Set off for Mount Gahinga Lodge and cross the border into Uganda. Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace with stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes or warm yourself inside by the cosy fire.

Driving time approximately 4 to 5 hours

Please book flights arriving no later than 10am

Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (lunch, dinner).

Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment.

After a climb of between one and three hours the moment you find the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged one. You will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch.

Gorilla trekking requires stamina and can sometimes take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.

Relax after your day’s tracking experience and enjoy a complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Gahinga Spa and Sauna. Visit the Batwa Vocational Center and see how the community are earning a sustainable income through craft making.

Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Day 4
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off to track the rare golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. The monkeys travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots.

Later in the afternoon hike the Gisozi caldera and enjoy sundowners over magical views of the Kisoro valley, with Lake Mutanda in the distance.

Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Day 5
After breakfast visit the Gahinga Batwa Village and experience the culture and history of one of Africa’s oldest tribes. Visit their new village and community centre and participate in the Batwa Heritage Tour to gain insight into their traditional life as hunter gatherers in the forest.

Return to the lodge and after lunch drive across the border into Rwanda. The magnificent Virunga Lodge is perched on the top of a hill with panoramic views of the chain of volcanoes and Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo. From the terrace you can take in the sunset over the lakes and enjoy an exhilarating performance from the colourful Intore Dance troupe that showcases the unique Rwandese culture.

Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and a fireside chat in the Virunga Map Room with a vet from the Gorilla Doctors and learn about their daily work looking after the health of the mountain gorillas.

Driving time approximately 2.5 hours.

Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Wake up early and have breakfast before setting off for gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans. Hike through the enchanting bamboo forest on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes. After a climb of between one and three hours, you will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch.

Some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.

Visit the new Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on the way back to Virunga Lodge.

Relax after your day’s tracking experience and enjoy complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Virunga Spa and Sauna

Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

After enjoying an early breakfast, trek to the grave of pioneer primatologist Dian Fossey and visit the gorilla cemetery, the final resting place of some of her favorite gorillas.

Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Leave Virunga Lodge and drive to Kigali, and time permitting, enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly).

Transfer to the airport in time for your return flight. Driving time approximately 3 hours.