Welcome to Kigali Rwanda!  Our team at Nature in Spirit have organized VIP meet and greet who will welcome you on arrival at Kigali International Airport and take you to your driver for your trip who will brief you about the tour and transfer you to your hotel for check inn and overnight stay at Kigali Serena Hotel.

Main destination: Kigali City

Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel

We will have our relaxed breakfast. After we will drive 10 minutes to our activity of the day to enjoy the experience for the inspiring women of Rwanda and we begin with the Nyamirambo Women’s Centre for some local activities.

Nyamirambo Women’s Centre (NWC), a Rwandan NGO, was launched at the end of 2007 by 18 Rwandese women living in Nyamirambo, Kigali. Together they created a project which aimed to address gender-based violence, gender inequality and discrimination. Today, NWC’s mission is to provide education and vocational training to women who do not have the means to pay for such training on their own, so that they can gain better opportunities for employment.

At the end of 2013 NWC launched the product line “Umutima,” which means “heart” in Kinyarwanda. With this project, NWC trains and employs women from the community to create a large variety of women’s accessories, children’s clothing, and home decor products. At the moment there are over 50 women employed by Umutima as seamstresses.

After a visit to the centre, we will begin with a walk to the suburbs of Nyamirambo.

Walking Tour of Nyamirambo

This tour begins at the Women’s Centre with a traditional snack, a quick Kinyarwanda language lesson, and an introduction to the Centre and its activities. It then weaves through Nyamirambo, one of Kigali’s oldest neighbourhoods. Along the way guides lead participants into a women’s hairdressing salon where the adventurous type can get a free braid into a family compound to pound cassava leaves. The tour will end with a traditional lunch at Aminatha’s home one of the senior women of the project.

After Lunch, we will proceed Kigali Genocide Memorial.

Kigali Genocide Memorial

This is an extremely moving, challenging, educational and ultimately inspiring memorial and great place to understand the cause, tragedy and successful rebuilding post genocide.

The reconciliation and rebuilding have been miraculous and these memorials are built to inform, educate and prevent such a tragedy to ever occur again.

The tour is very transparent and educational but very somber and humbling when you realize that over 250,000 deceased are buried on the site of the memorial.  Guaranteed you will feel every emotion during this visit.

The most common question that goes through your mind is “would I be capable of that level of forgiveness if I found myself in this situation”.  That’s true inspiration.

Return to your accommodation and relax. Dinner and Overnight stay at Kigali Serena Hotel.

Main destination: Kigali City

Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel

After early breakfast, our tour representative/driver guide will meet you at the Hotel Reception at 7am and provide you with a detailed briefing of your day itinerary before we head off for our 2 hour drive to Akagera National Park in the East of Rwanda.

Akagera National Park game drive.

We will arrive mid-morning at the park reception and register and proceed with the game drive before driving to check in and have lunch at your accommodation.

We will head to the southern sector of the park on a game drive.  This circuit is particularly known for its Giraffes, Zebras, Baboons, Water buck and Buffalo.  After this amazing morning game drive session, we will proceed to our accommodation for lunch and check in.

After lunch we will proceed with our afternoon game drive as we are heading for our sundowner Lake Ihema Boat Cruise.

Lake Ihema Boat Safari and sun downer

At 4 o’clock we head towards Lake Ihema for a fantastic Boat Safari and sun downer.  This is an opportunity to get up close from a whole new perspective and see hippo’s, crocodiles and many of the 423 bird species of Akagera, all whilst watching the sun set over this magical first day.

We then return to your accommodation for Dinner and Overnight stay at Akagera Game lodge.

Main destination: Akagera National Park

Accommodation: Akagera Game lodge

This morning after a beautiful breakfast overlooking Lake, we will depart on a full day’s game drive working our way from the southern section to lakes in the mid-north and finally on to the savanna’s of Northern Akagera.

The big 5 are on offer but we will surely see lots of giraffes, water buck, topees, water buffalo, baboons and zebra with a very good chance of seeing elephants.

Hippo’s Beach Viewpoint.

We will stop for lunch at Hippo’s Viewpoint which is coincidentally when they usually like to come out of the water. It’s an amazing viewpoint and you will be only 30-40 meters from these massive creatures. Look out for crocodiles as well.

After lunch we head to the Northern sector of the park on a game drive and this is the best time to spot the predators like leopards and lions. Black and White Rhinos are recently re-introduced and it will be magic to spot one, however they are quite shy and elusive.

Finally in the late afternoon we will then return to your accommodation in the southern sector of the park for dinner and overnight Akagera Game Lodge.

Main destination: Akagera National Park

Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge

Transfer to Volcanoes National Park. (2.5 hours)

After relaxed breakfast, we will embark on our 2.5-hour transfer will ascend through the endless mountains and hills and provide excellent opportunities for scenic photographs as you pass through the local villages and farms.
On arrival, you will be welcomed with a glass of fresh juice by the team, check-in, and lunch.

In the afternoon, we will visit the nearby Ellen DeGeneres of the Diana Fossey fund.

Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Diana Fossey Gorilla Fund

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is an expansive, 12-acre property that rests adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda. The campus showcases the best in sustainable architecture, local resourcing, and environmentally responsible practices and will offer state of-the-art laboratories, a scientific conservation library, and meeting space for large groups.

The goal of the campus is to inspire everyone who visits, to cherish gorillas and encourage a lifetime of conservation. After the Visit to the center, we will return to the accommodation and relax with the accommodation facilities Virunga Inn Resort & Spa.

Main destination: Volcanoes National Park

Accommodation: Virunga Inn Resort & Spa

After an early breakfast, we will depart at 6:30 am as we head off to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters for a truly life-changing experience trekking Mountain Gorillas.
There are only just over 1063 Mountain Gorillas left in the wild with Rwanda hosting approximately 1/3 of them.

Arriving at park headquarters you will be briefed on the trek rules and basics of Mountain Gorilla behavior by the park rangers before departing for your trek starting point. Off your head across the farmlands and into the thick mountain forests of the Virunga Massif and ascend the mountains in search of your troop.

The trek can take between 2-6 hours as Mountain Gorillas are nomadic but the effort will be worth it as you approach and get to watch these magnificent creatures for an hour. Mountain Gorillas share 98% of their DNA and have the same blood type as humans, which then means it will be no surprise to recognize some humanistic traits in their behavior.

After descending back down the Mountain head back to your lodge for a lunch of truly great memories.
After lunch and freshening up, spend time within the accommodation facilities as you listen to the sounds of jungle and beautiful songs of the birds around Virunga Inn Resort & Spa and an overnight stay at the hotel.

Main destination: Volcanoes National Park

Accommodation: Virunga Inn Resort & Spa

After breakfast, we will depart at 7:30 am as we head off to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters for another primate trek experience (Golden Monkey Trek) Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda offers Golden monkeys trekking. This unique experience allows guests in groups of up to eight to look for and discover golden monkeys within their natural habitat.
The monkeys are incredibly active and enjoy showing off to tourists and researchers that they encounter daily. The monkeys can be found closer to the base of the volcano and enjoy eating the bamboo vegetation in the area.

After the trek, we will return to our accommodation, freshen up, lunch, and check out by 2 pm for your 2.5hours scenic drive back to Kigali. You will arrive in time for a farewell dinner. After dinner you will be transferred to Kigali Airport for your connecting flight to the next destination.

Main destination: Volanoes – Kigali