A Luxury 7-Night Gorillas Golden Monkeys & Batwa Culture Safari

A Detailed 7-Night Gorillas Golden Monkeys & Batwa Culture Safari

Day 1:

Your knowledgeable and helpful Kabira Safaris guide will be waiting for you when you arrive in Kigali. Get transferred to your Kigali hotel

Overnight at The Retreat (dinner, breakfast)

Day 2:

Leave for the Ugandan border and the Mount Gahinga Lodge. The patio offers breathtaking views of the Virunga Volcanoes, perfect for a pre-dinner beverage, or you may stay inside and warm up by the fire.
About four to five hours of driving time
It is imperative that all planes land no later than 10am.

Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (lunch, dinner).

Day 3:

Get going on your gorilla tracking adventure after a hearty breakfast. An awe-inspiring and privileged experience occurs when trekking over steep, densely forested slopes one eventually comes across gorillas concealed in the jungle.

The moment you spot the gorillas hidden in the foliage after a one to three hour climb is awe-inspiring and privileged. Before heading back to the lodge for a late lunch, you will get the opportunity to spend an hour in the presence of the majestic and amiable mountain gorillas.

Trekking with gorillas is an exhausting and physically demanding ordeal that, in particularly wet and muddy conditions, can last an entire day.

Indulge in a complimentary spa treatment or massage, such as the world-renowned Rungu massage, at Gahinga Spa and Sauna to unwind after a day of tracking. Come see the Batwa Vocational Center’s craft workshops and learn how the locals are making a living.

Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Day 4:

Get an early start in the morning and have breakfast before you head on a quest to find the golden monkeys in the bamboo forests of the Himalayas. Monkeys generally travel in big groups and are both photogenic and energetic, whether they’re playing in the treetops or searching for bamboo shoots on the ground.

Afterwards, take a walk up the Gisozi caldera to see the sunset over the Kisoro valley and Lake Mutanda.

Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Day 5:

Get a feel for the history and culture of one of the oldest tribes in Africa at the Gahinga Batwa Village, which you can visit after breakfast. To learn about the Batwa people’s history as forest dwellers and hunter-gatherers, take a tour of their new community center and hamlet and join the Batwa Heritage Tour.

After you have lunch, head back to the lodge and then travel into Rwanda. On a hilltop overlooking the Bulera and Ruhondo lakes and the Virunga volcanic range lies the spectacular Virunga Lodge. The terrace is the perfect spot to watch the sun go down over the lakes while also being enthralled by the vibrant Intore Dance troupe’s performance of traditional Rwandan dances.

Gather in the Virunga Map Room for some pre-dinner cocktails and a fireside discussion with a Gorilla Doctors veterinarian. He or she will fill you in on the day-to-day tasks of ensuring the mountain gorillas’ health.

Driving time approximately 2.5 hours.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Day 6:

Gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans begins with an early breakfast and an early morning start. Ascending the Virunga Volcanoes, go through a lovely bamboo forest. Returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch, you will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and peaceful mountain gorillas after a hike that takes between one and three hours.

Gorilla tracking, particularly in wet and muddy conditions, can take a whole day, and some gorilla families are notoriously difficult to locate.

On your way back to Virunga Lodge, stop by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s new Ellen DeGeneres Campus.

Indulge in a complimentary spa treatment or massage, such as the world-renowned Rungu massage, at Virunga Spa and Sauna to unwind after a day of tracking.

Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Day 7

Begin your day with a hearty breakfast before making your way to the gorilla cemetery, where some of the beloved gorillas that pioneer primatologist Dian Fossey studied rest in peace.

Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Day 8

Assuming time permits, depart from Virunga Lodge and travel to Kigali. Once there, take a city tour and stop by the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Visitors are encouraged to pay or donate directly at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which serves as a powerful reminder of the country’s brave resilience in the face of adversity.

Make sure you get to the airport before your return flight. It will take almost three hours to drive there.

End of the 7-Night Gorillas Golden Monkeys & Batwa Culture Safari