14 Days - Kayak, Bike & Hike Rwanda & See the Gorillas

Welcome to Rwanda! On arrival into Kigali International Airport, make your way through passport control and collect your luggage.

All of your luggage will be scanned through an x-ray machine before you head to the arrivals hall. Please note that the following items are strictly prohibited: plastic bags, drones and any form of radio / walkie talkie equipment.

We recommend that your draw some local currency at the airport before you head to your hotel. Many local businesses around Rwanda prefer to process Rwandan Franks rather than US Dollars, so it is important that you draw some local currency from an ATM before leaving the airport. There is also a small charge as you depart the airport that will need to be settled in the local currency. There are a number of ATM's near your hotel and along your journey and we are very happy to make recommendations of the best places to draw money during the rest of your trip.

Once you have reached the arrivals hall, you will be met by a representative who will help you with your luggage and take you to your rental vehicle in the car park. They will meet you in the arrivals hall holding a board with your name displayed.

On arrival, you will be met on the tarmac, and with priority luggage collection you will be assisted through customs and immigration until your driver picks you up outside the arrivals gate. Transfer to Heaven Boutique Hotel.

On this day you will do Kigali city tour by visiting different attractions in the city Including Nyamirambo, Kigali Genocide Memorial and Belgian memorial. Overnight at Heaven Boutique Hotel.

Today you will Visit Umusambi village nature trail is about experiencing beautiful sceneries and exploring local villages around Kabuga hill. Starting and finishing at Umusambi Village this 22km trail is an exhilarating experience of fun and adventure through local villages with spectacular mountain views. The biking and BBQ package offers you the chance to experience the incredible freedom that two wheels can offer.

After lunch, you might do an optional visit to the village as a way of supporting conservation works done by this amazing organization. Entry fee will be paid directly, US$15 per person. You will also visit other places like Kimironko Market, Question coffee among others. Overnight at Heaven Boutique Hotel.

On this day you will visit Azizi Life that honors local artisans by connecting them with global customers. To the Azizi Life Experience you will immerses yourself in village life, from communal chores and shared meals to learning artisan crafts like weaving, You will also have a chance to visit the King's palace museum The day ends with reflection and fair trade shopping, supporting sustainable livelihoods. Overnight at Centre d'acceuil Mater Boni Consilii

This morning, you will have the opportunity to track the black-and-white colobus in Nyungwe Forest National Park. These small primates are easily recognisable by their entirely black body with stark white whiskers, shoulders and tip of the tail. A troop of nearly 400 of these monkeys call Nyungwe National Park home, meaning that although sighting wild animals is never guaranteed, you stand a good chance of finding them within an hour or less into the trek.

Social in nature, you will almost certainly experience playful interaction with these curious primates. Doing this trek will give you the opportunity to interact with the largest group of primates on the entire continent of Africa, a truly special experience.

Afternoon local visit to Gisakura tea plantation that will enable you experience and learn the art of picking tea leaves, wander through the lush tea estate to adventure close the variety of parallel ridges of tea plus the attractive mountains and hills that provide a beautiful back drop for the plantation.

You will learn how tea is grown and harvested, the best tea leaves to pick and how to pick them before you put them in an open traditional basket which you will be carrying on your back. After the picking process you will then experience how tea is processed locally by pounding the leaves and drying them, then after checking the well finished product you will do the tasting your own made cup of tea.

NOTE: We will be hiking/walking through the small trails heading to the tea estate where our tea picking will start from, hower, if you are the adventurous type you can opt for an optional tea tour with mountain bikes fr om the starting point to the tea estates and return to the base wh ere the tour ends on your bikes. This is also another good way to explore beautiful trails around Gisakura estates.

Meet your guide and drive back to Nyungwe top view Hotel

Visit the newly discovered waterfall in Nyungwe National Park. As you start to hike higher into the forest, enjoy the gorgeous views northwest to Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several species of primates are commonly found here, as well as many birds.

You may enjoy the sighting of the waterfall fr om 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, wh ere it thunders down.

Afternoon visit to canopy walkway which is 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. Overnight at Nyungwe top view Hotel.

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!

Today you will be transferred by road from Nyungwe Forest National Park to Cormoran Lodge on the shores of Lake Kivu in Karongi. Reaching out into the deep blue waters of Lake Kivu, and built entirely of locally sourced wood, Cormoran Lodge's seven ensuite cottage rooms are perched on a lush hillside near Kibuye. It has a lovely restaurant and bar that serves up some great local fish, Rwandan and international cuisine with a distinctly French feel.

Setting off fr om Kibuye, we soon approach Lake Kivu’s ‘Bay of Islands’ a beautiful setting unlike anywhere else in the country. We then ‘island hop’, stop off for lunch and a swim in the crystal clear and impressively clean, fresh water to cool off. In the afternoon, we visit Napoleon Island wh ere there is a remarkable (and noisy) colony of thousands of fruit bats that fight amongst themselves for the best roost. It’s then just a short paddle to our campsite, on another beautiful uninhabited island that is still covered with native trees that provide a rare haven for numerous species of birds dart in and out of the foliage.

You will also Hike to the summit of Munini, popularly known as Napoleon Island (because it’s shaped like his famous hat!), here you'll encounter a raucous colony of thousands of fruit bats that usually roost here during the day and enjoy one of the best views anywhere in Rwanda, a spectacular 360° panorama of Lake Kivu, over to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the lush green hills that form the backdrop to your adventure!

With exclusive access on the island, we set up camp, buy fish for dinner from local fishermen – so supporting a local community – and cook our own, simple but delicious meal, which we can provide for you, around a small open fire.

Then in the silence of the lake, the following morning, we wake to a dawn chorus that is truly remarkable.

After a simple breakfast, we turn back towards Kibuye or end in Kinunu for a coffee tour before meeting your driver to proceed to your next destination, this time following the coast where we have superb views of the lush mosaic of crops on small farms that make Rwanda’s hills so special. Before reaching Kibuye, we call in for lunch on Amohoro (Peace) Island, where there will be time to contemplate just how special the past couple of days have been. Then, in the afternoon it’s just a short paddle back to where we began; was it only yesterday?
Dinner and Overnight at Cormoran Lodge

Muhungwe Mountain borders Gishwati National Park on the edge of an escarpment that forms part of the Congo Nile watershed, the ridge that separates the mighty Congo and Nile river basins.

The route we take starts in a small community to the east of the watershed. Heading south, it ascends a wide ridge with just a couple of steep sections that offers amazing views towards the Virunga Volcanoes before entering a forest to reach a small secondary top.

Following a well-marked trail leads to a wide-open pasture where local people herd cattle, with their picturesque villages in the distance. Passing a saddle, the trail rises to the main summit with spectacular views of three of the Virunga volcanoes, Nyiragongo, Mikeno and Karisimbi on clear days.

The true (rounded) summit of Muhungwe is enclosed in a forest. Descending on a northerly spur, though a stunningly beautiful mixed native forest there is a wide ridge that is easily descended. Options exist to head off on small trails to extend the length of the walk in the forest or to continue on the main trail to reach the road.

Whilst there were no large (and relatively few small) animals, there are numerous interesting plants including huge, apparently edible, mushrooms, orchids and large flowers in the lianas.

Muhungwe mountain is a wonderful, safe, varied walk that joins a variety of habitats and experiences into a super day. Distance approx. 10km, 4-5 hours walking. Overnight at Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge.

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.

The twin lakes of Ruhondo and Burera are two lakes separated by 1km strip of land and produced by volcanic eruptions. This cycle will give you an opportunity to view all the 5 Rwanda volcanoes, this depends on the weather condition. This is a great way to explore the outskirts of Volcanoes.

Afternoon 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.

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.

Today you will head out into the forest to track an endangered species of monkey known as the Golden Monkey. Spend 1 hour watching the monkey families play in the forest! This is a wonderful wildlife encounter as the proceeds fr om tourists visiting goes towards the research into the protection of this species and how to preserve their environment so that they do not become extinct. 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!

Meet at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters at 07:00 and at 08:00 you will begin hiking through the forests to spend an hour with a troop of 40-100 playful golden monkeys who are jumping and running all around. This rare species is listed as endangered and there are currently two troops of monkeys of around 80 members, that have been habituated to visits by tourists in the park. You will trek to find the golden monkeys in a similar way to the gorilla trek, in a small group of no more than six people, spending one hour with the monkeys once you have found them. They are very sprightly creatures, leaping from tree to tree which is really entertaining to watch as they get on with their daily activities.

Afternoon by being 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 - wh ere 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.

After your guided walk, we'll join the motorboat to explore different islands of the Lake Ruhondo. Overnight at Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge.

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 Private transfer from Volcanoes National Park to Kigali International Airport.