7 Days Best of Rwanda Wildlife Safari
per person
This 7-day best of Rwanda wildlife safari offers a blend of wildlife experiences and adventure activities, including a boat tour on Lake Ihema and primate trekking for gorillas, golden monkeys, and chimpanzees. The itinerary includes explorations of Akagera, Nyungwe Forest, and Volcanoes National Parks. Highlights are a wildlife excursion with a game drive in the scenic Akagera National Park and a continuation of gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park.
The wildlife tour includes a visit to Akagera National Park, featuring a boat trip on Lake Ihema and a game drive in the scenic Savannah Plains. Following Akagera, the tour continues to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking, providing a unique opportunity to spend up to one hour with mountain gorillas. Additionally, Nyungwe Forest is highlighted as the premier location for chimpanzee trekking and offers the best canopy walk in East Africa.
Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport—Transfer to your booked hotel
- Day 2: Drive to Akagera National Park—Evening Boat Cruise.
- Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park
- Day 5: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes and transfer to Nyungwe Forest
- Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park
- Day 7: Departure—Transfer to Kigali International Airport, end of 7 Days Rwanda safari
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport—Transfer to your booked hotel
Upon arrival for your 7 days best of Rwanda Wildlife Safari, you will get welcomed by our company representative who will warmly welcome you at Kigali International Airport. After, your safari driver guide will drive you to your booked hotel in Kigali City; refresh, and thereafter meet your safari driver for a briefing about your 7-day best of Rwanda wildlife safari. After relaxing, get at your leisure, dinner, and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Luxury: Kigali Serena Hotel (luxury)/ Radisson Blu (mid-range)/ Peponi Living Spaces (Budget)
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Drive to Akagera National Park—Evening Boat Cruise.
Have your morning breakfast, and after your safari driver guide picks you up from your hotel, drive to Akagera National Park, home to Africa’s Big Five mammals, including lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo, taking about 3-4 hours. Have lunch and head for an afternoon boat cruise. The boat ride on Lake Ihema offers great aquatic species such as crocodiles, hippos, and land mammals along the lake shores, such as buffaloes, antelopes, elephants, and others. After this boat cruise experience, drive to your booked lodge and check in for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Luxury: Akagera Game Safari Lodge (luxury)/ Ruzizi Tented Camp (Mid-range)/ Karenge Bush Lodge (Budget)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Get up early, have breakfast, and then head for the morning game drive, where you will have a close encounter with several wildlife species in the savannah plains, such as leopards, giraffes, rhinos, lions, elephants, and several antelopes. Have lunch, and after, transfer to Volcanoes National Park, home to mountain gorillas. This drive will take you back to Kigali city as you enjoy the spectacular views of the hilly landscapes through the green vegetation up to your booked hotel. Have dinner and an overnight stay at the lodge.
Accommodation: One & Only Gorilla’s Nest (Luxury)/Davinci Gorilla Lodge (mid-range)/ Sabinyo Silver back (Budget)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 4: Gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, you’ll be picked up by a driver-guide from your lodge and taken to the park headquarters in Kinigi. The park warden will provide a briefing on gorilla trekking in Rwanda. At 8:30 am, you’ll be transferred to the starting point for a gorilla trek. Each group of 8 tourists, each with a permit, takes about 2-6 hours in the jungle, through the bamboo forest, with armed rangers. However, only 60 minutes are spent in the presence of the mountain gorillas. The trek is unpredictable, but the gorilla population in Rwanda moves for shorter distances, making it easier to trek. After an hour in the presence of the gorillas, you’ll return to the park headquarters and meet your tour guide for a transfer back to your hotel.
Accommodation: One & Only Gorilla’s Nest (Luxury)/Davinci Gorilla Lodge (mid-range)/ Sabinyo Silverback (Budget)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes and transfer to Nyungwe Forest
Have your breakfast, prepare, and head to the park headquarters for a pre-golden monkey trekking at 7:00 am about the precautions. Embark on a golden monkey trek in Volcanoes National Park, where they coexist with mountain gorillas. The largest troop is located in Mount Sabinyo, with 80-100 monkeys. You will have a chance to see and study the social behavior of these rare species, such as feeding, playing, and nurturing the young ones. After trekking, you will be driven back to your hotel for lunch and then to Nyungwe Forest National Park, where you will stay at a preferred accommodation.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe (Luxury)/ Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Mid-range)/ Virunga Inn Resort (Budget)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park
In the early morning, you will have breakfast before being driven to the park headquarters to begin a chimpanzee trekking experience. After walking to the area where the chimps spent the night, you will observe them jumping through the trees and playing as they swing from one tree to another. Upon returning to the starting point, you will meet your driver-guide for lunch and relaxation at the hotel. In the evening, you will enjoy a 2-hour canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest before returning to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe (Luxury)/ Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Mid-range)/ Virunga Inn Resort (Budget)
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 7: Departure—Transfer to Kigali International Airport, end of 7 Days Rwanda safari
As you mark the final day of your stay, have breakfast at leisure depending on your departure time. Your driver safari guide will drive to Kigali International Airport to meet your departure flight.
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch
7 Days Best of Rwanda Wildlife Safari package
Includes:
- Airport transfers (pick up and drop off)
- 1 gorilla trekking permit per person
- 1 golden monkey trekking permit
- 1 chimpanzee trekking permit per person
- All accommodations and meals for 6 days
- English-speaking guide
- Park entrance fees
Excludes:
- Travel insurance
- Air ticket
- Visa
- Extra accommodation, activities, and meals
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Tips
- Personal items and expenses such as phone bills, laundry, souvenirs, etc.