DAY 1 : Arrival in Kigali and Drive to the Lodge

10.00 AM to 10.00 PM

Arrival at Kigali International Airport and drive to Bisate Lodge.

DAY 2 : Forest walk to Find the Golden Monkey

10.00 AM to 10.00 PM

Discover the playful and inquisitive nature of the golden monkey, a beautiful little creature found only in the high-altitude forests of the Volcanoes National Park. Spend the morning searching the lush vegetation at the foot of Mount Sabyinyo for one of two habituated groups of golden monkey, one of them a troop of more than 80 members. Spend an enchanted hour watching their frolics as they leap among the slender shoots of bamboo or tumble among the dense foliage on the forest floor. Active, sprightly little creatures, the golden monkeys are incredibly entertaining as they amuse themselves swinging through the bamboo or racing after one other in circles around and above you. Blending in perfectly with the golden bamboo, they are very pretty, with shiny reddish-gold backs. Unique to the Virunga Mountains range, which covers the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, these delightful golden monkeys are an endangered species. Rwanda and Uganda are the only two countries where visitors have the chance of trekking to see them up close. Hiking to see them is one of the more leisurely activities in Volcanoes National Park. The scurrying primates inhabit the bottom of the mountain range in the bamboo forest and the terrain here is relatively flat and easy to hike.

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking Safari

08.00 AM to 05.00 PM

A wildlife adventure unlike any other, this itinerary offers the chance for close encounters with mountain gorillas and beautiful golden monkeys.

DAY 4 : Hike to Dian Fossey’s Research Base

8:00AM - 5:00PM

Relive the story of famous gorilla researcher Dian Fossey as you hike to the site of the Karisoke research base, which she established. Reached by a three to four-hour hike through picturesque stretches of forest, the former base is set at a scenic altitude of 3 000 metres (over 9 000 feet) and is tucked between the steep summits of two volcanoes, Mount Visoke and Mount Karisimbi. Spend some time reflecting on the future of these endangered creatures in the abandoned graveyard where Fossey’s favourite gorillas are buried and where she herself was ultimately laid to rest. Similarly to the mountain gorilla tracking safaris, the hike to Karisoke pays homage to Fossey, who for 18 years made incredible discoveries about these magnificent primates. Initially these gorillas were wild; their only interaction with humans was contact with ruthless poachers. Fossey in her study and love of these animals managed to create a trusting relationship and today these phenomenal animals see humans as mostly nonviolent and nonthreatening. Slowly and respectfully Fossey habituated the wary, cautious and isolated apes to her presence so that she could be near them to observe their daily lives. Accurately and dutifully, she chronicled what they ate and how they vocalised and she studied the intricate hierarchies and social relationships among the four groups in her study. This is all noted in her extraordinary memoir Gorillas in the Mist.

Day 5: Departure

10:00AM - 02:00PM

Leave at your own leisure between 10am - 2pm.