Day 1- Arrival to Rwanda

Check-in 14:00 - Heaven Boutique Hotel

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 - Transfer from Kigali to Musanze

Start at 10:00 - Kigali Sightseeing Tour

Meeting you at your hotel (or another agreed location in central Kigali), your guide will take you on an insightful tour to see some of Kigali's fascinating History, Culture, Art and Markets. We optionally finish at the Kigali Genocide memorial, which is very a very poignant and moving experience.

Start at 12:00 - Kigali Lunch

Stop for lunch at one of our recommended, vibrant, restaurants in the heart of Kigali that are popular with local people, but not well known to tourists. Whether we book in advance, or if your guide helps you choose on the day, you will find superb food and a fantastic Rwandan welcome!

Check-in 16:00 - Ingagi Park View Lodge

Ingagi Park View Lodge is a new accommodation property located near to the Volcanoes National Park. The team there from the management to the housekeeping are quite hospitable which makes one's stay to be great.

Day 3 - Transfer from Musanze to Rubavu

Start at 07:00 - Mountain Gorillas

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 4 - Transfer from Rubavu to Karongi

Start at 08:15 - Lake Kivu Boat Trip from Gisenyi

Departing from one of the lodges and lakeside hotels near the hot springs and Rubona Peninsular, journey along the shores in a licensed motorboat with an experienced captain. You’ll see Lake Kivu’s unique fishing boats, the stunning green hills and islands that rise from the blue water and subject to weather, you will also see impressive views of Nyiragongo the active volcano in DRC with steam rising from its lava lake at the summit. You can also go on a coffee tour and hike to the summit of one of the islands to see a raucous colony of fruit bats! It’s a great way to experience more of Rwanda.

Start at 10:30 - Cyimbili 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 transformed the small community of Cyimbili and created a sustainable income for numerous local families. In fact, whilst it is (sometimes) possible to buy Cyimbili coffee after the tour, the beans grown here are also included in some of the best-known coffee brands in the world. Pro Tip: If combining this tour with a kayaking trip where you stay at Cyimbili guesthouse, it's a good idea to do the majority of the tour in the afternoon, and finish with the roasting experience, so you can have a cup of the best and most freshly roasted coffee in the world for breakfast! Videos Start at 12:30 Local Lunch Show less Enjoy a traditional Rwandan lunch cooked by the community

Day 5 - Transfer from Karongi to Nyungwe

Start at 07:30 - Kayaking on Lake Kivu from Kibuye

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 rewanrding swim in the warm, clean water from the kayaks is very refreshing!

Day 6 - Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe Forest is a high-altitude, montane tropical rainforest in southern Rwanda established as a forest reserve in 1933. The conservation area consists of approximately 1015 km2. The forest is located in the Albertine Rift, a series of mountain ranges beginning at the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda and including eastern D.R. Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and northern Zambia. Contiguous with Kibira National Park in Burundi, Nyungwe is one of the largest montane rainforests remaining in Africa and East Africa’s largest protected high-altitude rainforest.

05:00 - Chimpanzee Trekking

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!

15:00 - Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walkway

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.

Day 7 - Transfer from Nyungwe to Kigali

Start at 08:00 - Hike to Isumo Waterfall in Nyungwe Forest

Beginning at Nyungwe Forest Lodge, the first half of this hike winds through brilliant green tea fields As you start to climb higher into the forest, enjoy the gorgeous views northwest to Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of Congo. At 2.3 km the trail descends into one of the most densely vegetated and steepest rainforest ravines on any trail at Nyungwe. Cool misty air and the murmur of a river rise from below, mingled with calls of birds, tree frogs and insects. Ferns, mosses,lichens and flowers are exceptionally abundant in the high humidity. Several species of primates are commonly found here, as well as many birds. You may enjoy the sighting of the waterfall from 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, where it thunders down.

Start at 12:00 - Lunch at Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Depart 13:00 - Transfer from Nyungwe to Kigali