Explore Volcanoes National Park, home to the rare golden monkey. Watch them play and interact, unconcerned by your presence. Venture further into the park and up the mountain to observe the elusive and endangered mountain gorilla, a rare opportunity to witness one of our closest biological relatives up close.
Join your guide to explore the city of Kigali and the
thought-provoking Memorial Museum. Afterwards, a drive takes
you to Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park). The
park is home to five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains
(Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo), and the area
is covered in rainforest and bamboo. The park was also the base for
Dian Fossey. Transfer to the beautiful Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge.
Day 2
Meet your guide at the park headquarters this morning and
begin tracking the endangered golden monkey. Fully habituated and
only available to visitors since June 2003, these unique primates are
a rare treat to watch at play in the forest. Following completion of
your tracking, you are transferred to your lodge for lunch. After lunch
you may visit a nearby eco-forest and village to learn about ancient
traditions and local myths and customs.
Day 3
Arise early this morning for your first day of gorilla tracking.
Following a briefing by your guides and trackers, begin your trek
through the park's dense vegetation, travelling up and down the
steep slopes in search of mountain gorilla. Upon sighting the gorillas,
you have the rare privilege of staying with them for one hour before
returning to the base, where your driver is waiting to transfer you to
your lodge. If time permits, this afternoon you may wish to take a
scenic drive to view the twin lakes Ruhondo and Burera.
Day 4
Enjoy a second day of gorilla tracking. Declared a National
Park in 1925, Parc National des Volcans is the Rwandan section
of the famous Virunga Mountain Range, home to over half of the
remaining 700 mountain gorillas in this region. Following your
tracking, you will return to Kigali for the night.
Day 5
This morning transfer to the airport to board your
departure flight.