Day 1: KIGALI
Arrival of your flight at the Kigali International Airport.
Meet and greet assistance. Handed over to and warmly welcomed by our representative outside customs
and immigration hall. Transfer to your hotel in the city. Arrive and check in assistance.
Tour briefing will take place at the lobby. Dinner will follow and overnight stay.
Located in the very heart of the city center – best known as Kiyovu, 5 Swiss Hotel is situated in a secured and peaceful area with a breathtaking view over the hills of Kigali. The hotel is at the center of a multitude of international and local restaurants and is only a few steps away from the city business center; including the National Bank of Rwanda – the country Central Bank.
5 Swiss Hotel offers a full range of services in order to meet your leisure, secretarial, business and logistic needs. Concierge Service: From organizing your gorilla trekking adventure to visiting local art markets, the front desk is there 24 hours to take care of all your requests in order to make your stay an enjoyable one. With complimentary WiFi internet connection in all guest rooms, restaurant and public area, you are guaranteed to stay connected to the world.
OVERNIGHT: 5 SWISS HOTEL (HB; DINNER, BED & BREAKFAST)
Day 2: KIGALI- AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK (02h30 drive)
07h30: After breakfast at the hotel, you will check out and proceed to Kigali Genocide Memorial for a guided tour.
Highlight; Perhaps the city’s best known landmark, and with good reason, is the very insightful and moving Kigali Genocide Memorial standing amid beautiful rose gardens and fountains. The memorial sets out the history leading up to the genocide in Rwanda and also explains other genocides around the world. It includes poignant displays of victims’ photographs and belongings, bringing the realities of the atrocities to life. While it might seem an unusual tourist attraction and can be upsetting, it does help to put into context how and why the genocide happened and to better appreciate just how far the country has moved on together in the intervening years.
10h30: Set off for Akagera national park.
Upon arrival at the park headquarters, you will have a briefing introduction to your park guide. You will then transfer to the lodge in time for check-in and lunch. 15h00: Depart for an afternoon game drive in the park. Return to the lodge before sunset. Dinner and overnight stay.
Akagera Game Lodge is located in Eastern Province; about a 2 hour drive from Kigali. The lodge is within the boundaries of Akagera National Park. It has an attractive setting on a ridge overlooking Lake Ihema. The surrounding area has a wealth of big game and other wildlife on the open savannah, protected wood land, deep valley and lakes. Recognized as a superior venue, Akagera Game Lodge offers a superbly relaxed atmosphere, ideal for a successful conference, retreat, a tranquil gateway or an undisturbed encounter with nature.
AKAGERA GAME LODGE – FB(Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
Day 3: AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK
Today after your breakfast, you will go for a boat excursion on Lake Ihema (10h00 to 11h00).
Lining the lakes are some of the continent’s densest concentrations of water birds, while the connecting marshes are the haunt of the endangered and exquisite papyrus gonolek, and the bizarre shoebill stork – the latter perhaps the most eagerly sought of all African birds.
After this, continue with game drive until 13h30. Have lunch at your lodge.
Depart for another game drive in the park.
The game drive in Akagera National Park provides you with the opportunity to view gentle hills blending beautifully with lowland swamps and water bodies. You will visit the Giraffe area in the south and the lakes road up towards Birengero. Akagera National park is a home for animals like elephant buffalo, Giraffe, zebra and more than a dozen types of antelope inhabit the park, most commonly the handsome chestnut-coated impala, but also the diminutive oribi and secretive bushbuck, as well as the ungainly tsessebe and the world’s largest antelope, the statuesque Cape eland.
Return to the lodge before sunset for dinner and overnight stay.
(it is possible to have a picnic lunch instead of having hot lunch at the lodge)
AKAGERA GAME LODGE – FB(Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
Day 4: AKAGERA – KIGALI (02h30 drive) – MUSANZE/VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK (02h30 drive)
Breakfast at the lodge and check out. Set off for Musanze and Volcanoes National Park via Kigali.
Stop for lunch at the Khana Khazana Restaurant or Chez robert. Continue on a scenic drive to your hotel.
Arrive and check in assistance with welcome drinks (non alcoholic). Enjoy the evening. Dinner and overnight stay.
Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel in Musanze (Ruhengeri) located on the road going to Kinigi is the perfect starting point to go for different activities that the Volcanoes National Park is offering but also gives you lot of opportunities to rest and to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the lodge. With 13 bedrooms (double/twin), a VIP cottage, a restaurant, a pool, a traditional sauna and a steam sauna awaits, the staff looks forward to make your stay a pleasant one.
FIVE VOLCANOES BOUTIQUE HOTEL (FB; Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
Day 5: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Early breakfast at the hotel then transferred to Volcanoes National Park in time for Golden monkey trek briefing that’s scheduled to take place at 07h00. At 08h00, proceed to start point of trek and begin the adventure.
Trekking to see the golden monkeys is another highlight of Volcanoes National Park. The Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus Mitis Kandti) is a local subspecies of the widespread Sykes Monkey, also known as the “Blue Monkey” and is endemic to the high altitude forests. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping from bamboo branches or frolicking on the forest floor.
There are two habituated groups of Golden Monkey, one group comprises around 80 – 100 members and has its home at the foot of Mt Sabyinyo.
After this experience, transfer to your hotel in time for lunch.
This afternoon at 15h30, you will have an exclusive visit to the Gorilla Guardians Village.
This Village offers an adventurous visit to a traditional rural Rwandan village that has existed for centuries living with and next to mountain gorillas at Parc National des Volcans. The visit will genuinely welcome you as a special guest while they proudly present to you aspects of their traditions and beliefs.
The village also gives a chance to the visitors to enjoy the eight different local dances, listen to Gorilla songs, local food preparations, visit the local healer, visit the king’s place and get to hear all the old stories.
Return to the hotel in the evening. Dinner and overnight.
FIVE VOLCANOES BOUTIQUE HOTEL (FB; Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
Day 6: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Early breakfast at the hotel then proceed to the park headquarters in time for your Gorilla Trek briefing at 07h00. Your guided walk begins at 08h00.
Volcanoes National Park is the Rwandan section of the great volcanic massif called the Virunga Mountains that straddles the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. The massif covers a huge area of over 8,000km², encompassing six active and three extinct volcanoes.
There is no other wildlife experience quite like an encounter with mountain gorillas. That precious hour spent in their company – watching the group playing, sulking, teasing each other, eating, or dozing just like we do – is extraordinary. And the gorilla tracking safaris in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park are among the best in Africa.
Rwanda is now home to twelve habituated groups of mountain gorillas that are scattered all over Volcanoes National Park. Gorilla trekking can be arduous – some of the groups wander high up the mountainsides – but it is always utterly rewarding.
Volcanoes National Park also has a historic connection with gorilla conservation.
After this exciting experience, you will return to your hotel in time for lunch.
The afternoon will be at leisure to rest or it is possible to visit the twin lakes of Ruhondo and Burera.
Return to the hotel in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay.
FIVE VOLCANOES BOUTIQUE HOTEL (FB; Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
Day 7: END OF ITINERARY
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out time is 10h30.
Set off for Kigali. Arrive in time for lunch at the Pili Pili Restaurant.
If time permits, visit the Haute Baso shop, where they have unique art pieces and crafts that could be of interest.
Later, transfer to the Kigali International Airport. Bid farewell to your driver guide and proceed to check in for your outbound flight.
End of our services, Wishing you an excellent safari.