13 Days Rwanda In-Depth Safari

Overview

This 13 Days Rwanda In-Depth Safari is our most comprehensive Rwanda itinerary, combining every major protected area, Nyungwe Forest, Volcanoes National Park, and Akagera National Park, with genuine cultural depth at the National Museum and Nyanza royal capital, and real rest time at Lake Kivu.

Unlike our shorter multi-park itineraries, this trip is paced deliberately, with dedicated free days built in so the physically demanding trekking sections never feel back to back.

Safari Highlights

National Museum of Rwanda and Nyanza royal capital
Chimpanzee tracking and colobus monkey trek in Nyungwe
Nyungwe canopy walkway
Free day at Lake Kivu
Mountain gorilla trekking
Golden monkey trekking
Dian Fossey Karisoke memorial hike
Akagera Big Five game drive and boat safari

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali

Meet your driver-guide at Kigali International Airport and settle in for the evening.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel

Mid-range: Ubumwe Grande Hotel

Luxury: Kigali Serena Hotel

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Kigali City and Genocide Memorial Tour

A full day exploring Kigali, including the Genocide Memorial, Kimironko Market, and Inema Arts Centre.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Transfer to Huye and Cultural Sites

Drive south to Huye, visiting the National Museum of Rwanda and the former royal capital at Nyanza en route.

Accommodation

Huye Mountain Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest

Continue south to Nyungwe Forest, arriving in the afternoon for orientation and a short nature walk.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Gisakura Guest House

Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Luxury: One&Only Nyungwe House

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking

An early start to track Nyungwe’s habituated chimpanzee community through the forest canopy.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Canopy Walk and Colobus Trek

Visit Nyungwe’s forest canopy walkway in the morning, then an afternoon trek to find the park’s large Angolan colobus troops.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Kivu

Drive along the scenic Congo-Nile Divide trail to Lake Kivu.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Paradis Malahide

Mid-range: Cormoran Lodge

Luxury: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Lake Kivu Free Day

A free day to swim, kayak, or simply rest at your lakeside lodge.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Drive north to Kinigi, with time on arrival to visit the Musanze Caves.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Kinigi Guest House

Mid-range: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge

Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 10: Gorilla Trekking

A full day tracking mountain gorillas through Volcanoes National Park’s bamboo forest.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 11: Golden Monkey Trekking and Dian Fossey Hike

A morning golden monkey trek followed by an afternoon hike to the Dian Fossey Karisoke Research Center memorial site.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 12: Transfer to Akagera National Park

Drive east across the country to Akagera, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Ruzizi Tented Lodge

Mid-range: Akagera Game Lodge

Luxury: Magashi Camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 13: Akagera Boat Safari and Departure

A final morning boat safari on Lake Ihema before the drive back to Kigali for your departure flight.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Optional Activities

Huye

Ethnographic Museum deep-dive tour

Nyungwe

Isumo waterfall hike

Lake Kivu

Kayaking
Coffee farm tour

Volcanoes

Twin Lakes Burera and Ruhondo hike

Akagera

Night game drive
Rhino tracking with rangers

Best Time to Go

The dry seasons, June to September and December to February, offer the firmest conditions across every activity on this itinerary, though this trip’s length and variety make it workable in most months of the year.

Fitness and What to Pack

This is our longest and most complete Rwanda itinerary, combining multiple treks, cultural touring, and genuine rest days. Pack sturdy hiking boots, layered clothing for altitude changes between forest and savannah, a rain jacket, gardening gloves for the forest treks, and swimwear for Lake Kivu.

Conservation Impact

Covering every one of Rwanda’s major protected areas and cultural heritage sites, this itinerary contributes meaningfully to permit-funded ranger patrols, museum and heritage site preservation, and community revenue-sharing programmes nationwide.

Health and Travel Documents

Rwanda requires a yellow fever certificate for entry if arriving from an at-risk country, and most nationalities can apply for a Rwanda e-visa online before travel.

Planning Notes

This itinerary is built for travellers who want to genuinely understand Rwanda rather than simply pass through it, with deliberate rest days built in around the more physically demanding trekking sections so the trip never feels like a checklist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this itinerary designed for?

This trip suits travellers with the time and interest to see Rwanda in full depth, whether on a milestone trip, a working sabbatical, or simply a first and possibly only visit to the country where they want to see everything properly.

Is thirteen days too long to stay engaged?

Past travellers consistently say the opposite: the mix of trekking, culture, and two dedicated rest days keeps the trip varied enough that fatigue rarely sets in, unlike shorter but more compressed itineraries.

Can this itinerary be shortened if thirteen days isn’t feasible?

Yes, this itinerary served as the basis for our 8, 9 and 10 day Rwanda itineraries, so any of those shorter versions can serve as a starting point if your schedule is tighter.

What is the single most memorable day on this itinerary?

Travellers are split fairly evenly between the gorilla trekking day and the Lake Kivu free day, which says as much about how well this itinerary balances intensity with rest as it does about any single activity.

Is this itinerary better suited to a milestone trip like an anniversary?

Yes, this is one of our most popular choices for significant anniversaries, honeymoons taken later, or retirement trips, precisely because its scope and pacing allow for a genuinely unhurried, complete experience of the country.

What currency should I bring for a trip this long?

US dollars printed after 2009 cover permits and lodge bills throughout, while Rwandan francs are more practical for the many smaller purchases, tips and markets you will encounter across thirteen days and five distinct regions.

What kind of vehicle is used across this itinerary?

A private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof is used for the entire trip, suited to Akagera’s game-viewing tracks, the mountain roads near Volcanoes, and the longer paved transfers connecting each destination.

Can this itinerary be done with two different sets of travel companions across the trip?

Yes, some travellers use this itinerary’s Lake Kivu rest day as a natural handover point, with one set of companions joining for the culture and forest half and another for the primate trekking and Akagera half, and we can help coordinate logistics for a split group like this.

The Two Rest Days That Make Thirteen Days Work

The instinct with a longer itinerary is often to pack in as much as possible, but this trip is built on the opposite principle. Two deliberate rest points, the free day at Lake Kivu on day eight and the lighter pacing built around the Nyungwe canopy walk and colobus trek on day six, exist specifically to prevent the fatigue that can creep into any thirteen day trip combining multiple treks with significant driving distances. Without these breaks, the cumulative physical demand of chimpanzee tracking, gorilla trekking, and golden monkey trekking within a single trip can genuinely wear travellers down by the second week.

The placement of these rest points is not arbitrary. Lake Kivu falls roughly at the itinerary’s midpoint, positioned directly after the most forest-intensive stretch in Nyungwe and directly before the transfer north to Volcanoes National Park, where the trip’s other major trekking days await. This means travellers arrive at Volcanoes rested rather than depleted, which noticeably affects how much people report enjoying the gorilla trekking experience itself. A tired trekker moving slowly through bamboo forest experiences the activity very differently from one who has had a genuine day to recover beforehand.

We also structured the itinerary so that travel days double as recovery time wherever possible. The drive from Nyungwe to Lake Kivu along the Congo-Nile Divide trail, for instance, is scenic enough to feel like part of the experience rather than simply transit, with tea plantations and lake views for much of the route. Similarly, the final transfer from Volcanoes to Akagera crosses a genuinely different landscape, Rwanda’s northern highlands giving way gradually to the flatter savannah of the east, giving that day a sense of transition rather than pure driving fatigue.

Travellers who have done both our eight-day Grand Safari and this thirteen-day version consistently describe this one as feeling less tiring overall, despite covering more ground and more activities, precisely because of this deliberate pacing. It is a reminder that a longer itinerary, built correctly, does not have to mean a more exhausting one.

Why Travel With All in Africa Safaris

We are a Rwanda-based operator, and our driver-guides run this exact route regularly, which means the pacing, lodge choices and activity order on this page reflect real operational experience rather than a generic template. Every detail can be adjusted to your travel dates and interests before you book.