6-DAYS MOUNTAINS & LAKES EXPERIENCE

6-DAYS MOUNTAINS & LAKES EXPERIENCE

DAY 1:  ARRIVAL IN KIGALI

  • On arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be accorded VIP Meet & Greet service, where they will help you through customs as you relax in a lounge.
  • You will be met by a Palast tours & travel representative and after a safari briefing,
  • You will transfer to the Kigali Serena Hotel for check in and overnight.
  • Dinner will be on own arrangements.

OVERRNIGHT: KIGALI SERENA HOTEL

DAY 2:KIGALI CITY TOUR EXPERIENCE/ VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

  • After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel.
  • You proceed on a City tour of Kigali including the Kigali Memorial Centre.

Kigali has been the political and economic capital of Rwanda’s since independence in 1951. A fast-growing cosmopolitan town of 1m inhabitants with wide and landscaped boulevards, world class hotels and restaurants as well as an international airport, it is reputedly the best organized and cleanest city in Africa.

Tour lower Kigali around Nyabugogo open air market which is a little crowded and considered the heart of Kigali’s informal economy and continue to the Kigali genocide Memorial Center; learn about the Rwandan genocide of 1994, how it was triggered and carried out, and what lessons we can learn from that past.

In one section, learn too about other past genocides in world. We continue past the ‘skyscraper’ city center with her pave, maintained and clean boulevards and international hotels to the parliament building which was scene of some fighting in 1994.

We culminate in the adjacent new developments around Kimihurura, Kimironko area and the Nyarutarama suburb popularly referred to as the Beverly Hills of Kigali and see firsthand Rwanda’s transition; the recovery has been incredible – a true testament to mankind’s resilience in the face of unfathomable odds.

  • After lunch in Kigali, drive on north to Musanze (115kms/2½hrs), home to the Volcanoes National Park.

Rwanda encompasses the Rwanda section of the Virunga Volcanoes, a series of eight volcanic mountains which sit astride the border triangle between Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo and include the still active Nyiragongo and Nyakagezi located in DR Congo. Situated 115kms/2½hrs drive north-west of Kigali and encompassing five of the volcanoes, the park’s 160km² of bamboo montane forest are habitat for the rare and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas of which only approx. 800 members remain in the world! Immortalized in the movie “Gorillas-In-The-Mist” depicting the life and times of American zoologist Dian Fossey who spent almost 20yrs in the 60s to the 80s studying the gorillas, they inspire great human curiosity owing to their being massive wild animals that genetically, socially and physically so closely resemble humans.

Other mammals include the beautiful golden monkeys, a variety of antelopes, hyenas, bushbucks, and some buffaloes and forest elephants, as well as over 170 species of birds. Of the many gorilla families, 10 have been habituated and opened for controlled Gorilla Tracking, one of the most popular tourist activities. Other activities in and around the park include Golden Monkeys Tracking, guided Hikes up several of the Volcanoes as well as scenic tours and cultural tours in the outlying areas.

  • You will arrive at One & Only Gorilla Nest Lodge in time for dinner and overnight.

DINNER & OVERNIGHT: ONE & ONLY GORILLA’S NEST

DAY 3: GOLDEN MONKEY TRACKING/ EX POACHERS CULTURAL VILLAGE EXPERIENCE

  • After an early breakfast, you will leave for the park headquarters at 06:30 am, for briefing and assigning to gorilla groups for the tracking experience.

Rare golden monkeys have been sighted in the magnificent Virunga Mountains.A glimpse of these creatures is considered to be a wonderful lifetime experience.

  • In the afternoon after lunch you will be transferred to visit Ibyiwacu“Ex-Poachers” Cultural Village to see how former gorilla ex-poachersare now transforming the lives of the gorillas positively.

DINNER & OVERNIGHT: ONE & ONLY GORILLA’S NEST

DAY 4: DIAN FOSSEY TOMB HIKE EXPERIENCE

  • After an early morning breakfast at the lodge, you will transfer to the park headquarters for briefing and thereafter drive to the starting point of the trek. The trek begins at 7:00 am.

Dian Fossey was an American primatologist who spent close to two decades in the park, studying the mountain gorillas. A biopic of her life was made into a movie, titled Gorillas in the Mist.

She was murdered by poachers in 1985. Her grave is nestled between the beautiful volcanic peaks of Bisoke and Karisimbi, near Karisoke Research Center.

The hike through the forest to the tomb takes about six hours (there and back).

Along the way, you may be lucky enough to see elephants, buffalo, primates like golden monkeys, and sometimes even the mountain gorillas that Dian dedicated her life to.

  • After trekking you will be transferred to your lodge for lunch and rest enjoying the amenities and activities of the lodge.

DINNER & OVERNIGHT: ONE & ONLY GORILLA’S NEST

DAY 5: LAKE KIVU EXPERIENCE

  • After breakfast, you will go on a 1-hour drive to Gisenyi. You will have lunch at alocal restaurant.
  • Spend the full day at leisure enjoying the different activities that Lake Kivu offers, including: sports games like kayaking, surfing on the lake, beach volley.
  • You can also proceed on a city tour including a visit to local art galleries, handcrafts, tea plantations, etc.

DINNER & OVERNIGHT: KIVU SERENA HOTEL

DAY 6– DEPARTURE

  • After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and drive to Kigali (3-hour drive). You will have lunch in Kigali and then visit the local Kimironko market for a shopping experience before you transfer to the Kigali International Airport for your departure flight.

END of Safari – BL – Urugendo Rwiza !!

Leisure beyond expectations

                                                                   End of your memorable trip