board office to register for an accurate Rwanda-style chimpanzee tracking and trekking experience. Return to the lodge. While at the hotel, you can participate in a coffee roasting and tasting experience (for your account) at the coffee processing project, which is accessible by boat.
Stay: Mantis Kivu Marina Bay Hotel
Room: Executive room
Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast
Our morning adventure starts with the Canopy Walk. The Canopy walkway is nearly 160m long and rises over 75m above the ground, giving a unique 'eye-to-eye' experience with the vast array of primates and birds in the upper reaches of the canopy.
We return to the lodge for lunch, followed by a late afternoon boat excursion on Lake Kivu and a visit to Nkombo Island. Shared between Rwanda and DR Congo, Lake Kivu extends across the floor of the Albertine Rift and is hemmed in by a steep terraced escarpment. It is Rwanda's largest lake and the sixth-largest lake in Africa.
Stay: Mantis Kivu Marina Bay Hotel
Room: Executive room
Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast
After breakfast, we drive to Kamembe across the beautiful landscape of rolling, verdant terraced hills. En route, we visit the Kings Palace Museum at Nyanza and stop at Butare, where you will enjoy lunch (included). This is Rwanda's historical and traditional power center, and here we visit the reconstructed Kings Palace to see how traditional monarchs lived in pre-colonial times.
Stay: Mantis Kivu Marina Bay Hotel
Room: Executive room
Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast
After breakfast, start your journey to Volcanoes National Park, where you can drive through the stunning scenery of flourishing green hills and valleys. The entire country is 5 - 7 thousand feet high and incredibly lush. Huge indigenous forests and different types of farms stretch as far as the eye can see.
Stay: Virunga Inn Resort & Spa
Room: Deluxe room
Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast
Early departure from the lodge to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi for your MOUNTAIN GORILLA TREKKING experience. After the briefing, you will drive to the starting point closest to the gorilla family you trek. This is your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come face-to-face with a silverback gorilla! You can stay with the gorillas for a maximum of one hour. You'll be privileged to come within mere meters of a gorilla to observe them foraging, playing, teasing each other, and eating. Afterwards, you will return to the base, where your driver will wait to transfer you to the lodge.
Stay: Virunga Inn Resort & Spa
Room: Deluxe room
Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast
The Volcanoes area (for your account). You can visit the nearby ex-poacher's village. As part of overall conservation endeavours, former poachers renounced their old ways and became conservation activists.
You can also book a second gorilla trek (pre-book) or trek the golden monkeys. Afternoon drive back to Kigali, where we'll stop for a farewell dinner (included) before your transfer to the airport for your flight home, departing at 23h30 (Rwanda time), and arriving 03h20 (South African time).
End of service
This 07-Day Gorilla & Chimp Trekking Group Safaris depart on the following set departure date.
23 – 29 November ‘26
SA Resident:
Price per Person SHARING: R40,746 pp
Price per SINGLE Traveller: R44,194 pp
International flights from Johannesburg are available on RwandAir.
The Rwandan portion of the Virunga Volcanoes massif in the northwest of the country. This 330 km² park, known locally as “Parc des Volcans,” encompasses five extinct or dormant volcanoes and lush high-altitude forests, and is most famous for its mountain gorillas – the park offers life-changing gorilla trekking opportunities, as well as golden monkey tracking, hiking to volcanic summits, and spectacular cloud forest scenery.
A pristine montane rainforest in southwestern Rwanda, considered one of Africa’s oldest. Nyungwe spans over 1,000 km² of hilly terrain and is celebrated for its tremendous biodiversity – it harbors 13 primate species (25% of Africa’s total, including ~500 chimpanzees and large groups of Colobus monkeys), 300+ bird species (many Albertine Rift endemics), and a rich array of orchids and trees in an ecosystem receiving up to 2,000 mm of rain annually.
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