6 DAYS RWANDA AND UGANDA GORILLA TRIP

1st Day Kigali city Tour

Kigali (Kinyarwanda pronunciation: [ci.ɡɑ́.ɾi]) is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation’s geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relatively new city. It has been Rwanda’s economic, cultural, and transport hub since it was founded as an administrative outpost in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962, shifting focus away from Huye.

The following are the key sites we visit during the kigali city tour.

1. Kigali Genocide Memorial

Inaugurated in 2004, the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi is the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. This memorial also serves to educate about how the Genocide against the Tutsi took shape and examines genocide in the 20th century.

2. Campaign Against Genocide Museum

The Campaign Against Genocide Museum is one of the eight museums managed by the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. It is housed in the Parliamentary building of Rwanda (the former Conseil National de Development) and was inaugurated in 2017 by Paul Kagame with an aim to showcase the history of Rwanda during the campaign against the genocide against the Tutsi.

3. Inema Arts Centre

Founded in 2012 by brothers and self-taught painters Emmanuel Nkuranga and Innocent Nkurunziza, Inema Arts Center spurs creativity for personal, social and economic growth. Inema Arts Center has become a beacon in Rwanda for cultivating creative expression. Inema Arts Center is a collective of Rwandan creative artists.

4. Belgian peace keepers memorial

The site in Rwanda’s capital city Kigali where ten Belgian UN peacekeepers were murdered by the Hutu extremists in order to provoke a withdrawal of the UN forces, which then cleared the way for the full scale of the Rwandan genocide to unfold. 

5. The Nyandungu Urban Wetland and Eco Tourism Park

The Nyandungu Eco-Park provides a space for residents and visitors to the city to explore and learn from nature, and is part of Rwanda’s efforts to harness eco-tourism to restore biodiversity and conserve urban wetland ecosystems.

6. Kandt House Museum

Richard Kandt was the first colonial governor of Rwanda, on behalf of Germany, until the early 1900s. At present, the Kandt House Museum in Kigali comprises three main parts.

The first part presents Rwandan life in all its aspects – social, economic, and political – before the colonial period.

The second part traces the experience of the Rwandan people during the colonial period. Following the Berlin Conference in 1884, the Germans ruled Rwanda until 1916, when the Belgians took over under the League of Nations Mandate after World War I. Richard Kandt’s life and deeds in Rwanda are covered here. The third part covers the history of Kigali, before, during and after the colonial era. Kigali was made the capital upon independence in 1962.

2nd Day Visiting Ibyiwacu cultural centre

A Rwanda cultural tour to Ibyiwacu cultural village is one of the key features that make Rwanda safaris exceptional experiences. Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village gives you a rare chance to meet local people, in their environment, with a taste of our culture and traditions. Be genuinely welcomed by the community as a special visitor while they proudly present to you aspects of their traditions and beliefs. The only way to get to know people, is getting close and interacting with local people, and taking part in their daily activities and most of all with them.

The experience takes 2 to 3 hours after which we transfer to Kisoro town in south western Uganda.

3rd Day, Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, located in south-western Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley, is one of Africa’s most ancient and biologically diverse rainforests. Dating back over 25,000 years, this mist-covered jungle is home to an incredible 400 plant species and provides refuge to some of the world’s rarest wildlife.

Most famously, Bwindi protects approximately 459 mountain gorillas—almost half of the world’s remaining population. This “impenetrable forest” is one of the best places on earth to experience gorilla trekking, offering visitors the chance to come face-to-face with these majestic primates in their natural habitat.

The Mubare gorilla group was the first to be habituated for tourism in Uganda in April 1993, opening the door to sustainable gorilla trekking experiences. Today, Bwindi boasts 25 habituated gorilla groups, with nine available for tourism and one dedicated to research.

On arrival to our lodge we check in and rest in preparation for the big day.

4th Day, Gorilla Tracking

Gorilla trekking is an experience where a group of people get to hike or trek through thick forests in order for them to capture a glimpse of what gorillas look like and be able to see the environment in which they live in naturally.

The activity always starts early by 8am, which necessitates you to wake up early and be at the starting centre on time. Trekking takes about 2 to 6 hours dependin on how far the gorilla family is on a particular day and when found, its allowed only 1 hour with the gorilla family.

5th Day

Transfer to Kigali and night life later in the night

6th Day

Transfer to Kigali International airport and End of trip.