10 Day Rwanda safari : Take a holiday to one of Africa’s best destinations – Rwanda. Visit Rwanda for a week’s exploring Rwanda’s best travel destinations that are Volcanoes national park, Nyungwe forest national park and Akagera national park. This 8 Days Best of Rwanda Safaris package will allow you to understand and appreciate Rwanda more than just reading about it. Volcanoes national park is the most popular park best known for gorilla trekking along with in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park has about 10 habituated gorilla families for tourism readily waiting to be visited by tourists. Apart from gorilla trekking, Volcanoes national park is also a home to the endangered golden monkeys and a few of the forest animals and the park hosts about 200 different bird species. Nyungwe forest national park on the other hands is home to the endangered chimpanzees and 12 other species of primates. Trekking chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest is one of the most scenic experiences under the montane rainforest and walking on a canopy above the forest is an added beautiful experience. And finally, Akagera national park is the wildlife park located in the eastern part of Rwanda in the savannah areas good for wildlife experience especially to see the big five game. Enjoy remarkable game drives for animals such as Buffaloes, Antelopes, Elephants, Giraffes, Leopards, Hyenas, lions, rhinos to mention a few. Other excursions include Kigali city tour will offer you more understanding of Rwanda and its history and beauty. Enjoy other excursions include visiting Lake Kivu bordering Congo and a city tour in Kigali city.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Akagera national park
- Day 2: Game drive and Lake Ihema boat cruise.
- Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
- Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience – Iby’iwachu Cultural Village
- Day 5: Golden Monkeys tracking – transfer to Lake Kivu
- Day 6: Explore Lake Kivu on a boat trip
- Day 7: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
- Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk
- Day 9: Transfer to Kigali city tour
- Day 10: Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Akagera national park
Following your arrival at Kigali airport/depending on your location in Kigali, our company representative/ driver-guide will be meeting you to start your tour. Start with a brief city tour and visit the Kigali genocide memorial before you embark on a 2-3 hours’ drive to Akagera national park. Arriving late evening then connect to your lodge for relaxation dinner and overnight stay at Ruzizi tented camp (luxury) Akagera game lodge (midrange) Dereva hotel (budget)
Day 2: Game drive and Lake Ihema boat cruise.
After a morning breakfast, you will embark on a morning game drive around the park for a rewarding wildlife views. Expect to encounter the Big five including the Lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, cape buffaloes and the recently introduced Rhinos along with other animals including; giraffes, warthogs, waterbucks, zebras, hyenas and different antelope species. Expect to also see over 500 species of birds. The game drive may last for about 3-4 hours. Return to lodge for lunch and relax as you wait for the next activity.
In the afternoon, the driver will pick up for a boat cruise on Lake Ihema-the second largest lake in Rwanda after Lake Kivu. The boat trip exposes you to plenty of wildlife on the lake shores which come to cool off and drink water including hippos, buffaloes, huge crocodiles and birds such as malachite kingfisher and fish eagle.
After the amazing cruise, drive out of the park to connect back to Kigali for dinner and overnight stay at Kigali Serena hotel (luxury), Hotel Des Mille Collins (midrange), Step town motel (budget)
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
After breakfast, transfer to Volcanoes national park, home to the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda. It’s about 6-7 hours’ drive. Upon arrival in Musanze, have en-route lunch. Visit Dian Fossey museum before your check-in for relaxation dinner and overnight stay at 5 Volcanoes Gorilla lodge (luxury) Le Bambou gorilla lodge (mid-range), Kinigi Guesthouse (budget)
Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience and community tour
After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters-kinigi for a briefing about the endangered mountain gorillas from the park warden. Along with your trekking gear, drinking water and packed lunch, the driver will drop you off at the starting point to trek the gorillas together with the ranger guides. This activity may take between 1-8 hours searching for the gorillas depending on their movement. You will be allowed to spend one hour with them as you take time studying them and taking pictures and videos.
Return to meet your driver and connect to visit Iby’iwachu Cultural Village-a Non-Profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park through provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and livelihood based projects. It’s a rewarding place where you will be guided around the place as you enjoy the Kinyarwanda traditions including the Intore dance, traditional ceremonies and a guided community walk. Dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above
Day 5: Golden Monkeys tracking – transfer to Lake Kivu
After early morning breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for briefing from the park warden about the endangered golden monkeys. After connect to the tracking starting point and enter the forest to search for the rare golden monkey. This activity can take about 1-5 hours and is done at closer view of the other primates in the park like the red tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys among other. After viewing the rare golden monkeys for an hour while taking pictures and studying their behaviours, return to the base and meet your driver and transfer to Lake Kivu, which is about 2 hours’ drive. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury) Kivu Gorilla Lodge (Mid-range) Paradise Marahide (Budget)
Day 6: Full day Lake Kivu
After breakfast, transfer to explore Lake Kivu where you will spend the rest of the day enjoying the shores while taking boat trips to the island of the lake, a town tour with lunch en-route and relaxing at the shores as you enjoy the breeze. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury) Palm Garden Hotel (Mid-range) Paradise Marahide (Budget)
Day 7: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
After breakfast, embark on your journey to Nyungwe forest national park which is a 6-7 hours’ drive from Kigali. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Forest lodge (luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange)/ Gisakura Visitors’ Center (budget)
Day 8: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy walk
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos.
You will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk-a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees; you will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving below you. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above.
Day 9: Transfer to Kigali city
After breakfast, transfer to Kigali, which is about 6-7 hours’ drive with en-route stop at the national museum and Nyanza King’s palace. Upon arrival, check-in at your booked lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Des Mille Collins Hotel for mid-range/Kigali Serena Hotel for luxury/Step town motel for budget
Day 10: Kigali city tour – Departure
On this last day of the trip, you will have your delicious breakfast. Explore Kigali city visiting the genocide memorial and Kimoronko market. Depending on your flight details, you may have a brief city tour for the places missed and interested. When it’s time for your check-in flight, the driver will drop you off at the airport.
End of 10 Day Rwanda safari