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7 Day Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Batwa Culture Safari

7 day Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Batwa Culture Safari

Our seven-day 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.

Rates from $9,180 per person in low season for this all-inclusive 7-day safari. Book now and receive a complimentary night at Mount Gahinga Lodge worth up to $1,650.

Highlights

Trek to see the Mountain Gorilla in both Uganda and Rwanda

Hike to see the playful Golden Monkeys Mgahinga Park, Uganda

Share in the lives of the ancient batwa culture at the Gahinga Batwa Village

Enjoy a traditional dance with the the Intore dance group at Virunga

Fireside chat with conservation partners in the Virunga Lodge Map Room

Visit the new Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

Kigali city tour and visit to the Genocide Memorial

Book Now Safari Rates Itinerary

Safari Activities and Wildlife

Gorilla Trekking

Trekking mountain gorillas through the dense African forests is a magical experience. Only eight visitors are allowed per gorilla group each day, and to minimize possible transmission of human diseases, visitors are asked to maintain a distance of 10m from the gorillas. Typically, tracking can take from 3 to 8 hours and requires some agility and fitness; however, all fitness levels can be accommodated and no one should feel deterred from missing this once in a lifetime experience.

Golden Monkey Tracking

With only a small number remaining in the world, the Golden Monkey can be found in the foothills of the volcanic mountains of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Characterized by its bright golden body, cheeks and tail, with contrasting black limbs, crown and tail end, these playful primates are a pleasure to watch. Whether you choose to do this on the Rwandan or Ugandan side, the walk will take you from the bamboo stands and forested gorge on the lower levels of the volcanoes, to the elevated heath and moorland higher up.

Hike the Kisozi Caldera

Located less than a kilometer from Mount Gahinga Lodge, the Kisozi Caldera is an easy to moderate hike to the top of a small hill where the caldera sweeps from corner to corner. A caldera is formed by volcanic eruptions, and many dot the stunning landscape of this volcanic region.

Climb a Volcano

Guests staying at Virunga Lodge or Mount Gahinga Lodge have easy access to the Virunga chain of volcanoes, which offer challenging hikes and stunning panoramas. The three most popular volcanoes to climb are Mt. Gahinga, Mt. Sabyinyo, and Mt. Muhavura. These hikes are of varying difficulty and typically take a full day. The treks starts at 7:00am from the park headquarters, from where visitors drive to the base of the volcano.

Intore Dancers

In the late afternoon we invite you to enjoy a performance by the local community’s traditional dance troupe, which is supported by the Volcanoes Safari Partnership Trust (VSPT). The VSPT has been working with the dance troupe at the Volcanoes Safaris’ Virunga Lodge in Rwanda, since 2004.

Today, the group is made up of 18 dancers. The dance troupe performs the traditional Rwandan ballet called The Intore, which is based on the courtly victory dance of the Rwandan mwami (kings).

Visit Dian Fossey’s Grave

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.

Fireside Chat with Gorilla Doctors

Join the Gorilla Doctors for an educational briefing on gorilla tracking and conservation. During the lecture, you will gain an understanding of the behavior and conservation of gorillas. Gorilla Doctors is a dedicated organization that strives to conserve wild mountain and eastern lowland gorillas through life-saving veterinary medicine and the One Health approach.

They are the only organization in the world that is committed to protecting the mountain and eastern lowland (Grauer’s) gorilla species, one gorilla patient at a time, through veterinary medicine and science, while focusing on the One Health approach. If you are interested in attending a gorilla conservation lecture, you can arrange it at the organization's headquarters or the Bwindi Lodge main lodge area and in the Dian Fossey Map room at Virunga Lodge.

Conservation and Community

Kinoni Water Source Project

A water tap was built in October 2018 to provide a safe access point to water to the Kinoni village, neighbouring Virunga Lodge.

A housing structure for the water taps was created, in order to ensure secure access to water for members of the Kinoni village. The water source project is managed by a committee who are voted by local leaders and is used by approximately 1800 people.

Virunga Crafts Project

A group of 10 local ladies make local Rwandan crafts, which are sold directly to guests at Virunga Lodge, as well as to all VS lodges. Crafts such as baskets, table placemats and coasters, and kitenge bathrobes are made and sold by the group.

To support this project please click on the ‘donate’ button below.

$200 will provide additional materials for the ladies group which will be made into craft items to generate income.

“One Sheep per Family” Community Project

In June 2014 Virunga Lodge launched the “One Sheep per Family” project, to provide one sheep to each of the families in four nearby villages. The sheep manure provides natural and effective fertiliser for growing crops. As well as providing manure, selling lambs provide income for the family.

For the project to work effectively, the community is divided up into 14 groups and each group is given nine females and one male. After all females produce an offspring, the breeding males are rotated to a different group for genetic diversity. A new family takes over caring for the male and donates one female offspring back to the previous ram caretaker.

With the generous support of the guests, all 155 families in Sunzu village and 205 families in Bugyeo village have now received a sheep under this successful initiative! As of September 2023, 170 families in Kigugu and 132 families in Nyagatoki village have received a sheep. We are aiming to provide the families in the village with 40 more sheep by the end of 2024.

Click on the ‘donate’ button below to support this project.

Donate one sheep to one of the Kigugu community families – $40

Donate 10 sheep to 5 families- $400

Virunga Water Tank Project

Although it rains heavily around Virunga Lodge, there are very few facilities for water catchment and storage and in the dry season there is an acute shortage of water. The village communities around Virunga lodge do not have enough clean water for drinking or for growing crops.

Starting in 2016, Virunga Lodge has been providing plastic water tanks to the local community and with the support of our guests, Virunga Lodge has donated 140 tanks to all households in Sunzu village. As of September 2023, 121 tanks have also been donated to families in Bugeyo village. We aim to provide a further 84 families with water tanks by the end of 2024, to ensure each home has access to a water in the village.

Click on the ‘donate’ button below to contribute $200 for one water tank to a family in Bugeyo village near Virunga Lodge.

Donate $2000 and support 10 families with a water tank.

Virunga Solar Power Project

The Virunga Lodge Solar Power project aims to provide access to electricity to local communities around Virunga Lodge. Electricity is the first step to improving the welfare of households, it is essential for a family to progress, to allow school-going children to read in the evening and for families to access information.

Volcanoes Safaris has partnered with BBOX in Rwanda, to supply solar panels to families around Virunga Lodge. Guests are invited to donate a solar panel to a family. A donation of $200 covers the cost of purchase, installation and 2 years of support for a solar panel from BBOX. Our first solar panel was donated in December 2020. Our target is to provide 50 families with solar panels by the end of 2024. With a contribution of $10,000 we can provide 50 homesteads with solar panels. Please help us achieve this goal.

Click on the ‘donate’ button below to contribute to this Virunga Lodge Community Project. We appreciate your support!

A donation of $200 covers the cost of purchase and installation.

Donate one solar panel to a family living in near to Virunga Lodge in Bugeyo village – $200

Donate 5 solar panels – $1000

Batwa Heritage Trail

The Batwa Cultural Heritage Site represents a significant commitment to the Batwa tribe from Volcanoes Safaris and the VSPT. Built on the Mount Gahinga Lodge property, the Heritage Site consists of a demonstration-based herbal garden, a small collection of traditional huts and a short trail that allows the Batwa to demonstrate to interested Volcanoes Safaris guests, how they used to live, hunt, and collect honey and other resources from the forest. The VSPT is committed to expanding and developing this Site so more of their culture can be preserved.

Batwa Vocational Centre

The Batwa Vocational Centre is the hub of the educational work conducted by the VSPT with the Batwa. Here the VSPT has donated a quarter of an acre of land where they learn how to farm, particularly potatoes and wheat. They are also taught sewing skills and how to make crafts, which will allow them to repair and make their own clothes as well as utensils. They also sell their products to generate an income to allow them to pay for food, medicine and other necessary items within the community.

Batwa Dance Group

The Batwa dance group performs weekly for the local community drawing huge crowds of children to watch! This is a very important activity for the VSPT as it works to integrate the Batwa with the local communities, who since their eviction from the forest have been reticent to share their precious land. Performances are also organized for Volcanoes Safaris guests staying at the lodge, who are encouraged to join in with the singing and dancing.

Gahinga Batwa Village

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.

With international attention on conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas, the Mgahinga part of the Virunga volcanoes in Uganda was turned into a national park in 1991 to provide protection to the wildlife from poaching and habitat encroachment. The creation of the park required the Batwa to be removed from their homes in the mountains and be displaced in a modern world unfamiliar to them. The Batwa ended up squatting in nearby farm land. They earned a living through occasional labor or begging. With limited education, adapting to the modern world has been a difficult journey. They do not have resources or land and suffer from acute poverty, malnutrition and poor health.

A group of about 18 Batwa families from those displaced live in makeshift shelters on a tiny rocky site at Musasa, about 4km from the entrance of Mgahinga National park and Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge, surviving as best as they can.

Volcanoes Safaris has now built a permanent village for the Batwa community and their families. About 10 acres of land has been purchased to allow them to build homes, a community centre and have land for agricultural and recreational use. The homes were completed in early 2018 and the official launch of the village took place at the end of May 2018.

The Gahinga Batwa community is comprised of over 147 adults and children. They have had no permanent home since they left Mgahinga National Park over 25 years ago.

Praveen Moman, Founder of Volcanoes Safaris and Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust says of the project, “As a leading luxury lodge company offering unique safari and cultural experiences to our guests, we are also very proud of our company ethos to support communities around our lodges. Uganda is one of Africa’s most beautiful and diverse countries and we want to help preserve its rich culture. We are excited to see this project come to fruition after many years of working with the Batwa and understanding their culture and desperate needs”.

Batwa Solar Panel Project

The Batwa Solar Power Project aims to provide access to electricity to the Batwa community near Mount Gahinga Lodge. The Batwa were displaced from the Mgahinga area in 1991 to create a national park for the gorillas. Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust built a permanent village for the Batwa community and their families.

Electricity is the first step to improving the welfare of these households, it is essential for a family to progress, to allow school-going children to read in the evening and for families to access information.

Guests are invited to donate a solar panel to a family. A donation of $200 covers the cost of purchase, transportation and installation. Our target is to provide 20 Batwa homes in the village with solar panels by the end of 2022. Please help us achieve this goal.

Please support this project with a donation of $200 which covers the cost of purchase, transportation and installation. Our target is to provide 25 Batwa homes in the village with solar panels by the end of 2024. Please help us achieve this goal.

Click on the ‘donate’ button below to contribute $200 for one solar panel to a family in the village.

Donate $2000 and support 10 families.

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Mount Gahinga Lodge

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The Magical Virungas

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Future of Travel Awards

2021

Afar Magazine

Travel Vanguard

2022

Condé Nast Traveler

Readers' Choice Awards

2022 - 2023

Newsweek

Future of Travel Awards

2021

Afar Magazine

Travel Vanguard

2022

Condé Nast Traveler

Readers' Choice Awards

2022 - 2023

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7 Day Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Batwa Culture Safari Rates

High Season Safari Rates 2024	Per Person Sharing	Single Traveler Supplement
7 day Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Batwa Culture Safari	$ 12765	$ 3295

High season rates are applicable on bookings from 1st June to 30th September and 15th December to 28th February. Rates are based on a minimum of 2 people.

Low Season Safari Rates 2024	Per Person Sharing	Single Traveler Supplement
7 day Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Batwa Culture Safari	$ 9180	$ 1570

Low season rates are applicable from 1st October to 14th December and 1st March to 31st May. Rates are based on a minimum of 2 people.

High Season Safari Rates 2025	Per Person Sharing	Single Occupancy
7 day Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Batwa Culture Safari	$ 13360	$ 3415