Travel by road to Kigali Serena Hotel
Accommodation
Taken over by the Serena group in 2007, Kigali Serena Hotel is now a modern, contemporary hotel providing a good accommodation option in Kigali.
From standard room to presidential suite, this 150-room hotel offers various categories of accommodation. All rooms come with 24 hr service, air conditioning, WiFi, telephone, minibar, safe, hairdryer and coffee station.
The hotel boasts several in-house restaurants, a large swimming pool, fitness studio and spa.
All residents have to clean the city every last Saturday of the month. The police are then controlling Kigali and anyone who is moving around without permit is stopped, handed over a broom and ordered to help cleaning the city. Kigali lies in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes, a challenge for both pedestrians and traffic. Kigali is clean, safe and most visitors spend the first night of their trip in Kigali.
Travel by road to Magashi Camp
Accommodation 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.
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.
The Akagera River feeds a whole series of larger and smaller lakes, which together form a jumble of open water areas, channels and flood plains. The western side of the park is dominated by a range of hills (highest point 2300m), the north by savannahs, home to impressive numbers of buffalo, giraffe, zebra and antelope.
The park was founded as early as 1934 and in its early days covered 2,500 km², or about 10% of the entire country. More than half of the park, especially the open savannahs in the west, that are well suited for agriculture, were allocated to returning refugees after the civil war in 1997.
The pressure of the population on the park was and is enormous. When the land was taken in 1997, all lions were poisoned by the farmers and all rhinos dissapeared as well.
Leopard, hyena, serval, jackal, giraffe, zebra, topi, impala, waterbuck, eland, roan, buffalo and about 100 elephants can be found on the remaining 1'122km². Hippo and crocodile live in the rivers and lakes. The number of birds species is quite impressive with more than 500 counted in the park. Of special interest are the rare Papyrus Gonolek and the Shoebill, which occur in the papyrus swamps of Akagera National Park.
Accommodation Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge offers an imposing view of the Volcanoes National Park. The main building houses the reception, a bar, the dining room and a library. Guests can warm themselves by the crackling fireside in the dining room on colder days, or dine on the terrace when the weather is warm. The individual, spacious cottages are all built to ensure maximum peace and privacy, and offer guests the ideal place to relax and unwind after an event-filled day.
The lodge comprises a total of six cottages, two slightly larger suites and one family suite (two en-suite bedrooms), each with its own fireplace, bedroom, dressing room and large modern bathroom. Large windows offer magnificent views of the surrounding nature, and private terraces allow guests to absorb the spectacular landscape. Telephone and Internet connection are available for use, and morning tea/coffee is served in the cottages.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is situated on the edge of the national park, approximately 30-minutes drive from the park's headquarters.
The Virunga Volcano Region (VVR) is ecologically a single entity, but politically divided into three national parks: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another gorilla population lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) in Uganda in an area of about 330km².
Five extinct volcanoes named Karisimbi, Bisoke, Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura form an impressive backdrop and the border to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mikeno is also visible in the very far distance, a volcanoe that is located entirely in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) live in stable groups led by a dominant silverback. Unfortunately, the gorillas are threatened. Your visit of these magnificent animals helps generate urgently needed funds for the protection of the gorillas. Today, more than 1,000 mountain gorillas can still be found in these countries and the numbers are increasing again.
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.
Travel by road to Kigali
Basic Information
Individual journey. The journey will be planned on your preferred dates.
Duration 7 nights. Min 2 guests. Weight limit of luggage 20 kg. Luggage in one soft bag only.
Includes all transfers from Kigali to the hotels/camps to Kigali
- Kigali Serena Hotel: Superior Room. Breakfast.
- Magashi Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service.
1 x Gorilla Trekking
1 x Golden Monkey Trekking
Learn more about these areas
