Rwanda Hike, Bike and Kayak

Welcome to Rwanda. On arrival into Kigali International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure. There will be a group briefing in the late afternoon or evening depending on the arrival time. Overnight: Heaven Boutique Hotel or similar.

Meals:  Nil

This morning around 8am at your hotel, your guide will bring your mountain bike, helmet and a clean water bottle for you to use for the Kigali City cycling tour. Mainly sticking to the small back streets, we will explore a different side of Kigali and visit some colourful neighbourhoods, pass by street traders and markets, and also see some of the key sights. After lunch, we visit the Kigali genocide memorial, where you will have time to reflect and wander through the exhibits with an audio guide (included). Return to the hotel for overnight. Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight: Heaven Boutique Hotel or similar.

Meals:  B,L

An early start this morning as we drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe Forest is a high-altitude, montane tropical rainforest in southern Rwanda established as a forest reserve in 1933. The conservation area consists of approximately 1015 square kms. The forest is located in the Albertine Rift, a series of mountain ranges beginning at the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda and including eastern D.R. Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and northern Zambia. Contiguous with Kibira National Park in Burundi, Nyungwe is one of the largest montane rainforests remaining in Africa and East Africa’s largest protected high-altitude rainforest. This afternoon we will walk along the Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walkway. Accessible from the Uwinka Visitor Centre, a Forest Ranger will lead your walk through the forest. With an eye for some of the 310 bird species, butterflies, orchids, centuries-old trees and 75 mammals including 13 primates that live here, this walk is a spectacular journey in the largest surviving example of an Afro Montane ecosystem and one of the oldest continuously forested locations on Earth. The walk includes a 200m long canopy walkway that takes you high above the forest floor providing a unique platform for observing the forest. Transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight. Overnight: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

Spend an amazing hour watching a troop of wild chimpanzees in the forest. Setting off very early at 5:00am, you will transfer to a section of Nyungwe Forest known as Cyamudongo, where most of Rwanda’s habituated chimpanzees are located. Here you’ll meet your local ranger at a small visitor centre, and then as soon as the trackers locate the family of chimpanzees – that number about 40 individuals – you’ll be off, trekking along the paths but also possibly, scaling short sections of the steep rainforest slopes immersed in the forest. The track will be steep and possibly slippery in sections, so please ensure you wear appropriate shoes and, since you may well be trekking for the better part of the day, pack a water bottle, snacks, rain-jacket and jumper in case the weather turns. We cannot guarantee a chimpanzee sighting but if and when one occurs, it is important you follow your guide’s instructions. Listen carefully and you may hear the chimps before you see them literally swinging from the trees or possibly running around on the ground all around you. This is a wonderful wildlife encounter. However, there’s more because chimps are only one of the primate species that are found in Nyungwe Forest. So there’s a good chance you may also encounter some of the others such as Silver Monkey, L’Hoest Monkey, Owl faced monkeys, Red-Tailed Monkey, Crowned Monkey, Dent’s Mona Monkey, Vervet Monkey and Olive baboons. If you're into birds then make sure to ask your guides to point out the species that you may find on the trails, which if you're really lucky may include the rather impressive Blue Turaco. Depending on what time we arrive back at our hotel (approx 1 hours drive), we will check out and enjoy a delicious lunch at the hotel, before making your way to Lake Kivu. Overnight: Cormoran Lodge or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

Setting off from Kibuye, we soon approach Lake Kivu’s ‘Bay of Islands’ a beautiful setting unlike anywhere else in the country. We then island hop, and stop off for lunch and a swim in the crystal clear and impressively clean, fresh water to cool off. In the afternoon, we visit and hike to the summit of Munini, popularly known as Napoleon Island, where there is a remarkable (and noisy) colony of thousands of fruit bats that usually roost here during the day and enjoy one of the best views anywhere in Rwanda, a spectacular 360° panorama of Lake Kivu, over to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the lush green hills that form the backdrop to your adventure. It’s then just a short paddle to our campsite on the beautiful uninhabited Gishayu Island, which is still covered with native trees that provide a rare haven for numerous species of birds and a wonderful place for an afternoon or early morning stroll. With exclusive access on the island, we set up camp, buy fish for dinner from local fishermen – so supporting a local community – and cook our own simple but delicious meal, which we provide for you around a small open fire. Then in the silence of the lake, the following morning, we wake to a dawn chorus that is truly remarkable. Kayaking time: approx 6 hrs. Overnight: Basic camping in twin-share tents.

Meals:  B,L,D

After a simple breakfast, you will continue to paddle your kayaks as you soak up the spectacular scenery, and heading to Kinunu where we'll do a coffee tour with local farmers. This fascinating tour of a thriving Coffee washing station brings to life the entire process of harvesting, washing, roasting, grinding and preparing some of the best coffee in Rwanda. Coffee has literally transformed lives of this community and created a sustainable income for numerous local families. Whilst it is sometimes possible to buy Kinunu coffee after the tour, the beans grown here are also included in some of the best-known coffee brands in the world. Afterwards we meet our driver to proceed to our next destination. We follow the coast where we have superb views of the lush mosaic of crops on small farms that make Rwanda’s hills so special. Before reaching Kibuye, we call in for lunch on Amohoro (Peace) Island, where there will be time to contemplate just how special the past couple of days have been. Then, in the afternoon it’s just a short paddle back to where we began. Departing from one of the lodges and lakeside hotels in Kinunu, enjoy the spectacular views as you journey across Lake Kivu and visit Rwanda's Bay of Islands. The ride from Kinunu to Gisenyi with a motorboat is 1.5 hrs. Kayaking time: approx 3 hrs. Overnight: Paradise Kivu Hotel or similar

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we make our way towards Volcanoes National Park. This was the region where Dian Fossey amazed the world with her research of the magnificent mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Following Dian Fossey’s work and David Attenborough’s famous documentaries, the mountain gorillas have inspired travellers from all over the world to experience one of nature’s greatest interactions. Anyone who has witnessed the mountain gorillas of East Africa will strongly agree that it is a once in a lifetime experience that will never be forgotten. We will visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund located at the Karisoke Research Center to see gorilla conservation in action. Building on Dian Fossey's pioneering work, now that gorilla populations of the Virunga Volcanoes are slowly increasing and their habitats are being protected, this centre is a highly recommended, remarkable place to visit. Today, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund trackers and researchers protect and study roughly half of all the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, with the other half protected by the Rwandan national park authorities. Note: Self-guided tours have a mandatory fee which is included in the tour cost. There are also minimum donations for VIP Behind the Scene Tours and a Silverback Sundowner evening with the Fossey Fund staff. Rwandan Tax laws prevent us from booking these, but you can register, donate and then contact the Ellen Campus to arrange them directly. We will continue onto the Mukungwa River for a canoe trip. Set in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes, discover this special way to journey though the countryside in our modern canoes. Soak up impressive views, spot abundant birds, look out for the otters and meet friendly communities. Led by an experienced activity leader, this river is mostly very gentle and flat with one short, easy rapid and one section where the water goes quite fast. The start is a 15 minute transfer from central Musanze (add about 15 minutes from Kinigi). Here your activity leader will give you a briefing on the riverside before you get on the water. The first section is a flat and easy opportunity to learn how to steer your canoe as you float gently downstream. After about 20-30 minutes you will pull over for a short additional briefing about the small rapid, where helmets must be worn. Then as you continue deep into the countryside, you are surrounded by the sights and sounds of rural Rwanda. You’ll be given an additional briefing about the approximately 200m section where the water speeds up as it goes around a few corners. After about 2.5-3 hours on the water the end of the trip is just after a road bridge. It takes about 20 minutes to drive back to Musanze and a further 15 minutes to Kinigi. Tonight we sleep in a comfortable lodge close to Volcanoes National Park. Overnight: Ingagi Park View Lodge or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

An early start as we trek deep into the forest in search of the mountain gorillas. Everyone will be split into groups of up to 8 people – and maybe joined with other tourists. While gorilla tracking you will be accompanied by a guide and usually two trackers. Visitors are allowed one hour with your allotted gorilla family. To find your family group the guide will lead you to where the gorillas were sighted on the previous day and then literally track them through the forest. When you find them, the hour you spend with these incredible primates is a true lifetime experience that you will never forget. To see – and walk amongst – a family of mountain gorillas is a wildlife encounter unlike any other on Earth. The terrain is very rough, often over steep slopes covered with matted vegetation. Be prepared for rain, mud and giant stinging nettles – long trousers, gloves and a waterproof jacket will help. It will be necessary to take your own water and snacks – eg. chocolates, biscuits or sweets – with you in case you have to trek for a while before finding the gorillas. Approx trek time: 3-8 hours. After our trek and humbled by this incredible experience, we will head back to the hotel for a celebration lunch. This afternoon there is a visit to the Handspun Hope Ccmmunity. Meet the members of the cooperative to see a successful, practical and viable project that is transforming an entire community. The real jobs created by Handspun Hope mean that the (mostly) women they employ have a work-based solution to poverty that is restoring dignity to formally impoverished people. It is helping them to move into economic self-sufficiency so that they can become leaders of change in their families and surrounding communities. It’s a wonderful way to interact with and connect with a group of friendly people, to learn about their lives, laughing with them and appreciate how each handspun wool garment is made with both pride and hope for a better future, is unique and takes around eight months from wool growth to a finished product. Overnight: Ingagi Park View Lodge or similar.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today you will head out into the forest to track an endangered species of monkey known as the Golden Monkey. Spend 1 hour watching the monkey families play in the forest. This is a wonderful wildlife encounter as the proceeds from tourists visiting goes towards the research into the protection of this species and how to preserve their environment so that they do not become extinct. We will meet at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters at 07:00am, and at 08:00am you will begin hiking through the forests to spend an hour with a troupe of 40-100 playful golden monkeys who are jumping and running all around. This rare species is listed as endangered and there are currently two troupes of monkeys of around 80 members, that have been habituated to tourist visits in the park. You will trek to find the Golden Monkeys in a similar way to the Gorilla trek, in a small group of no more than six people, spending one hour with the monkeys once you have found them. They are very sprightly creatures, leaping from tree to tree, which is really entertaining to watch as they get on with their daily activities. After lunch at the hotel, we drive back to Kigali (approx. 117 kms; 2-3 hrs), where group arrangements conclude with a departure transfer to Kigali Airport. (Please note: earliest flight departure time is 19:00hrs).

Meals:  B,L