4 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari and Mount Karisimbi Hike
4 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari and Mount Karisimbi Hike is an amazing adventure that will take you to Volcanoes national park in northwestern Rwanda where you will engage in an interesting gorilla trekking activity to spend time with the endangered mountain gorillas, visit the local people in the community and hike mount Karisimbi which is the highest volcano within the Virunga mountain ranges and the eleventh highest in Africa. Mount Karisimbi is an inactive volcano which is located in Volcanoes national park at Rwanda’s border with democratic republic of Congo. The volcano rises at an altitude of 4507 meters above the sea level and is surrounded by other volcanoes like Mikeno, Nyiragongo and Bisoke.
Highlights of the 4 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and Mount Karisimbi hike
- Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Volcanoes national park
- Day 2: Gorilla trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
- Day 3: Hike Mount Karisimbi
- Day 4: Ascend to the summit, descend down the mountain and departure to Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Volcanoes national park, depending on your arrival time at Kigali international airport on the first day of the 4 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and mount Karisimbi hike you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to Kigali for a city tour. During the Kigali city tour you will be able to visit craft centers where you will buy craft souvenirs, Kigali genocide memorial center where you will learn about the brutal killing between the Hutus and Tutsi, visit Kimironko local market where you will be able to interact with the local traders. After the city tour you will have lunch and later start the journey to volcanoes national park which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive. On the way you will have stunning views of the country side, rolling hills, beautiful scenery among others and upon arrival you will check into the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking and Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on the second day of the 4 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and mount Karisimbi hike you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people, allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the jungle. Trekking of the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas slept the previous night. Once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat where you will be able to observe their behaviors, watch them feed, play, breastfeed, take photos and record videos with a flash less camera. After the one hour encounter with the mountain gorillas you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for late lunch. After lunch you will go for a cultural tour where you will visit Ibyi’wacu village. During the cultural tour who will be able to interact with the local people which gives you an opportunity to learn about their culture, tradition, lifestyle, visit their farmlands, homesteads, learn how to make local beer from bananas, listen to their ancient stories, taste their local dishes, take part in their traditional performances among others. After the Ibyi’wacu cultural tour, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Hike Mount Karisimbi
Mount Karisimbi hike, after an early breakfast on the third day of the 4 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and mount Karisimbi hike you will carry packed lunch, enough drinking water, camping and hiking gears and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about hiking mount Karisimbi. After the briefing you will drive to the starting point where you will be allocated an experienced guide who is knowledgeable about the mountain, given a walking stick and hire a porter who will carry your backpack and give you a pull or push during hiking. During climbing mount Karisimbi you will pass through different vegetation zones such as bamboo forests in the lower slopes, Hagania Hypericum forest on the higher slopes and giant lobelia where you will be able to see animals and bird species. When you reach 3700 meters you will stop midway for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Hike to the summit, descend down and departure to Kigali
Hike to the summit, on the last day of the 4 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and mount Karisimbi hike you will have breakfast and then embark on the journey to the summit of mount karisimbi. Upon arrival on the top you will have great views of the beautiful scenery, views of mount Muhabura, mount Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira of Democratic republic of Congo, surrounding communities, take incredible photos among others. After the breathtaking views on the top you will start descending down to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for late lunch.
After lunch you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kigali and upon arrival your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali international airport for your departure flight or drop off at any place of advise.
End of 4 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and mount Karisimbi hike
The Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Kigali city tour
- Karisimbi hiking permit
- Ibyi’wacu cultural tour
- Services of an English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
The Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Life insurance
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.