Overview.
Most popular as the Land of 1000 Hills, Rwanda is one of East Africa’s most spectacular countries and a remarkable travel destination with plenty of unique experiences, breathtaking sceneries, and warm welcoming people. This 7-day safari in Rwanda is perfect for all primate and big game lovers on an African holiday.
This one-week trip covers Rwanda’s key sites, especially Akagera National Park- the country’s only savanna-dominated park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, and Volcanoes National Park for primate encounters. Activities to expect to enjoy on this special Rwanda trip include game drives, a boat cruise in Akagera, and two primate adventures- chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe and a mountain gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park.
Safari Details
Day 1: A day for arrival & pick up
Day one will be used for you to travel for your 7 days Rwanda safari. Arrive at Kigali International Airport (KGL), meet and greet our company driver guide. A brief introduction to your tour will be done and after, leave Kigali for relaxation, dinner and a night stay in a hotel in a beautiful Kigali city.
Day 2: City tour & Akagera National Park
After a hefty breakfast, you will be picked up by your professional driver guide and start touring Kigali capital city. This is one of Africa’s modern cities with plenty of tourist sites to visit. As of today, you will focus on touring the Gisozi/Kigali genocide site that offers an insight into what occurred during the terrific 1994 Rwandan genocide. Local markets like Kimironko and craft centers, plus other sites.
After lunch, the driver guide will take you to Akagera National Park in far Eastern Rwanda, home to all the big 5 game. It will be a short drive of about 2 hours and 30 minutes in a classic 4×4 tourist car. Check in at your pre-booked wilderness accommodation, enjoy lunch in the afternoon, and the rest of the day will be spent at the lodge or enjoy late afternoon game viewing.
Day 3: Game drive & launch cruise – full-day Akagera national park expedition
Before the sun rises, meet your driver guide prepared for your 2-3 hours Akagera guided game drive through its rich wildlife tracks. Today’s game drive presents you a chance to encounter a diversity of animals from the big game (elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, & rhinos) to zebras, Masai giraffes, antelopes, birds, etc.
Return to enjoy lunch, relax and depart the lodge for another 2-3 hours to experience Akagera’s boat cruise excursion along Lake Ihema. Here, incredible sightings of aquatic life will be guaranteed, especially crocodiles, hippos, & birds such as African fish eagles, kingfishers, Caruthers’s cisticolas, and more.
Day 4: Exit Akagera for Nyungwe National Park
Early in the morning, the driver guide will pick you up at the lodge and drive through the park as you view some wildlife. You will be connecting to Nyungwe Forest NP, a forest-dominated conservation area and home to 13 primate species including 500 chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, olive baboons, colobus monkeys, bush babies, pottos, red-tailed monkeys, etc.
It will be a long journey but comes with en route stopovers in Butare to visit the Nyanza King’s palace and other historical centers, then lunch. From Butare, transfer to your lodge inside or outside the park.
Day 5: Track chimpanzees & leave for Volcanoes National Park
Begin your primate adventures with a visit to see chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Lying in the Southern Province of Rwanda, Nyungwe shelters over 500 chimpanzees and two sectors – Uwinka & Cyamudongo feature habituated communities.
You will gather for a briefing in one of the sectors and the park guide will take you to see chimpanzees, 2-4 hours which includes one hour for photographing chimps and watching them play or groom each other.
Trek back to the lodge and settle for lunch. After lunch, you will be exiting Nyungwe for Ruhengeri –Northern Province and Lake Kivu will be viewed at a distance as you to drive.
Day 6: Trek gorillas in Volcanoes NP & undertake a cultural tour
The second primate adventure will be mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park in Musanze. The park houses 12 habituated gorilla groups (Susa A, Umubano, Ugenda, Hirwa, Bwenge, Karisimbi, Agashya, Titus, Amahoro, Pablo, etc), and each one will be visited by a maximum of eight guests.
Briefing about dos & don’ts for gorilla trekking will be carried out by a park official at Kinigi then you begin your adventure lasting for 2-6 hours. You will enjoy one-hour of observing gorillas as they play and also pay keen attention to their behaviors. Get back for lunch and relaxation, then proceed for an evening cultural visit to Iby’Iwacu village.
Day 7: End of safari in Rwanda
A leisurely cup of tea/coffee and after, check out of the accommodation, meet the driver guide and begin your trip back to Kigali. It will be a scenic drive characterized by a magical view of the countryside rolling hills and in Kigali, get dropped off at the hotel or airport for departure.
