Day 1: City Tour of Kigali, Drive from Kigali to Nyungwe National Park
Your driver and guide will pick you up from the hotel and take you for a city tour, which includes, among others, the Gisozi Genocide Memorial site. This visit takes you 2 hours. Here, you learn and comprehend the history of genocide in Rwanda and other countries of the world.
Thereafter, proceed to Kimilonko Market, one of the busiest and biggest markets in the city. Visit Nyarutarma Golf Club, then proceed to the Belgium Memorial Site and Richard Kandt Historical Museum, where you will be at the exact point where Kigali city was started by a German colonialist and administrator in 1907.
After the city tour, we shall be driving to Nyungwe Forest National Park with a stopover at local markets along the way.
Visit the traditional palace of Rwanda’s Former King in Nyanza. Drive past green fields of tea scattered across the hillsides and the small wooden houses characteristic of the surrounding forest.
Accommodation options available (all on full board basis)
Upmarket:Â Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Mid-range:Â Nyungwe Top Hill Lodge
Lower Budget:Â Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park
At 5:00 am, you start your day with breakfast before heading to Nyungwe National Park head office for an exhilarating adventure - tracking the habituated chimpanzees and the other 12 resident primate species. After a briefing at the park headquarters, embark on a guided trek into the rainforest to track playful chimpanzees in their natural habitat. The hike offers an immersive experience, surrounded by the rich sounds and sights of the forest, culminating in an unforgettable encounter with these intelligent primates.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge Â
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge Â
Lower Budget:Â Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 3: Drive to Gisenyi, Lake Kivu
After a relaxed morning, we shall embark on our drive to Lake Kivu/ Gisenyi. This will take you through the gorgeous scenery of tea plantations and glimpses of Lake Kivu.
Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)
Upmarket:Â Serena Lake Kivu Hotel
Moderate:Â Paradise Malahide.
Low Budget:Â Paradise Malahide.
Meal Plan:Â Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 4: Boat trip on Lake Kivu and relaxation
Today, an unforgettable boat trip experience on Lake Kivu awaits you. Immerse yourself as you enjoy the breathtaking views of the serene waters and surrounding landscapes. You’ll follow the herdsmen and their boats as they guide their cattle, swimming from one island to another in search of grazing grounds—a truly remarkable and rare spectacle.Â
Continue with your boat trip to visit several intriguing islands on Lake Kivu, each offering its own charm and scenic beauty.Â
Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)
Upmarket:Â Serena Lake Kivu Hotel
Moderate:Â Paradise Malahide.
Low Budget:Â Paradise Malahide.
Meal Plan:Â Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 5: Visit Ross Carr’s Orphanage
We shall have breakfast in the morning at your hotel, and then proceed to Ross Carr’s Orphanage, which protects a good number of orphans. You will also get time to interact with the founders as well as the Orphans, and get a chance to offer them some gifts. Day 5: Ruhengeri | Community Visits | Dian Fossey Projects
Early in the morning, transfer northwards to Ruhengeri. In the afternoon, visit the surrounding communities. Visit local Dian Fossey projects.
Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level:Â Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget:Â Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today:Â Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 6: Rwanda Traditional Cultural Experiences at Community visit to Iby’iwacu village
After breakfast, we take a trip to Iby’iwacu Cultural village, where the villagers have convinced a group of ex-poachers to turn their back on their former lifestyle and create a traditional dance group that performs for visitors on a cultural village tour. Known as The Intore, or The Heroes, this ancient form of celebration is based on the victory dance of the Rwandan kings. When not watching the traditional dances and drumming performances, you can step into the traditional dwelling of the local king, watch an authentic medicine man preparing his herbal concoctions, or try your hand at shooting the traditional weapon of bows and arrows.
Lively music and festive dance play a great role in the traditions of all the people of Rwanda. One of Africa’s most dynamic and least well-known musical traditions, the Ballet of Rwanda is performed by the Intore, the chosen ones, and was at one time danced exclusively for the royal court.  The dance is performed by men dressed in grass wigs and carrying spears, who wear little tinkling bells on each foot, providing a ringing rhythm as the background music. The ‘Dance of Heroes’ is about returning warriors, celebrating victory in battle. Complex choreography reveals the performers shifting from side to side, blending agility and grace with raw aggression.
Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level:Â Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget:Â Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today:Â Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 7: Tour Karisoke Gorilla Research Centre
After breakfast, we visit the Karisoke Gorilla Research Centre. The Research Centre was started by Dian Fossey, who was a famous primatologist and cared for the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda.
Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level:Â Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget:Â Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today:Â Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 8: Departure
This day is reserved for your flight out of Rwanda
