Arriving in Kigali you will be welcomed by your expert Safari guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Set off for Mount Gahinga Lodge and cross the border into Uganda. Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace with stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes or warm yourself inside by the cosy fire. Driving time approximately 4 to 5 hours. Please book flights arriving no later than 10:00am. Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge. Meal Plan: (lunch, dinner).

After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. After a climb of between one and three hours the moment you find the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged one. You will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch. Gorilla trekking requires stamina and can sometimes take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy. Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge. Meal Plan: (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Visit the Gahinga Batwa Village and experience the culture and history of one of Africa’s oldest tribes. You will visit their new village and community centre and will participate in the Batwa Heritage Trail to gain insight into their traditional life as hunter-gatherers in the forest and their use of medicinal plants. Enjoy seeing the Batwa Dance Group perform their traditional dance and visit the Batwa Vocational Center. Return to the lodge and after lunch drive across the border into Rwanda. The magnificent Virunga Lodge is perched on the top of a hill with panoramic views of the chain of volcanoes and Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo. From the terrace you can take in the sunset over the lakes and enjoy an exhilarating performance from the colourful Intore Dance troupe that showcases the unique Rwandese culture. Driving time approximately 2.5 hours. Overnight at Virunga Lodge. Meal Plan: (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Wake up early and have breakfast before setting off for gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans. Hike through the enchanting bamboo forest on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes. After a climb of between one and three hours, you will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch. Some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy. Overnight at Virunga Lodge. Meal Plan: (Breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Choose from one of the optional activities:

• Go for a second gorilla trek (additional permits required).
• Trek the endangered and rare golden monkey.
• Trek to the grave of pioneer primatologist Dian Fossey and visit the gorilla cemetery, the final resting place of some of her favorite gorillas.
• Visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, near Kinigi.
• Take a guided birding and community walk to Lake Bulera, to experience village life.

Leave Virunga Lodge and drive to Kigali, and time permitting, enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly). Transfer to the airport in time for your return flight. Meal Plan: (breakfast, lunch) Driving time approximately 3 hours