Elegant Rwanda Gorilla Trek
Experience the unforgettable travel highlight of Gorilla trekking in Rwanda. This excursion stays in luxurious accommodation and includes time in Kigali for a city tour and a visit to the Genocide Memorial Museum.
Experience the unforgettable travel highlight of Gorilla trekking in Rwanda. This excursion stays in luxurious accommodation and includes time in Kigali for a city tour and a visit to the Genocide Memorial Museum.
On arrival at Kigali Airport you will be met by our Meet and Greet team and transferred to the Kigali Serena Hotel for your overnight rest.
This morning we will embark on a city tour of Kigali including the Genocide Memorial site a grim reminder of a senseless massacre of innocent’s lives in 1994. Learn about Rwanda’s history from pre-colonial times to the 1994 genocide; learn about other genocides in the world and how this country has dealt with that past. Tour more and see the new developments in Rwanda; the recovery has been incredible, a testament to humankind’s resilience.
After this we depart on scenic drive northwestwards through the beautiful terraced hillsides that display Rwanda’s landscape. Arrive at Musanze, the base for Gorilla trekking at the Parc National des Volcans. The town itself, located only 25km from Uganda boarder, is relatively a small city of about 70,000 people. The constant flow of humanity is quite remarkable.
Check into the luxurious and intimate Bisate Lodge for a two night stay. Bisate is located in the natural amphitheatre of an eroded volcanic cone, with dramatic views of the peaks of the Bisoke and Karisimbi volcanoes rearing up through Afro-alpine forests. Encountering one of the gorilla groups in the nearby Volcanoes National Park is a unique experience. Six opulent en-suite forest villas maximise comfort and views while adhering to environmentally responsible principles and reflecting the rich culture of rural Rwanda. Bisate is within easy driving distance of the Park Headquarters, from where gorilla treks depart daily. Walks on Bisate’s property offer birding and participation in the reforestation programme.
After your morning wake-up call and breakfast transfer by road in a 4WD Land Cruiser and report to the park headquarters, for gorilla trekking formalities and briefing by the Volcanoes National Park’s guides on the gorillas’ etiquette. The gorilla group that you will visit will depend on the assignment of travellers to the ten habituated gorilla groups. Park rangers have already left to locate the ten habituated Gorilla groups that are accessible to visitors. You will be assigned to a specific group of gorillas. Groups of trekkers will have a maximum of eight visitors per gorilla family. Your trek will vary in length depending on which gorilla group you have been assigned to and will commence at about 7,000 feet of altitude in the upper terraced slopes of the volcano.
Soon you will enter the forest of bamboo and thick undergrowth. You follow paths and the walking is steep but not overly strenuous. Nothing can prepare one for the impact of encountering a fully grown silverback gorilla: up to three times as bulky as the average man, yet remarkably peaceful and tolerant of human visitors. There are no words to describe the thrill of recognition attached to staring deep into the liquid brown eyes of these gentle giants, which share some 97% of their genes with humans. After locating your assigned Gorilla group you will spend one hour in their company before retracing your steps back down the volcano slopes.
Lunch at the lodge and relaxation for the rest of the afternoon.
It’s a leisurely breakfast and check out this morning before you drive back to Kigali and on to Kigali International airport for your onwards departure. You may wish to extend your stay by adding another night in the park along with the opportunity to do a second Gorilla trek visiting a different family than the day before.
Ideally located on one of Kigali's most charming boulevards, the five-star Kigali Serena Hotel is built around a polished granite atrium, which showcases the very best of Rwandese cultural art. Relaxed yet elegant, the hotel centres on the Executive Lounge and Bar, which opens onto a wide sundeck overlooking the newly refurbished swimming pool. Also overlooking the pool, the popular Milima Restaurant offers a wide range of all-day buffet choices, while the relaxed Sokoni Café offers inside and outside poolside seating. The capital's natural business hub, the hotel also boasts its own extensive conference centre, 500-seater auditorium and lavish ballroom.
The hotel features 148 rooms. Guests can choose from a selection of 60 Standard Rooms, 37 Superior Rooms, 19 Deluxe Rooms, 18 Junior Suites, 7 Prime Rooms, 6 Executive Suites and a luxury Presidential Suite. In-room facilities include 24 hour room service, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, tea/coffee making facilities, mini fridge, hair dryer, private safe and a flat screen satellite TV.
Place: Wilderness Bisate lies in the natural amphitheatre of an extinct volcanic crater – the word bisate means ‘pieces’ in Kinyarwanda, describing how the cone has been worn away by natural erosion. Perched dramatically on the edge of Volcanoes National Park (VNP), in north-west Rwanda, with spectacular misty views of the brooding Bisoke and Karisimbi volcano peaks rising through the Afro-alpine forests – Rwanda is one of the most thrilling safari destinations in Africa. The lodge is within easy driving distance of Park Headquarters, from where once-in-a-lifetime gorilla treks depart daily. While gorilla trekking is the star attraction, nearby Volcanoes National Park offers other adventures: climbing Mount Bisoke, visit to the Gorilla Guardian Village, golden monkey trekking, or a visit to Dian Fossey’s burial site. On lodge property, explore nature trails where birds proliferate, and a camera trap having recorded a first: a silverback gorilla lumbering along a path. Plant a tree towards Bisate’s reforestation project, helping to lure wildlife back to the area. Or meet members of the surrounding community whose lives are so integral to the lodge.
Wildlife: Aside from the area’s iconic mountain gorillas, other mammals that call Volcanoes National Park home include the golden monkey, side-striped jackal, serval, black-fronted duiker, buffalo, elephant, tree hyrax, bushbuck and Egyptian mongoose. In addition, a variety of squirrel and genet species are to be found here. Of the 178 bird species in the area, at least 13 are endemic to the Virunga area such as Archer’s robin chat, mountain black boubou, strange weaver, Rwenzori batis, mountain masked apalis and Rwenzori (collared) apalis.
Accommodation: Since opening in 2017, Wilderness Bisate has been awarded numerous accolades for tis visionary sustainability impact, and continues to inspire superlatives. Both the architecture of the lodge, and the interiors of the six opulent en-suite Forest Villas beautifully embody the traditions of Rwandan royalty. Edifying cultural interactions, sophisticated, health-conscious dining, and exuberant hospitality – all make your stay superior.
Purpose: The vision of Wilderness Bisate is to be a model of conservation tourism in Rwanda. Its pioneering reforestation and rehabilitation projects has each guest partnering with us in contributing to biodiversity conservation and local community upliftment, making a far-reaching positive impact on an iconic endangered species: the mountain gorilla.
Unique Selling Points
Season Start | Season End | Price Sharing | Single Supplement | Gorilla Permit | Chimp Permit | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 Mar 2023 | 31 May 2023 | 5,640 | 1,455 | 1,500 | 7,140 | |
01 Jun 2023 | 31 Oct 2023 | 7,575 | 3,280 | 1,500 | 9,075 | |
01 Nov 2023 | 15 Dec 2023 | 5,640 | 1,455 | 1,500 | 7,140 | |
16 Dec 2023 | 31 Dec 2023 | 7,575 | 3,280 | 1,500 | 9,075 |
Dates reflect seasonality, please enquire for specific availability.
Airport transfers.
Accommodation.
Meals as indicated.
City tour and visit to the museum.
Professional guide.
International airfare.
Visas.
Travel insurance.
Gratuities.
Drinks.
Optional activities.
Gorilla permit.
Items of a personal nature.
Ideally located on one of Kigali's most charming boulevards, the five-star Kigali Serena Hotel is built around a polished granite atrium, which showcases the very...
Wilderness Bisate is located in the natural amphitheatre of an eroded volcanic cone and has dramatic views of the peaks of the volcanoes, Bisoke and...
Wilderness Bisate is located in the natural amphitheatre of an eroded volcanic cone and has dramatic views of the peaks of the volcanoes, Bisoke and...
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