6 Day Safari: History Will Tell

After breakfast depart for a visit to the Ntarama church where mass killings occurred during the
1994 genocide; more than 5000people were killed in the church. The Ntarama Genocide Memorial is located about 30 kilometers south of the capital city of Kigali. Located in the Bugasera region, this church and its contents are a reminder of the horrifying violence that took place at this site during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Learn more about the unity and reconciliation commission. Proceed to Nyamata memorial site- a church where around 2,500 people were killed and it has become emblematic of the barbaric treatment of women during the genocide. Continue to Nyamata a church where around 2,500 people were killed and it has become emblematic of the barbaric treatment of women during the genocide. In the church at Nyamata, there will be graphic and audio-visual displays that will focus
particularly on the mass rape, brutalization of women, and the use of HIV as a deliberate weapon of genocide. Return to the city for lunch then depart for a 2 hours’ drive to Ruhengeri area the second largest town in Rwanda, with its stunning backdrop of five volcanic mountains – The Virungas-Arriving for dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Driving distance: 2 hours
Activities: Ntarama & Nyamata Memorial Visit
Overnight: Garden Place Hotel | Mountain Gorilla View Lodge | Virunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast
The Garden Place Hotel is a uniquely spacious hotel offering comfortable stylish
accommodation to both business and holiday travelers. Strategically located near Rwanda
Volcanoes. The Hotel offers a distinctive blend of comfort, warmth, and personalized hospitality.
The luxury rooms boast a view of volcanic mountains. The Garden Place Hotel is a perfect
option location for those wishing to do gorilla tracking or simply to come to relax in the serenity
and beauty that the Virunga Mountains of Northern Rwanda has to offer.
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge is located in Kinigi in northern Rwanda and on the edge of the
Volcanoes National Park, home to the endangered Mountain Gorillas. The lodge is located on the foothills of Mount Karisimbi, one of the volcanic mountains that make up the Virunga Massif. The lodge is about 10 minutes’ drive to the main entrance of the Volcanoes National Park where gorilla trekking starts. Mountain Gorilla View Lodge is an Eco-lodge with 30 spacious chalets. To ensure the least disruption of the surrounding environment, the Ecolodge was constructed with locally available material. Every chalet comes with a sitting area with a fireplace and has a tea/coffee making machine. The Eco-lodge supports the surrounding rural community by purchasing farm-fresh produce that is served in the lodge’s restaurant.
The magnificent Virunga Lodge is the premier luxury gorilla lodge of Rwanda and one of
Africa’s finest and most renowned lodges. The lodge is perched high on a ridge with stunning
views of the Virunga Volcanoes and the Musanze valley to the west and Lake Bulera and
Ruhondo to the east. It offers the finest views in Africa, uniquely decorated rooms in the
Rwandese style, fantastic food, and exceptional and personalized service by our carefully trained
staff. It is the first accommodation choice for the luxury traveler tracking the endangered
mountain gorilla. In 2017 Virunga Lodge has been ranked on Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the
best Africa Resorts in their 30th annual Readers Choice Awards.

After an early breakfast, you will proceed to the National Park headquarters – Kinigi to meet
your guides for the day. After completing our park formalities, we are embarking on a once in a lifetime experience of tracking mountain gorillas. Once you spot them you are allowed to spend an
hour watching your closest long-lost cousin. This is perhaps one of the most breath-taking
wildlife experiences on earth!!! You get so close to these awesome giant primates. You stare at
each other blankly not knowing who to break the long silence first. Tracking the gorillas through
the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virunga is a magical experience. These massive
primates are extremely rare, with less than 700 living today. You will get within meters of the
family, and be privileged to spend an hour amongst them. The trekking may be fairly strenuous; up to six hours or longer at a relatively high altitude. We encourage your own enjoyment to make sure that you are perfectly fit and healthy. (We’ve had people as old as 70 years old do gorilla tracking so this should not be a problem; all you need is to ask your driver guide to request a shorter group for you if cannot you trek far). It is important to bring good hiking boots,
long trousers, gloves for protection against stinging nettles, some snacks & sweets (for you, not the gorillas) as well as sufficient water as the rain forest gets hot and humid during the day. You will spend one hour with the gorillas, but it is an hour you will never forget. Return to your hotel
for lunch and later dinner and overnight.
Driving distance: 45 minutes
Activities: Gorilla Trekking
Overnight: Garden Place Hotel | Mountain Gorilla View Lodge | Virunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

This day is set out for Golden Monkey tracking in the Volcanoes National Park. Entering dense
stands of bamboo interspersed with open glades; you will make your way deep into golden monkey territory. Guides lead visitors to the habitat of groups of ‘habituated’ golden monkeys –
monkeys that have become accustomed to human presence. Though viewing is kept to a
maximum of one hour, travelers can get an up-close look at the golden monkey in its natural
habitat. Adult monkeys frolic in plain view, feeding on bamboo leaves and leaping from perch to
perch. Females carry their young, completely comfortable among onlookers. Later visit Iby’iwacu Cultural Village a Non-Profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park through the provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and
livelihood based projects. Return to your hotel to freshen up and have lunch then later dinner and
overnight.
Driving distance: 45 minutes
Activities: Golden Monkey Tracking
Overnight: Garden Place Hotel | Mountain Gorilla View Lodge | Virunga Lodge
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast

After breakfast go for an interesting trip to the local brew makers to understand the chemistry
of the process of brewing a local beer from bananas fruits. If you find the activity interesting
enough you can join the women in squeezing the juice out of the bananas and drink a glass of
juice (Optional). Understand how long juice takes to turn into alcohol after adding in sorghum
floor. Enjoy the big glass of our local brew. Among other activities, they also do basket weaving
and with your visit, this local community will be proud of this activity, and families supported
financially. Have your lunch in town then depart for Gisenyi arriving for check-in at your hotel.
The afternoon is spent in this largest port on the Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu (You will be in the
company of our guide to show you around). Enjoy a boat ride to one of the islands in Lake Kivu. Simply explore the town, enjoying the
hustle and bustle of the local market or wander through the leafy streets admiring the old colonial
buildings. Later stay for dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Driving distance: 2 Hours
Activities: Intercultural exchange + 1 hour boat ride in Gisenyi
Overnight: Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel | Palm Beach Resort | Kivu Serena Hotel
Meal Plan: Full board – Lunch, Dinner, bed & breakfast.
The Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel - Rwandas first youth hostel - located near the center of Kigali in
Kacyiru is the perfect place for you to start exploring the heart of Africa. The Hostel boasts great value accommodation, a fun atmosphere, excellent customer service, and a wealth of information about what to see and do. With a relaxing environment from the bar terrace, private rooms, dormitories, camping, hot showers, and catering available, you are guaranteed to find just what you are looking for. The Hostel has great views over the green hills of Rwanda at the end of the Nyaratarama golf course and views of the city which can be enjoyed by our large garden and balcony areas.
The Palm Beach Resort: Situated 200 meters from Rwandan Adventures, The Palm Beach Resort offers rooms with air conditioning in Gisenyi. The property is within a 19-minute walk of Viewpoint, The Congo Nile Trail Path One and Primus Brewery. Each room is equipped with a terrace with lake views and free WiFi. Guest rooms at the resort are fitted with a seating area. Rooms are complete with a private bathroom equipped with a bath, while some rooms include a balcony. All guest rooms will provide guests with a wardrobe and a coffee machine.
Lake Kivu Serena Hotel has located just 3 km from the center of Gisenyi-the western edge of Rwanda. It is a large, international-style hotel with a range of facilities and activities, and fronted by a long beach. The 66 en-suite rooms at Lake Kivu Serena are set in two diagonal lines, one overlooking the gardens and the other facing the communal areas below and with views over the lake; we would definitely recommend the lake-view rooms. The facilities at the Lake Kivu Serena are excellent. There is a large swimming pool overlooking the lake, with plenty of sun loungers and umbrellas dotted around. A shallow children’s swimming pool adjoins the main pool, although parental supervision is recommended. Loungers and umbrellas are set out, too, along the beach that runs in front of the hotel. There are tennis courts that guests can use as well as a watersports center with catamaran, jet skis and
more.

After breakfast and depending on your flight departure timings; the early part of the day is
spent on the Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu. Take a swim at this lake that covers an area of 2,700
km² (1,040 sq. mi) and sits at an altitude of 1,460 m² (4,790 ft.) above sea-level. The lake-bed is
situated in a rift valley that is slowly being pulled apart, causing volcanic activity and making it
especially deep. Its maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft.) is ranked the fifteenth in the world. The
lake is surrounded by majestic mountains. This one of the African Great Lakes lies on the border
between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Depart for a 3 hours’ drive to
Kigali and on to the Kigali International airport for your flight back home.