Destination: Rwanda
Parks: Akagera National Park, and Volcanoes National Park.
Itinerary at Glance
Day 1: Airport Transfer to Hotel
Day 2: Drive to Akagera National Park for sunset boat
Day 3: Full day game drive in Akagera National Park
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 5: 1st Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park.
Day 6: 2nd Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park.
Day 7: Golden Monkey Trek and departure
Overview.
This 7 days Rwanda luxury double gorilla trekking 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 fueling you with majestic game drive and sun set boat cruise at Lake Ihema. You will have a great wildlife safari experience in Akagera National Park before you cross over to Volcanoes National Park for a double gorilla trekking experience, where you come face to face with the mighty gorillas twice. You will as well have an opportunity to trek the shy lovely golden monkeys, who share the habitat with the gorillas. Time permitting, you will as well undertake, Kigali city tour, with a visit to the memorial and local markets.
You will as well, get a great chance, to come face to face with the gentle gorillas twice!!!!
Trip Highlights
- 2 Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park
- Golden monkey trekking
- Game drives in Akagera
- Boat ride in Akagera
- Cultural experience
- Kigali city tour
Day 1: Welcome to Kigali – Rwanda!
Day Itinerary
Upon arrival at Kigali international airport, you will go through custom and immigration, and you will be met by our hotel representative who will warmly welcome you to the Land of a thousand hills that Rwanda is know of, an later drive to your booked hotel accommodation.
Overnight stay at: The Retreat Hotel
Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast
Day 2: Transfer to Akagera. Travel time +3 hours
Day Itinerary
Today, after your relaxed morning breakfast at your hotel at 0800 hrs., 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.
After lunch, we head for a game and later sunset boat trip on Lake Ihema 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.
Akagera National Park.
Bordering Tanzania at the East, in Rwanda, Akagera National Park, is the only Rwanda’s savannah park, patched with a number of bird species, with over 500 bird species can be spotted, numerous wildlife, including the Big Five. Akagera National Park, has been recently stalked with Rhinoceros, and lions, which has greatly multiplied and improved on the wildlife safari experience in Akagera. The park offers endless day game drives and night game drives including a boat cruise on Lake Ihema. If you’re truly into wildlife safari experience, Akagera National Park is a great add on, on your trip to Rwanda.
Overnight stay at: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Full day game drive in Akagera National Park
Day Itinerary
After an early morning breakfast at 6:30 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 have a wonderful game drive, from the southern sector, across central park areas, up to the north, where the majority of concentration of wildlife is sighted. You will have a picnic lunch along the way, as you enjoy your full day, game drive in the park. After lunch, proceed with your game drive for more search of abundant wildlife within this great park in the northern part of the park. Later drive back to your booked hotel for dinner and evening stay at the lodge.
Overnight stay at: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Transfer to Musanze. Travel time +5hrs
Day Itinerary
Today after taking your early morning breakfast, and have a brief game drive as and drive to Kigali, have lunch and later proceed with your drive to Musanze, to your booked accommodation. Reach in the afternoon, and spend the evening at leisure.
Volcanoes National park
Bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in Rwanda, the Volcanoes National Park is best known as a sanctuary for the region’s rare mountain gorillas. Visitors flock here to experience a face to face encounter with these intriguing creatures, making it the most famous park in Rwanda. The park is set high on the jungle-covered slopes of the volcanic Virunga Mountains. Highly regulated treks through the reserve allow visitors to spend an hour at a time with these incredible primates in their natural habitat. While the gorillas are without a doubt the main drawcard, visitors can also look forward to exploring a network of scenic hiking trails, visiting the tomb of the world-famous Dian Fossey and the Karisoke Research Centre, and enjoying a beautiful day hike to the Crater Lake on Mount Bisoke. You can as well as opt for trekking the shy golden monkeys or head for a canoe ride on the twin lakes. The beautiful Buhanga Eco Park, still remains virgin and open to visitors, where you get more cultural insight in regards to leadership and kingship of Rwanda
Overnight stay at: Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: 1st Gorilla trekking Experience at Volcanoes National Park.
Day Itinerary
Enjoy your buffer breakfast at the lodge by 0630 hours, and later jump on to your jeep and drive to the park headquarters’ in Kinigi for briefing by 0700 hrs: Registration is a simple process where the park staff determines which group of gorillas you will visit. The park staff discusses your fitness level and advises you of the 1st gorilla trekking times and conditions to the various groups based upon their location in the park the previous evening. There are a total of 96 gorilla permits available each day with a maximum of eight trekkers visiting any one group. Your guide would have asked you, about your trekking fitness, and interest, so as to choose a gorilla group that matches your interest to join for the day.
Once the trekkers are put into groups, each group’s Lead Guide briefs the trekkers of the trekking procedures as well as the “do’s and don’ts” while in the presence of gorillas. After the briefing, trekkers return to their respective vehicles for the drive up the mountain to the starting point.
Gorilla trekking can take from two to six or more hours if the gorillas move before the park rangers locate them the next morning. The guides stop frequently to allow trekkers a chance to rest and take photos along the way.
Our exhilarating trek in the footsteps of the rare and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas, the largest living primate on earth, starts in the cultivated foothills of the Volcanoes National Park with stirring views in all directions.
Upon entering the park, with paths carved by the mountains’ elusive buffalo and elephant, trekkers will be immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with colourful bird calls, butterflies and more. Through gaps in the canopy, the magnificent Virunga peaks, among the highest in Africa yet easily accessible, are glimpsed, beckoning an ascent.
Weaving through overhanging vines, moss-covered hagenia and giant lobelias that thrive in the tropical climate, our experienced trackers, who spend their entire lives in or close to this forest, bring you up close with the gorilla family.
Upon sighting the gorillas, you will stay with them for a magical hour as they go about their daily life, feeding, playing, resting; raising their young. Coming face to face with a giant silverback is one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth. You will later return back to your lodge, catch up with lunch, and in the afternoon, you can opt to relax at your lodge or visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International Karisoke Research Center this afternoon to better understand the efforts and sacrifices that led to your magical moment.
Overnight stay at: Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: 2nd Gorilla trekking experience at Volcanoes National Park
Day Itinerary
Today after your early morning breakfast, at 6.30 am, you will be transferred to the park’s headquarters with your packed lunch in the office of Tourism in Kinigi, for your 2nd gorilla trekking adventure. You will enjoy a wonderful time trekking another gorilla family. Just like the first gorilla trekking, the same procedure will be followed. You will later return and have lunch and refreshments, and spend the afternoon at leisure.
Overnight stay at: Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7: Golden Monkey trekking and departure.
Day Itinerary
This morning, head for a Golden monkeys trekking experience that takes place in Volcanoes national park at 7:00 am. The golden monkey trekking, takes the same procedure as the gorilla trekking, however less, strenuous compared to gorilla trekking. These rare species are also listed as endangered – and Volcanoes national park currently has two habituated golden monkeys’ troops that are available for visiting by tourists in the park, both of which make about 50 members.
Golden monkeys in Rwanda live in the bamboo vegetation towards the base of the volcanoes and habituation has helped them to overcome their initial shyness to accept their daily visit by researchers and tourists.
Trekking golden monkeys and gorillas is a similar experience – in a small group of no more than eight people, and you can spend one hour with the monkeys once you find them. The endangered species are very active creatures, and jump from tree to tree which is really interesting and a little difficult to photograph!
Afterwards, we will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Kigali, before heading for a city tour.
Founded in 1907 as a German settlement, Kigali did not become the capital until Rwanda’s independence in 1962 when it replaced the colonial seat of power in Butare. Since then, the city has seen major economic development resulting in what it is today; a vibrant African city of more than one million residents with wide boulevards, world-class hotels and restaurants, crafts & curio shops as well as a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere.
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 29 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.
Depending on your flight time, you will later be transferred to the airport, with your guide, and catch up with your flight back home. End of service! Meal Plan: Breakfast & lunch
This safari package includes.
- Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop up roof
- Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
- 2 Gorilla permits ($ 3000), per person
- Museums visit
- Golden monkey permit
- En-route lunches
- Game drives
- Boat ride in Akagera
- Park fees
- Kigali city tour
- Services of English speaking driver/guide
- Bottles of mineral water
- Fun and other excursions as mentioned in the itinerary.
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.