Overview:
The 2 Days Rwanda Gorilla trekking safari starts and ends in Kigali city. It involves encountering the Gisozi genocide memorial site where thousands of Rwandese lay in cold blood stemming from the 1994 bloody genocide. It also allows you to trek the critically endangered mountain gorillas in the Virunga massif where eight volcanic ranges adjoin with one another to mark the wondrous natural boundary between the three states of Congo Uganda and Rwanda. The volcanoes National Park lies with in this corridor and is an ideal place full of dense shrubs and forested landscapes that have maintained the survival of mountain gorillas for centuries past. Driving through the land of a thousand hills is one of the rewarding scenic encounters you can ever have.
Safari Highlight:
Day 1: Visit Gisozi genocide memorial & transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking
Gisozi genocide memorial
Description:
Day 1: Visit Gisozi genocide memorial & transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, take a tour of Kigali city where you will visit the Gisozi genocide memorial to pay tribute to thousands of Rwandese who lost their lives during the bloody genocide that befell Rwanda in 1994. You can also visit the presidential palace museum where the former Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana stayed and the remains of FALCON 50 presidential plane in which he lost his life are also found at that place. After this activity, embark on the transfer to Volcanoes National Park. You will drive through the scenic landscapes of the hill sides of Rwanda before arriving in Ruhengeri for relaxation and overnight.
Drive distance: 116km Drive time: 3 hours
Accommodation: Mount Gorilla View Hotel (Upmarket/luxury), La Palme Hotel (Midrange/ Standard) or Muhabura Hotel (Budget/Basic).
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking
Gather at the park Headquarters Kinigi after breakfast at 08:00am for briefing by the park rangers about the conduct of gorilla trekking activity. You will set off following the set trails to the lush volcanic forest full of birds, abundant flora, fauna including golden monkeys, elusive elephants and buffaloes and scenic sights of the volcanic peaks seen through the forest gaps. The trek involves great hiking through the varying terrain which makes it an attraction in its self. The moment of coming across the critically endangered mountain gorillas is a hilarious encounter that will take your strenuous hiking fatigue to rest and concentrate on optical nutrition and satisfying the inner desires. The memories of this experience will be kept in spirit and in the range of photos that your camera is able to contain. The guides are knowledgeable to exhaust your longstanding queries about the gorillas. You have one full hour to maximize your encounter. You will have picnic lunch and then return to the starting point to mark the end of this gorilla trekking encounter after which you will transfer back to Kigali city.
Trekking duration: 2 – 8 hours