Country: Rwanda
Destinations: Kigali, Akagera National Park, Huye, Nyungwe National Park, Lake Kivu & Volcanoes National Park.
Itinerary at Glance
Day 1: Airport Transfer to Hotel
Day 2: Drive to Akagera National Park for boat
Day 3: Game drive and boat trip in Akagera National Park
Day 4: full day game drives
Day 5: Transfer to Kigali
Day 6: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park.
Day 7: Chimpanzee Trek and Canopy walk at Nyungwe National Park.
Day 8: Waterfalls hike at Nyungwe forest and tea tour at Gisakura tea estate
Day 9: Transfer to Karongi for boat trip
Day 10: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 11: Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park.
Day 12: Mount Bisoke hike at Volcanoes National Park
Day 13: Golden Monkey Trek at Volcanoes National Park
Day 14: Airport Transfer (Morning flight)
Overview
This 14 days Rwanda classic Gorilla adventure safari, will wrap up the best of Rwandan attractions, blending you, all way through from the city suburbs, to all the major Rwandans’ parks, discovering and exploring the hidden secrets within these parks, from the only savannah park of Akagera National Park fueling you with majestic game drive and boat cruise at Lake Ihema, venturing in the jungles of Nyungwe National Park, one of the largest dense tropical rainforest, hiking up the canopy, not leaving behind a trek to see the chimpanzee, as you seek a cool sea breeze at Lake Kivu for water sport, winding up with summit to Mount Bisoke, trek the golden monkeys, get illusion and taste of the cultural insight, and of course, come face to face with the shy mountain gorillas, our immediate relatives, as our safari highlight. This will be a safari to remember…….
Trip highlight
- Gorilla trekking
- Chimpanzee trekking
- Golden monkey trekking
- Mount Bisoke hike
- Game drives
- Boat rides
- Waterfalls hike
- Tea tour
- Coffee tour
- Canopy walk
- Culture experience
- Kigali city tour
- Museum & memorial visits
Day 1: Airport Transfer to Hotel
Day Itinerary
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, our company’s safari driver will be waiting to welcome you and provide a short briefing before transferring you to your accommodation in Kigali (approximately 20-30 minutes depending on traffic conditions). You will have the opportunity to rest and prepare for your safari adventure the following day. Our driver will ensure that you are comfortable and ready for an exciting and unforgettable experience exploring the beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Rwanda.
Overnight stay at: Kigali Marriott Hotel (luxury)/ Hotel des Mille Collines (midrange).
Meal Plan: Dinner.
Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park from Kigali. Travel time +2.3hrs
Day Itinerary
Today, after your relaxed morning breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked by your safari guide and leave for Akagera national park, the journey to Akagera national park takes about 2.3 hours depending on the stopovers along the way, with the beautiful unwinding landscape en route to the park, feel free to ask the guide for stopovers to capture some photos. On arrival at the park, we shall register at the park offices and later proceed to our accommodation with a short game drive and check in for lunch. We order lunch and later head for a brief game drive for game viewing. Later return to the lodge for dinner and evening stay.
Overnight stay at: Ruzizi Tented Camp (luxury lodge) or Akagera Game Safari Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 3: Game drive and boat cruise at Akagera National Park
Day Itinerary
After an early morning breakfast at 6:00 am and leave for an early morning game drive in Akagera national park to catch up with late hunters and early risers. We will be searching for the big mammals like Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, several Antelope species, and recently the re-introduced Lions and Rhinos. The park is a varied habitat for wildlife and a number of bird species with over 500 bird species in the park making it a birding paradise. You will later return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we head for a boat trip on Lake Ihema to watch Hippos and crocodiles in the water or by the shores and meet the buffaloes and elephants wallowing by the water banks. Later return to the lodge for dinner and evening stay.
Overnight stay at: Ruzizi Tented Camp (luxury lodge) or Akagera Game Safari Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 4: Full day Game drive at Akagera National Park
Day Itinerary
Today early morning after having your breakfast at your lodge/ camp, you will be picked by your safari driver guide at about 6 am from your lodge and head for a full day safari game drive to Akagera national park with your parked lunch from the lodge, as you will not return back. Akagera National Park is a Savannah Park with Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes, Buffaloes, Waterbucks, Topi’s and recently introduced Lions. We shall take a game drive in search of these wildlife and numerous bird species. The game drive can last about 5-7 hours depending on the animal sightings and interest. Have a picnic lunch in case you packed before your last game drive and drove back to the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Ruzizi Tented Camp (luxury lodge) or Akagera Game Safari Lodge (Mid – range lodge).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 5: Transfer back to Kigali
Day Itinerary
You will leave the lodge with after a relaxed breakfast, head for a brief game drive before we drive back to Kigali and you will visit the Kigali Genocide Museum in the afternoon. This is where over 250000 victims of Rwandan genocide of 1994 were buried, you will watch short video clips and later visit the grave yards as well, and drive back to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay
Overnight stay at: Kigali Marriott Hotel (luxury)/ Hotel des Mille Collines (midrange). Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 6: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park. Travel time +5 hours
Day Itinerary
Early morning enjoy your buffer breakfast and checkout of the hotel and drive heading to the western province, on your way visit the Royal Palace Museum and Ethnographic Museum in Southern Province, this will give you a great history of traditional ways of living among Rwandans and their past way of leadership of Kingship with an en route lunch. You will reach in the afternoon at Nyungwe national park and spend the afternoon at your leisure.
Overnight stay at: One & Only Nyungwe Hotel (luxury)/ Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park
Day Itinerary
The big deal here today is to sort out with the chimpanzees, then take that wonderful forest walk.
Today, after your early morning cup of African coffee, you will leave your hotel to experience the natural forest of Nyungwe, well known for having 13 species of primates, and transferred to the park for briefing and chimpanzee trekking. You will be entitled to one hour on finding the chimpanzees. After doing the chimpanzee trek, head for lunch before heading for a canopy walk. This 70 meters suspended metallic bridge will give you a great overview of Nyungwe forest and on a lucky day spot one or two more primates in the forest as you take a walk on this bridge and later return in the afternoon for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay at: One & Only Nyungwe House (luxury)/ Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 8: waterfalls hike and tea tour in Gisakura
Day Itinerary
Have a relaxed breakfast at your lodge, meet your guide and drive to park reception. Share a nice briefing, before you head off to the Nyungwe forest for the Isumo waterfalls hike, which is roughly 2 -3 hour’s hike, visiting numerous waterfalls within the forest and great chance to spot the winged ones as well as sight some primates. You will return and share lunch, before heading to Gisakura tea estate, for an educational tea tour experience, where you learn about tea growing and processing, with the local farmers. Later drive back to your lodge, and retire at your leisure.
Overnight stay at: One & Only Nyungwe House (luxury)/ Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Transfer to Lake Kivu for Kayaking or boat trip
Day Itinerary
Begin your day with a warm delightful breakfast, and later transfer to Lake Kivu for an afternoon sunset Kayaking or boat trip. You will have roughly 2 hours exploring the beauty of this wonderful lava lake and later return to your hotel for relaxation. Dinner will be served in time as you later catch up with the night at the hotel.
Overnight stay at: Cleo Kivu Hotel (luxury)/ Cormoran Lodge (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 10: Transfer to Musanze
Day Itinerary
After a delightful breakfast in the morning, you will drive to Kinigi, with an en route visit to coffee plantation, and experience crop to cup coffee tour, and later you will proceed with your drive to Kinigi. Kinigi is a tourism area near Volcanoes National Park, where most of the lodges are located since there are no lodges inside of the park. You will spend the evening at your leisure.
Overnight stay at: Five Volcano Boutique Hotel (luxury)/ Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 11: Gorilla Trekking and Cultural visit at Volcanoes National Park
Day Itinerary
The long awaited day has come – let’s go and see the gorillas
Early morning cup of coffee, then prepare for the gorilla trekking briefing from the park headquarters and thereafter, you will enter the jungle with your packed lunch to search for the shy mountain gorillas and enjoy their lifestyle in their real home. After meeting the gorillas, you can sit around these great apes for a whole hour watching their social life as you take pictures. On a gorilla safari, a reasonable degree of fitness is required as well as walking shoes, packed food and mineral water, insect repellent, sunscreen and hut. The gorilla tracking experience takes half or whole day depending on the movements of these primates. After this gorilla tracking experience you will return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, ready for a village foot safari, to explore the indigenous local life with a taste of the traditional performance at Iby Iwacu cultural center. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Overnight stay at: Five Volcano Boutique Hotel (luxury)/ Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 12: Hike Mount Bisoke at Volcanoes National Park
Day Itinerary
Today, after having your morning breakfast, we went hiking, to reach the summit of Mount Bisoke, one of the Virunga volcanoes, which is thrilling and rewarding, as it gives you a great view of Virunga mountain ranges as you explore flora and fauna along the way. You will as well have a chance to observe the stunning view of the crater on top of the volcano. You will later descend back.
Overnight stay at: Five Volcano Boutique Hotel (luxury)/ Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (midrange).
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 13: Golden monkey and transfer to Kigali. Travel time + 2 hrs
Day Itinerary
Today after your warm early morning breakfast, you will be picked by our safari driver guide who will transfer you to the park headquarters for briefing and start off your day golden monkey trekking. Just like the gorilla trekking experience, the same applies to golden monkey trekking though not so hectic like gorilla trekking.
Afterwards, we will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Kigali.
Take a Kigali City Tour which includes visits to old Kigali and craft markets, the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi to learn about Rwanda’s history, the Genocide against the Tutsi as well as other mass atrocities around the world. Exploring further, it is inspiring to see how far the country has come in 28 years. The recovery has been referred to as a true testament to humankind’s resilience. We stop at a craft center where you can haggle for unique Rwandan crafts and curios, and if time permits, we visit the Kandt House Natural History Museum, which covers both natural ecosystems in Rwanda and the intertwined Rwandan and German colonial history. We may also have time to tour Old Kigali where the colonial buildings now form the heart of Rwanda’s small businesses.
Overnight stay at: Kigali Marriott Hotel (luxury)/ Hotel des Mille Collines (midrange). Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & Dinner
Day 14: Transfer to the airport.
Day Itinerary
Our wonderful 14 days Rwanda experience safari comes to an end. It’s time to say goodbye to the country, the people and only carry the sweet memories with us back home!
After getting done with your relaxed morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport to catch up with your onward flight. End of service!
Meal Plan: Breakfast only
This safari package includes.
- Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
- 1 Gorilla permit ($1500), per person
- 1 Golden Monkey permit, per person
- 1 chimpanzee permit, per person
- Canopy walk
- Museum visit
- En-route lunches
- Game drives
- Bisoke hike
- Boat ride at Lake Ihema
- Cultural visit
- Boat ride on Lake Kivu
- Park fees
- Waterfalls hike
- Tea tour
- Coffee tour
- Canopy walk
- Services of English speaking driver/guide
- Bottle of mineral water during the safari
The package excludes expenses of personal nature like:
- Visa Fees & flights
- Optional activities
- Tips & gratuities
- Laundry
- Alcoholic drinks
- International vaccinations
- Health test requirements
- Porter fees while trekking
- Personal travel Insurance
- Personal shopping bills
- Phone call bills
- Extras while at the hotel
- Items of personal nature
Please contact us for a free detailed quote on the option of your choice. We can tailor a request that suits your interests, and budget, as well as we can change or upgrade the lodge options. Write to us with more details about your safari.