Day 1 - Arrival into Kigali

Check-in 14:00 - Heaven Boutique Hotel Villa

Heaven Boutique Hotel is a popular four star hotel with 30 rooms located on two separate properties in a peaceful, residential area of Kigali. Heaven Boutique Hotel features local Rwandan décor, warm hospitality, delicious breakfasts at Heaven Restaurant, and access to a solar-heated salt water swimming pool, outdoor yoga deck and fitness center.

Day 2 - Orientation day in Kigali

Start at 09:00 - Nyamirambo Walking Tour

Nyamirambo Women's Center offers tourists a uniquely personal insight into the culture, history, and daily life of their community. All of the tour guides either grew up in Nyamirambo or live there, so the tours truly are a welcome into their home. Profits from the tours also go back into the Center and is used to pay seamstresses a fair wage and fund community engagement initiatives, which include free literacy classes; a library with afternoon programming for children; and periodical sewing courses, English classes, and workshops on women's rights, health, and nutrition. Walking Tour of Nyamirambo The walking tour begins at the Women’s Center with a traditional snack, a quick Kinyarwanda language lesson, and an introduction to the Center and its activities. It then weaves through Nyamirambo, one of Kigali’s oldest neighborhoods. Along the way guides lead participants into a women's hairdressing salon where the adventurous type can get a free braid; into a family compound to pound cassava leaves; by two mosques and a lookout view over Kigali; and into a tailor shop to feel the fabrics you'll otherwise see styled on the streets. The tour concludes with an (optional) traditional lunch made and served in the home of Aminatha, NWC's best cook!

14:30 - Kigali Genocide Memorial Visit

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is a place of remembrance & learning where you will have time to reflect on a tragic time in Rwanda’s past. As you walk around the memorial and think about and remember the victims, 250,000 of whom have their final resting place here, you will be moved by the shocking events that led up to and took place during the genocide.

Day 3 - Kigali to Volcanoes National Park

Start at 11:00 - The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

To visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is to see gorilla conservation in action. Building on Dian Fossey's pioneering work, now that gorilla populations of the Virunga Volcanoes are slowly increasing and their habitats are being protected, this centre is a highly recommended, remarkable place to visit. Mountain gorillas have been monitored and studied closely since Dian Fossey began her work with them in 1967, after establishing the Karisoke Research Center. She started the process of habituating them to the presence of human observers so that she could closely observe and document their behaviors, status, movements and other important information. Today, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund trackers and researchers protect and study roughly half of all the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, with the other half protected by the Rwandan national park authorities. “Little did I know then that by setting up two small tents in the wilderness of the Virungas I had launched the beginnings of what was to become an internationally renowned research station eventually to be utilized by students and scientists from many countries,” Fossey wrote in her book “Gorillas in the Mist,” about the founding of “Karisoke,” a name she created from the nearby Mt. Karisimbi and Mt. Bisoke. Today all of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s work in Rwanda is run out of the Karisoke Research Center. Fossey’s original objectives in founding Karisoke were to study gorilla ecology, demography and social organization. She found herself spending days searching for and attempting to observe these elusive animals while encountering signs that poachers and other human intruders had preceded her. Fossey realized that to study gorilla ecology and behavior, she needed to recognize individual gorillas, which first required the gorillas to become accustomed, or habituated, to her presence. Thus began a 50-year legacy of study and protection of gorillas, now the longest-running field study of any primate, the source of much of our knowledge about gorillas, and the only conservation program that has led to an increase in a wild ape population. The story of Karisoke is one of enormous perseverance, courage and vision, on the part of hundreds of staff and researchers, and supporters from all over the world, as well as Fossey herself. In addition to Karisoke, Fossey founded the Digit Fund, which is today the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, carrying on and expanding her legacy. The Karisoke Research Center today is a program of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, with more than 100 expert gorilla trackers protecting about half of Rwanda’s mountain gorillas every day. It is also the world’s centrepiece for gorilla conservation and science, with more than 300 scientific publications based on data collected at Karisoke and one of the largest databases on any wild animal, as well as education and community programs that reach tens of thousands of people in the region each year. Note: Self-guided tours have a suggested donation, payable on arrival. There are also minimum donations for VIP Behind the Scene Tours and a Silverback Sundowner evening with the Fossey Fund staff. Rwandan Tax laws prevent us from booking these, but you can register, donate and then contact the Ellen Campus to arrange them directly.

15:00 - Lake Ruhondo North Shore Walk

Guided by an experienced Kingfisher Journey’s activity leader, you can enjoy a flat, gentle and relaxing walk along the shores of this stunning lake. Include a motorboat trip to a local restaurant or visit a small island for a picnic lunch - where you can see the best views of all five of the Virunga Volcanoes in Rwanda. Along the way you will spot aquatic birds, see local fishermen on the lake, maybe find some local beehives and pass a few small, friendly communities.

Day 4 - Mountain Biking & Mukungwa River Canoe Adventure

09:00 - 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. You’ll pass through many small villages, where a traditional way of life flourishes. Friendly people will greet you at every turn, women will be selling their crops in small markets, sifting beans or grinding corn whilst both men and women will be working the fields. And with help from your experienced guide, as you meet with the local people, you’ll discover their great humour and local knowledge. We have plenty of options available, so whether you're looking for an easy, moderate or challenging ride our guides will find the perfect ride for you, and e-bikes are available to help you on the hills!

12:00 - Migano Cafe

Migano cafe is a popular local cafe serving great food in the centre of Musanze.

14:00 - Mukungwa River Canoe Trip

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.

Day 5 - Mount Bisoke Hike

After meeting your park rangers at Volcanoes NP at 7am, there is a short drive to the trailhead and then you’re off for the hike in the lush, native rainforest. Entering the forest is like being in a different world. You will begin a steep climb surrounded by vines and tall native trees, as birds soar above the canopy. The muddy trail can be a bit of a slippery challenge in the wet season but high above the foothills, there are amazing views. As you ascend the vegetation changes as you pass through stands of bamboo, giant lobelia, hagenia and ultimately to alpine meadows. On the way, there are stunning views of Karisimbi, the highest of the Virunga volcanoes, and from the summit, weather permitting, you will gain a really spectacular view of the crater lake that sits on the border between Rwanda and DRC and across to Mt Mikano that is just over the border in DRC.

Day 6 - The Gorillas - Your Finale:

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.

Day 7 - Return to Kigali