Mountain Gorilla Safari
A short 6-night safari, led by a private guide using a private 4WD vehicle, focusing purely on the stunning Volcanoes National Park, tracking the agile golden monkeys and spending two mornings tracking the famous mountain gorillas (more than half of the world's population live here).
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Depart London Heathrow on your scheduled over-night flight with Kenya Airways to Nairobi. |
Connect onto your onward flight to Kigali Airport, near Rwanda's capital.
Your private guide, with his/her 4WD vehicle, meets you on arrival at Kigali Airport. Leaving the lively capital, you drive north-west through lush hills and bustling market towns for approximately 2 hours, to the stunning Volcanoes National Park – well known as the venue for Dian Fossey's pioneering studies of the mountain gorillas. Your 4-night stay here is based at the … |
| Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities) |
| This comfortable lodge, close to the park's boundary has a lovely garden from which to relax, and it's a perfect base from which to explore the national park. |
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Start early on your first morning for a trip to track the golden monkeys. These primates are beautiful, endangered and more agile than the mountain gorillas. They live in bamboo thickets on the lower slopes of the mountains – and tracking them acclimatises you perfectly to the slight altitude, before heading higher to the gorillas. |
| Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities) |
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Early in the morning, meet at the park headquarters for a briefing, and then hike up into the rainforest to a troop of magnificent mountain gorillas. Each troop has its own 24-hour guard, so their location is known; you usually have an hour with them, time to sit and observe them at very close quarters indeed. |
| Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities) |
| Because of the very 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. |
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On your final day, track to see another troop of inspiring mountain gorillas. The forest paths are generally good during the dry season, but can be challenging when wet; all have steep sections. The troops are spread out: the lower groups are often accessible by a hike of 90 minutes or even less, whilst reaching one of the higher groups can take a strenuous 3-4-hour hike. |
| Gorilla Mountain View Lodge (full board & activities) |
| The gorillas themselves are very big but very gentle and have evolved long, shaggy coats due to the high altitude. Once you reach them, they seldom move very far – 1km per day would be typical for a group. |
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After a relaxed breakfast and last views of the park's environs, drive for roughly two hours south-east back to Kigali Airport. Here your private guide and 4WD vehicle leave you to continue your journey home: flying to Nairobi in time to catch your Kenya Airways flight back to London. |
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After an exhilarating safari you arrive at London Heathrow early in the morning – with ample time to make your onward journey home and to make any necessary connections. |
| From |
To |
Cost |
| 1-Jan-2012 |
13-Jul-2012 |
£2,735 |
| 14-Jul-2012 |
18-Aug-2012 |
£3,250 |
| 19-Aug-2012 |
14-Dec-2012 |
£2,735 |
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.
• 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-14 Dec) £270
To Sabinyo Silverback (16 Jul-Oct) £334
All supplements are per person sharing per night. |
This itinerary includes:• Economy flights, as above, plus UK airport departure taxes. • All transfers in Rwanda. • A comprehensive pack of information covering the places that you'll be visiting. • Current park fees for Volcanoes National Park • A complementary copy of the Bradt Travel Guide to Rwanda • A private guide and 4WD for the duration of your safari. This itinerary excludes:• Rwandan domestic departure taxes. • Drinks / laundry • Tips and gratuities, which are optional.
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