Experience the greatest of Rwanda with this 12-day safari! Get the chance to visit the top three parks in the country – Nyungwe, Akagera, and Volcanoes National Park – as well as take a trip to Lake Kivu for a truly unique experience. Along the way, make sure to mingle with the locals and get to know their culture. Plus, don’t miss out on the opportunity to go chimpanzee trekking, a must-do activity for primate lovers. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable road adventure and get ready to be amazed by the beauty of Rwanda.
Experience the greatest of Rwanda with this 12-day safari! Get the chance to visit the top three parks in the country – Nyungwe, Akagera, and Volcanoes National Park – as well as take a trip to Lake Kivu for a truly unique experience. Along the way, make sure to mingle with the locals and get to know their culture. Plus, don’t miss out on the opportunity to go chimpanzee trekking, a must-do activity for primate lovers. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable road adventure and get ready to be amazed by the beauty of Rwanda.
Highlights
- Kigali City Tour
- Akagera National Park Activities
- Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Golden Monkey Trek
- Gisenyi with Night Fishermen Experience
- Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyugwe
- Waterfall Hike
- Canopy Walk
Itinerary
Upon arrival at Kigali international airport, you will go through custom and immigration, Covid test and you will be met by your driver 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 for dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Today, after your relaxed morning breakfast at your hotel, 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 un winding 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. We order lunch and after lunch, you opt to relax your lodge, or opt to head for brief game drive for game viewing. You will later return in the evening for relaxation. In the evening, you will go for a night game drive, to explore the park and try to sight some nocturnal, search for some wildlife for roughly 2 – 3 hours. Later return to the lodge for dinner and evening stay.
After an early morning breakfast at 6:00 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 bird species with over 500 bird species in the park making it a birding paradise. You will later return to lodge for lunch. After lunch, we head for a 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.
After an early morning breakfast at 6:00 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 bird species with over 500 bird species in the park making it a birding paradise. You will have a picnic lunch. 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 the lodge, for relaxation and dinner.
After your relaxed breakfast, you will jump into your jeep and find your way to Volcanoes national park via Kigali, for a Covid test, and later have lunch before visiting Kigali genocide memorial ground to learn about the 1994, Rwandan genocide incidence. You will later proceed to Musanze with a beautiful countryside view of the rolling hills, to your booked accommodation.
After an early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters. You will meet with your ranger who will brief you about the code of conduct while with the gorillas. You will then enter the forest in search of the gorillas. The trekking may take 2-6 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas in the jungle and your group speed as well. Meet and stay with the gorillas for a maximum of one hour. After a great experience you will walk back to the starting point and be transferred to your lodge for lunch, and after lunch, you can decide to relax at your lodge at your leisure or head for a cultural encounter with community walk to different site to get an insight of Rwandan culture .You will later descend back. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Today after you warm early morning breakfast, you will be picked by our safari driver guide who will transfer you to the park headquarters for briefing with your packed lunch and start off you day golden monkey trekking in search for these primates in the jungle. Just like the gorilla trekking experience, the same applies to golden monkey trekking though no so hectic like gorilla trekking. You will later return to the lodge for lunch and later transfer to Lake Kivu, in the evening you will enjoy the night fishermen experience. Later back to hotel for diner and overnight.
Lake Kivu is Rwanda’s Costa del Sol – though landlocked one can have that beach experience which is surrounded by the most stunning scenery which will only enhance your time along the shores of Lake Kivu. There are many things to do and see at Lake Kivu that you just might find most enjoyable from cultural interaction to windsurfing, from swimming to nature walks.
After your relaxed breakfast, jump into your jeep and find your way to Nyungwe, with a beautiful en route view of the Congo side, and Lake Kivu. You will head for a boat ride in Kibuye, on Lake Kivu, where you will visit numerous island, have great chance to watch a number of bird species on the lake as it a birding paradise. Later return and head to your booked hotel for lunch and afternoon at leisure.
Today, after your early morning cap of African coffee, you will leave your hotel to experience the natural forest of Nyungwe well known for having 13 species of primates, and transferred to the park for briefing and chimpanzee trekking. You will be entitled to one hour on finding the chimpanzees. After doing the chimpanzee trek, head for lunch before heading for a tea plantation visit to explore the beautiful Gisakura tea plantations, and learn about how tea is grown and harvested to production process, later return to the lodge for an overnight stay.
Today, you will head off to visit the forest for a waterfall hike, where you have chances to talk a cool forest breath hike, and visit a number of waterfalls in the park. Along you can sight some primates and bird species. You will later return for lunch before heading for a canopy walk. This 90 meters suspended metallic bridge will give you a great overview of Nyungwe forest and on a luck day spot one or two more primates in the forest as you take a walk on this bridge and later return in the afternoon for dinner and overnight stay.
Early morning enjoy your buffer breakfast and checkout of the hotel and drive heading to the Kigali, on your way visit the Royal Palace Museum in Southern Province, this will give you a great history of traditional ways of living among Rwandans and their past way of leadership of Kingship with an en route lunch. You will reach in the afternoon in Kigali and head for some shopping, if time allows, visit local market, and art shop, before dropped off at the airport, for your flight back home in the evening.
Includes/Excludes
Cost Includes
- All accommodations
- All activities, unless indicated as optional
- All transportation (Unless labeled as optional)
- Meals (As specified in the day-by-day section)
- One Chimpanzee Trekking Permit Per Person
- One Gorilla Trekking Permit Per Person
- Park fees
- Professional guide
Cost Excludes
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- International flights
- Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Tips (Tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)