7 Day Amazing Wildlife and Gorilla Safari of Rwanda

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and City Tour

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed by your professional driver-guide and transferred into the city. Depending on your arrival time, you will embark on a guided Kigali City Tour.

Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial to gain insight into Rwanda’s history and remarkable journey of recovery and transformation. Continue to local craft markets, art galleries, and cultural centres where you can interact with local artisans and purchase handmade souvenirs.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before checking into your hotel. Spend the remainder of the day relaxing and preparing for the adventure ahead.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Iris Guest House

Mid-range: Hotel des Mille Collines

Luxury: Kigali Serena Hotel

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Afternoon Game Drive

After breakfast, depart Kigali and drive east towards Akagera National Park, Rwanda’s only savannah national park and home to the Big Five.

The journey takes approximately three hours and offers beautiful views of Rwanda’s rolling hills and rural landscapes. Upon arrival, check into your lodge and enjoy lunch before heading out for an afternoon game drive.

Explore the park’s diverse ecosystems, including savannah grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and lakes. Look out for elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, impalas, topis, waterbucks, and numerous bird species. With luck, you may also encounter lions and rhinos.

As the sun begins to set, enjoy spectacular views across the park before returning to the lodge.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Akagera Rhino Lodge

Mid-range: Akagera Game Lodge

Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Boat Safari on Lake Ihema

Rise early for a sunrise game drive when predators are most active. Search for lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants, buffaloes, and antelope species as they begin their day.

Your guide will help track wildlife while sharing fascinating information about the park’s successful conservation efforts that have restored populations of lions and rhinos.

Return to the lodge for breakfast and relaxation before lunch.

In the afternoon, enjoy a boat safari on Lake Ihema, one of Rwanda’s largest lakes. The cruise offers excellent opportunities to see hippos, Nile crocodiles, African fish eagles, kingfishers, herons, cormorants, and numerous other bird species.

After the cruise, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park

After breakfast, depart Akagera National Park and begin the scenic drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park in southwestern Rwanda.

The journey takes you through some of Rwanda’s most beautiful landscapes, including terraced hillsides, tea plantations, valleys, and traditional villages.

Stop for lunch en route and enjoy photography opportunities throughout the drive.

Arrive at Nyungwe Forest in the late afternoon and check into your lodge. Spend the evening enjoying views of the ancient rainforest, which is one of Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse forests.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Gisakura Visitor Centre Guest House

Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Luxury: One&Only Nyungwe House

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Canopy Walk Adventure

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing before starting your chimpanzee tracking experience.

Enter the forest accompanied by experienced guides and trackers. The forest is home to a large population of chimpanzees as well as numerous other primate species, including L’Hoest’s monkeys, colobus monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, and blue monkeys.

The excitement builds as you follow calls and movements through the forest until the chimpanzees are located. Spend time observing them as they feed, communicate, groom, and move rapidly through the canopy.

Return to the lodge for lunch before heading back into the forest for the famous Nyungwe Canopy Walk.

Suspended approximately 70 metres above the forest floor, the canopy walkway provides breathtaking views of the rainforest canopy and surrounding mountains.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation

As above

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast, depart Nyungwe Forest and drive north to Volcanoes National Park.

The scenic journey passes through beautiful countryside, bustling towns, and fertile agricultural landscapes. Enjoy lunch en route while admiring views of Rwanda’s rolling hills.

Arrive at your lodge near Volcanoes National Park in the late afternoon. Depending on your arrival time, relax at the lodge or explore the surrounding area.

Your guide will brief you about the gorilla trekking experience and ensure you are fully prepared for the following day’s adventure.

Accommodation Options

Budget: Kinigi Guest House, Hotel Muhabura

Mid-range: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge

Luxury: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Virunga Lodge

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking and Return to Kigali

After an early breakfast, transfer to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for registration and a ranger briefing.

You will be assigned a habituated gorilla family and guided into the forest by experienced rangers and trackers. Trekking duration varies depending on the location of the gorillas and may range from one to six hours.

The trek takes you through bamboo forests, dense vegetation, and volcanic slopes while offering incredible scenery and wildlife encounters.

Once the gorillas are located, you will spend one unforgettable hour in their presence. Watch silverbacks supervise their families, females care for their young, and playful juveniles interact with one another.

After the trek, return to the park headquarters where you will receive your gorilla trekking certificate.

Enjoy lunch before departing for Kigali. Depending on your flight schedule, transfer directly to Kigali International Airport or your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Optional Activities

Akagera National Park

• Night game drive to search for lions, leopards, hyenas, and bush babies
• Behind-the-scenes conservation experience
• Bird watching excursions
• Fishing on Lake Shakani
• Community cultural visits
• Guided nature walks around the park

Nyungwe Forest National Park

• Colobus monkey tracking
• Bird watching excursions
• Tea plantation experience
• Guided waterfall hike
• Orchid and butterfly walks
• Forest photography tours

Volcanoes National Park

• Golden monkey tracking
• Dian Fossey Tomb hike
• Mount Bisoke hike
• Mount Karisimbi hike
• Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo excursion
• Gorilla Guardians Village cultural experience
• Community village walks
• Bird watching excursions

Kigali

• Inema Arts Centre visit
• Kimironko Market tour
• Local coffee experience
• Rwanda Art Museum visit
• Cultural and culinary tours