BURUNDI – DRC – RUANDA

DAY 1: departure from Italy on connecting flights to Bujumbura

DAY 2: arrival in Bujumbura, the former capital and largest city of Burundi, the poorest country in the world. Customs formalities for visa issuance (it will be the most colorful stamp in your passport) and meeting with the local team. Transfer and check-in at the hotel on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the deepest lake in Africa. Transfer to Rusizi National Park for the first introduction to Burundian traditions: the royal drum ritual dance (umurisho w’ingoma), inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Boat trip in Rusizi National Park, where hippos rest along the banks of the Rusizi River, which flows into Lake Tanganyika. Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in Bujumbura.

Morning: wake-up and departure for a city tour. There is not much to expect from Bujumbura, but this is exactly what makes it mysterious and fascinating. Despite the sad record of being the poorest country in the world, Bujumbura’s market is among the cleanest and most organized in Africa, and it will be a pleasure to walk among the numerous stalls carefully arranged by local traders. Continue the city visit and its main attractions: Independence Square, the Livingston–Stanley Monument, and the National Unity Monument. Lunch on Lake Tanganyika.

Afternoon: relaxation on the beach along the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Evening: dinner and night out in Bujumbura.

Morning: breakfast and departure towards Bukavu. Crossing the Burundi–Congo border and a full day of travel with some stops to take photos of the magical views of the valleys of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Afternoon: arrival in Bukavu in the afternoon and check-in at the hotel. City tour or boat excursion on Lake Kivu, depending on arrival time.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in Bukavu.

Morning: breakfast and departure towards Kahuzi Biega National park. Pre-trekking briefing and away we go, we’re off! Accompanied by rangers, start of the route among the trails immersed in the forest. Three routes will be possible: easy, medium, difficult. Once the family is tracked, one hour of free time to spend with the gorillas. Having the privilege of meeting them and discovering their habits, in some ways so close to our own, will be a very strong emotion. Lunch in a local restaurant

Afternoon: return to Bukavu and relaxation in hotel

Evening: dinner and evening in Bukavu

Morning: finally in Goma! It has always been in the mind of the adventurous traveler, and today it finally becomes reality! Morning boat transfer and arrival in Goma.

Afternoon: hotel check-in and short city tour in Goma.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in Goma.

Morning: early wake-up and crossing of the Grand Barrière border between DR Congo and Rwanda. Transfer towards Nyungwe Forest NP.

Afternoon: lunch on the shores of Lake Kivu. Continue to Gisakura, check-in and relaxation at the hotel.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in Gisakura.

Morning: sunrise visit and entry into the park. The morning will be dedicated to chimpanzee trekking: accompanied by rangers, we will walk along forest trails in search of chimpanzees and, once found, it will be possible to spend one hour in their company. Lunch and continuation towards Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The green hills with orderly coffee and banana plantations welcome us to what looks like anything but an East African country. Arrival in Kigali and check-in at the hotel.

Evening: dinner and evening out in Kigali’s local venues.

Morning and afternoon: early wake-up for a visit of what is today considered the capital of African ecology. The cleanliness, the well-maintained streets and green areas, as well as strict government policies on post-genocide development, make it more comparable to a European city than to chaotic African capitals. However, today’s cleanliness and progress cannot overshadow the memories of what was, in 1994, one of the most brutal genocides in African history, which led to the death of over 1 million Tutsi. Visit to the Genocide Memorial, transfer to the market and visit.

Evening: dinner and night in Kigali.