Day 1: Kigali Arrival of your flight at the Kigali International Airport. Meet and greet assistance by Akagera Aviation. (A negative COVID 19 test result or vaccination certificate needs to be presented during clearance). You will take a covid test (PCR). Once done, you will be handed over to and warmly welcomed by our representative outside customs and immigration hall. Transfer to your hotel in the city. Arrive and check in assistance. Tour briefing will take place at the lobby. Dinner will follow (may be in the room as your results will take about 6 – 8 hours) and overnight stay. Located in the very heart of the city center – best known as Kiyovu, 5 Swiss Hotel is situated in a secured and peaceful area with a breath taking view over the hills of Kigali. The hotel is at the center of a multitude of international and local restaurants and is only a few steps away from the city business center; including the National Bank of Rwanda – the country Central Bank. 5 Swiss Hotel offers a full range of services in order to meet your leisure, secretarial, business and logistic needs. The front desk is there 24 hours to take care of all your requests in order to make your stay an enjoyable one. 5 Swiss Hotel (Dinner, Bed & Breakfast) *Alternative accommodation; The Kigali Serena Hotel, Kigali Marriott, the Retreat by Heaven
Day 2: Kigali- Musanze/ Volcanoes National Park (02h30 drive) Breakfast at the hotel and check out. (Your results should be out by 10h00) 09h00: Proceed on a city tour that will include visits to the Kigali Genocide memorial and the Choose Kigali arts gallery. Highlight; Perhaps the city’s best known landmark, and with good reason, is the very insightful and moving Kigali Genocide Memorial standing amid beautiful rose gardens and fountains. The memorial sets out the history leading up to the genocide in Rwanda and also explains other genocides around the world. It includes poignant displays of victims’ photographs and belongings, bringing the realities of the atrocities to life. While it might seem an unusual tourist attraction and can be upsetting, it does help to put into context how and why the genocide happened and to better appreciate just how far the country has moved on together in the intervening years. It also plays a vital role in educating Rwanda’s new and future generations about the genocide. Choose Kigali was founded by a world renowned artist Emmanuel Nkuranga in 2019.Located in Kiyovu, the historic heart of the city, Choose Kigali is at its core a creative space. This space includes several floors of open gallery that feature a rotating slate of Africa’s latest contemporary art. With an advanced booking, get a private tour of the gallery and learn about the meaning behind the works. Alongside Nkuranga’s work is the visiting Artist gallery. Have lunch at Khana kazana Restaurant. At 15h00, have a leisurely drive to Musanze & Volcanoes National Park region. Arrive in the evening at 17h30 and assisted with check in over a welcome drink. Dinner will follow at 19h00. Overnight stay FIVE VOLCANOES BOUTIQUE HOTEL (FB I.e. Lunch (Restaurant), Dinner, Bed and Breakfast) Alternate accommodation: The Bishops House, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, One & Only Gorillas Nest Lodge
Day 3: Volcanoes National Park (Golden monkey trek & Culture) Early breakfast at the hotel then transferred to Volcanoes National Park in time for Golden monkey trek briefing that’s scheduled to take place at 07h00. At 08h00, proceed to trailhead and begin the adventure. Trekking to see the golden monkeys is another highlight of Volcanoes National Park. The Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus Mitis Kandti) is a local subspecies of the widespread Sykes Monkey, also known as the “Blue Monkey” and is endemic to the high altitude forests. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping from bamboo branches or frolicking on the forest floor. There are two habituated groups of Golden Monkey, one group comprises around 80 – 100 members and has its home at the foot of Mt Sabyinyo. After this experience, transfer to your hotel in time for lunch. (Take a covid test to enable you to travel on the last day) This afternoon at 15h30, you will have an exclusive visit to the Gorilla Guardians Village. This Village offers an adventurous visit to a traditional rural Rwandan village that has existed for centuries living with and next to mountain gorillas at Parc National des Volcans. The visit will genuinely welcome you as a special guest while they proudly present to you aspects of their traditions and beliefs. The village also gives a chance to the visitors to enjoy the eight different local dances, listen to Gorilla songs, local food preparations, visit the local healer, visit the king’s place and get to hear all the old stories. Later, proceed to a local hospital for your covid test to enable departure back home on the last day. Dinner and overnight. Five Volcanoes Boutique hotels (FB; Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
Day 4: Volcanoes National Park (Gorilla trek & twin lakes) – KIGALI (2h30 drive) Early breakfast at the hotel then proceed to the park headquarters in time for your Gorilla Trek briefing at 07h00. You will be transferred to the trailhead where you will join others and start your guided walk at 08h00. Volcanoes National Park is the Rwandan section of the great volcanic massif called the Virunga Mountains that straddles the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. The massif covers a huge area of over 8,000km², encompassing six active and three extinct volcanoes. There is no other wildlife experience quite like an encounter with mountain gorillas. That precious hour spent in their company – watching the group playing, sulking, teasing each other, eating, or dozing just like we do – is extraordinary. And the gorilla tracking safaris in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park are among the best in Africa. Rwanda is now home to twelve habituated groups of mountain gorillas that are scattered all over Volcanoes National Park. Gorilla trekking can be arduous – some of the groups wander high up the mountainsides – but it is always utterly rewarding. After this exciting experience, return to your hotel in time for lunch then check out. Visit the twin lakes of Ruhondo and Burera. Later, drive back to Kigali. Arrive and check in, followed by dinner and overnight stay. 5 Swiss Hotel Or similar (FB; Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast Basis)
*Alternative accommodation; The Kigali Serena Hotel, Kigali Marriott, the Retreat by Heaven
Day 5: KIGALI Q HOMEBOUND
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out based on your flight details. Transfer to the Kigali International Airport. Bid farewell to your driver guide and proceed to check in for your outbound flight. (You will be required to present a negative PCR test taken at least 48 hours before travel).
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