10 nights
Fly&Drive
Rwanda Primates & Safaris Premier
Kigali, Nyungwe Forest, Volcanoes National Park, Akagera National Park

By Vehicle Travel by road to The Retreat by Heaven
1 night The Retreat by Heaven, Kigali

Heaven the Retreat features three Deluxe Rooms (35m²), six larger Superior Suites (60m²) and three Master King Suites (65m²) with pool view, all with en-suite bathrooms and a private atrium. The suites have an additional terrace and outdoor shower. Furthermore, there are eight Luxury Pool Villas (120m²) with private salt water solar heated plunge pools, private front and back gardens. The retreat is fully powered by salar electricity, making it the first eco resort in Kigali. Fitness centre and spa are also available.

The retreat's Fusion Restaurant offers culinary delights from around the world, especially Italy, Mauritius and Morocco, but prefers to use local fruits, spices and herbs, creating a unique taste experience. Perched beside The Retreat’s glorious saltwater pool, rock gardens and native plantings, Fusion offers some of the finest dining in Kigali.

Location
The Retreat and Heaven Boutique Hotel are located on the same street in the centre of Kigali, just a five-minute drive from Kigali Serena Hotel.

The distance to the international airport is about 10km.

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Transport Mode Your private Rwanda guide expects you!
Our Rwanda Guide is already waiting for you and welcomes you warmly. You have a private vehicle at your disposal which is equipped with all that is required to work under difficult road conditions. Our guides are among the best in Rwanda and can tell you a lot about the country and its people. Of course, they are also very good scouts and will show you animals in the parks that others simply pass by. Your guide is your faithful friend & helper for the next days.

By Vehicle Travel by road to Nyungwe House
The journey to Nyungwe Forest takes about 6 hours. Your guide will stop for lunch in the village Butare/Huye. The road then crosses the Nyungwe Forest from east to west. Expect arrival at your accommodation in the course of the afternoon.
3 nights Nyungwe House, Nyungwe Forest

Nyungwe House is refreshingly modern and the best choice for visiting Nyungwe Forest. The lodge is surrounded by tea fields and during the week the workers pick the delicate top tea leaves and carry the harvest to the factory.

The main house is centrally located and elevated on the hill and is surrounded in a semicircle by the individual rooms. The lodge offers a good restaurant, a tea lounge, a bar and a beautiful terrace. Here you can have a wonderful breakfast in the morning when the sun rises behind the forest and the first rays of sun fall on the lush green meadows.

The rooms are in single houses, four rooms per house. In addition there are three suites featuring two bedrooms each. All rooms have a fireplace, air conditioning, safe, tea/coffee station, hairdryer, telephone and WiFi. From your balcony you can see the green of the Nyungwe Forest and sometimes some curious monkeys appear.

There is also a separate heated swimming pool and spa with fitness room.

Location
Established as a national park in 2004, Nyungwe Forest is Africa’s largest mountainous rain forest (970 km²). It is located on the western foothills of East Africa’s Albertine Rift, to which belongs the adjacently situated Mount Huye. The flanks of the Albertine Rift rise up to 3000 metres, traversing Rwanda from north to south.

With an annual rainfall of over 2000 mm, the evergreen Nyungwe Forest is a so-called cloud or fog forest. Nyungwe House is located close to Gisakura on the forest’s western edge.

The lodge can be reached by car from Kigali in approximately 6 hours. You actually cross Nyungwe Forest from East to West before reaching the lodge.

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Transport Mode Visit the Colobus Monkeys in the morning
After an leisurely breakfast you will visit the Colobus monkeys. The Colobus monkeys are often found in an area called Gisakura Forest which has been added to the park in 2005. It is an easy walk from the Reception Center along some tea plantations and takes about 20 minutes. There are other places to find the Colobus monkeys, your guide and the ranger will advise accordingly.

Transport Mode Activities at Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Nyungwe House offers diverse activities that can be booked through the lodge. You may want to visit the Isumo waterfall (5.3km, 2h each way) or visit the Tea Ceremony at Gisakura Tea Estates, which is located close to the lodge. Please report at the reception the evening before and talk to the lodge staff to plan your day accordingly. You may also decide to do nothing at all and just read a book or visit the spa?

Transport Mode Early morning visit of the chimpanzees
You need to get up early this morning! Your guide will drive you to the starting point of the Chimpanzee trekking.

There are two habituated chimp groups in Nyungwe Forest. One of them stays around Uwinka deep in the forest, the second one lives in a forest on the outskirts of Nyungwe, called Cyamudongo (say: Cha-mu-dongo). It is about a one hour-drive from Gisakura Reception Center. Chimp trekking at Cyamudongo offers the best chance to see the chimpanzees.

Transport Mode Activities at Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Nyungwe House offers diverse activities that can be booked through the lodge. You may want to visit the Isumo waterfall (5.3km, 2h each way) or visit the Tea Ceremony at Gisakura Tea Estates, which is located close to the lodge. Please report at the reception the evening before and talk to the lodge staff to plan your day accordingly. You may also decide to do nothing at all and just read a book or visit the spa?

By Vehicle Travel by road to Bisate Lodge
Today's trip with your guide takes you along Lake Kivu to Ruhgengeri / Musanze. The journey takes about 4.5 hours.
3 nights Bisate Lodge, Volcanoes National Park

Bisate Lodge offers six sumptuous en-suite rooms (92m²) that maximise comfort, warmth and views while retaining environmental principles and reflecting the culture of surrounding rural Rwanda. Its vision of reforestation and rehabilitation means that each guest is invited to participate in their biodiversity conservation efforts, as well as engage and meet the local community – in addition to learning about and making a far-reaching positive impact on an iconic Critically Endangered species: the mountain gorilla.

The Bisate property covers 42 hectares (103.78 acres) of intriguing and varied topography that shield and protect the lodge from any unnatural disturbance, blocking out light from the distant village of Kinigi and the town of Musanze and giving guests the sense of being actually inside the national park. Bisate itself is situated within the amphitheatre of an eroded volcanic cone, the main area and villas taking advantage of their raised elevation to gaze directly onto the slopes of one of the volcanoes.

Wilderness' second property is called Bisate Reserve.

Location
Volcanoes National Park is covered by approximately 160 km² of cloud forest, and home to the Rwandan Mountain Gorilla. Six inactive volcanoes, Muhavura, Mt Gahinga, Karisimbi, Visoke, Mikeno and Sabyinyo, create an incredible backdrop. Volcanoes National Park is known for the scientific studies carried out here by Dian Fossey, who was the first scientist to make detailed studies of the Mountain Gorilla.

Bisate is situated close enough to Kinigi (Park Headquarters) to be convenient for your morning gorilla trek rendezvous, but far enough away so as to feel remote and even part of the spectacular Volcanoes National Park. From Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, Bisate Lodge is approximately 2,5 hours by road.

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Transport Mode Gorilla Trekking Volcanoes National Park
Early next morning, our guide will take you to the headquarters of the park. All guests are assigned to a ranger and a gorilla family. Our guide will drive you to the starting point of the hike where you start trekking with your ranger. Porters are available to carry your backpack.

The trekking takes anything from two hours to seven hours, depending on the location of the gorilla group. Please note that the duration of stay with the gorillas is strictly limited to one hour. The gorillas are often very curious towards guests, especially the teenagers in the group like to investigate.

Transport Mode Golden Monkey Trekking Volcanoes National Park
Today you visit the Golden Monkeys, which is an easy walk in a beautiful bamboo forest and well worth it. You are back around noon.

Heli Ride Flight to Magashi Camp
Your guide will say goodbye to you today and you will enjoy a unique helicopter flight over the Twin Lakes and the hilly landscape to the savannahs and lakes of Akagera National Park. The flight takes about 45 minutes. You will be greeted at the landing site and taken to the camp.
3 nights Magashi Camp, Akagera National Park

Magashi Camp is small and personal six-tented camp with access to some of the most scenic savannah in east Africa. It is situated in the north-eastern part of Akagera overlooking Lake Rwanyakazinga.

Location
Akagera National Park sits on the north-eastern edge of Rwanda. It is the largest National Park in Rwanda and covers an area of 1'122km². It borders Tanzania and incorporates the Kagera River which feeds a myriad of smaller and larger lakes, channels and flood planes. The western side of the park is dominated by a mountain rage (highest point 2300m), wheras the northern part is rather flat with a good number of buffaloes, giraffes, zebras and antelopes roaming the savannah.

Akagera was founded in 1934. Sadly much of the park was re-allocated as farms to returning refugees following the Rwandan Civil War. As a result, in 1997 the park was reduced in size from more than 2,500km² (nearly 10% of the surface area of Rwanda) to its current extent of 1,122km².

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By Vehicle Travel by road to Kigali
The Magashi Team takes you to the park gate in the morning. Our transfer vehicle leaves the the gate at 11 am. Please do not expect your arrival at Kigali before 14:30.
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Details & Prices

Basic Information
Individual journey. The journey will be planned on your preferred dates.

Duration 10 nights. Min 2 guests. Weight limit of luggage 20 kg. Luggage in one soft bag only.
Your travel in your private vehicle with your personal driver / guide. Includes a helicopter transfer from Ruhengeri to Akagera in a Robinson (R44). Maximum weight of passengers + luggage is 180kg. A larger helicopter is available, a additional costs, should this be required. At Magashi, activities are conducted by one of the camp guides on a shared basis.
Inclusive / Exclusive
Includes all transfers from Kigali to the hotels/camps to Kigali
  • The Retreat by Heaven: Superior Suite. Breakfast.
  • Nyungwe House: Canopy Treehouse. All meals, drinks (except premier brands).
  • Bisate Lodge: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service.
  • Magashi Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
Included Permits Nyungwe:
1 x Chimpanzee Trekking
1 x Colobus Monkey Trekking

Included Permits Volcanoes:
1 x Gorilla Trekking
1 x Golden Monkey Trekking
Not included are international flights, gratuities, compulsary comprehensive travel insurance, visa fees, local airport fees, personal purchases.

Learn more about these areas
Volcanoes
Volcanoes
Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park
Nyungwe Forest
Nyungwe Forest
Kigali
Kigali
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