This privately guided safari using a private 4WD vehicle is a grand tour of the gems of Rwanda: visits to the bustling capital city of Kigali, hiking to observe the majestic mountain gorillas of the Volcanoes National Park, admiring the glistening Lake Kivu and chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest.

Day 1

Depart London Heathrow on your scheduled over-night flight with Kenya Airways to Nairobi.

Day 2 Kigali, Rwanda

Connect onto your onward flight to Kigali Airport, near Rwanda's capital. On arrival at Kigali, you meet your private guide and 4WD and decide what you want to do. Visit bustling local markets, get an overview with a city tour, relax by the hotel's pool, or head to the Kigali Memorial Centre, a moving and highly informative monument to the country's genocide. You stay the night at …

Kigali Serena Hotel (bed & breakfast)

Use your 1 night here to explore the environs or to relax in its attractive surroundings.

Day 3 Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Leave Kigali and start your journey to the Volcanoes National Park. Made famous by Dian Fossey, this park is home to six active and three extinct volcanoes. Tracking through its forests can be challenging: the air is a little thin, due to the altitude, the tracks can be steep in parts, and the foliage is usually thick. Spend 4 nights at…

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities)

The lodge is close to the start of the gorilla treks and has en-suite rooms and hot showers. The facilities are fairly good and you have some lovely views of the nearby volcanoes.

Day 4 Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

After breakfast, spend your first morning tracking the endangered golden monkeys. These beautiful primates live in bamboo thickets on lower mountain slopes, below the forest line. They can be elusive, but the search is good practice to acclimatise you to the altitude before you start on higher treks to find gorillas.

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities)

In the afternoon, you can choose to explore the area with your private guide and vehicle, perhaps visiting nearby lakes and villages; go for a walk on your own in the farmland around the hotel; or just relax and enjoy the scenery.

Day 5 Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Another early start as you head to the park's headquarters for a briefing on the mountain gorillas. An experienced park ranger leads you up into the forest to view a troop of these playful primates, which are usually led by a huge male silverback. You have an unforgettable hour to observe them from close quarters – one of Africa's most amazing wildlife experiences.

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities)

Because of the close contact between gorillas and visitors (often as little as 7m), and the risk of passing on infections which are fatal for them, travellers who are ill will not be allowed on gorilla-tracking trips. Again, you decide with your guide what to do during the afternoon.

Day 6 Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

On your second morning's tracking, you visit a different troop of mountain gorillas. The location of the gorilla groups varies, as does their altitude, and the ease of the treks to reach them. However, the exertions of the longer walks dissipate once you find yourself sitting amongst a group of such intelligent, playful and engaging primates.

Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities)

Spend the afternoon at leisure, perhaps recovering from the trekking!

Days 7-8 Lake Kivu, Rwanda

The next morning you can enjoy a bit more of a lie-in, before starting on your journey westwards towards Lake Kivu. Stop first at the northern town of Gisenyi. Wander in to the town to sample the food at one of the local restaurants, or ask your driver to take you down to the nearby hot-springs where the locals sometimes cook their vegetables! Spend 2 nights here at the…

Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (full board & activities)

When you're not out exploring, spend your time sunbathing around the beautiful pool, or on one of the loungers laid out on the beach overlooking the lake. If you're feeling active take a boat out onto the lake, or enjoy a swim in the waters.

Days 9-10 Lake Kivu, Rwanda

After breakfast the next morning, leave Gisenyi and make the slightly bumpy journey down the lake shore to Kibuye. The views along the 2-hour drive are absolutely spectacular, be sure to ask your driver to stop so you can take photos. You'll feel like royalty as all the local children run out to wave as you pass! Arrive in the afternoon and spend 4 nights at…

Cormoran Lodge (full board & activities)

Raised up on high wooden stilts, the views from this lodge are something to remember. In the evenings spend time by the roaring fire, watching the sun set, while during the day take time here to explore the town, go on scenic walks, visit its historic church or pop into its bustling market (busiest on a Friday). You can also take a boat trip out to nearby Napoleon's Island; home to a colony of fruit bats, and visit Amahoro Island at sunset, where you can enjoy a sun-downer at an unexpected beach bar!

Days 11-13 Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda

After breakfast, it's time to hit to road again and continue on the journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park – probably the largest tract of montane forest in central Africa. This feels like a rainforest and is home to 13 different primate species. Forest walks are the attraction here; they last from one to seven hours, depending on your energy. Spend 3 nights at…

Nyungwe Forest Lodge (full board & activities)

This high quality lodge is set in a tea plantation - if you're lucky, during your stay the tea pickers will work their way through the fields, picking the young-green tea leave to be taken to the nearby factory. Opt for strenuous treks to see chimpanzees, or more relaxed guided walks in search of some tropical birdlife, from regal sunbirds to strange weavers, and a variety of primates (grey-cheeked mangabeys, colobus and l'Hoest's monkeys are all common).

Day 14

Enjoy your last excellent breakfast from the lodge and begin the drive towards Kigali. En-route you can stop in Butare, to look at the national museum, before continuing on to Kigali airport. On arrival, your private guide leaves you to continue your journey home: flying to Nairobi in time to catch your Kenya Airways flight back to London.

Day 15

After a memorable safari you arrive at London Heathrow early in the morning in time to make any necessary onward connections home.

Cost of this trip
From	To	Cost
1-Jan-2012	13-Jul-2012	£5,154
14-Aug-2012	18-Aug-2012	£5,669
20-Aug-2012	14-Dec-2012	£5,154
Notes: The prices shown are based on two people travelling together and sharing double or twin rooms. Because this is based on a private vehicle and guide, the costs for this trip would reduce if more than two people are travelling. Conversely, they would increase substantially if only one person is travelling alone. Ask us if you'd like to include an extra morning's gorilla-trekking (on Day 10); it's easily added when you book your trip. To upgrade from Gorilla Mountain View Lodge to another lodge in the Volcanoes National Park, apply the following supplements: To Virunga Lodge (all year) £328 To Sabinyo Silverback (Apr–May) £121 To Sabinyo Silverback (Jan-Mar; Jun-15 Jul; Nov-Dec) £270 To Sabinyo Silverback (16 Jul-Oct) £334 Supplements are per person sharing per night.

This itinerary includes:

• Economy flights, as above, plus UK airport departure taxes.
• A private guide and 4WD vehicle for the duration of your safari.
• Permits and park fees for tracking colobus monkeys and chimps, and walking in Nyungwe Forest; plus two mornings to track gorillas and one morning to track golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park.
• A comprehensive pack of information covering the places that you'll be visiting.
• Current park fees for Nyungwe Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park
• A complimentary copy of the Bradt Travel Guide to Rwanda

This itinerary excludes:

• Rwandan domestic departure taxes.
• Drinks / laundry
• Tips and gratuities, which are optional.
• All drinks, including tea and coffee

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