Overview
You will be offered a great adventure in this 10 days Best of Rwanda safari where you will visit the three most common national parks in Rwanda, taking part in major activities like chimpanzee trekking, gorilla trekking, canopy walk, game drives and boat cruises and much more.
There will be a city excursion where places like the local markets, Kigali genocide memorial Centre, and art and gallery places won’t be missed. Other activities that will be conducted during this great Rwanda safari include a community walk, visiting Lake Kivu, the twin lakes (Ruhondo and Burera), and much more.
Detailed Itinerary
Day1. Arrival in Kigali Rwanda and city tour
Begin your tour with a pick-up at any agreed point in Kigali may be at the airport on your arrival. You will be briefed by our professional tour guide and then begin the trip with a great city tour where you visit places like the Kigali genocide memorial grounds, local markets, the art and craft Centre and much more. You will letter be transferred to a booked hotel in Kigali the capital city of Uganda.
Day2. Transfer to Nyungwe National Park
Transfer to Nyungwe national park known for homing the 13 primates like Kibale National Park in Uganda. The road trip will take about 5 hours but a very wonderful time when you enjoy the calm scenery. This will be a lazy drive with different stopovers such as one at the roadside market, visit the botanical gardens, cultural museum and much more. Pass through the green fields of tea plantations and on the arrival at the lodge, you will spend the rest of the evening enjoying nature at the lodge.
Day3. Chimpanzee tracking experience
Head to the park offices for briefing and this covers different corners such as the guidelines to follow while on the trekking experience. Rules such as don’t feed wildlife, don’t make noise, keep a distance of 10m all the time and many more others won’t be missed. Trekking will commence under the guidance of the park ranger guide and this will be through the jungle, searching for footprints, nests and much more. On finding the troop, you will spend an hour following them to learn about their characters, behaviours, and much more. The overall experience takes about 2 to 5 hours but is very rewarding.
Day4. Canopy walk
Wake up on breakfast and take a canopy walk in Nyungwe forest which will involve walking on a bridge. The ropes are suspended in the air at about 170m high and 60 meters long. The walk offers the best way to enjoy the aerial view of the forest as the primates keep jumping from one tree to another.
The overall experience takes about 3 hours and this will be rewarding. Primates like black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and Grey-cheeked mangabeys. Birds like Rwenzori nightjar, Congo Bay owlet, Rwenzori turaco and much more.
Day5. Visit lake Kivu
Visit lake Kivu which is located on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and is among the great lakes in Africa. Take part in the boat cruise where you will explore different islands. You can opt to visit Idjwi Island, take part in fishing, and do other beach activities like ski diving.
Day6. Transfer to Volcanoes national park
Head to Volcanoes national park a conservation area where the conservation of mountain gorillas is done. The lazy drive will take about 4 hours on arrival, you will have a leisurely evening. Volcanoes national park is among the three national parks that are located in the Virunga mountain ranges. This means that it has diverse resources such as mammals, bird species, reptiles and much more. Apart from the mountain gorillas, the rare golden monkeys are also found in this great national park.
Day7. Gorilla trekking and Iby’iwachu cultural village tour
The gorilla trekking adventure starts with a briefing at the park offices which will be followed by a guided nature walk in the jungle by the park ranger. The briefing will take about 30 minutes and different aspects such as trekking rules and regulations, gorilla behaviours, allocation of the park guide, cross-checking the gorilla trekking permit and much more.
Trekking will last for about 7 hours including an hour spent in the presence of the gorilla family. After lunch, you will head to visit the Iby’iwachu cultural village a great community association aimed at protecting culture and wildlife. Be entertained by the cultural music and dances, taste the traditional meals, visit the traditional healers and many more others.
Day8. Transfer to Akagera national park via the twin lake of Ruhondo and Burera
Head to Akagera national park a conservation area that gets its name from the Akagera River which runs on the border of Rwanda and Tanzania pouring its water into Lake Victoria. You will pass via the twin lake of Burera and Ruhondo where you will take part in a boat cruise which will make you explore the beautiful lakes.
Proceed to Akagera national park the only savannah Park in Rwanda. There is a lot of wildlife such as the big five animals, and different bird species including the rare bird species such as the shoebill stork. Arrive and check in at the accommodation facility which will mark the end of the day.
Day9. Game drive / hot air ballooning ride and boat cruise
Take part in either a game drive or hot air ballooning to have another great way of adventure. The hot air ballooning offers you a chance to have an aerial view of the savannah plains together with the animals.
Encounter different wild animals such as lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, warthogs, antelopes, and much more. The game drive will be conducted under the supervision of the park ranger guide with wide knowledge of the tour. You will be allowed to spend some hours relaxing and enjoy lunch. Take part in a boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you will encounter crocodiles and hippos plus other bird species.
Day10. Head back to Kigali international Airport
On this last day of your safari, head to Kigali after breakfast and be dropped at the airport to mark the end of your 10 day Best of Rwanda safari.
