| Full Itinerary
Day 1
KIGALI
On arrival, you'll be met and taken to the Intercontinental
Hotel. For those arriving early, sightseeing is available,
including a city tour and countryside trip to the Genocide
Memorial.
Day 2
PARCS de VOLCANS
This morning you travel to the Parcs de Volcans. It becomes
immediately clear why early settlers called this the "Switzerland
of Africa". Almost the entire country is 5-7,000 feet
high, and incredibly lush. Where there aren't huge indigenous
forests, there are enormous tea plantations and other types
of farming. The beautiful drive over good roads arrives your
lodge, hotel or tented camp before noon, and lunch is served
before an afternoon of varied activities. There are walks
in the area, as well as visits that can be arranged to nearby
villages, markets and research facilities, such as the Karisoke
Veterinary Post. Then, dinner and overnight at your choice
of accommodations.
ACCOMMODATION CHOICES
Gorilla's Nest Lodge is a modest tourist-class facility with
simple rooms and a modest restaurant. The lodge is located
in a forest near the little village of Kinigi. It is the nearest
to the national park, resulting in less than a 20-minute drive
to the area where the trekking begins.
The Kivu Sun Hotel is a lovely, first-class resort hotel spectacularly
located on the shores of Lake Kivu with striking views of
the distant volcanoes. The hotel is located in the bustling
town of Gisenyi on the border with the Congo. The drive to
the national park is around 80-90 minutes over good roads.
Virunga Lodge is an exclusive, luxury "Bush Home"
located on a spectacular hill overlooking the Virguna Mountains,
providing outstanding comforts in a breath-taking setting.
The drive to the national park is just over an hour.
Day 3
GORILLA TREKING/KIGALI
There are currently 30 permits issued daily for five different
gorilla families on three of the park's seven volcanoes. At
the forest's edge each morning around 7 a.m., park rangers
assemble these 30 enthusiastic travelers and instructs them
regarding the visit. (Note the early morning start when making
your decision about where to stay the night before.) Visitors
are required to maintain a distance of 20 feet from the gorillas
(although that is often up to the gorillas), to remain silent,
to move slowly and to assume certain precautionary positions
in the event of a charge.
The rangers know the various gorilla families well, and they
know where they were the day before you arrived. It is then
a simple matter of going to that spot and picking up their
trail. The object is to meet up with the family about mid-morning,
a traditional time when they cease feeding and rest for about
an hour. The risk is that they have moved far from their location
the day before.
Some gorilla families are found in a half hour or less, at
lower elevations. But there are known cases where the trek
lasted for as long as nine hours and into elevations as high
as 11,000'. The average trek takes 2-3 hours and usually finds
the family at around 8,000'. The trek through the highland
jungle can be arduous. Hackers with machetes lay a trail in
front of you, but it is makeshift and not intended to last.
Most trekkers find they are using every muscle in their body:
including pulling themselves with the arms through some of
the thicker jungle.
When a gorilla family is found, the ranger positions everyone
and the hour's experience begins. This, too, is as varied
as the animals themselves. Often juveniles are very active,
not needing the rest that the aggressively feeding adults
require. Close encounters with visitors are frequent, although
discouraged, but rarely aggressive or violent. Nonetheless,
these are extremely powerful animals, and our disclaimer will
remind you of this.
After the visit, the descent is always much easier than the
ascent. The trail may not have been straight up, but winding
and uneven, often backtracking on itself. Rangers know the
mountain, and the descent can take a fraction of the morning's
travel time. A meadow is located on the way down, and the
porters provide the box lunch. Usually, visitors are back
with their vehicles before 2 p.m. The group now returns to
Kigali, with an overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel.
Day 4
DEPARTURE
Private transfers are provided to the airport
for your flights from Rwanda.
Special Note: Only breakfasts are included
when in Kigali.
ANY DATES
SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY
Using Gorilla's Nest Lodge
| from |
to |
$ sharing |
$ + Single |
Jan 07 |
Jul 07 |
2190 |
380 |
Using Kivu Sun Hotel
| from |
to |
$ sharing |
$ + Single |
Jan 07 |
Jul 07 |
2215 |
305 |
Using Virunga Lodge
| from |
to |
$ sharing |
$ + Single |
Jan 07 |
Jul 07 |
2465 |
680 |
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