9 Days Rwanda Safari

On this trip, you will experience the beauty of Rwanda – the “land of a thousand Hills.” Enjoy the different backdrops and Landscape of Rwanda as you turn along the hilly roads. The parks are a mixture of savannah, forest, and mountainous. You will trek Chimps in Nyungwe forest and gorillas in Volcanoes national park and enjoy game drives in Akagera National Park.

Safari Highlights,

  • Game drive
  • Boat ride
  • Chimpanzee tracking
  • Canopy Walk
  • Gorilla tracking

Day 1: Arrival to Kigali

Welcome to Rwanda the land of “a thousand hills.” Our guide/ representative staff will be at the airport to pick you and transfer you to the hotel for overnight. If you arrive in the morning or early afternoon, you will enjoy a short tour of Kigali City visiting the genocide memorial.

Accommodation at The Retreat by Haven

Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park

Today morning after breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel for a short city tour – visit sights like the Kigali genocide memorial and the Kandt museum after which you transfer to Akagera National Park. You will arrive in the park and drive to your hotel for check in.

Have lunch after check-in and later leave for the evening boat safari.  After lunch you will take a boat safari on Lake Ihema for a beautiful afternoon breeze and some sighting of birds and wildlife. Depending on your interest, join in on a night game drive in search of the nocturnal animals.

Accommodation at Magashi Camp

Day 3: Game drive in Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is a Savannah park which is home to several big and small mammals.  After an early breakfast, your guide will pick you up for a day’s game drive towards the northern sector of the park which is less bushy offering better opportunities for animal sightings.

You will take the lakeshore drive along the different lakes as you look our for the various wildlife like; Zebras, Giraffes, Impalas, Elephants, Buffaloes, Topi’s and the elusive leopards.  On a lucky day, you will sight a pride of lions before they go into hiding.

There is a beautiful array of bird life for any keen birder or even the amateur. Enjoy the different landscapes of Rwanda in this national park – with views of different lakes, mountains and plains.

Accommodation at Magashi Camp

Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest national park

This morning, we depart Akagera national park for Nyungwe forest national park via Kigali. We shall stopover in Huye for lunch and a visit to the national museum to learn more about the history and traditions of the Rwanda people. We arrive in Nyungwe forest later in the evening.

Accommodation at One & Only Nyungwe House

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Canopy Walk in Nyungwe forest

After an early breakfast, we leave for Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe forest. The forest is rich in botanical diversity and home to 13 species of primates including Chimpanzees, L’Hoest monkeys, and Columbus monkeys with 300 bird species. Your tour guide will transfer you to the briefing area where you will meet your community guide and receive briefing before you start your trek.

Return to the lodge after the chimp trek or you can choose to do the Canopy Walk immediately so that you rest once. The canopy walk allows you beautiful views of the forest from above as you admire nature.

Accommodation at One & Only Nyungwe House

Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes national park

We leave for Volcanoes national park after breakfast. Enjoy the different sights and winding roads in the land of a thousand hills. You will have opportunities to have different stopovers for pictures and stretching depending on your needs.

Accommodation at Singita Kwitonda Lodge

Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Meet the mountain gorillas in the dense jungles of the Virunga ranges. The trek to the gorillas starts with a briefing at the park headquarters in Kinigi where you are assigned a ranger and gorilla family to trek. After briefing, your ranger guide leads you to the starting point of the trek. You might need to drive to the starting point of the trek depending on location of gorilla group you are trekking. The trek through the habitat of these enormous animals is a fulfilling unforgettable experience that many people look to undertake. The trek can last from a few minutes to several hours depending on where the gorillas nested the previous night.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park is a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. After your lunch, you will visit the gorilla guardian’s village where you will learn more about the Rwandan culture. Become a King or Queen for a day, get involved in knitting, learn how to use a bow and arrow and enjoy songs & folks from the Rwanda society.

Accommodation at Singita Kwitonda Lodge

Day 8: Golden Monkey Tracking at the Volcanoes National Park 

After yesterday’s activity, you should have rested early enough and ready for golden monkey trekking. Wake up early and take your breakfast before heading for another briefing about golden monkeys at the park offices. You will then head out to the forest g with your porter and park Rangers.

Golden monkeys are critically endangered like mountain gorillas and several projects have been started to save them from total extinction. The monkeys can be sighted on top of short bamboo trees but will come down to forage on the ground. Take enough photos of the cute primates but do not forget to also observe them.

Accommodation at Singita Kwitonda Lodge

Day 9: Visit the Ellen De Genres campus of Dian Fossey and Transfer back to Kigali

You will have breakfast at your preferred time and then visit the Ellen De Genres campus of Dian Fossey. After this visit, you will transfer to Kigali where you will be spending the rest of the day and night.

This evening, you will visit Repub Lounge

Accommodation at The Retreat by Haven

Day 10: Kigali city and transfer to the airport

You will have your breakfast and then visit some places (Nyamirambo Women’s Center and Kimironko Market) that you may not have seen in Kigali. You will have early lunch and then the tour guide will transfer you to the airport by 13:00hrs to check in for your departure flight.

End of your Safari

The safari includes,

  • Park entry fees in Akagera and Nyungwe
  • Chimpanzee tracking permits
  • Gorilla tracking permits
  • Golden monkey tracking permits
  • Kigali city tour
  • Cultural visits
  • Canopy walk
  • Accommodation
  • En-route meals
  • Transportation
  • And an English-Speaking guide
  • Airport transfers

The safari excludes,

  • Tips
  • Laundry cleaning
  • Visas
  • Personal insurance
  • Domestic flights