8 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari
This 8 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari offers you a grand opportunity to visit Rwanda’s exciting travel destinations including Kigali City, Akagera National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park.
Highlights of 8 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari
- Day 1: Kigali city
- Day 2: Akagera National Park
- Day 3: Akagera – Kigali
- Day 4: Kigali – Nyungwe Forest National Park
- Day 5: Nyungwe Forest National Park
- Day 6: Nyungwe – Volcanoes National Park
- Day 7: Gorilla Trekking
- Day 8: Golden Monkey Trekking – Kigali city
Detailed itinerary of 8 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari
Day 1: Kigali city
As walk out on Kigali International Airport, Kigali City – Rwanda, you will be warmly welcomed by your personal safari guide and embark on a journey to Akagera National Park.
Depending on your time of your arrival, you will have a short Kigali City tour visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and the Kigali Convention Centre. Then continue to Akagera National Park arriving in the late afternoon, check in at your lodge and spend the rest of the day at relaxation.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: Dereva Hotel
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Akagera National Park
Have early breakfast and head to Akagera National Park – the only savannah park in Rwanda and home to the African Big Five and other wildlife species. Have a full day game drive exploring the scenic landscape of the park dominated by savannah plains, acacia trees and swamps.
Akagera National Park is the largest protected wetland in the Central Africa and the last remaining refugee for savannah adapted species. During the game drives with a lunch break, you will see many animals including hippos, lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, leopards, hyenas, zebras among others. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: Dereva Hotel
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: Akagera – Kigali
Wake up for a cup of coffee and head to the park for an early morning game drive, a perfect time to spot predators like hyenas, leopards and elusive bird species such as shoebill stork and the swamp – dwelling Sitatunga. After lunch, you will checkout of your lodge and transfer to Kigali City.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Four Points by Sheraton Kigali
Midrange: Onomo Hotel Kigali
Budget: Five to Five Hotel
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Kigali – Nyungwe Forest National Park
Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park with a stopover in Butare. Arrive in the evening, check in at your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Nyungwe Forest National Park is the most preserved forest in Africa and acclaimed as the most important site for biodiversity in Rwanda, the park is home to a huge population of chimpanzee and other 12 species of primates including black and white colobus monkeys and olive baboons among others.
Accommodation options
Luxury – Church Hill Hotel
Midrange: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Budget: Nyungwe Eco Village
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Nyungwe Forest National Park
Have early breakfast and head to the park for chimpanzee trekking, you will join other trekkers at the headquarters for briefing about chimpanzee trekking and how to conduct yourself while in the presence of the chimpanzees. Enter into the forest of Nyungwe in search for chimpanzees, the trek takes approximately 2 to 4 hours depending on the movement of the chimpanzees and where they spent their previous night, along the way you will spot other primates such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys and many several birds.
Once you locate the chimpanzee family, you are allowed to spend one hour in their presence observing them go on with their daily life, groom each other and take as many photos as possible.
Return to the park headquarters, meet your guide and transfer to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will go for a canopy walk on a high suspended metallic bridge above the Nyungwe Forest. During the walks, you will be treated to views of the Nyungwe Forest, birds and primates playing on tree branches.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation options
Luxury: One & Only Nyungwe
Midrange: Nyungwe Top View Hotel
Budget: Nyungwe Eco Village
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 6: Nyungwe – Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, you will transfer to Volcanoes National Park, home to mountain gorillas. The misty forest dominated park stretches along Five of the 8 Virunga Volcanoes. Arrive in the park in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day at relaxation. Have dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Five Volcanoes
Midrange: Lembaboo Gorilla Lodge
Budget: Hotel Muhabura
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking
Wake up early for breakfast and head to the park headquarters in Kinigi for briefing from a senior ranger, you will be grouped into 8 people and be assigned one of the 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park. The take takes approximately 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas and their feeding range. When you locate the gorillas, you are allowed to spend one hour with the gorillas watching them groom each other, feeding, playing, resting and take amazing pictures and videos.
After the trek, you will go for a visit to the Ib’Iwacu Cultural Village for a cultural experience, you will be entertained by local dances and drama. Take part in crowning of the king and visiting the local herbalists. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Five Volcanoes
Midrange: Lembaboo Gorilla Lodge
Budget: Hotel Muhabura
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8: Golden Monkey Trekking – Kigali city
Return to the park headquarters after breakfast for briefing about golden monkey trekking, then head into the forest looking for mountain gorillas. The trek takes approximately 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the movement of these playful creatures, the golden monkeys are easily recognized due to the yellow patches that can be seen all over their bodies, you will see these beautiful creatures playing on tree branches of bamboo trees and take amazing pictures of them.
Return to the lodge for lunch and transfer back to Kigali for your return flight.
8 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari
Quotation Includes;
- Hotel Pickup and drop off in Kigali
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Golden Monkey permit
- Chimpanzee permit
- Canopy walks
- Game Drives
- All activities as per itinerary
- all accommodation as per itinerary
- 4X4 dust-proof safari vehicle (with popup roof) & Fuel
- Full-time English speaking driver/ guide
- Park entrance fees
- Vehicle entrance fees
- Bottled mineral water while on safari
- All activities as indicated
Excludes;
- All optional activities as indicated
- Tips
- Visa fees
- Air tickets
