5 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike

Overview

5 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike covers two aspects which are Rwanda Gorilla tracking at Virunga national park and mountain Karisimbi hike with an inclusion of a Kigali city tour. Jewel Safaris brings you the best 5 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike Rwanda itinerary.

Mountain Gorilla
Mountain Gorilla Trekking

Brief Itinerary – 5 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike

  • Day 1:  Arrival in Kigali & Virunga National Park
  • Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Virunga National Park
  • Day 3: Hiking the Karisimbi Mountain Volcano
  • Day 4:  Continue to Karisimbi
  • Day 5:  Kigali Airport Tour

Detailed Itinerary – 5 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali & Virunga National Park.

On the first day of your 5 Day Gorilla Trekking Tour & Karisimbi Volcano Hike Rwanda, you will be met at Kigali International Airport by your Jewel Safaris guide who will give you a brief tour of Kigali City before beginning your drive to the Virunga National Park. Lunch in Kigali at a local restaurant, to give you the opportunity to taste some Rwandese local food.  In Kigali, there are also local markets for you to explore if you are interested.  Your guide will introduce these options to you. After lunch you will proceed to Kinigi in the Virunga National Park for an afternoon Gorilla Trek in search of the Silverbacks and their families.  . The drive from Kigali to the Park Gate is about 2 hours. After the Gorilla Trek, you will be taken to your hotel for relaxation or you may opt to do a short visit to a local community to meet the indigenous people in the area.

Overnight at the preferred accommodation facility

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Virunga National Park.

After breakfast on the second day of your 5 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike Rwanda, you will be taken to the Virunga National Park headquarters where you will meet your Ranger-Guide who will lead you on a Gorilla track different from yesterday.  It could take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours to spot the gorillas, depending on where they are on that day. After trekking, if time permits, you will be taken to Ruthengeri for lunch and a tour of the beautiful lakes in the region and later drive back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.

Overnight at the preferred accommodation facility.

Karisimbi mountain

Karisimbi mountain

Day 3: Hiking the Karisimbi Mountain Volcano.

An early breakfast, you will be taken to the base camp of the volcano on Karisimbi Mountain for a briefing, and then taken to the start point for the 2-day climb. You will be accompanied by a guide, as well as porters who will carry your luggage. On the first day, the climb will take about 6 hours. The first overnight will be at a camp at an elevation of 3,700 meters.

Overnight at the mountain camp.

Day 4:  Continue to Karisimbi.

After early morning breakfast at the camp, you will continue climbing to the top of Karisimbi Mountain. This will take about 4 hours to reach the summit.  The fascinatingly unusual vegetation and the magnificent scenery will make the hard climb worth it. After reaching the summit, you will then descend the mountain for a meet at the base with the Jewel Safari guide who will then transport you to Kigali. En route to Kigali, you may make a stop or two at a local market or handicraft shop.

Overnight at the preferred accommodation facility.

Day 5:  Kigali.

After breakfast on the last day of your 5 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari & Karisimbi Volcano Hike Rwanda, you will be picked up at your hotel and given a further tour of Kigali and its environs. There are many sites to see in Kigali City and depending on your flight time, you will determine how many of these attractions you will be able to see before dropping off at the airport for your flight/ hotel. 

Accommodation is booked in accordance with your preferences and depending on your budget and availability. 

ACCOMMODATION

KIGALI

KIGALI SERENA HOTEL

The Kigali Serena Hotel is centrally located in the city; the hotel has become Kigali’s natural business hub.   This is a luxury property with all modern conveniences. There are inside and outside dining options, a swimming pool, and a lounge and bar that opens onto a wide sundeck with awesome views of Kigali’s many green hills.

Features:

  • Business Center
  • Air Conditioning
  • Babysitting
  • Laundry service
  • Elevator
  • Fitness center
  • Free Parking
  • Wifi
  • Satellite TV
  • Spa services

VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK

VIRUNGA LODGE

‘The Virunga Lodge sits on a ridge with stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes and twin lakes Bulera and Ruhonda.  The accommodation is a number of Bandas, each with a terrace, with breathtaking views as well.  The property is powered by Solar; there are stone fireplaces, open living rooms, and private terraces in all the Bandas.

Features:

  • Wifi,
  • Gift Shop
  • Complimentary Massage
  • Laundry service

GORILLA NEST LODGE

The Gorilla Nest Lodge offers you accommodation in a magical spot, where you feel you are sharing the Mountain Gorilla’s family space.  There are breathtaking views from the lodge’s many terraces; the lodge is situated on the foothills of the Virunga Volcano Range.  The surrounding Eucalyptus forest offers extraordinary solitude.

Facilities

  • Close to Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Camp
  • Restaurant with authentic African cuisine

Distance

Book This Safari Now!

Package includes:

  • Transport: vehicle, fuel, and  driver
  • Gorilla permit
  • Full board accommodation for the
  • Entrance fees.
  • All activities.
  • Bottled drinking water

Package excludes:

  • Visas
  • Air ticket
  • Personal expenses.
  • Cost for anything that is not mentioned in the itinerary.

We use 4×4 safari cars for our safaris and therefore every traveler is guaranteed a window seat, bellow are photos of the cars.

EXCELLENT
69 reviews on
Tony M
Tony M
2024-01-08
Jewel Safaris has a jewel in a female driver, Rachel My trip to Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park on 5th Jan 2024, could not have gone better. My great experience was all down to Jewel Safaris' professionalism and industry experience. The car arrived at my house on time (5 am) to pick me up for the trip. The tour guide driver, a lady named Rachel Aheebwa, was such a delight. Female tour guides drivers are so rare, so this was unexpected. But looking back at how much of a success my tour went, Rachel was the best part of the trip. Two hours into the drive, she suggested a breakfast place that turned out to serve the best coffee I'd ever taken. The small eatery happened to be ran by a lady with tourism experience of 17 years. We set off for Lake Mburo about an hour later and arrived at the park gate three hours later. Because we planned to sleep in Queen Elizabeth National Park and we still had hundreds of kilometers to cover, she made sure we wasted no time Mburo. She was always friendly and firm in her advice when it came to time keeping. We made it to our final destination before dark and had time to rest. Before going to bed, she told me, firmly that we must leave at 7 if we are to see all the animals we wanted to see. I would have loved to sleep in but she made it clear that this was not an option. I was later thankful for this. There were several tourist vehicles at the UWA offices when we arrived. After payments, all the cars left through a Northwards track but Rachel went Eastwards and in less than thirty minutes of Game driving, we hit a jack pot. We found lions on the road and I was able to take close up pictures for several minutes as she made calls to all her friends letting them know that she had found lions. By the time all the vehicles crowded around the lions, I had spend over half an an hour with them. One of the best moments of my life. Jewel safaris couldn't have chosen a better tour guide driver for me. Every thing was well planned to help me see all there was to be seen.
TimmyHensel
TimmyHensel
2023-08-10
Murchison Falls Adventure This was my first safari adventure and it was a trip of a lifetime. The owner, Dona was very professional and helpful and made sure he understood what we wanted. The vehicle was wonderful and roomy and well kept. Our guide, Patrick made the trip exceptional. He knew the park, he knew the animals and he was a former ranger who spent years protecting the animals of that park. It was clear that the other guides respected him and Patrick was kind, funny and made sure we had a wonderful adventure. The first night, the owner called me to ask how everything was going and he messaged me after the trip to make sure we had a great time. That was above and beyond what I expected. Great company, great customer service and fantastic guide with years of experience. This is the company I would choose over and over.
pablo
pablo
2023-08-09
Great safari!!!! Fantastic. The owner went out of the way to make sure we had what we wanted. I highly recommend Patrick as guide and driver. He loves what he does and you can tell.
Simon T
Simon T
2023-08-07
Two-day trip to Lake Mburo Our two-day trip to Lake Mburo with our driver and guide Patrick was great. He delivered what we asked for, and more! Other than being a very kind person and good driver, Patrick was able to share a lot of information about the different animals and places we encountered. A big thanks to Jewel Safaris and Patrick! 100% Recommend!
Sander T
Sander T
2023-08-07
2 days Safari to Lake Mburo We had a blast of a weekend with Patrick from Jewel Safari's. He knew so much about the animals, was so friendly and flexible to arrange it the way we wanted. I would advice to go on a Safari with him!
George H
George H
2023-05-31
Uganda 2023 We had the great pleasure of having Patrick from jewel safaris for a week in Uganda. Hugely informative and fun, Patrick is a perfect ambassador for a fun, beautiful and dramatic country which is Uganda. A fabulous tour by a class guide. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting most of Africa and Uganda is top. Will go back
astrid H
astrid H
2023-05-31
Incredible experience Amazing service and amazing country and people. It was an incredible trip, I can’t fault anything. We all enjoyed it so much and our guide was so attentive and catered to what we wanted to do
goran52
goran52
2022-11-30
Utmärkt service, bra bil och kunnig guide. Jewel Safaris arrangerade vår resa till Uganda, med bland annat gorillorna i Bwindi. Vi var även i nationalparken där schimpanserna finns. Jewel Safaris har lång erfarenhet av att anordna safaris i Uganda. Goran
K F
K F
2022-11-29
good service We had a great trip with Jewel Safari and would definitely recommend to book trips with Jewel Safari.
Ola Karlsson
Ola Karlsson
2022-11-10
Great agency We ordered the trip in 2019 to go to Uganda in April 2020. Then Covid came and the trip was postponed for 2,5 yrs and in the meantime we kept contact and When we finally could go it all went super-smooth. Well organized and very friendly personnel and a fantastic guide. Nothing went wrong during the 10 days we visited and the arrangements were spotless.

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