Encounter Africa's Gorillas

Akagera

DAY 1: ARRIVAL KIGALI The arrival of your night flight at Kigali International Airport. Meet and Greet your Paradise Safaris Africa travel guide outside customs and immigration hall. Transfer to your hotel. Have briefing at the hotel lobby with our Travel guide. The history of Rwanda dates back centuries, Kigali has been a part of it for 100 years. Founded in 1907 as a German settlement, Kigali did not become the capital until Rwanda’s independence in 1962 when it replaced the colonial seat of power in Butare. We will assist you with check-in.  Dinner at the main restaurant. Overnight stay. Hotel Mille Collines (HB – Dinner, Bed & Breakfast) / Gorillas City Centre Hotel (HB – Dinner, Bed & Breakfast) Day  2:  TRANSFER TO AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK After your early morning breakfast, our safari guide will be waiting for you. You will be welcomed by our guide and then transfer you to Akagera National Park, a home to various wildlife species such as; elephants, buffaloes, zebras among others. Stay overnight at your choice of accommodation –that is Akagera Game Lodge/Ruzizi Tented Camp. Meal Plan: H/B. AKAGERA GAME LODGE (FB: Dinner, Bed and Breakfast) / RUZIZI TENTED CAMP Day  3:     GAME DRIVE AND BOAT CRUISE IN AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK Rise for an early morning breakfast, thereafter go to the early morning game drive searching for some of the big 5 of Africa which include the lions, buffaloes, elephants, leopards and other wildlife species like the warthogs, antelopes, water and bush bucks, Kob, topi. This experience takes 3-4 hours and after return to lodge for lunch, and then in the afternoon drive to the starting point of the boat ride along the lake Ihema and on this cruise expect to spot wildlife and birds and they provide stunning photographs. Return to lodge overnight stay.

Day 5:    CHIMPANZEE TREKKING + CANOPY WALK IN NYUNGWE Rise for an early morning breakfast before you head to the park headquarters for briefing about the dos and don'ts of Chimpanzee trekking adventures. We will then drive for an hour to the start of the trails and after enters the jungle to search for the primates, which can last for 3-4 hours. While on this trail, expect to spot other primates like the white and black colobus monkeys, Vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys and the mangabeys, and various species of birds. Once found spend one hour with them and return to the lodge for lunch and then in the evening take the canopy walk looking for other primates and bird species in the clear green canopy cover. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight as mentioned above. Meal Plan: F/B. NYUNGWE FOREST LODGE (FB I.e. Lunch  Dinner, Bed and Breakfast) / NYUNGWE TOP VIEW HILL HOTEL

DAY 7: TRANSFER FROM KIBUYE TO GISENYI Depart to Gisenyi a scenic drive that takes you over the Albertine (western) Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valleys. Gisenyi city lies on the eastern shores of Lake Kivu on the northwest part of Rwanda. Lake Kivu is one of the greatest Lakes in Rwanda, an extraordinarily beautiful inland sea enclosed by steep, green terraced hills along eastern Rwanda. Gisenyi has a beautiful sandy beach lined with swaying palms and colonial-era hotels that exude an atmosphere of tropical languor. Hotel/ Paradise marahide Hotel / Stipp Hotel. Meal plan (Full Board).    

Volcanoes

Day 9:    VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK (GORILLA TREKKING) 06:30 hrs: Transfer to the Volcanoes National Park HQs 07:00 hrs: Registration, where the park staff determines which group of gorillas you will visit. The park staff discusses your fitness level and advises you of the trekking times and conditions to the various groups based upon their location in the park the previous evening. There are a total of 80 gorilla permits available each day with a maximum of eight trekkers visiting any one group. Gorillas and humans share almost identical genetic material. However, their health must not be compromised by coming into contact with human (via our food, for example). To reduce transmission of disease from humans to gorillas, you will also be advised to keep a distance of 7 metres from the gorillas.  Once you have located your gorilla family, you will be asked to leave all your belongings to one side, and approach the gentle giants, just with your camera. The guides will interpret the animals’ behaviour for you. Females and their young, young males and even a dominant Silverback may be seen: feeding, playing, interacting with each other, or just sleeping! You will never forget your encounter with the gorillas. They will be quite curious to see you! You are allowed exactly one hour with the gorillas before returning to base.  After this memorable experience, you will return to the lodge in time for lunch. At 15h00 – You will visit the Ibyi Iwacu village for a cultural experience. Ibyi Iwacu is changing the traditional perception of what constitutes tourism by turning fate into fame through sharing various aspects of rural cultures and livelihoods into tourist attractions and creating income-generating activities for rural poor people that have reformed from living on bush meat and poaching for generations. 17h30:  Return to the lodge. Enjoy the evening and the lodge facilities. Dinner and overnight stay. MOUNTAIN GORILLA VIEW LODGE (FB I.e. Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast) / MUHUBURA HOTEL  

day 1 to the last day Accommodation at the Gorillas on Half board basis The price at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge includes: - Full board accommodation including 3 meals per person per night and applicable VAT. Exclusive use of a safari land cruiser  4x4 with WI-FI  Services of a professional, experienced English speaking Uber Luxe driver guide Bottled mineral water in the vehicle during the tour 1 Gorilla permit per person (this includes briefing at RDB offices, guide, trek – US$ 1500.-) 1 Golden monkey permit per person (US$ 100.-) All activities, visits and extra meals  mentioned in the itinerary Emergency Medical Evacuation Services  Our assistance     Exclusions International and domestic airline tickets unless where indicated, entry visa fees, optional extras whilst in Kigali  drinks throughout the trip,  tips and gratuities,  Personal expenses such as telephone calls, mini bar, porter-age, travel insurance, etc.   Gorilla permit note: Once permit is bought, it cannot be refunded or inter-changed. Before confirming the tour, please ensure that you request for availability of permits based on the number of participants because there are only 80 permits issued per day.   Passenger Information:- - In case of non-availability, we may have to reroute and provide alternative accommodation at lodges of similar category. - Passengers should bring only soft sided bags on safaris as our vehicles have limited luggage space - All the passengers must have Identification Card/Passport with them throughout their travel.   TERMS OF CANCELLATION  The parties involved shall agree the specific terms of cancellation on each case. Under the Rwanda Legislation, the Hotels and Caterers can legally levy the following cancellation charges:-  60-46 days prior to arrival: No charge, room release 45-14 days prior to arrival: 10% 14-07 days prior to arrival: 25% 07-03 days prior to arrival: 50% 03     days-to no show      : 100%    FORCE MAJEUR CIRCUMSTANCES  In case either party suffers force majeure circumstances (that are unforeseen, inevitable and uncontrollable), such as strikes, closing of frontiers, ports and airports, bad weather, delays in departures and arrivals of the means of transportation, accidents and all services provided by a third Party, as a result of which the obligations under the present agreement cannot be fulfilled the parties shall be exonerated from their obligations without having to pay compensation for the damage caused to the other party. PARADISE SAFARIS AFRICA FLEETS   All vehicles are custom designed with open roofs for ease of game viewing.  Most seat up to eight AND five passengers including the passenger seat/s next to the driver.  However, the scheduled safaris never carry more than seven to allow everyone access to a window seat.   Vehicles are also equipped with Fridge /cooler boxes and two way radios, all of our safaris included bottled water, field guides, and binoculars. 4×4 vehicles used for game drives have variable seating plans of 5 – 8 persons.