4 Days Four-Day Rwanda Gorilla Safari

About this safari

Four days is enough to track mountain gorillas, spend a morning with golden monkeys and see Kigali properly. The trip starts and ends in the capital.

It suits travellers who want a gorilla trek without a week away. You arrive on day one, tour Kigali and travel to the park on day two, trek gorillas on day three, and track golden monkeys on day four before flying home.

Rwanda's gorillas are among the easier ones to reach in Africa. Treks run from one to six hours depending on where the family spent the night, and you can ask your guide for an easier group. Age is not a barrier: guides have taken trekkers in their 90s to a successful sighting, and porters and sedan chairs are available.

Volcanoes National Park is bamboo forest on the Virunga slopes, not the dense rainforest of Uganda's Bwindi. Expect cooler air, steeper ground and gorillas moving through bamboo. Groups are limited to 8 people per family, and each group gets one hour with the gorillas.

Day by day

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali

You land at Kigali International Airport and your guide takes you to your hotel, 20 to 30 minutes away. Later you get a briefing on the days ahead and the rules for gorilla trekking. Bed and breakfast.

Day 2: Kigali city tour, then transfer to Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast we spend half a day in Kigali, visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site and Museum, Nyamata Genocide Church and local markets.

After lunch we drive for two hours to Volcanoes National Park, home to Rwanda's habituated gorilla families, golden monkeys and many bird species. Dinner and overnight at your lodge, full board.

Day 3: Gorilla trekking and a community walk

After breakfast we transfer to park headquarters for the briefing. Bring a packed lunch and water, and hire a porter if you wish. Trekking time is hard to predict and can fill most of the day, depending on where the gorillas were last seen.

When you reach your family, you have one hour with them. Bring a camera.

In the evening you visit Ibwachu Cultural Village, run by former poachers who now work in conservation. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Day 4: Golden monkey tracking, then transfer to Kigali

We return to the park for a second briefing, this time for golden monkeys on the slopes of Karisimbi or Mount Sabinyo. The walk is shorter than a gorilla trek because the monkeys are easier to find.

After lunch we drive back to Kigali for your departure flight.

Where you stay

These are the lodges we usually use on this route. If one is full, we book a similar place of the same standard.

• Kigali (day 1): Scheba Hotel or Chez Lando Hotel (budget); Heaven Boutique Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel or Lemigo Hotel (midrange); Kigali Serena or The Retreat (luxury). Bed and breakfast.
• Volcanoes National Park (days 2 and 3): Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge or Davinci Lodge (budget); Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Five Volcanoes Lodge or Ingagi Park View Lodge (midrange); Bisate Lodge, One & Only Gorilla Nest, Bishop's House, Virunga Lodge or Sabinyo Lodge (luxury). Full board.