Our seven-night gorilla safari to Virunga Lodge, Rwanda and Mount Gahinga Lodge, Uganda, offers the opportunity to experience ancient Batwa culture, hike a volcano, see the rare golden monkeys, and trek the majestic mountain gorillas in both Rwanda and Uganda.
This safari starts and finishes in Kigali, Rwanda, from where you will drive to Mount Gahinga Lodge, nestled in the Uganda foothills of the Virunga volcanoes. Spend three nights at both Mount Gahinga Lodge and Virunga Lodge and trek gorillas in Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda.
Participate in unique community and conservation activities around the lodges, run by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, including the Gahinga Batwa Village and the Virunga “One Sheep” project.
Enjoy a fireside chat in the Virunga Lodge Map Room the evening before your gorilla trek with staff from one of our conservation partners, Gorilla Doctors and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and learn about their conservation work in the park.
2025 Rates from $9,460 per person in low season for this all-inclusive 7-day safari. As a special offer, book before 31 December 2025 and receive a complimentary night at Mount Gahinga Lodge worth up to $1,700 and a complimentary golden monkey permit as part of your safari.
Trekking mountain gorillas in dense African forests is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Groups of eight visit per day, maintaining a 10m distance to protect the gorillas. Treks last 3-8 hours, requiring some fitness, but all levels are accommodated for this unforgettable adventure
Golden monkeys, with their striking golden fur and playful nature, inhabit the volcanic foothills of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Treks lead through bamboo forests and moorlands, offering a chance to observe these rare primates in their natural habitat.
Guests at Virunga Lodge and Mount Gahinga Lodge can embark on exhilarating climbs of the Virunga volcanoes—Mt. Gahinga, Mt. Sabyinyo, and Mt. Muhavura. Each offers unique challenges and stunning views, with hikes starting early and lasting a full day.
Experience the vibrant Intore dancers in the afternoon, a local troupe supported by the Volcanoes Safari Partnership Trust since 2004. With 18 performers, they showcase Rwanda’s traditional ballet, ‘The Intore,’ a powerful courtly dance honoring the victory rituals of the Rwandan kings.
Located in a beautiful meadow nestled between the Karisimbi and Bisoke volcanoes are the graves of Dian Fossey and some of her beloved research gorillas. For anyone interested in gorilla conservation in Rwanda, or interested in Fossey’s personal story, the trek to her grave is highly recommended. This trek starts early in the morning, can take 6-8 hours and is operated by the National Park.
Join a veterinarian from Gorilla Doctors for an enlightening briefing on gorilla health and conservation strategies. Learn about their unique One Health approach and life-saving veterinary practices dedicated solely to the conservation of endangered mountain and eastern lowland gorillas.
In 2024, a new vocational center near Virunga Lodge will offer training in carpentry and tailoring to local youth, empowering communities with practical skills and apprenticeships. This initiative supports sustainable livelihoods for neighboring communities.
Established in 1967, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is dedicated to protecting and studying gorillas and their habitats, as well as empowering the communities that live near these forests. With a team of nearly 300 professionals working in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Fossey Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organization focused entirely on gorilla conservation.
In 2014, Virunga Lodge launched the “One Sheep per Family” project, providing sheep to families in nearby villages. The sheep produce manure for crops and offspring for income. With support, hundreds of families in Sunzu, Bugeyo, Kigugu, and Nyagatoki villages have benefited, fostering sustainable farming and community growth.
Virunga Lodge provides water tanks to local communities facing water shortages despite heavy rains. Since 2016, tanks have been donated to all households in Sunzu and many in Bugeyo village, improving access to clean water for drinking and farming. The project aims to support more families by 2024.
The Batwa Cultural Heritage Site at Mount Gahinga Lodge preserves Batwa traditions through a herbal garden, traditional huts, and a trail where they demonstrate forest life, hunting, and honey collection to Volcanoes Safaris guests. The VSPT aims to expand this site to safeguard Batwa culture.
The Batwa are thought to be one of the oldest surviving indigenous people in the Central African Region. Known for their unique culture in the forests, the Batwa of the Virunga Mountains survived by hunting small game, gathering plants and fruits, living in caves and constructing huts of leaves and branches.
Arriving in Kigali you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Transfer to your hotel in Kigali
Overnight at The Retreat (dinner, breakfast)
Set off for Mount Gahinga Lodge and cross the border into Uganda. Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace with stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes or warm yourself inside by the cosy fire.
Driving time approximately 4 to 5 hours
Please book flights arriving no later than 10am
Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment.
After a climb of between one and three hours the moment you find the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged one. You will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch.
Gorilla trekking requires stamina and can sometimes take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.
Relax after your day’s tracking experience and enjoy a complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Gahinga Spa and Sauna. Visit the Batwa Vocational Center and see how the community are earning a sustainable income through craft making.
Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off to track the rare golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. The monkeys travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots.
Later in the afternoon hike the Gisozi caldera and enjoy sundowners over magical views of the Kisoro valley, with Lake Mutanda in the distance.
Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After breakfast visit the Gahinga Batwa Village and experience the culture and history of one of Africa’s oldest tribes. Visit their new village and community centre and participate in the Batwa Heritage Tour to gain insight into their traditional life as hunter gatherers in the forest.
Return to the lodge and after lunch drive across the border into Rwanda. The magnificent Virunga Lodge is perched on the top of a hill with panoramic views of the chain of volcanoes and Lakes Bulera and Ruhondo. From the terrace you can take in the sunset over the lakes and enjoy an exhilarating performance from the colourful Intore Dance troupe that showcases the unique Rwandese culture.
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and a fireside chat in the Virunga Map Room with a vet from the Gorilla Doctors and learn about their daily work looking after the health of the mountain gorillas.
Driving time approximately 2.5 hours.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
Wake up early and have breakfast before setting off for gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans. Hike through the enchanting bamboo forest on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes. After a climb of between one and three hours, you will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch.
Some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.
Visit the new Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund on the way back to Virunga Lodge.
Relax after your day’s tracking experience and enjoy complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Virunga Spa and Sauna
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, trek to the grave of pioneer primatologist Dian Fossey and visit the gorilla cemetery, the final resting place of some of her favorite gorillas.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch and dinner).
Leave Virunga Lodge and drive to Kigali, and time permitting, enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly).
Transfer to the airport in time for your return flight. Driving time approximately 3 hours.
To make a booking, please complete this form or click here to chat to one of our sales consultants via our live chat. Alternatively, send us an email on enquiries@volcanoessafaris.com.