8 Days Rwanda Luxury Safari
Embark on an adventurous African Safari Journey in Rwanda – the “Land of a Thousand Hills”. This 8 Days Rwanda Luxury Safari takes you to the country’s incredible destinations, the tour starts in Kigali City – the capital of Rwanda, continue to Akagera National Park – the only savannah park in Rwanda. Head to Nyungwe Forest National Park for chimpanzee trekking and end in Volcanoes National Park with an encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas.
Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival to Kigali
- Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National park | Boat Safari
- Day 3: Game drive in Akagera National Park
- Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest – The Home Of Chimpanzees
- Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Canopy Walk In Nyungwe Forest
- Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
- Day 8: Visit the Gorilla Guardians Village & Departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Arrival to Kigali
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our guide. After a short briefing about the safari you will go for a Kigali City tour visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site, Kimironko Market and other interesting sites.
Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay: Radisson Blu Hotel
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park – Boat Safari
After breakfast, meet your driver guide and embark on a journey to Akagera National Park arriving in time for lunch, enjoy your meals after check-in and in the afternoon go for a game drive exploring the park’s savannah plains. Keep an eye out for animals like lions, giraffes, leopards, cape buffaloes, zebras, gazelles and many bird species.
In the evening you will have a boat safari on Lake Ihema for a beautiful afternoon breeze and some sightings of water birds and wildlife. Depending on your interest, join a night game drive in search of the nocturnal wildlife such as lions, leopards, hyenas, serval cats and some nocturnal birds.
Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay: Rid Valley Game Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: Game drive in Akagera National Park
Enjoy a full day game drive in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park – the only savannah park in Rwanda is home to several big and small mammals. After an early breakfast, your guide will pick you up for a day game drive in the northern sector of the park which is less bush offering better opportunities for animal sightings.
You will take the lakeshore drive along the different lakes as you look for the various wildlife like zebra, giraffes, impalas, elephants, buffaloes, topis and the elusive leopards. On a lucky day, you will sight a pride of lions before they go into hiding.
Akagera National Park has an incredible array of birdlife for any keen birders, you will also enjoy he different landscapes of the park with views of different lakes, mountains and rolling plains.
Overnight stay: Rid Valley Game Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Transfer To Nyungwe Forest – The Home Of Chimpanzees
Depart Akagera National Park for Nyungwe Forest National Park via Kigali City, along the journey we shall have a stopover in Huye for lunch and a visit to the National Museum to learn more about the history and traditions of the Rwanda people.
We arrive in Nyungwe Forest National Park later in the evening, have dinner and stay overnight.
Overnight stay: One&Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking and Canopy Walk In Nyungwe Forest
After an early breakfast, leave for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest.
Nyungwe Forest is home to 13 species of primates including Chimpanzees, L’Hoest monkeys, and Columbus monkeys. The forest has big population of chimpanzees with groups habituated for chimpanzee trekking tourism.
You will join other visitors at the park headquarter for briefing where a ranger guide takes you through rules and regulations to follow, then start your trek looking for chimpanzees. The time taken on this activity depends on the movement of the chimpanzees and range from 30 minutes to 4 hours and more, you will be allowed to spend one hour interacting with the chimpanzees and watching them go on with their lives.
Return to the lodge for lunch and short, later in the day you can choose to do the canopy walk. The canopy walk allows you enjoy the beautiful views of the forest from above as you admire nature and the incredible views of the forest canopy.
Overnight stay: One&Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Leave for Volcanoes National Park after breakfast, along the way you will enjoy the different sights and winding roads in the land of a thousand hills. You will have opportunities to have different stopovers for pictures, lunch and stretching depending on your needs.
When you arrive in the park, you will check-in at your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Overnight stay: Bisate Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking Experience
Today we meet mountain gorillas in the dense jungles of the Virunga Ranges, gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park is a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience.
Have early breakfast and head to the park headquarters in Kinigi where you are assigned a ranger and a gorilla family to trek, after the briefing your ranger guide leads you to the starting point of the trek.
Depending on location of gorilla group to trek, you might need to the starting point, enter the forests in search for mountain gorillas. The trek through the habitat of these gentle giants is a fulfilling unforgettable experience that only lucky people undertake.
The trek can last from a few minutes to several hours depending on where the gorillas nestled the previous night as well as their movement. When you locate the gorillas, you are allocate one hour of interacting with the gorillas, watch them play with their babies and pick fruits which they eat among others. You are allowed to take pictures as long as your flash light is off.
Trek back to the park headquarters to meet your driver and head back to your lodge for lunch. You can decide to spend the rest of the day lodge or go for a community walk.
Overnight stay: Bisate Lodge
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 8: Visit the Gorilla Guardians Village & Departure
After breakfast and checking out of your lodge, we head to the Gorilla Guardian’s Village where you will be entertained by local dances and drama, interact with the elders, taste some local dishes among others which will give you a deeper insight into the lives of the local people. Later embark on a journey back to Kigali City where you will be dropped off either at the airport or at the hotel.
End of 8 Days Rwanda Luxury Safari
