Rwanda - Gorillas & Climbing the Karisimbi Volcano
- Min. 2 participants. For Gorillas the min. age is 15 years.
- You can choose from 2 hotel categories. see the hotels proposed in the day by day program, itinerary)
- Only the Park Authorities will assign you a gorilla group. Communicate your wishes to our driver-guide he will make some arrangements for you! The Sussa group leaves at the Karisimbi volcano and is more challenging with much longer hiking times!
- Flash photograpy is not permitted when tracking the gorillas.
- What is included?
Tour Includes: Airport transfers,accommodation, all meals, plenty of mineral water, the services of a driver-guide, camping equipemnt, all park and entry fees, all activities as per programme: visit of Kigali including the Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi, 1 gorilla trekking, hiking the Karisimbi volcano (4.507 m).
Excludes: Airline ticket, beverages, tips, visas and personal expenses.
- What to bring with you?
Money for your personal expenses (average of $ 50 p.p.), outfit witha dapted colours for wildlife observation, good walking shoes, raingear, a few long-sleeve shirts, slippers, sweater for cool evenings, sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sun cream, video/photo camera, a 200 mm or longer telepholens is very usefull, reserve batteries, films and a torch.
- Flights to Tanzania: We are the booking Agent of
Rwandairexpress (Kilimanjaro) and Coastal Aviation (charter flights to Arusha,
Serengeti, Manyara).
- WARNING: Gorilla permits are in high demand and need to be booked and paid in advance! Book your gorilla safari accordingly and avoid disappointment!
Duration : 5 Days
Travelstyles : Road Safaris, Private Safaris, Lodge Safaris
Activities : Gorilla Trekking, Mountaineering
Parks & places : Genocide Memorial Centre - Gisozi & others, Volcanoes National Park
Itinerary
Day 1 : Arrival and transfer to Kinigi (Volcanoes NP)
Meet and greet at the Kigali International Airport by your Safari driver-guide. Depending on your arrival time, your driver-guide may propose you a visit of Kigali city which includes the Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi.
Transfer to Kinigi at the foothills of the Volcanoes. Diner (D) is included in the package. Hotel accommodation at your choice.
Flights: There are daily flights to Kigali out of Nairobi with Kenya Airways and Rwandair Express. This makes it easy to combine your short gorilla safari with another East-African safari.
Parks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 2 : Gorilla Tracking
After breakfast, you will depart for the Headquarters of the Park where your driver-guide will accomplish the necessary formalities for you. You will meet your ranger guide(s) for a briefing about the greatest animal experience ever!
Magic Safaris will drive you to the slopes of one of the Virunga volcanoes for your trekking. After the trekking, if time allows lunch at Ruhengeri and an excursion to explore the beautiful lakes in the region (Lake Bulera & Ruhondo). Overnight at Kinigi. Your guide will make the necessary arrangements for the next day. (B-L-D)
Activities : Gorilla TrekkingParks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 3 : Hiking the Karisimbi ( First day)
Its name in Kinyarwanda means "white shell", which refers to its often white-capped summit. The Karisimbi is the fifth highest mountain of Africa. The climb will start early in the morning and takes 6 hours. You will climb further via the Bisoke side, before reaching the first stopping place at an altitude of 3.700 m for overnight (camping). (B-L-D)
The best months to climb the Karisimbi are: January, February, March and July, August, September.
Activities : MountaineeringParks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 4 : Hiking the Karisimbi (second day) - Kinigi - Kigali
Early morning breakfast and you continue climbing up to the top. It will take about 4 hours to reach the summit of the volcano. Expect stunning sceenery and fascinating vegetation. Descent of the volcano will take approximately 6 hours. Your guide will be waiting for you at the foothill and transfer you to Kigali for overnight at the hotel of your choice. (B-L-D)
Activities : Mountaineering
Parks & places : Volcanoes National Park
Day 5 : Kigali Visit and Departure
Pick up at your hotel, depending on you departure time and if you missed the
opportunity on the first day, you will have Kigali city trip including the visit
of the Genocide Memorial Centre at Gizozi. Transfer to the Airport for your
departure. (B)
Genocide Memorials: In Rwanda you will find all over the country Memorials to remember the genocide of 1994. The most important Genocide Memorials are those of Kigali (Gisozi) and Murambi (Gikongoro) where the history of the genocide is explained. A visit to the genocide memorial is for most visitors an emotional event.
Important: Before you travel please check your Tour Voucher and Arrival Information for the latest joining instructions. This will be sent to you upon receipt of final payment.
All itineraries are subject to change without prior notice.
The American naturalist Diane Fossey (Author of Gorillas in the Mist) dispelled the myths and revealed that gorillas are in fact shy and gentle creatures, intelligent, sociable and given to aggression only as a means of defence. We owe Diane Fossey a great debt for bringing the gorillas to public attention and inspiring the governments to introduce laws for their protection. She also contributed largely to set out the basic rules for gorilla viewing. Today the International Gorilla Conservation Programme covers all three countries, and it is most certainly a great privilege to be able to visit these mountain gorillas (gorilla gorilla beringei ).
The entire world population is found in 2 only conservation area. The volcanic Virunga Mountains, which straddle the common borders of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, and in South Western Uganda's Impenetrable Forest. Both conservation area give a different gorilla experience. The habitat in Bwindi Impenetrable NP is a dense rainforest while in Kinigi, Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and Mt Mgahinga (Uganda) the habitat of the gorillas is part of the Virunga, the famous chain of volcanoes located in Congo, Rwanda and also partially in Uganda.
A typical gorilla trekking starts with assigning the visitors to the respective habituated gorilla groups. In Bwindi the groups are assigned when buying the gorilla permit while in Rwanda the Park Authorities will assign them on site the day of the trekking.
After this formality the Rangers will give you a briefing of the way they will conduct this fantastic guided nature walk to the gorillas. They will give you extensive information on the environment, the gorilla family you will visit and the way you should behave with them. The so named “gorilla rules” will be clearly set out because it’s a corner stone in the conservation of the gorillas. There is not only a high risk of disease transmission to gorillas and vice versa, but the daily visits can cause behavioural disturbance and stress to gorillas. Please respect the rules!
After the briefing we will drive you to nearest location outside the park and from there your rangers will guide you to the gorillas. Gorilla trekking is unpredictable and it’s difficult to foresee how many hours you will hike. In Bwindi the hiking time are generally much challenging. The terrain is usually more difficult in the rainforest and hiking times are longer because when looking for food Bwindi gorillas tend to travel longer distances per day. In Rwanda the gorilla trekking is usually easier except for the challenging Sussa group located at the Karisimbi volcano.
This doesn’t mean that you don’t need a good physical condition in Rwanda. We have seen several times that visitors had some problems during their trekking. Rain can get you by surprise and during the dry season gorilla tend to climb higher for their preferred bamboo shoots. It has to be said that the park rangers and the porters are extremely helpful and will do everything they can to make sure that visitors can see the gorillas. We therefore strongly advise not to hesitate to take a porter. Porters can not only be very efficient but in return you help local communities to benefit from tourism! There is also a very efficient rescue team available in the parks for visitor getting in trouble!
For conservation purposed the time spend with the gorillas is limited to one hour. The daily visits have an impact on gorilla activity patterns. The daily visits are a source of animal stress and less feeding are a strong justification for he one-hour rule.
Gorilla trekking is the strongest animal experience ever! Tracking the gorillas is a unique experience - it leads you to meet unusual creatures on their own terms and it’s a very intense and trilling experience! You will be rewarded with a certificate of the National Park!
