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Itinerary > Rwanda > Rwanda Gorilla Trekking and Wildlife Holidays

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IT04- Gorillas & Lake Kivu: 5 nights

Tracking these majestic beaststhrough the lush vegetation of the Virunga mountains remains without question the most moving wildlife experience to be had. You also have a night at Gisenyi on Lake Kivu. Boat trips to the nearby Primus Brewery to help relax after allyour activity can be arranged. To the south of the town is the 100m high waterfall, Les Chutes de Ndaba which will take your breath away, as will the 3470m high Nyiragongo volcano, visible from where you are in Gisenyi.

Itinerary - 5 nights

DAY 1 : Fly to Kigali, the lively Rwanda capital. At the airport our English-speaking agents will meet and assist you with formalities. Transfer to theKigali Serena Hotel (B&B).

TheKigali Serena Hotel *****
The hotel is situated in the stylish Rue de Revolution in Central Kigali, the commercial hub of Rwanda. A modern monument to world-class service, standards and attention to detail, this spectacular hotel acts as a gateway to the growing number of tourists visiting Rwanda and a meeting place for diplomats and business people. It is where the world's elite stay in sumptuous style. Guest rooms are luxuriously appointed, with a 300 square metre Presidential Suite, six luxury suites, 60 deluxe rooms, 19 superior rooms, 18 studio suites and specially designed and equipped accommodation for disabled guests. All the rooms are climate controlled and feature satellite TV, fax modem points, bar and 24- hour room service.

The hotel also boasts a fully equipped fitness centre, a 24hr business centre, a variety of shops and a swimming pool. Its exclusive restaurants and bars cater for a variety of sophisticated tastes - from the fashionable to the quietly elegant.

DAY 2 : Early transfer by private car to the Volcanoes National Park (about 90 minutes drive from Kigali). The Volcanoes Park is currently the best place anywhere in Africa to go gorilla tracking, while also supporting a number of other localised mammal, bird and plant species. This 13000-hectare national park protects the Rwanda sector of the Virunga Mountains, a range of six extinct and three active volcanoes, which straddle the border with Uganda and the DRC. Between 2500 and 3500m, where an average annual rainfall of 2,000mm is typical, bamboo forest is interspersed with alpine grassland and marsh; a landscape dominated by otherworldly giant lobilia and senecio plants. Wear thick trousers, long-sleeved top against vicious nettles. Pack warm clothes, raincoat and hiking boots. Approximately 300 Mountain Gorillas live the Volcanoes Park. Tourists are permitted to spend no longer than one hour with the gorillas, and it is forbidden to eat or smoke in their presence.

Lunch, dinner and overnight at the Mountain Gorilla Nest lodge (Full board).

Mountain Gorilla Nest Lodge: Volcanoes National Park ***
At the base of the Virunga Mountains the lodge Mountain Gorillas Nest is situated about 2 kms west of the Kinigi Park Headquarters. Set in a lovely rural setting and ideally situated near to the park headquarters in easy reach for the early mornings Gorilla trek registration process. There is no electricity in Kinigi, but the lodge has its own generator. Each room overlooks green lawns which are placed in a semi-circle of 20 double rooms & 2 suites. The rooms all look outwards into the Eucalyptus forest, pyrethrum farms and shambas (farms) beyond. The Lodge is well constructed, but utilitarian: with grass thatched roofs in traditional Rwandese style - not the "rustic luxury safari" style of East and Southern Africa.

DAY 3 : Transfer from the Volcanoes Park to the Gisenyi. The drive to Gisenyi follows a fairly good road and should not take longer than an hour. Relax and swim in the clean and serene beautiful Lake Kivu. Dinner and overnight at Lake Kivu Serena (Full board).

Lake Kivu Serena : Gisenyi ****
Gisenyi is situated on the banks of picturesque Lake Kivu in western Rwanda. The lake is the sixth largest in Africa and the Kivu Sun is on the beach, with views across the water to the Virunga volcanoes. It's a beautiful three-hour drive from Kigali through some of the spectacular scenery in Rwanda.

There are 66 climate-controlled rooms with 6 luxury suites, 23 family rooms and a room for the disabled. Each room will feature satellite TV, fax modems, bars in the suites and 17-hour room service. Downstairs you will find two restaurants: The Kivu Sands and the Lake View Bar and Terrace. The former is a fine dining experience serving buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner with the choice of an a la carte option for lunch and dinner. The Bar and Terrace has live music at weekends and is the place after dark. There is also a fully equipped gym along with an indoor swimming pool and two tennis courts.

DAY 4 : Day at leisure in Gisenyi. Gisenyi is a relaxed, pleasant town that it is enjoyable just strolling and watching life unfold. Boat trips to the islands can be organised with the hotels. Overnight stay at the Lake Kivu Serena (Full board).

DAY 5 : Transfer back to Kigali (about 2Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â½ hours) and visit the Genocide museum. Overnight stay at the Kigali Serena Hotel (B&B).

DAY 6 : Transfer to the airport and fly out.

Prices include

International flight (ex Johannesburg with Rwandair Express), all accommodation and meals as indicated, all excursions with car and English speaking driver/guide, guides in the reserves, one gorilla permit and entrance fees to the Museum and Nyungwe Forest (Chimpanzee permit), mineral water while trekking in the forest, porterage, airport-hotel return transfers.