7 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari

Detailed Itinerary

Arrival

You’ll be collected from the airport.

Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali

Board your international flight to Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. Once you arrive, you will be swiftly escorted by our representative who will transfer you to your chosen accommodation. As this is your first day, you will have time to leisurely explore Rwanda’s lively city.

You’ll have an opportunity to visit the bustling local markets and the Caplaki craft co-operative where you’ll find local craftsmen in wooden huts selling handicrafts, including jewelry, wood carvings, paintings, batik, fabrics, baskets, bags, scarves, traditional masks, and beading.

Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: Heaven Boutique Hotel (Mid-range hotel)

Meals & Drinks: Meals at own expense, Drinks not included

Day 2: Kigali to Nyungwe Forest

After breakfast, you’ll be driven through enormous scenery to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda’s mountainous southwest. The rain forest within the park is home to chimpanzees and monkeys, plus an abundance of birdlife and butterflies.

Main Destination: Nyungwe Forest National Park

Best Time to Visit: Oct to Feb (Best chimp tracking)

High Season: Jun to Sep (Popular Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda)

Best Weather: June to October (Sunny)

Accommodation: Nyungwe House (Luxury+ lodge)

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch excluded), Drinks excluded

Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking

Today you’ll join a guided hike through the dense forest of Nyungwe National Park to track chimpanzees. This is an extraordinary wildlife involvement that is on parity with gorilla tracking. Whilst the trek is certainly exciting, it can be stimulating as the chimps are very mobile and they’re always running around in the canopies, on the move from one place to another.

During your time in Nyungwe National Park, you’ll also have an opportunity to cross the Canopy Walkway – a 200-meter bridge suspended between giant trees, 50 meters above the forest. The walkway offers incredible views of the upper canopy and it is outstanding for spotting wildlife (several of the primates live in trees so you’ll have better odds of locating them from the footpath), plus it is also an eccentric way to see the birds and butterflies that are found in the forest.

Main Destination: Nyungwe Forest National Park

Accommodation: Nyungwe House (Luxury+ lodge)

Meals & Drinks: All meals included; Drinks not included

Day 4: Nyungwe Forest to Lake Kivu

You’ll depart Nyungwe and head to your next accommodation which is located on the white sandy shores of Lake Kivu. Here you can relax on the fabulous palm-fringed beaches, kayak on the calm waters of the lake, take a boat tour to the nearby islands or coffee and banana plantations, hike in the nearby hills or visit Imbabazi Orphanage.

Main Destination: Lake Kivu

Accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury hotel)

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast & dinner (Lunch not included), Drinks not included

Day 5: Lake Kivu to Volcanoes National Park

After an enthusiastic breakfast at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, you’ll be driven from Lake Kivu to Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park), which is roughly a four-hour drive passing through magnificent scenery. Upon arrival at your accommodation, you’ll have a briefing about tomorrow’s gorilla trek.

Main Destination: Volcanoes National Park

Best Time to Visit: Jun to Sep (It is drier and trails are easier to hike)

High Season: Jun to Sep (Permits are scarce)

Best Weather: June to October (Sunny, but not too hot)

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (Mid-range hotel)

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

Day 6: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

After an early breakfast, you’ll venture out to Kinigi, at the foothills of the Virungas, in Parc National des Volcans where you’ll begin your trek. Your guide and tracker will lead you deep into the forest in search of your allocated gorilla family. Your trek could last from 30 minutes to eight hours depending on the exact location of the specific gorilla family which you’re tracking.

When you meet the gorillas, you’ll have the chance to spend up to one enchanted hour quietly observing them. The gorillas are likely to be just a few meters away from you and they will continue to go about their daily lives – feeding and interacting with each other, under the watchful gaze of the silverback.

In the late afternoon, you’ll be transferred back to your accommodation where you can spend the evening reflecting on your incredible encounter with the wild mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

Main Destination: Volcanoes National Park

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (Mid-range hotel)

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

Day 7: International inbound Flight

On this morning you’ll be driven back to Kigali, where you’ll have an opportunity to visit the Genocide Memorial and Education Centre which is a permanent memorial to those who were killed during the 1994 genocide.

You will then be transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Main Destination: Kigali

Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks: Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)

End of tour

Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.

You’ll be dropped off at the airport.

End of the 7 Days Highlights of Rwanda Safari

Accommodation

• Heaven Boutique Hotel (Mid-range hotel)
• Nyungwe House (Luxury+ lodge)
• Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury hotel)
• Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (Mid-range hotel)

This is a private safari that can be tailored to suit your needs and preferences and is available upon request. Accommodations/ Lodges mentioned in the itinerary can as well be changed to the ones of your preference. Kindly contact us with the dates you want to come, number of people in your group, and we can check the availability of rooms and permits hence sending you a quote.