Experience the thrill of seeing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat as you embark on a safari on a honey moon safari tour from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park. With a private guide, get close to the gorilla families that reside in Volcanoes National Park and see the dominant silver back gorillas that lead the family. This is a unique experience that takes you deep into the jungles in search of these giant primates.
Trekking to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda had been on my bucket list for years, Jackie and her team at gorilla safaris tours made it happen giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity. The professionalism and level of service we received was unparalleled to anything we have experienced anywhere else in the world.
Their attention to detail went above and beyond every time from arranging flowers to lay at the genocide museum, getting us the best guides to view the gorillas, arranging a surprise private cultural experience and authentic Rwandan cuisine on our final night. Their patriotism and love for their country is infectious and makes you leave wanting more.
The five-day package includes airport transfers, a city tour and your day at Volcanoes National Park. Jackie will walk you through all the steps for the permit (not included) get you set up in a group of folks with similar backgrounds, helps you with the instructions from the guides and porters and is there to meet you on your return. You know you are good hands. Once you locate your gorilla family you get one hour to observe them before heading back.
Our experience at Volcanoes National Park was incredible and unforgettable! Despite the heavy rainfall on the day of the trek, we got some amazing sightings. Having experienced several national parks in Kenya, we were pleasantly surprised by how well-managed this park is, with the importance of conservation.
Don’t forget to ask how you should dress, right down to hat and boots. You will need a COVID-19 test and Jackie will set that up for you. It’s free at the airport. The city tour emphasizes the 1994 Rwandan genocide which when fully understood makes you even more in awe of how far this country has come since then during what they call reconciliation. If you have additional time in Rwanda, Jackie can set you up with other game parks or cultural tours to your liking.
There’s lots of competition on the road to the gorillas, you can do no wrong in selecting gorilla trekking tours as your guide to some of the most fascinating creatures in the world, in one of the most beautiful countries in Africa.
We then spent the night at DaVinci Lodge near Volcanoes National Park. The staff there were exceptional. They made us feel at home and welcomed from the moment we stepped out of the car. The next day, we took our trek with the gorillas. The experience can barely be put into words.
The rangers, guide, and porters were all top notch (make sure to get a porter! $10 is money well spent and I can almost guarantee that you will feel like it was a bargain by the end!). Elvis then recommended a village walk where we were able to see the culture of the Rwandans in the Northern part of the country.
Interesting, interactive and definitely a great project to support. The Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village should be visited by anyone coming to the Volcanoes National Park. Not only showcases the village the Rwandan culture, way of living, how to make crafts and traditional dances.
What made it really special for me is that it was established to combat poaching by offering previous poachers an alternative way of making a living. Having said that, the people working at the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village are ex-poachers and other unprivileged people from the surrounding village.
Visiting the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village is not only very interesting and informative but definitely a project every Volcanoes National Park Tourist should support.
The next few days were spent in Akagera National Park. We took a boat tour on Lake Ihema, to see birds, and also 3 game drives (two smaller- 3 hours, and one larger- 10 hours). All the experiences in Akagera were made even better by Emma. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of wildlife.
We saw over 60 animals and birds and he knew every single one and also had information about them that was up to date and relevant. On the 4 game drives we did, we saw lions, leopards, hippos, huge elephants, water buffalo, crocodiles, cobs, bush bucks, lions sleeping in trees, many different species of birds and other small game.
