After breakfast this morning, your tour leader will take you to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, which opened in 2004 to mark the 10th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi people. It serves as a museum detailing the history and consequences of Rwanda's genocide and a place for people to grieve for lost friends and family. This afternoon, you’ll drive to Musanze – the gateway to Volcanoes National Park, home to gorillas and golden monkeys.

This afternoon, you'll visit The Gorilla Doctors headquaters; the only organisation in the world dedicated to saving the mountain and eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorilla species one gorilla patient at a time using veterinary medicine and science. They monitor the health of gorilla groups to ensure the early detection of disease and injury, and stage medical interventions when gorillas suffer from human-induced or life-threatening trauma or disease.

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch

 Included activities

• Kigali - Genocide Memorial Centre
• Musanze - Visit to The Gorilla Doctors HQ

 Add on activities

• Kigali - Genocide Memorial Audio Guide - USD15

Special information

Today's driving time is approximately 2.5 hours.

Today, you’ll visit the The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. This research centre leads the world in protecting and studying gorillas while helping communities build their conservation capabilities. Learn about Dian Fossey’s life and the conservation of endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

There are heaps of optional activities to do in Musanze, including Golden Monkey Trekking in the Virunga Mountains, the Mount Bisoke trek, or keep it chill with a canoe ride on the Mukungwa River. Maybe visit Redrocks Rwanda, where you’ll learn about the local banana beer production and be treated to some dancing, drumming and basket-weaving demonstrations.

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast

 Add on activities

• Musanze - Visit 'Twin Lakes' Burera & Ruhondo - USD40
• Musanze - Redrocks Rwanda Visit (Banana Beer & Cultural Activities) - USD50
• Musanze - Mount Bisoke Hike - USD75
• Musanze - Canoeing on River Mukungwa - USD80
• Musanze - Golden Monkey Tracking in Volcanoes National Park - USD100
• Musanze - Guardian Village - Iby'Iwachu Cultural Village - USD30

Special information

Some of the optional activities, including the Golden Monkey Trek, may mean missing out on the included visit to Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Research Centre. Please ask your leader for more information.

The Golden Monkey Trek is offered as a pre-booked service which will guarantee you a place. If you would rather wait and try to get a better price by booking this locally on the ground, you are welcome to but keep in mind that this is a popular activity, and places are limited.

Today, you’ll leave Rwanda as we cross the border into Uganda, making our way to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park is home to 618 bird species, 10 species of primates - including chimpanzees, and 95 different types of mammals. The route to your accommodation may feel like an unofficial safari. Keep a look out for African elephants, buffalo, hippos, warthogs, Nile crocodiles, leopards, spotted hyenas, lions and chimpanzees. Tonight, stay in a simple safari lodge within the park overlooking the Kazinga Channel.

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Special information

Stay in a simple safari lodge within the park overlooking the Kazinga Channel.
Today’s driving time is approximately 6.5 hours.

Wake up for another exciting day in Queen Elizabeth National Park with another 4x4 Game Drive. Be on the lookout for any sightings you may have missed yesterday, and if you’re really lucky, you might be able to spot leopards or lions.
This afternoon, you have the opportunity to see the park from a different perspective with an optional cruise down the Kazinga Channel, linking Lake Edward to Lake George. You’ll be joined by local guides who will fill you in on everything you could want to know about the landscape and the animals who live within it – be on the lookout for hippos basking on the shore, as well as crocodiles, herds of elephants and abundant birdlife.

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Queen Elizabeth National Park - 4x4 Game Drive

 Add on activities

• Queen Elizabeth National Park - Kazinga Channel boat cruise - USD30
• Kalinzu Forest - Chimp Trek - USD70

Special information
There is an optional Chimp Trekking experience early this morning which your leader can help arrange for you. Please note that if you opt to book this activity you are unlikely to return to camp in time for the included morning Game Drive.

This morning we make our way to Ishasha, the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here you meet some local residents to learn more about rural life in Uganda. Visit a local organic farm, medicine garden and homestead and learn how its owner is tackling human-wildlife conflict with his anti-crop raiding techniques. You’ll also meet a local Mukiga woman who will share her story while showing you how to sort, pound and grind millet to make porridge and other Bakiga meals.

This part of the park is famous for its tree climbing lions, so be on the look out as you make the game drive towards our ecolodge in the northern sector of the park frequented by herds of elephants, buffaloes and antelopes!

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Ishasha - Community Tourism Project Visit
• Queen Elizabeth National Park - 4x4 Game Drive

Today, drive out of the Queen Elizabeth National Park on your way to the southwest tip of Uganda (approximately 6 hours). The journey is like a game drive in itself, with the chance to spot zebras, antelopes, baboons and monkeys out the window. When you arrive at the corner of Uganda, where the border touches Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, you’ll be based in Kisoro, which provides access to seven different gorilla groups located in Mgahinga, Nkuringo, Rushaga and Nshongi.

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast

Special information

Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.

Join a local guide and trackers as you climb through the rugged, mountainous terrain of Bwindi National Park in search of mountain gorillas. A quick lock of eyes with these creatures is a truly primal moment and visits are strictly controlled to minimise disturbance. Make no mistake, tracking gorillas is no walk in the park – it's called Bwinidi Impenetrable National Park for a reason. It can be wet, muddy, strenuous and uncomfortable, but the indescribable elation at coming across a group of gorillas is worth the effort. Spend a mesmerising hour with the gorillas as they eat, sleep, groom and play as the male silverback watches over them, then return to the lodge for dinner and to reflect on this incredible experience.

 Accommodation

• (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast

 Included activities

• Bwindi National Park - Mountain Gorilla Permit & Trek

Special information

Visits are strictly controlled to reduce possible negative impacts on gorilla health and behaviour. A surgical face mask must be worn while within proximity of the gorillas to minimise the risk of disease transmission.

Don’t forget to carry your rain gear, packed lunch, plenty of water, gloves, hat, and waterproof bag for protection of your camera in case of rain.

You will be provided with a walking stick and the option to hire a porter who can carry your day pack and assist you on the trek. It costs 20 USD to hire a porter, plus an optional tip.

Hiring a porter not only makes your trek easier but also encourages local communities to embrace gorilla conservation and tourism. Some porters are ex-poachers who now recognize the value in gorilla conservation practices.

After breakfast this morning, it’s time to make the journey back to Kigali. When you arrive, there are no further activities planned and your adventure comes to an end. If you’d like to spend more time here, just speak to your booking agent.

 Meals

• Breakfast

Special information

Please do not book international flights out of Kigali until after 3pm.