7-Day Lowland Gorilla Trekking

7-Day Lowland Gorilla Trekking; Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer & Boat Trip – Akagera National Park

Embark on your journey from Kigali to Akagera National Park. Upon arrival at your lodge, check-in, hot lunch and head out to enjoy a boat excursion on Lake Ihema. Later, return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation:

Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Camp

Midrange: Akagera Safari Lodge

Best Budget: Dereva Hotel

Meal plan: Lunch & Dinner

Day 2: Morning Game Drive & Transfer – Volcanoes National Park

After an early morning breakfast, we embark on a half-day game drive. you have an opportunity to get up close to a variety of wildlife species in their natural habitat. The game drive allows you to witness the beauty of the park and observe animals such as Lions, Leopards, rhinos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and various antelope species.
Upon completing the game drive in Akagera National Park, we exit the park through the Northern gate. From there, we proceed to Volcanoes National Park, which is situated in the northwestern part of Rwanda. The journey to Volcanoes National Park takes you through Byumba, offering picturesque views of the Rwandan countryside along the way.

Accommodation:

Luxury: Mountain Gorillas View Lodge

Midrange: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

Best Budget: La Palme Hotel (Budget)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking & Gorilla Guardian’s Village Visit

After an early morning breakfast, your driver guide will transfer you to the briefing area at the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park. The ranger guide will share tips on the dos and don’ts during your time in the jungle and encountering mountain gorillas.  In the meantime, you will enjoy traditional Rwandan dancers and pure Rwandan coffee as you wait to start your trek. After the briefing, you are distributed in different gorilla family groups to start the trek. Gorilla trekking requires that you be relatively fit to enjoy hiking in the Volcanoes.

If the family of gorillas you visit is nearby and you can finish this activity in the morning, you will visit the gorilla guardian’s village to learn more about the Rwandan culture and the people who co-existed with the gorillas for centuries.

Accommodation:

Luxury: Mountain Gorillas View Lodge

Midrange: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

Best Budget: La Palme Hotel (Budget)

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Golden Monkey Trekking & Transfer – Nyungwe National Park

After an early morning breakfast, drive to the park headquarters at Kinigi for golden monkey trekking. These primates are beautiful, endangered, and more agile than mountain gorillas. They inhabit bamboo thickets on the lower slopes of mountains. Trekking them helps acclimatize you to the slight altitude and provides your last views of the park’s surroundings. Following this activity, there will be a transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Accommodation:

Luxury: Nyungwe Top View

Midrange: Chimpanzee Lodge

Best Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy walk, Nyungwe National Park

After an early breakfast, we will drive to the Chimp trekking point. After trekking, the canopy walkway follows. This walkway is 50 meters above ground and 200 meters long. The dizzying platform is above a steep, deep valley across a massive forest. The hanging platform, which allows visitors to view different animal species in the Nyungwe Forest National Park, spreads over hundreds of square meters and will let visitors be at eye level with different primate and bird species, all of which inhabit the upper scales of the forest.

Accommodation:

Luxury: Mantis Kivu Marina

Midrange: Emeraude Kivu Resort

Best Budget: Emeraude Kivu Resort

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Transfer – Kahuzi Biega National Park

Today after your tasty breakfast, you will cross the border at Rusiizi to Tshivanga, the headquarters of Kahuzi Biega NP in Congo (DRC) for your lowland Gorilla Trekking adventure. Upon arrival, you will receive an introduction from the park warden about lowland gorillas, including interesting facts and comparisons with other gorilla subspecies. Following this briefing, you will join a team of experienced rangers and trackers who will drive you closer to the starting point of the hiking trail that leads to where the gorillas can be found.
The gorilla trekking experience can vary from 2 to 8 hours depending on the movements of the gorillas. Once the gorillas are located, you will have the incredible opportunity to spend an hour observing and interacting with them in their natural habitat. After this unforgettable experience, you will return to Bukavu for an overnight stay and If time permits you will cross back to Rwanda.

Accommodation:

Luxury: Mantis Kivu Marina

Midrange: Emeraude Kivu Resort

Best Budget: Emeraude Kivu Resort

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Transfer – Kigali International Airport

After an early morning breakfast, transfer back to Kigali marking the end of your safari. Your driver guide will drop you at the airport for your outbound journey back home or your planned hotel.