4 Days Rwanda Gorilla Safari Adventure

Tour details

Duration: 4 days

Best for: Travellers who want gorilla trekking without spending a week, and who want Kigali's history explained before they go into the forest

Group size: Private tour, your group and your guide

Travel style: Gorilla trekking, Golden monkeys, Cultural, City break

Introduction

You have four days. That's enough time to track mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, meet a golden monkey family, and see Kigali up close. This trip starts and ends in Kigali.

You want gorilla trekking without spending a week to get it. This itinerary fits it into four days: one day to arrive and settle in, one for Kigali and the transfer to the park, one for gorilla trekking, and one for golden monkeys before you fly home.

On this journey, you will explore the following highlights:

Gorilla Tracking - The Ultimate Wildlife Encounter

Volcanoes National Park

Kigali City - The Heart of Rwanda

Cultural Encounters – Meet Uganda’s Communities

Day to day programme

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali

Land at Kigali International Airport. Your guide meets you and drives you to your hotel, 20 to 30 minutes away. You'll get a briefing on what to expect over the next four days, plus the do's and don'ts of gorilla trekking. Bed and breakfast included.

Day 2: Kigali city tour, then transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Morning breakfast, then a half-day tour of Kigali. This includes the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site and Museum, Nyamata Genocide Church, and the local markets. After lunch, you'll drive two hours to Volcanoes National Park, home to Rwanda's habituated gorilla families, golden monkeys, and a long list of bird species. Dinner and overnight at your lodge. Full board.

Day 3: Gorilla trekking and a community walk

After breakfast, transfer to park headquarters for your briefing. Pack lunch, water, and hire a porter if you want one; trek time is unpredictable and can run into a full day depending on where the gorillas were last seen. Once you find your family, you get one hour with them. Bring a camera.

In the evening, visit Ibwachu Cultural Village, run by former poachers who now work in conservation. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Day 4: Golden monkey tracking, then transfer to Kigali

Back to the park for a second briefing, this time for golden monkey tracking on the slopes of Karisimbi or Mount Sabinyo. This trek is shorter than gorilla trekking; the monkeys are easier to locate. After lunch, you'll drive back to Kigali for your departure flight.

What does gorilla trekking in Rwanda actually involve?

Rwanda's gorillas are among the easiest to reach on the continent. Treks run from one to six hours, depending on where the family moved the night before. Tell your guide if you need an easier group. They adjust for you.

Age is not a barrier. Guides here have led 90-year-old trekkers to a successful sighting. If the hike is too much, you can hire porters or a sedan chair.

Volcanoes National Park is covered in bamboo forest, not the tropical rainforest you'd find in Uganda's Bwindi. The Virunga slopes give the trek a different feel: cooler air, steeper ground, and gorilla families that move through bamboo stands instead of dense undergrowth.

Groups are capped at 8 people per gorilla family. Once you find them, you get one hour with them. That hour is the whole point of the trip.

Where you'll stay

Kigali (Day 1): Scheba Hotel or Chez Lando Hotel (budget), Heaven Boutique Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel or Lemigo Hotel (midrange), Kigali Serena or The Retreat (luxury).

Volcanoes National Park (Days 2 and 3): Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge or Davinci Lodge (budget), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Five Volcanoes Lodge or Ingagi Park View Lodge (midrange), Bisate Lodge, One & Only Gorilla's Nest, Bishop's House, Virunga Lodge or Sabinyo Lodge (luxury).

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What's included

Includes

• Accommodation, full board
• One gorilla permit per person
• Park entrance fees
• Internal local flights
• Private guide for all sightseeing
• All transfers listed in the itinerary

Excludes

• Drinks
• Gratuities
• International flights
• Travel insurance
• Visa fees

Accommodations

During the trip, you will stay at:

Kigali: Scheba Hotel or Chez Lando Hotel (budget), Heaven Boutique Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel or Lemigo Hotel (midrange), Kigali Serena or The Retreat (luxury), bed and breakfast.

Volcanoes National Park: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge or Davinci Lodge (budget), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Five Volcanoes Lodge or Ingagi Park View Lodge (midrange), Bisate Lodge, One & Only Gorilla's Nest, Bishop's House, Virunga Lodge or Sabinyo Lodge (luxury), full board.

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