5 Days Rwanda Gorilla Tour and Lake Kivu Gisenyi

DAY 1: KINIGI | GENOCIDE MEMORIAL RWANDA

A safari guide from AA SAFARIS AND TOURS LTD will meet you and welcome you to Rwanda. Though near the equator, Rwanda has a breezy temperate climate because its on a high altitude. Kigali – its capital, has a mean temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Rwanda is also famous for its scenic landscape with typically verdant highlands and picturesque, tenderly undulating knolls. Its copious flora and fauna, including the rare mountain gorillas are well-liked with Eco-lovers makes it one of the fastest growing tourism destination in East Africa. Depending on your arrival time, your driver – guide may propose a visit of Kigali city which includes the Genocide Memorial center at Gisozi and may be a market place to check the way of life of the people in Rwanda. You will be later transferred to Ruhengeri for dinner and over night at a hotel on the foot hills of Volcanoes NP of your budget
Budget accommodation – Kinigi Guest house or Muhabura Lodge
Standard accommodation – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge or Lapalme Hotel
Luxury accommodation – Virunga  Volcanoes Lodge or Sabyinyo silverback Lodge.

DAY 2: GORILLA TRACKING SAFARI

Take breakfast and a AA SAFARIS AND TOURS LTD guide will escort you to ORTPN office and hand you over to ranger guides. Rangers will brief you and then later e a briefing trek down the Volcanoes Np to search for gorillas -the greatest primates experience ever! The time taken to trek the gorillas is unpredictable but on encounter one can say it is a worthwhile! After the trekking ends early and there is still time; you can you may opt to take an excursion to discover the stunning lakes in the region (Lake Bulera & Ruhondo) at an extra cost – Overnight at the lodge of your budget.

DAY 3: VISIT GOLDEN MONKEYS – TRANSFER GISENYI (LAKE KIVU)

Take breakfast then again report to the ORTPN offices for another briefing this time about the Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes NP . The golden monkeys (cercopithecus mitis kandti) trek will offer you an exceptional experience – You will encounter the monkeys retort and interrelate differently as they will keep on playing hide-and-seek much to the glee of the visitors. The golden monkeys stay only in the Virunga Conservation Area. They have been well habituated and there are 2 troups. The Kabatwa troop is lives near the Park headquarters and the Musanga troop is close to the Karisimbi and has a much longer walking distance. This is a another experience that you must not miss while in Rwanda as excellent photo opportunities await! Return for lunch and travel to Gisenyi on the shores of Lake Kivu. Take pleasure in the magnificent Lake Kivu! Lake Kivu lies in the Albertine rift and is among the African Great Lakes. It is placed on the border of Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, a part of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Kivu drains into the Ruzizi River, which pours southwards into Lake Tanganyika. The lake occupies an aggregate surface vicinity of approximately 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi) and lies at a an altitude of 1,460 metres (4,790 ft) above sea level. The lake bed sits ahead a rift valley that is gradually being towed apart, bringing about volcanic activity in the area, and making it predominantly deep: its maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft) is ranked fifteenth in the world. The lake is bordered by regal mountains. In Lake Kivu lies the world’s tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi, as well as the infinitesimal island of Tshegera, which also lies within the margins of Virunga National Park. While settlements on its shore include Kabare, Sake, Kalehe, Bukavu, and Goma in Congo and Gisenyi, Kibuye and Cyangugu in Rwanda. You will relax as you wait for dinner and over night at
Budget – Kivu Sun Hotel / Kibuye Guest House
Standard – Malahide Paradise Hotel / Palm Beach Hotel
Luxury – Kivu Serena Hotel

DAY 4 : GISENYI (LAKE KIVU) – KIGALI

Take breakfast and indulge in a boat ride to some of the Islands in Lake Kivu. Visit Napoleon Island, Amahoro and Nkombo islands, you can also take a tour around the fishing villages, rural coffee washing stations and Nyamyumba Hot springs. We shall take time to visit some splendid sites along the ride and then return to the main land for dinner and over night at the hotel of your budget.

DAY 5 : KIGALI – DEPARTURE

After your breakfast, depending on you departure time and if you missed a Kigali city tour on the first day, you will indulge in it. Take a visit of the Genocide Memorial centre at Gisozi and also do some shopping around. Rwanda has so many genocide memorials and you will find so many of them at each corner of the country. The most important one however is the Genocide Memorials of Kigali known as Gisozi and Murambi (Gikongoro) where the history of the genocide is explained. A tour to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event. You will later be transferred to the airport for your next flight.