Fly-in Rwanda gorilla wildlife safari is a luxury Rwanda flying safari that will see clients fly from Kigali to the hotel helicopter strips near Volcanoes National Park using a helicopter as there are no airstrips for the regular air crafts like caravans near the park’s Musanze leaving travelers with only one option of using the chartered helicopters and this can give you one of the most extraordinary aerial views of the country’s rolling hills and the farmland situated at the hills of the vast landscape and the volcanoes can be seen extremely well on a good day in the helicopter.
It will take you to the famous Volcanoes National Park which was the research station for the late primatologist Dian Fossey who was killed by unknown poachers in the quest to protect by that the endangered mountain gorillas in the volcano based rain forest, the park sits in the 5 volcanoes of Muhavura, Gahinga, Sabyinyo, Karisimbi, and Bisoke respectively, Volcanoes National Park is also home to over 12 habituated mountain gorilla families living in the 160 km/square rain forest located at the edge of the Albertine rift valley.
Use 4×4 safari vehicle at the lodge to handle transfers from the lodge to the gorilla trekking areas as the helicopter may not be applicable and this will be part of the all-inclusive safari package in Rwanda. This is one of the most extraordinary safaris in Rwanda using the easiest ways of traveling between Kigali and the famous Volcanoes National Park for the once in a lifetime gorilla trekking safari in one of East Africa’s leading developing country and the youngest being hit by the 1994 – 1999 genocide.
After early morning breakfast you will be picked up by your guide from the hotel to be ready the park headquarters in Kinigi at 7 am, registering will take place and allocation of gorilla families (done by your guide) as you will be having a cup of coffee and then after you will drive to the trailhead to start your gorilla trekking adventure in the rain forest, this can take from 2 hours to 6 hours depending on how long you take to find the mountain gorillas and after you will spend one hour with the gorillas upon return you will be transferred to the lodge for relaxation.
A visit to see golden monkeys with in volcanoes is a remarkable experience, an add on to mountain gorilla trekking and other wildlife experiences in Rwanda. The Golden monkey is specie of the old world monkey that survives in the Volcanoes National park in Rwanda. Travelers who have visited golden monkeys before rate this primate encounter as a “lifetime” experience. The endangered primates are known for their active and playful behaviors which make their encounter.
You will need a golden monkey trekking permit which costs $100 inclusive of the park entrance fee, conservation fee, and government taxes. The permit allows you to be with the endangered golden monkeys for an hour counted from the time you see them. Golden monkey habituation experience allows you more hours (half a day) with the wild monkey undergoing training.
Fly to the nestled part in East Africa’s Albertine Rift biodiversity-rich area, Nyungwe National Park protects some 1,000 plant types, nearly 300 bird species, more than 75 different mammals, the charismatic chimpanzee, and a dozen other primate species. It is Africa’s largest protected mountain rain forest.
Chimpanzee trekking adventurers hike through its stellar jungles to spend one precious hour with a human-habituated chimpanzee troop. Nyungwe protects over 500 chimpanzees and over 350 black-and-white colobus monkeys endemic to the Albertine Rift, whose clever antics and aerial acrobatics keep visitors gazing into the canopies.
The park has one of the highest primate diversity concentrations globally, including chimpanzee, golden monkey, L’Hoest’s monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkey, owl-faced monkey, crowned monkey, Dent’s Mona monkey, velvet monkey, olive baboon, and Angolan Colobus monkeys. On a lazy Rwanda safari in Nyungwe, you’ll come across L’Hoest’s monkeys and the reclusive owl-faced monkey frolicking around the roads if you’re fortunate.
Fly to Akagera National Park a unique African safari destination, Rwanda’s only protected Savannah wildlife reserve. The park is home to various Savannah-wild species, including Africa Safari’s big five, making it a perfect place to experience prime wildlife viewing safari drives. What sets Akagera apart is that it offers a much more relaxed and laid-back kind of safari vacation adventure, unlike the more crowded and touristy pioneer safari destinations.
While the park may not have the same density of animals as the Mara, it still offers an opportunity to see Africa’s Big Five: lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard, and rhino. The lions are relaxed, but sightings are not always guaranteed, while you can spot the elusive leopards on guided night drives.
Apart from the big game animals, there is plenty of other wildlife to see, such as zebra, giraffe, baboon, warthog, and antelope species. Impala, bush buck, and topi are some of the animals that can be readily spotted throughout the park, while the lakes boast some of the highest concentrations of hippos and large crocodiles on the continent.
Fly to Lake Kivu for relaxation after gorilla wildlife encounter. The lake and its surrounds have a unique feel to them; reminiscent of what you could describe as being an inland freshwater sea. Filled with volcanic islands, surrounded by beautiful beaches, terraced hills and fishing villages, all giving it a dramatic, picturesque and very charming setting. At night, you could almost romanticize being somewhere in the Caribbean with star-filled skies, temperate climate and sound of waves lapping at the sandy beaches.
A rewarding and tranquil cruise on the waters of the lake with longer cruises taking you to Amahoro and Munini Islands – the latter is also named Napoleon Island due to its resemblance to the conquering Frenchman’s infamous hat.
The island is home to a large colony of fruit bats and after a short and relatively easy climb brings you face-to-face with them. There are also giant African millipedes locally fish eagles and a wide variety of water birds. Occasionally you may even spot water snake. If you opt for an evening cruise, imagine yourself there, sipping a glass of wine as the sun sets on a serene day exploring the beautiful Lake Kivu.
