The road from reconciliation to recovery explores the people of Rwanda, their lives and their response to the 1994 genocide.

Our journey begins in Kigali, Rwanda’s sprawling capital boasting almost 2 million residents. Our morning day starts at the Nyamata church where on April 10th, 1994 one of the worst acts of brutality took place. A place where residence sought safety, but were met with brutality. We will walk the grounds, discover the events that took place, and talk to a guardian of the memorial for a first person account.

Afterwards at the Nyamirambo Women’s Center, located in one of Kigali’s oldest neighborhoods, our group will participate in a mid-morning neighborhood tour and lunch. Our local guide will walk us through the markets, shops and streets of Nyamirambo explaining daily life, answering questions and sharing her story.

Following a lovely afternoon, we will continue to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Students will have plenty of time to view the exhibits and reflect individually. This is a place of remembrance and learning dedicated to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It offers a powerful experience for visitors, promoting reconciliation and building peace through education.

Our hotel this evening, Hotel des Milles Collines (English: Hotel of the Thousand Hills) was a sanctuary for more than 1,000 people who took refuge inside the building in 1994. These events were later used as the basis of the film Hotel Rwanda in 2004. Today the hotel boast a lovely garden and outdoor venue for our first dinner in Rwanda.

Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills and for its breathtaking scenery. As we meander up into the mountains on our journey to Muzanze, we’ll pass small villages, markets, children walking to school and countless amounts of activity.

Our destination this morning is Handspun Hope. This wool producing and garment making organization emphasize community-based solutions to poverty by working with local people, local resources and local talents. We will learn from these women, sit next to them and participate in their craft.

Later in the day, after a wonderful local cafe lunch, we’ll be transported to the Mukungwa river. Set in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes, you’ll paddle through the countryside enjoying impressive views, spotting abundant birds and learning about rural African life.

Our hotel tonight will be on the edge of Volcanoes National Park. This warm and welcoming hotel will be our home for the next three nights.

Today is dedicated to the rare mountain gorillas, who’s inhabit this small area. Once only having a population of only 620 individuals in 1989, to todays population of a little over 1,000 individuals.

You will have two choice today.

Option A: Hike the trail to Dian Fossey’s camp and grave site. See where some of her favorite gorilla’s, to include Digit are buried.

Option B: As an add on activity for $1,500 you will hike with a park ranger into the jungle for an undetermined amount of time. To be able to spend an hour observing a family of gorillas is an experience like no other.

Later that afternoon, as a group, we will drop by the Ellen DeGeneres Dian Fossey’s Research Center where we will learn about Dian Fossey and current gorilla conservation efforts.

Time permitting, our final stop of the day will be a local co-op where local handicrafts and souvenirs are sold.

The golden monkeys, like the gorillas, are endangered with only about 80 individuals in the Volcanos National Park. These active creatures jump from tree to tree, roll over on each other and are full of antics. We’ll hike through a village and farm land to reach the bamboo forest these monkeys call home.

In the afternoon we will head out on a fantastic mountain biking journey in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes. Along the small dirt trails we'll pass through small villages, markets and discover interesting insights about local life and customs. Our guide will happily share with you how he started his company.

This morning we’ll say goodbye to the Virunga Volcanoes and head east to Akagera National Park. Once an area of 2,500 sq km, the parks was reduced to half that size in 1997 when much of the land was reallocated for returning refugees of the genocide. Even with the land reduction though, the park has enjoy the success of conservation efforts from a wildlife population of 5,000 in 2010 to almost 12,000 animals today.

Before reaching the park, we’ll stop at the Niyo Art Gallery in Kigali. A vibrant art gallery which host 17 resident artist. Niyo, the owner, grew up in Kigali and was adopted by a Canadian family when he was 12. His mission is to provide under-served youth and adult access to quality arts education and creative expression. A great place to explore, take some picture against the graffiti walls and have lunch.

Upon arrival in Akagera NP, we will prepare for a 2 hour night game drive. Who knows what preditors and other animals may be spotted.

Today we will join a park ranger on a conservation and anti-poaching patrol. For two hours we will walk along a section of the park boundary fence while the ranger explains the ways in which the park connects with and works with local communities. You will meet farmers and cattle herders along the way and see how the national park is trying to reduce the wildlife-human conflict.

Later in the day we will take a behind-the-scences tour of the park headquarters, where you’ll learn about exciting new developments that are saving vital ecosystems and saving species from extinction. Both lions and black rhinoceros’s have been successfully re-introduced to Rwanda since 2015. What’s next?

Our evening will finish off with a sunset boat trip on Lake Ihema. As the sun dips behind the mountains, we’ll be looking for a variety of birds, hippos, and crocodiles, as well as elephants, antelopes, and other animals.

An early morning game drive will allow us the best opportunity for wildlife sightings. Commonly spotted are zebra, giraffe, buffalo, topi, and lots of impala. Also keep a lookout for elephants, rhinoceros, waterbuck, antelope, reedbuck, klipspringer and bushbuck.

Time permitting we’ll return to the hotel, have a rest or a swim, eat dinner and head to the airport for our flight home.