Welcome to Rwanda! On arrival into Kigali International Airport, make your way through passport control and collect your luggage.

All of your luggage will be scanned through an x-ray machine before you head to the arrivals hall. Please note that the following items are strictly prohibited: plastic bags, drones and any form of radio / walkie talkie equipment. 

We recommend that your draw some local currency at the airport before you head to your hotel. Many local businesses around Rwanda prefer to process Rwandan Franks rather than US Dollars, so it is important that you draw some local currency from an ATM before leaving the airport. There is also a small charge as you depart the airport that will need to be settled in the local currency. There are a number of ATM's near your hotel and along your journey and we are very happy to make recommendations of the best places to draw money during the rest of your trip. 

Once you have reached the arrivals hall, you will be met by a representative who will help you with your luggage and take you to your rental vehicle in the car park. They will meet you in the arrivals hall holding a board with your name displayed. 

On arrival, you will be met on the tarmac, and with priority luggage collection you will be assisted through customs and immigration until your driver picks you up outside the arrivals gate. Transfer to Heaven Boutique Hotel.

This morning, you will have the opportunity to track the black-and-white colobus in Nyungwe Forest National Park. These small primates are easily recognisable by their entirely black body with stark white whiskers, shoulders and tip of the tail. A troop of nearly 400 of these monkeys call Nyungwe National Park home, meaning that although sighting wild animals is never guaranteed, you stand a good chance of finding them within an hour or less into the trek.

Social in nature, you will almost certainly experience playful interaction with these curious primates. Doing this trek will give you the opportunity to interact with the largest group of primates on the entire continent of Africa, a truly special experience.

Afternoon local visit to Gisakura tea plantation that will enable you experience and learn the art of picking tea leaves, wander through the lush tea estate to adventure close the variety of parallel ridges of tea plus the attractive mountains and hills that provide a beautiful back drop for the plantation.

You will learn how tea is grown and harvested, the best tea leaves to pick and how to pick them before you put them in an open traditional basket which you will be carrying on your back. After the picking process you will then experience how tea is processed locally by pounding the leaves and drying them, then after checking the well finished product you will do the tasting your own made cup of tea.

NOTE: We will be hiking/walking through the small trails heading to the tea estate where our tea picking will start from, hower, if you are the adventurous type you can opt for an optional tea tour with mountain bikes fr om the starting point to the tea estates and return to the base wh ere the tour ends on your bikes. This is also another good way to explore beautiful trails around Gisakura estates.

Meet your guide and drive back to Nyungwe top view Hotel

Visit the newly discovered waterfall in Nyungwe National Park. As you start to hike higher into the forest, enjoy the gorgeous views northwest to Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several species of primates are commonly found here, as well as many birds.  

You may enjoy the sighting of the waterfall fr om two main vantage points depending upon how wet you want to get. The first is at the end of a short spur, which leads to a picnic bench overlooking the fall at 50 meters distance. Small trees partially obscure the view. The falls can be reached by descending to the wild river below and then clambering over wet rocks to a large boulder in the middle of the amphitheatre. From here, you’ll be close to the bottom of the falls, wh ere it thunders down. 

Afternoon visit to canopy walkway which is accessible from the Uwinka Visitor Centre a Forest Ranger will lead your walk through the forest. With an eye for some of the 310 bird species, butterflies, orchids, centuries-old trees and 75 mammals including 13 primates that live here this walk is a spectacular journey in the largest surviving example of an Afro Montane ecosystem and one of the oldest continuously forested locations on Earth.

The walk includes a 200m long canopy walkway that takes you high above the forest floor providing a unique platform for observing the forest. Overnight at Nyungwe top view Hotel.

Spend an amazing hour watching a troop of wild chimpanzees in the forest! Setting off very early at 5am, you will transfer to a section of Nyungwe Forest known as Cyamudongo, where most of Rwanda’s habituated chimpanzees are located. Here you’ll meet your local ranger a small visitor centre, and then as soon as the trackers locate the family of chimpanzees – that number about 40 individuals – you’ll be off, trekking along the paths but also possibly, scaling short sections of the steep rainforest slopes immersed in the forest. Listen carefully and you may hear the chimps before you see them literally swinging from the trees or possibly running around on the ground all around you!

This is a wonderful wildlife encounter! However, there’s more because chimps are only one of the primate species that are found in Nyungwe Forest; So there’s a good chance you may also encounter some of the others as such as Silver Monkey, L’Hoest Monkey, Owl faced monkeys, Red-Tailed Monkey, Crowned Monkey, Dent’s Mona Monkey, Vervet Monkey and Olive baboons... And if you're into birds then make sure to ask your guides to point out the species that you may find on the trails, which if you're really lucky may include the rather impressive Blue Turaco!

Today you will be transferred by road from Nyungwe Forest National Park to Cormoran Lodge on the shores of Lake Kivu in Karongi. Reaching out into the deep blue waters of Lake Kivu, and built entirely of locally sourced wood, Cormoran Lodge's seven ensuite cottage rooms are perched on a lush hillside near Kibuye. It has a lovely restaurant and bar that serves up some great local fish, Rwandan and international cuisine with a distinctly French feel.

Explore Lake Kivu on a peaceful kayaking journey along the shores of one of Africa’s Great Lakes. With an experienced and qualified leader in charge, you will paddle a modern sea kayak or sit-on-top to dip into inlets and across bays as you soak up the spectacular scenery, meet the fishermen, see local fish farms and optionally visit the hot springs.

You will have the chance to visit a nearby fishing village and you’ll also visit Munini, popularly known as Napoleon Island, for a hike to the summit viewpoint and the spectacle of a raucous bat colony. To finish this adventure, a rewarding swim in the warm, clean water from the kayaks is very refreshing!

Hike to the summit of Munini, popularly known as Napoleon Island (because it’s shaped like his famous hat!), here you'll encounter a raucous colony of thousands of fruit bats that usually roost here during the day and enjoy one of the best views anywhere in Rwanda, a spectacular 360° panorama of Lake Kivu, over to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the lush green hills that form the backdrop to your adventure!

Afternoon Karongi Coffee Tour, This fascinating tour of a thriving Coffee washing station provides brings to life the entire process of harvesting, washing, roasting, grinding and preparing some of the best coffee in Rwanda - and the world. Coffee has literally transferred lives of this small community and created a sustainable income for numerous local families. Overnight at Cormoran Lodge.

Morning transfer to Volcanoes National park.

Afternoon Explore the countryside on a canoe. Set in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes, discover this special way to journey though the countryside in our modern canoes! Soak up impressive views, spot abundant birds, look out for the otters and meet friendly communities. Led by an experienced Kingfisher Journey’s activity leader, this river is mostly very gentle and flat with one short, easy rapid and one section where the water goes quite fast.

The start is a 15 minute transfer from central Musanze (add about 15 minutes from Kinigi). Here your activity leader will give you a briefing on the riverside before you get on the water. The first section is a flat and easy opportunity to learn how to steer your canoe as you float gently downstream. After about 20-30 minutes you will pull over for a short additional briefing about the small rapid, where helmets must be worn. Then as you continue deep into the countryside, you are surrounded by the sights and sounds of rural Rwanda. You’ll be given an additional briefing about the approximately 200m section where
the water speeds up as it goes around a few corners. After about 2.5-3 hours on the water the end of the trip is just after a road bridge. It takes about 20 minutes to drive back to Musanze and a further 15 minutes to Kinigi. Overnight at Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge.

Today you will head out into the forest to track an endangered species of monkey known as the Golden Monkey. Spend 1 hour watching the monkey families play in the forest! This is a wonderful wildlife encounter as the proceeds from tourists visiting goes towards the research into the protection of this species and how to preserve their environment so that they do not become extinct.  And if you're into birds then make sure to ask your guides to point out the species that you may find on the trails, which if you're really lucky may include the rather impressive Blue Turaco!

Meet at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters at 07:00 and at 08:00 you will begin hiking through the forests to spend an hour with a troop of 40-100 playful golden monkeys who are jumping and running all around.  This rare species is listed as endangered and there are currently two troops of monkeys of around 80 members, that have been habituated to visits by tourists in the park. You will trek to find the golden monkeys in a similar way to the gorilla trek, in a small group of no more than six people, spending one hour with the monkeys once you have found them. They are very sprightly creatures, leaping from tree to tree which is really entertaining to watch as they get on with their daily activities.

Afternoon Mountain Biking, With a quality hard-tail mountain bike or e-bike, helmet and cycling gloves provided, you'll explore the Rwandan countryside on the many small tracks and trails that criss-cross the landscape.

The twin lakes of Ruhondo and Burera are two lakes separated by 1km strip of land and produced by volcanic eruptions. This cycle will give you an opportunity to view all the 5 Rwanda volcanoes, this depends on the weather condition. This is a great way to explore the outskirts of Volcanoes.

Depending on your fitness level, we can adjust the routing to something relatively easier. Overnight at Tiloreza Volcanoes ecolodge.

On arrival, everyone will be split into groups of up to 8 people – and maybe joined with other tourists – before being allocated a ranger. You will then drive a short distance to the start of the trail, from where you will trek in the forest for around 1-3 hours or so to meet the gorillas. When you find them, the hour you spend with these incredible primates is a true lifetime experience that you will never forget. To see – and walk amongst – a family of mountain gorillas is a wildlife encounter unlike any other on Earth. You’ll be so close to the individual gorillas. Boisterous adolescents will be misbehaving whilst playful children are constantly demanding the attention of their parents as aunts and uncles wander together in an extended family group under the watchful eye of the silverback. You may only be a visitor, but you will briefly be part of their family in a really remarkable way.

Once you have returned to the Head Quaters, head back to your hotel for a celebration lunch, followed by an afternoon at leisure to relax or visit the local community projects in the area. 

Once you have returned to your lodge after your trek and freshened up, enjoy a celebration lunch before your afternoon activities or evening at leisure.

This morning, your driver will meet you at your hotel in Volcanoes National Park and transfer back to Kigali. END OF SERVICE