A unique adventure indeed! Delegates will explore an island where some of the rarest coffee in the world is cared for from seedling to bean. Next, visit the home of the critically endangered Mountain Gorilla, where we will track these gentle giants. The Mountain Gorillas inhabit some of the most spectacular scenery on earth, high on the flanks of the Virunga Massif, a chain of volcanic mountains linking the country to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Uganda. Rwanda is home to about one third of the 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the world and, for several decades now, the country has been at the forefront of gorilla conservation efforts. Mountain Gorillas share about 98% of our genes – you will be astounded when you realize the similarities firsthand.

This morning you will travel to Ruhengeri, located at the base of the beautiful Virunga range. Your excursion will begin with a visit to an open air market, where local women will help you purchase the ingredients needed to make lunch. Back at their home, the delegation will help with preparation of plantain, cassava, and ugali.

Following lunch, delegates will travel to a local village, where the village women will demonstrate banana beer making. You will have an opportunity to help peel and juice the bananas in the traditional way.

This evening will feature sundowners with traditional dinner and dancing at the hotel.

Our coffee experience begins with an early morning pickup from the beach of our hotel on spectacular Lake Kivu. The boat will take us to Gishamwana Island to visit the plantation of a leading coffee cooperative. Coffee raised on this island is among the rarest of all coffees. Each plant is hand raised and cared for by the farmer. This special care, combined with the volcanic soils of the island, give the coffee a full-bodied, yet non-acidic, flavor. You will receive a full explanation of how coffee is processed from washing to roasting. Lunch will be served at the cooperative on the island. Delegates will then have an opportunity to purchase coffee at wholesale prices directly from this small production factory (in the USA this coffee sells for as high as $55.00 per pound).

This evening Heidrun Simm, Director of the Congo program of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, will talk about Lowland and Mountain Gorilla conservation in the area, the challenges of protecting the gorillas, and her experience in working in Goma, Congo. Heidrun will remain for dinner, so you will have ample opportunity to ask her questions about her work.

After a very early morning breakfast, transfer to the headquarters of the Rwanda Office of Tourism and National Parks, where delegates will meet the local guides and trackers for a briefing about trekking gorillas.

In small groups of no more than eight, delegates will be designated a special trekking guide who will prepare you for one of the world’s greatest natural adventures: a visit to a family of the last surviving Mountain Gorillas.

The hike then proceeds to the area where the gorillas were located the previous day, and then the trackers start their work to locate the gorillas once again. This process can take from four to eight hours, depending on the gorillas’ location, and will include viewing these magnificent creatures before returning. This can be a long, tiring trek through the lush habitat of the gorillas, but it is well worth the effort.

Afterward, transfer to Kigali Serena Hotel. Dinner will feature fare at a local restaurant.

This morning’s activities include a visit to the CAPLAKI crafts market or the NGO Women for Women International, a crafts cooperative. Later in the day, you will transfer to the airport for your return flight back home, arriving the next morning.