3 Days Gorilla Tour and Mount Bisoke Volcano Hike

Our company guide will be at the airport or your hotel lobby early in the morning for pick up to start your tour. You will first start with a half day tour of Kigali city and especially the renowned Kigali genocide memorial center where you will learn about what happened during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. After visiting the genocide site, you will visit the local markets, the presidential palace museum and a few artisan shops. Once done with the city tour, you will be taken for lunch at a suitable hotel before hitting the road to the Volcanoes national park. The countryside is beautiful and mountainous and you will find out why Rwanda is referred to as “The land of a thousand hills”.

Once you reach the Volcanoes National Park, check in, shower and relax as you wait for the driver to take you to the Gorilla Guardian Village. The Village was formerly known as the Iby’iwacu cultural Center. It started as a place where tourists would go to buy souvenir from former poachers but has been revamped and turned into one of the leading cultural centers in the country. On a typical day, tourist visit the different rooms or attend to dance performances from the Kinyarwanda dance troupes. You can also get involved by putting on traditional regalia or learn how to hunt from the local Batwa pygmies.

Dinner and sleep at Hotel Muhabura (Budget), Davinci Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range) and Virunga Lodge (Luxury.

You will set off by 7:30am for the briefing at the volcanoes national park offices after breakfast at your hotel. It takes between 4 to 6 hours to hike mount Bisoke. The actual hike starts at 8:00am. After the briefing, you will be taken by car to the starting point. This is because the Bisoke head trail is some distance away from the park offices. It’s advisable to get yourself a porter to carry any heavy backpack or camera. The park authorities will provide you with a hiking stick. On reaching the summit, expect to view the magnificent crater lake on top of the volcano. Apart from the crater lake at the summit, the other thing to look forward to is the surrounding landscape. From the summit, one can spot beautiful views of the other Virunga ranges of mountains, the volcanoes national park, Virunga National Park, Mgahinga National Park and the Rwenzori mountains. Once done with enjoying the beautiful views from the mountain top, you will descend down and head back to the starting point where you will meet our company guide ready to take you back to your hotel.

Dinner and sleep at Hotel Muhabura (Budget), Davinci Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range) and Virunga Lodge (Luxury).

Briefing for gorilla trekking takes place at 7:00am and is conducted by park officials at their headquarters in Kinigi. All trekkers must be at the park offices by this time and must attend the briefing in order to be registered. The briefing is an overview of what to expect during gorilla tracking. Gorilla tracking in the Volcanoes National Park can be challenging but the excitement of observing a gorilla family is beyond your imagination. The one hour you spend with the mountain gorillas will be a lifetime experience. Watching a gorilla family is breathtaking and you could spend hours just seeing the little ones play. The park officials will guide you on how to manage your time with the primates. Never attempt to touch a gorilla even when they come to you. You can read more about the rules for gorilla tracking in Rwanda. After your one hour with the gorillas, return back to the starting point where you will meet our company guide to drive take you back to your hotel for lunch and changing of clothes. From the lodge, you will start the journey back to Kigali for departure (airport) or to your hotel in Kigali.