8 Days Best of Rwanda Safaris : 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.
Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
- Day 2: Gorilla trekking experience
- Day 3: Golden monkey trekking
- Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
- Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and Canopy walk
- Day 6: Transfer to Akagera national park
- Day 7: Morning game drive and boat cruise
- Day 8: Return to Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes national park – Community tour
Upon arrival at Kigali international airport with your morning confirmed booked flight or Depending on your location in Kigali, you will be met by your safari driver who will be your guide throughout the trip, meet and greet, pack your luggage in the safari vehicle and Volcanoes national park. It’s a 2-3 hours’ drive from Kigali to Musanze where we find the home of the endangered mountain gorillas.
Arrive in Musanze at good time for lunch after checking-in your booked accommodation. Later afternoon, visit Iby’wacu 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. Connect to your booked accommodation for dinner and overnight stay at 5 Volcanoes Gorilla lodge/Virunga lodge for Luxury option/Le Bambou Gorilla lodge for the mid-range option/Hotel Muhabura/Kinigi Guesthouse for the budget option
Day 2: Gorilla trekking experience
After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the Kinigi park headquarters with your trekking gears for a briefing about the endangered mountain gorillas. You have been allocated a gorilla family to trek, connect to the starting point and start trekking along with the guidance of the armed ranger guides together with the ranger guides. This activity may take between 2-8 hours searching for the gorillas depending on their movement. However meeting them is so rewarding and you will spend maximally 1 hour with them as you take time studying them and taking pictures and videos. After spending your time with the fascinating mountain gorillas, return to the base and meet your driver to connect to your lodge for lunch and refresh. Spend the rest of your day at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at booked lodge as above
Day 3: Golden monkey trekking – transfer to Gisenyi
After early morning breakfast, drive back to the park headquarters for briefing about the endangered golden monkeys and be allocated a group. 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 drive back to the lodge.
After lunch, check-out of the lodge and drive to Gisenyi. It’s a 2 hours’ drive from Musanze. Upon arriving in Gisenyi, connect for a relaxing boat trip on Lake Kivu and visit some of the interesting islands on the lake. Thereafter, drive to your booked accommodation for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel for luxury option/Palm Garden Hotel for mid-range option/Paradise Malahide Hotel as a budget option
Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
After enjoying your delicious breakfast at leisure, embark on your journey to Nyungwe forest national park which is a 6-7 hours’ drive from Gisenyi. Drive through the rolling hills and great views of Virunga Mountains. Upon arrival in Nyumgwe forest, connect to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge. One and Only Nyungwe House for luxury option/Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel as mid-range option/Gisakura Visitors Centre as a budget option
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking 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 before you drive back to your lodge for lunch.
Connect for a canopy walk. 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. Dinner and overnight stay at provided lodge as above
Day 6: Transfer to Akagera national park
After breakfast, set off to Akagera national park located in the eastern part of Rwanda. This are is different from the other hilly areas of Rwanda given this savannah vegetation cover and relatively flat area. It’s quite a long drive from Nyungwe to Akagera national park taking about 7-9 hours’ drive with en-route lunch in Kigali city. From Kigali to Akagera is about 2-3 hours’ drive. Upon arrival in the park late afternoon, proceed to check-in your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Ruzizi tented camp as a luxury option/Akagera game lodge as a mid-range option/Dereva hotel as a budget option
Day 7: Game drive and Lake Ihema boat cruise.
After a morning breakfast, you will embark on your 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 boat trip, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay
Day 8: Return to Kigali – Departure
After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and transfer back to Kigali. Upon arrival in Kigali, have lunch and proceed to Kigali airport for your onward flight back home.
End of 8 Days Best of Rwanda Safaris
