VIP meet and Assist on arrival.
Private road Transfer to Radisson Blu Hotel
Safari Option two for the Stern Family – Rwanda and Botswana
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Summary
July 7: Radisson Blu Kigali
July 8, 9, 10: Singita Kwitonda
July 11: Intercontinental OR Tambo
July 12, 13, 14: Wilderness Mombo
July 15: Depart
You would fly into Kigali International Airport. Several of the major international carriers fly into Kigali. On arrival you would be met by a meet and greet team who will help you through customs and immigration and hand you over to your driver guide who will then transfer you to the Radison Blu for the night.
The next morning your driver guide will pick you up to drive about two and a half hours to Kwitonda Lodge. You might choose to stop at the Genocide Memorial Museum on the way. This is well worth a visit but it is not for the faint hearted. You should get to Kwitonda for lunch and will then have the afternoon to settle into your rooms. The lodge has lovely views across a mountain meadow to the forest that you will be trekking in. The huge volcanic mountains rise from the forest as a magnificent back drop. Before or after dinner you will want to choose your hiking gear that Singita provides. We recommend you use their rain pants, back packs, walking poles, and gaiters. We recommend you use your own rain coat and your own hiking shoes as those two items must be in good condition and fit you perfectly.
Early the next morning, you will have breakfast at around 5.30 am or 6.00 am depending on how much time you need for breakfast. One of the great things about Kiwtonda other than the food accommodation, and service is how close it is to the park headquarters where you all have to go to sign in. You will be assigned a gorilla group at that time. Up to eight people trek for each gorilla group, which means you might have four other people hiking with you. The rangers tend to be quite good at teaming people of similar fitness levels up.
We have you staying at Kwitonda for three nights so that you can go on two gorilla treks. We recommend two treks as a great viewing is never a 100% guaranteed, but with two hikes you are almost guaranteed that one of the encounters will be amazing. On most trips both encounters are amazing.
After your three nights at Kwitonda you will drive back to Kigali to catch your RwandAir flight down to Johanesburg, where you will stay at the Intercontinental OR Tambo for the night. The intercontinental is a good airport hotel. You could consider a nicer hotel in the middle of Johannesburg, but it does add on considerable travel time, and given your onward flight the next day we don’t recommend a hotel in town. We have not included the RwandAir flight and suggest you book this when you book your other international flights.
The next day you will catch the scheduled flight to Maun in Botswana where you will be met by the Wilderness team who will transfer you on to a short flight to the Mombo airstrip and on to Mombo Camp where you will stay for the next three nights. We have not included the flight to Maun and recommend that you book this when you book your other international fligths.
After three nights at Mombo Camp you will catch a flight back to Maun and then on to Johannesburg OR Tambo International to catch your onward flight home.
Daily Detail
Kigali International Airport
July 7
Radisson Blu Kigali
Kigali, Rwanda
The Radisson Blu Hotel in Kigali is not far from the bustling city centre and Kigali International Airport (KGL).
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Included
Excluded
Lowis and Leakey Guide
July 8,9,10
Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Located in a prime position on Rwanda’s Parc National des Volcans border, Singita Kwitonda Lodge is well situated to access the parks headquarters, where you start the treks to see the magnificent Mountain Gorilla. Being close to a gorilla in the wild is perhaps one of the most dramatic, thrilling and poignant wildlife experiences possible.
OR Tambo International Airport
July 11
Intercontinental OR Tambo Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
The InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport is directly opposite the international arrivals hall at Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport.
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Included
English Breakfast (unless stipulated otherwise), 15% Value Added Tax and a 1% Government Tourism Levy.
Excluded
Flight from Kigali to Johannesburg
Maun Airport
July 12, 13, 14
Mombo Camp
Okavango Delta, Moremi Reserve, Botswana
Mombo Camp overlooks a floodplain at the northwestern end of Chief's Island, deep within the Moremi Game Reserve. It is one of Botswana's flagship safari lodges with a reputation for excellent service, luxury accommodation and exceptional game densities.
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Included
Accommodation, all meals, twice daily scheduled camp activities, park fees, laundry and all local drinks.
Scheduled Flight from Maun to Mombo
Private car for Game drives
Excluded
Excludes premium imported brands and champagne.
Fight from Johannesburg to Maun
Lowis and Leakey Guide
Maun Airport
Kigali International Airport
July 7
Radisson Blu Kigali
Kigali, Rwanda
The Radisson Blu Hotel in Kigali is not far from the bustling city centre and Kigali International Airport (KGL).
View property
Included
VIP meet and Assist on arrival.
Private road Transfer to Radisson Blu Hotel
Excluded
Lowis and Leakey Guide
July 8,9,10
Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
Located in a prime position on Rwanda’s Parc National des Volcans border, Singita Kwitonda Lodge is well situated to access the parks headquarters, where you start the treks to see the magnificent Mountain Gorilla. Being close to a gorilla in the wild is perhaps one of the most dramatic, thrilling and poignant wildlife experiences possible.
OR Tambo International Airport
July 11
Intercontinental OR Tambo Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
The InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport is directly opposite the international arrivals hall at Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport.
View property
Included
English Breakfast (unless stipulated otherwise), 15% Value Added Tax and a 1% Government Tourism Levy.
Excluded
Flight from Kigali to Johannesburg
Maun Airport
July 12, 13, 14
Mombo Camp
Okavango Delta, Moremi Reserve, Botswana
Mombo Camp overlooks a floodplain at the northwestern end of Chief's Island, deep within the Moremi Game Reserve. It is one of Botswana's flagship safari lodges with a reputation for excellent service, luxury accommodation and exceptional game densities.
View property
Included
Accommodation, all meals, twice daily scheduled camp activities, park fees, laundry and all local drinks.
Scheduled Flight from Maun to Mombo
Private car for Game drives
Excluded
Excludes premium imported brands and champagne.
Fight from Johannesburg to Maun
Lowis and Leakey Guide
Maun Airport
Property Information
Radisson Blu Kigali
Rwanda
The rooms and suites are air-conditioned, with a small balcony that offers sweeping views of Kigali and the green hills surrounding it and a flat-screen TV with satellite connection and minibar. The ensuite bathroom is equipped with a shower stall, bathtub, and other amenities.
The hotel has several restaurants too.
About this area
Rwanda is a small country, with its modern capital, Kigali, at the centre. From here, the roads radiate outwards like the spokes of a wheel, and on most Rwanda trips, you'll need to spend a night here at either the start or end of your safari. It's a pleasant city, scattered over several hills, and with enough to do to keep you occupied for a day or so with plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants. A visit to the Genocide Memorial site and Museum in Kigali is a fascinating, heart-wrenching experience. The museum is a testament to Rwanda's past, and it is not for the fainthearted. The memorial intends to show Rwanda's commitment to such atrocities never happening again, but the evidence of what happened can be distressing.
Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Rwanda
The service at the lodge is exemplary, the staff are charming and there is a real feeling of exclusivity. Kwitonda has eight guest suites which are well proportioned, each with an outdoor deck and a heated plunge-pool and floor-to-ceiling windows offering incredible views from all aspects. The food is excellent and the lodge has an extensive equipment room, and you can borrow trekking equipment from the lodge, including rucksacks, gaiters and waterproofs.
Set slightly further away from the main lodge, is the exclusive Kataza House, a private villa designed for families or small groups, with four bedrooms. It is of similar design and style to the suites, and guests staying here have the services of a private chef and host.
Gorilla Trekking
In the morning you will wake early for breakfast & then transfer to the park headquarters for your gorilla trek.
A standard Gorilla trek is a strenuous hike of between 1-4 hours each way (2-3 hours is more usual). You will be tracking through thick forest at heights up to 3,000 metres, traversing steep sided mountains – if the Gorillas are high up it can be arduous and wet.
It is important that you are fit and in good health and properly equipped. This is not a technical climb but it can be a scramble/slide/swing up steep inclines. You follow as the gorillas make their way through the forest, huge trees, clinging vines and undergrowth adds to the challenge of swift streams and slippery red mud underfoot. Basically where the gorillas go you must follow! The guides carry machetes to help clear a path when the undergrowth gets dense. Each visit is by permit and limited to one hour with a professional Gorilla tracker in charge who will coach you in the safety rules and body language required to come close to the Gorilla troops.
About this area
Parc des Volcans, Volcanoes National Park, is the area of the Virunga Mountain chain found in Rwanda. The park encompasses five of the eight volcanoes of the Virungas and covers 62 square miles. The five peaks are Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo. The Virunga mountain chain straddles the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda. The mountains are covered in the most beautiful forests and have some unique fauna and flora, the most famous of which is the Mountain Gorilla. It is here that Dian Fossey eventually settled and set up the Karisoke Research Center in 1967, supported by Lara’s grandfather, Louis Leakey.
The land around the national park in all three countries bordering these mountains holds some of the highest densities of humans per acre globally. The land outside the park is intensively farmed, and over the last century, the future of the mountain gorilla was made increasingly grim due to the ever-increasing pressure on their habitat as farmlands were expanded.
However thanks to the work of the Rwandan government, its supporters, and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund the tide has been turned over the last three decades since Rwanda’s civil war. Mountain gorilla populations have been and are increasing to the point that habitat expansion is now vital to support the growing populations. The Rwandan government has set the ball rolling for expansion of the national park, but is doing this with the utmost of caution to make sure that the livelihoods of the people that live around the park is put first.
Intercontinental OR Tambo Johannesburg
South Africa
It's a good quality accommodation and an ideal base for an overnight stop in Johannesburg when combining different African countries on a safari or using Johannesburg as a hub for international flights in and out of southern Africa.
The hotel has 138 comfortable rooms ranging from Classic rooms and Junior Suites to two Presidential Suites. Other amenities at Johannesburg's leading airport hotel include a spa, an indoor heated swimming pool, and a restaurant.
About this area
Mombo Camp
Botswana
The main lodge includes a dining and seating area, library, bar, multiple verandas, boma, pool and fire pit. The luxurious ensuite guest tents are accessed by raised walkways to allow the wildlife to pass through the camp freely.
We love the Mombo concession as it is one of the best wildlife destinations in the Delta. The area is home to many predators with incredibly high densities of lion, spotted hyaena and leopards; it also has spectacular herds of plains game such as zebra, red lechwe, impala, giraffe, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, elephant buffalo.
Leopard, lion, and hyena sightings are consistently strong here. With cheetah and wild dog numbers there is more of an ebb and flow and you need a little luck to see all the different species of big predators well.
We feel Mombo is the best place to stay in the delta for an unparalleled combination of luxury and wildlife. Its one of the few delta locations that is good year round.
It is best used in combination with a “water camp” in the delta for balance as it does not offer any boating or mokoro opportunities.
About this area
The Okavango Delta was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. It is the world's largest inland Delta. During the flood season, waters push into Botswana from Angola, transforming the Kalahari into a lush oasis teeming with life.
The Delta is home to a wide variety of vegetation, including reed beds, papyrus swamps, and grasslands. These provide habitat for an astonishing array of wildlife, from large mammals like elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards and hippos, to crocodiles, teeny frogs, fish, and numerous bird species. It is a thriving ecosystem adapted to its seasonal fluctuations.
The water experience includes gliding silently through the Delta's channels as you are poled along in "mokoros" or canoes and exhilarating adventures in much faster motor-powered aluminium speedboats. The land experience usually occurs in open Landrovers centering around wildlife with walks in some areas
Country Information
Rwanda
Rwanda is the best place in the world to see the endangered Mountain Gorilla. Sitting amidst these amazing apes must surely be one of the most dramatic, thrilling and poignant wildlife experiences.The thickly forested slopes of the Parc National des Volcans in the north, where the borders of Rwanda, the Congo and Uganda meet, are one of the last remaining sanctuaries for the species. With their survival under threat, it is truly a privilege to see them in their natural habitat.
For the ornithologist, botanist or primate enthusiast, Nyungwe Forest, which borders Lake Kivu, is well worth a visit. The vast tract of montane forest boasts a quarter of Africa’s primate species, hundreds of bird species, and over a thousand plant species. Mammals abound, although they are shy, and you rarely see them in the thick undergrowth, but it’s good to know they are there!
Rwanda’s recent history is tragic, and it is inspiring to see how determined the Rwandans are to move on. This is a country that has enjoyed impressive economic growth and is looking firmly forward to a brighter future. A visit to the genocide memorial in Kigali is highly recommended, but it’s not for the faint hearted.
Rwanda is a worthy addition to the end of an East African safari.
South Africa
Botswana
To enjoy the full scope of what the Delta has to offer, it’s important to have a few days of both the water experience and the dryland experience.The water experience includes gliding silently through the Delta’s channels as you are poled along in "mokoros" or canoes, and exhilarating adventures in much faster motor-powered aluminium speedboats. The land experience usually takes place in open Landrovers with walks in some areas.
Botswana is far enough south that there is a considerable difference between the winter and summer seasons so temperature and day length are important factors to consider. You also need to time your stay to take into account the water levels of the Delta as they rise and recede throughout the year.
To the north, there are some unique places to visit such as Kwando and Selinda, huge private concession areas on the Linyanti and Selinda rivers. Further south there is the vast emptiness of the Makgadikgadi pans and the seasonal greening of the Central Kalahari that brings in migrant game. If you decide to visit these places you should aim to spend time with the Bushmen of the Kalahari to experience the extraordinary interconnectedness of their lives with the natural environment.
We recommend that you extend a Botswana safari for a few days or more to add breadth to your adventure and to take advantage of the exceptional experiences available in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.