One of the best gorilla safari tours in Rwanda include a 4 days double gorilla trekking experience. This gorilla trekking experience involves trekking gorillas twice on different 2 days. A 4 days gorilla trekking experience requires one to purchase two gorilla permits and each costs USD 1500. Double trekking offers a trekker an opportunity to compare the characters in the different gorilla families since you trek a different family on each day.
This double trekking gorilla experience is only done in Volcanoes National Park since the park has about 400 mountain gorillas and this makes trekking very easy. In Rwanda Volcanoes National Park is the only park that offers a lifetime experience to the world travelers who have a chance to spend a maximum of 01 hour in the presence of these giants. This double is suitable for visitors who arrival and depart via Kigali International Airport.
This gorilla trek starts and ends at Kigali International Airport with a pick up on arrival and a drop off during departure. In case you want to spend more time with gorillas, double gorilla trekking is the best itinerary.
Depending on your arrival time at Kigali International Airport, you will meet our driver guide at Kigali International Airport who will brief you on what your 4 days Rwanda double gorilla trek covers.
Your 4 days Rwanda double gorilla trekking safari starts with Kigali city tours which includes Kigali genocide site, Kandt museum and craft markets. In case of late arrivals, you will spend a night in your preferred hotel in Kigali. After a Kigali city tour, you have lunch at your preferred hotel and then drive northwestwards to Volcanoes National Park-a prominent home to about 400 mountain gorillas.
Upon your arrival, you check-in at your booked hotel for dinner and overnight stay. Option for accommodation facilities include Mount Gorilla View Lodge and Bisate Lodge (Luxury), Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge and Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel and Kinigi Guesthouse (Budget).
On your 2nd day, you will enjoy your first gorilla trek. Begin your day with a delicious breakfast at the lodge and after meet your driver to transfer you to Kinigi park headquarters to be briefed by park official on the set gorilla trekking rules and regulations. Make sure you put on environmentally friendly attire and don’t forget to move along with drinking water and some snacks.
The briefing usually starts early in the morning and this means you need to be at Kinigi park headquarters in time. You will be allocated to only one habituated gorilla family to trek in a group of 8 visitors and one professional park ranger guide who will take you through your adventure.
After briefing, the actual trek begins at around 8:00am and it will last for about 2-6 hours depending on your speed of hiking, nature of gorilla habitat and where these creatures are found in the course of the day. Once you have found a group assigned to you, only one hour is given to you to strike your imaginations, explore in depth their behaviors, body gestures and take their photos but with a non-flash light camera.
Later, get back to the lodge for lunch and have some rest and in the evening, you can embark on a nature walk to Twin Lakes-Lake Burera and Lake Ruhondo. On your way to these Twin Lakes, you will have a chance to explore more abundant birdlife, terraced hills and green vegetation.
The nature walks usually include visiting the local communities where tourists get to meet and interact with them. This interaction with the local people exposes tourists to the ways of life of ordinary folks in a developing country. You will learn how the local people take care of their homes, farms and families.
A visit can end with attending an organized traditional music and dance performance. To those who are not fit enough for walking, you can hire a bike and cycle around the Twin lakes and local communities. After the community or nature tour, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
On your 3rd day, you will enjoy your second trek in Volcanoes National Park. Have breakfast at the lodge and later drive to Kinigi park headquarters where briefing is done to know what rules and regulations to observe while on gorilla trek. On this day, you will be assigned to a different gorilla family to trek in a group of 8 members and your group will be led by experienced park ranger guide. On finding a group of mountain gorilla count your dream achieved, take as many photos as possible, explore about their behaviors and body gestures.
After the one hour of magical encounter, get back to your lodge to have lunch. In the evening, you will pay a visit to IbyI’wacu Cultural Village for cultural experience-learn about the traditions and cultures of Rwandese. At the IbyI’wacu Cultural Village, you can enjoy the Intore dance from the energetic men and women. You will also interact with the local people who will tell you on how they manage their life styles. Trek back to the park headquarters to receive your certificates for a successful trek. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
On the last day, you will enjoy your breakfast at the lodge and later set off for golden monkey trekking or a Dian Fossey tomb site hike. After drive back to Kigali International Airport to catch up with your flight back home and if it’s too late, you will spend a night in your preferred hotel in Kigali and this will mark the end of your 4 days Rwanda double gorilla trek.
