Rwanda - Virunga Primates and Lake Kivu
Gorillas, Golden Monkeys and
Lake Kivu!
Trek the gorillas and visit the golden monkeys! The little-known golden monkey (cercopithecus mitis kandt) is listed as "endangered". Travel afterwards to Gisenyi and have overnight on the shores of tranquil Lake Kivu!
- Min. 2 participants. For gorillas the min. age is 15 years.
- You can choose from 2 hotel categories. see the hotels proposed in the day by day program, itinerary)
- Only the Park Authorities will assign you a gorilla group. Communicate your wishes to our driver-guide he will make some arrangements for you! The Sussa group leaves at the Karisimbi volcano and is more challenging with much longer hiking times!
- Flash photograpy is not permitted when tracking the gorillas.
- What is included?
Tour Includes: Airport transfers,accommodation, all meals, plenty of mineral water, the services of a driver-guide, all park and entry fees, all activities as per programme: visit of Kigali including the Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi, 1 gorilla trekking and a visit to the Golden Monkeys.
Excludes: Airline ticket, beverages, tips, visas and personal expenses.
- What to bring with you?
Money for your personal expenses (average of $ 50), outfit with adapted colours for wildlife observation, good walking shoes, raingear, a few long-sleeve shirts, slippers, sweater for cool evenings, sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sun cream, video/photo camera, a 200 mm or longer telepholens is very usefull, reserve batteries, films and a torch.
- Flights to Tanzania:
We are the booking Agent of Rwandairexpress (Kilimanjaro) and Coastal Aviation
(charter flights to Arusha, Serengeti, Manyara).
- WARNING: Gorilla permits are in high demand and need to be booked and paid in advance! Book your gorilla safari accordingly and avoid disappointment!
Duration : 5 Days
Travelstyles : Road Safaris, Private Safaris, Lodge Safaris
Activities : Gorilla Trekking, Guided Nature Walks & Hikes.
Parks & places : Genocide Memorial Centre - Gisozi & others, Volcanoes National Park
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrival and transfer to Kinigi (Volcanoes NP)
Meet and greet at the Kigali International Airport by your Safari driver-guide. Depending on your arrival time, your driver-guide may propose you a visit of Kigali city which includes the Genocide Memorial centre at Gisozi.
Transfer to Kinigi at the foothills of the Volcanoes. Diner (D) is included in the package. Hotel accommodation at your choice.
Flights: There are daily flights to Kigali out of Nairobi with Kenya Airways and Rwandair Express. This makes it easy to combine your short gorilla safari with another East-African safari.
Accommodation : Kinigi Guest House (*), Mountain Gorilla Nest (***)
Day 2 : Gorilla Tracking
After breakfast, you will depart for the Headquarters of the Park where your driver-guide will accomplish the necessary formalities for you. You will meet your ranger guide(s) for a briefing about the greatest animal experience ever!
Magic Safaris will drive you to the slopes of one of the Virunga volcanoes for your trekking. After the trekking, if time allows lunch at Ruhengeri and an excursion to explore the beautiful lakes in the region (Lake Bulera & Ruhondo). Overnight at Kinigi. Your guide will make the necessary arrangements for the next day. (B-L-D)
Accommodation : Kinigi Guest House (*), Mountain Gorilla Nest (***)Activities : Gorilla Trekking
Parks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 3 : Visit of the Golden Monkeys - transfer to Gisenyi (Lake Kivu)
After breakfast, you will report to the headquarters for a visit of the golden monkeys (cercopithecus mitis kandti). A visit to the golden monkeys is very different experience from gorilla-viewing, the monkeys react and interact differntly; they will keep on playing hide-and-seek much to the delight of the visitors.
After your visit, lunch and in the afternoon you travel to Gisenyi on the shores of Lake Kivu. Enjoy the wonderful Lake Kivu! (B-L-D)
The golden monkeys live only in the Virunga Conseravtion Area. They have been well habituated and there are 2 troups.The Kabatwa troop is located not so far from the Park headquarters and the Musanga troop lives near the Karisimbi and has a much longer walking distance.Another experience with excellent photo opportunities!
Accommodation : Kivu Sun (****)Activities : Guided Nature Walks & Hikes.
Parks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 4 : Gisenyi (Lake Kivu) - transfer to Kigali
From Gisenyi to Kigali the distance of 187 Km on a tarmac road can be covered in only 3 hours but no rush.
You can do as much and as little you want. You can stay on the private beach of your hotel and enjoy the peaceful lake! If you are interested we shall take time to visit some splendid sites on our way: Nyundo with multiple craft-shops, Imbabazi Orphanage at Mugongo. Overnight at your hotel in Kigali. (B-L-D)
Nyundo is one the very earlier Catholic centres in Rwanda (beginning of 20th century) and has among others the only secondary school of arts.
Imbabazi Orphanage was founded by Mrs Rosamond Halsey Carr in late 1994 at Mugongo to care for the genocide orphans. Rosamond Halsey was a young American fashion illustrator when she married an adventurous hunter-explorer, Kenneth Carr. Together they journeyed to then "Congo Belge" DRC now in 1949 where they came to divorce. Kenneth left but Rosamond stayed in Congo until 1955. From there on she moved to northwest Rwanda where she stayed for the next 50 years. She witnessed all Rwanda's historical events since then and among them the last was the 1994 genocide. She is the author of Land of a Thousand Hills: my life in Rwanda.
Accommodation : Hotel Chez Lando (**), Intercontinental (*****), Milles Collines (****)
Day 5 : Kigali Visit and Departure
Pick up at your hotel, depending on you departure time and if you missed the
opportunity the first day, you will have Kigali city trip including the visit of
the Genocide Memorial centre at Gisozi. Transfer to the Airport for your
departure. (B)
Genocide Memorials: In Rwanda you will find all over the country Memorials to remember the genocide of 1994. The most important Genocide Memorials are those of Kigali (Gisozi) and Murambi (Gikongoro) where the history of the genocide is explained. A visit to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event.
Important: Before you travel please check your Tour Voucher and Arrival Information for the latest joining instructions. This will be sent to you upon receipt of final payment.
All itineraries are subject to change without prior notice.
The American naturalist Diane Fossey (Author of Gorillas in the Mist) dispelled the myths and revealed that gorillas are in fact shy and gentle creatures, intelligent, sociable and given to aggression only as a means of defence. We owe Diane Fossey a great debt for bringing the gorillas to public attention and inspiring the governments to introduce laws for their protection. She also contributed largely to set out the basic rules for gorilla viewing. Today the International Gorilla Conservation Programme covers all three countries, and it is most certainly a great privilege to be able to visit these mountain gorillas (gorilla gorilla beringei ).
The entire world population is found in 2 only conservation area. The volcanic Virunga Mountains, which straddle the common borders of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, and in South Western Uganda's Impenetrable Forest. Both conservation area give a different gorilla experience. The habitat in Bwindi Impenetrable NP is a dense rainforest while in Kinigi, Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and Mt Mgahinga (Uganda) the habitat of the gorillas is part of the Virunga, the famous chain of volcanoes located in Congo, Rwanda and also partially in Uganda.
A typical gorilla trekking starts with assigning the visitors to the respective habituated gorilla groups. In Bwindi the groups are assigned when buying the gorilla permit while in Rwanda the Park Authorities will assign them on site the day of the trekking.
After this formality the Rangers will give you a briefing of the way they will conduct this fantastic guided nature walk to the gorillas. They will give you extensive information on the environment, the gorilla family you will visit and the way you should behave with them. The so named “gorilla rules” will be clearly set out because it’s a corner stone in the conservation of the gorillas. There is not only a high risk of disease transmission to gorillas and vice versa, but the daily visits can cause behavioural disturbance and stress to gorillas. Please respect the rules!
After the briefing we will drive you to nearest location outside the park and from there your rangers will guide you to the gorillas. Gorilla trekking is unpredictable and it’s difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. In Bwindi the hiking time are generally much challenging. The terrain is usually more difficult in the rainforest and hiking times are longer because when looking for food Bwindi gorillas tend to travel longer distances per day. In Rwanda the gorilla trekking is usually easier except for the challenging Sussa group located at the Karisimbi volcano.
This doesn’t mean that you don’t need a good physical condition in Rwanda. We have seen several times that visitors had some problems during their trekking. Rain can get you by surprise and during the dry season gorilla tend to climb higher for their preferred bamboo shoots. It has to be said that the park rangers and the porters are extremely helpful and will do everything they can to make sure that visitors can see the gorillas. We therefore strongly advise not to hesitate to take a porter. Porters can not only be very efficient but in return you help local communities to benefit from tourism! There is also a very efficient rescue team available in the parks for visitor getting in trouble!
For conservation purposed the time spend with the gorillas is limited to one hour. The daily visits have an impact on gorilla activity patterns. The daily visits are a source of animal stress and less feeding are a strong justification for he one-hour rule.
Gorilla trekking is the strongest animal experience ever! Tracking the gorillas is a unique experience - it leads you to meet unusual creatures on their own terms and it’s a very intense and trilling experience! You will be rewarded with a certificate of the National Park!
