3-Day Rwanda Gorilla Safari

Depending on your travel arrangements, a dedicated Africa Flash McTours representative will meet you, either at your hotel or on arrival at Kigali International Airport.  Depending on the timing, they may take you on a tour of the city, pointing out various places of interest.  Thereafter, you’ll set out for the town of Ruhengeri, situated close to Volcanoes National Park.  The expected travel time to your hotel/lodge is two hours.

Often referred to as the “Land of a Thousand Hills, Rwanda is one of the most compelling places to visit in Africa.Rwanda neighbours Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.  Rwanda is home to three main ethnic groups: the Batwa, Hutu and Tutsi.  English, French and Kinyarwanda are widely spoken.  

Volcanoes National Park covers an area of 160km² (62mi²) at an altitude of between 1,881 and 4,202m (6,171-13,786ft).  The park was created in the country’s northwest to protect the steep slopes that are home to the highly endangered mountain gorilla.  The montane ecosystem is a tapestry of evergreen and bamboo forests, open grasslands and alpine heath. 

Tonight, we relax and prepare for our unforgettable mountain gorilla trek tomorrow.

Waking early, you’ll first enjoy breakfast at 06h30.  For the trek, we suggest wearing the appropriate rugged clothing and hiking boots.  The terrain can be slippery, wet and uneven, and a fair degree of fitness is recommended.  After breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters, just a short distance from your lodgings.

There, you will be introduced to your trek guide and briefed on the protocol for gorilla encounters.  Your guides have received specialised training, both on gorilla behaviour and the rainforest ecosystem where they live.  We recommend making use of the porter service at US$10 per person/per day per porter

Large though they may be, gorillas are not always easy to find.  You’ll set out in search of one of ten habituated troops, a process that can take anything from a few minutes to several hours.  Once located, all groups are permitted only one hour with the apes.  This ensures that disturbances to their way of life are kept to a minimum.

With no natural predators, the greatest threat to gorillas is humans.  Due to human development, much of their natural habitat has been destroyed.  Additionally, they have been heavily poached, and many more die through exposure to human-borne diseases.

After the trek, you will return to the lodge for dinner and a well-earned rest.

On the final day of the safari, you’ll once again be treated to an early breakfast before being transferred to the park for your next activity: a golden monkey trek.  

The activity is easier than gorilla trekking, and should last around 4 hours.  Once located, permit regulations once again allow you to spend an hour enjoying the antics of the delightful primates as they go about their lives.  After gorilla trekking, this is one of the most popular activities offered at Volcanoes National Park.

Golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis Kandti) are endemic to the high-altitude forests of this region.  They are a localised subspecies of the widespread  Blue (Syke’s) monkey.  Playful and inquisitive, they are a delight to watch, socialising in the trees and on the forest floor.

After the trek, we’ll take you back to Kigali.  Depending on the timing, you may visit places of interest in Kigali before we say our goodbyes.