Overview
Visit and experience beautiful Rwanda on this 12-day tour. Explore 3 of the 4 National Parks in the Land of a Thousand Hills; Volcanoes National Park, Akagera National Park, and Nyungwe Forest National Park. This long trip offers plenty of wildlife safari experiences including gorilla trekking, launch cruise, and game drive, chimpanzee tracking, and canopy walk.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Fly to Kigali
Kigali was created as an administrative outpost in 1907 and it became a capital city the same year Rwanda attained her independence -1962. This is East Africa’s most beautiful city and also one of the world’s cleanest cities. You will fly and land at Entebbe International Airport (KGL) where the driver guide will pick up and transfer you to a hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 2: Travel to Akagera for wildlife
Leave your lodge to explore Kigali city, start with a visit to the Kigali genocide memorial in Gisozi, craft shops, and Kimironko market. Set off for a wildlife expedition in Akagera National Park in Eastern Rwanda, about 2 hours and 30 minutes drive. You will arrive at Akagera where lunch will be provided at the lodge and you have a long evening relaxing.
Day 3: A memorable game drive and boat cruise –Akagera expedition
Begin exploring Akagera National Park early in the morning on a guided game drive through the savanna game tracks. A search for wildlife in Akagera will be done in a 4×4 tourist vehicle and you will set off before the sun comes out. This is to allow you to come across early risers and your wildlife sightings to expect in Akagera NP include giraffes, lions, leopards, zebras, antelopes, buffaloes, rhinos, birds, etc.
After exploring savanna wildlife, return for lunch in the lodge and end the day with a launch trip along Lake Ihema. Aquatic life will be encountered and include hippos, crocodiles, and water birds like open-billed storks, African fish eagles, egrets, and more.
Day 4: Nyungwe Forest N/Park home to chimpanzees
Nyungwe Forest National Park is where you can find a huge profusion of primates, forest, and Albertine rift endemic birds. Located in the Southern Province, Nyungwe offers the best chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk experience. You will drive to Nyungwe after a short game drive and en route, make a stopover visit at King’s palace in Nyanza.
Day 5: Chimps trekking & canopy walking Nyungwe
Depart the lodge for Uwinka reception to be briefed about rules and regulations for chimpanzee trekking. You may take 2-4 hours tracking chimps and this includes one hour for you to stay with chimpanzees. Today, you will encounter chimpanzees and other primate species, especially l’hoest monkeys, baboons, and black and white colobus monkeys. The park also protects 310 species of birds including the Kivu ground thrush and many floral species. During the afternoon canopy walk, you will come across more primates and birds.
Day 6: Track colobus monkeys & tour Gisakura tea estates
Over 400 colobus monkeys live in the jungles of Nyungwe. Colobus monkey trek lets you explore one of the habituated colobus monkeys’ troops, take pictures and return to the lodge. Have lunch and the Gisakura tea tour will be done in the afternoon, this is for you to learn how tea is grown up to the stage when it is made into a final product.
Day 7: Nyungwe to Volcanoes National Park –Musanze
After checking out of the lodge, leave Nyungwe for Musanze your next primate location in Rwanda. This trip comes with a scenic view of the countryside, arrive early, and have a relaxed evening at the lodge. Before check in, you may pay a visit to Ellen DeGeneres Campus Rwanda.
Day 8: Go gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes N/P
Early in the morning, you will immerse yourself in the jungles of Volcanoes National Park to get up close and personal with mountain gorillas. This is a lifetime experience that you have been waiting for and today is D-day. Track a gorilla family allocated to you and a special one hour will be given for you to stay with gorillas. At the lodge when you return, lunch will be served and you will end the evening with Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour.
Day 9: Dian Fossey trek & Relaxation
Today, you will choose from the various activities that Volcanoes National Park has to offer, particularly, golden monkeys and the Dian Fossey tomb site trek. After trekking with golden monkeys or visiting the Dian Fossey tomb site, walk back and have a long afternoon and evening relaxing at the lodge.
Day 10: Lake Kivu Rwanda
Leave Volcanoes National Park Ruhengeri for Lake Kivu, a freshwater Lake in Rwanda. This is where you will have a relaxed evening on the lake shores and the following day, you will consider undertaking a boat ride to its virgin islands.
Day 11: Lake Kivu boat ride
Take a boat ride along Lake Kivu and you will be visiting its Napoleon Hat Island. On the island, hike to its top to enjoy the view of the surroundings and other areas. Get back and in the evening, those who love swimming can enjoy it to the fullest or relax in the lodge.
Day 12: Early morning drive to Kigali for departure
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and after, you will connect back to Kigali. It is from Kigali where the driver will drop you off at a hotel or the airport to depart back home.
End of safari
