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Mountain Gorilla Photography
Rwanda

Details
7 DAYS FROM 13000 PP

Best time to go
08 - 14 May 2025

RWA Cl Rwanda July Gorilla Sideview Credit Richard Denyer

Mountain Gorilla Photography Safari

SMALL GROUP WITH DONAL BOYD

Nothing can prepare you for it; the moment you first encounter a mountain gorilla nestled amid the verdant Rwandan thicket. As soon as you step foot in the legendary Virunga Mountains, there’s a palpable sense of interconnectedness, rippling from the land to the wildlife, to the people. Travel “The Land of a Thousand Hills” and experience two mountain gorilla trekking experiences with our Specialist leader Donal Boyd on this exclusive 7 guest gorilla trekking photography safari.

With just over 1,000 left in the wild after severe poaching and dwindling habitat, witnessing the few reachable groups of mountain gorillas is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The gorillas we are allowed to track belong to either one of ten habituated family groups. Experienced guides will accompany you on your gorilla tracking, many of whom have been involved in the habituation process themselves. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habits and information from the previous day to locate the group’s whereabouts.

Sl Rwanda Gorilla David Yarrow
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Day 1, 08 May - Arrive Kigali

Upon arrival you will be met by your private guide and driven to Kigali Serena Hotel. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and start thinking about the adventures that lay before you.

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Day 2, 09 May - Kigali - Volcanoes National Park

This morning, you have the chance to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. It contains a permanent and extremely moving exhibition of the Rwandan genocide. After lunch at a local restaurant, you travel north to Ruhengeri and the Volcanoes National Park.

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Day 3, 10 May - First Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park

Today will be spent tracking the world-famous mountain gorillas. An early breakfast and you’re off to the park headquarters at Kinigi to register and be allocated your gorilla family for today. Once this is done, you set out by vehicle to the start of your gorilla safari.

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Day 4, 11 May - Golden Monkey Trek

Golden monkeys, also known as blue monkeys, are a local subspecies of the Sykes monkey, endemic to Volcanoes National Park and known for being cheeky, playful and inquisitive. After your trek, in the afternoon, visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Centre in Musanze.

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Day 5, 12 May - Final Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park

Your final day of gorilla tracking! An early start to make your way to the park headquarters where you are assigned a ranger and a gorilla group. Return to the lodge later in the afternoon to relax, have a hot shower or massage and reflect on the day’s activities.

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Day 6, 13 May - Day at Leisure

No activities are included for you today please let your destination specialist know in advance if you want to book anything in. Choose to spend time with Donal refining techniques or editing images, or just take the day to relax after your adventure.

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Day 7, 14 May 2025 - Volcanoes National Park - Depart Kigali

After breakfast this morning your guide will drive you back to Kigali, stopping enroute for photo opportunities. Depending on time you will be taken to a local restaurant where you can have a final meal or alternatively you will be driven straight to the airport for your departure flight.

St Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Mountain Gorilla Shutterstock Paul Cameron Allen

Journey to the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project headquarters in Ruhengeri. It is here, to ensure their healthy future, that a huge amount of time and effort is put into caring for these critically endangered primates. You will spend time with the staff learning about how the gorillas are monitored, how life-saving medical care is provided; how health studies are conducted and how veterinary medicine and ecosystem health is taught. You will tour around the centre with one of the doctors and watch a presentation about gorilla conservation.

Your Accommodation

Kigali Serena Hotel

Conveniently situated in proximity to Kigali Airport and the vibrant city center, this luxurious five-star hotel boasts a total of 148 meticulously appointed rooms and suites, offering guests a lavish retreat that includes two exquisite restaurants, a rejuvenating spa, and a splendid swimming pool. Whether it’s the call of the wild or the allure of city life, Kigali Serena Hotel offers a harmonious balance of both, ensuring a memorable stay in this captivating corner of Africa.

Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel

This boutique hotel sits on the edge of the Volcanoes National Park, in the town of Kinigi. This town is at the foothill of the park entrance and headquarters, so from an accessibility point of view, the hotel makes the perfect base. Typically Rwandese in style, the stone cottages each have an en-suite bathroom and outdoor seating with views out onto the surrounding volcanoes mountain range. The design of the rooms are basic but offer everything that is required for a good night’s sleep after a day of trekking and excitement.

Dates & Prices rwanda

Dates and Prices for rwanda
DatePassengersTrip LengthTrip StylePrices from
08 - 14 May 202577 DaysPhotographic Safari13000

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