7 Days Rwanda Wildlife and Gorilla Safari

Tour details

Duration: 7 days

Best for: Travellers who want Rwanda's only savannah park as well as its gorillas, and who like boat rides and night game drives

Group size: Private tour, your group and your guide

Travel style: Safari, Gorilla trekking, Golden monkeys, Big Five, Boat trip

Introduction

Six days. Two parks. One shot at standing a few meters from a mountain gorilla. This trip takes you through Akagera National Park for game drives and a boat cruise, then to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking. You will see elephants, giraffes, buffalo, hippos, and Rwanda's reintroduced lions, then track one of the world's last mountain gorilla populations on foot.

What makes this safari different: Akagera is Rwanda's only savannah park. It is a 2 hour drive from Kigali. Inside, you get day and night game drives, plus four scheduled boat departures on Lake Ihema at 7:30am, 9:00am, 3:00pm, and 4:30pm. Private boat trips can be arranged too. On the water you will find Nile crocodiles, hippos, and a long list of bird species along the banks.

If you want more than a standard game drive, Akagera also runs sport fishing trips, a behind the scenes program where you meet the park's conservation staff directly, and community cultural experiences with nearby villages. From Akagera, you transfer 4 hours to Volcanoes National Park, home to Rwanda's mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.

On this journey, you will explore the following highlights:

Akagera National Park

Gorilla Tracking - The Ultimate Wildlife Encounter

Volcanoes National Park

Kigali City - The Heart of Rwanda

Big Five & Wildlife

Day to day programme

Day 1: Arrive in Kigali

Your guide meets you at Kigali International Airport and transfers you to your hotel. You get a full briefing on your safari, including the do's and don'ts of the days ahead. Bed and breakfast included.

Budget: Scheba Hotel or ChezLando Hotel. Midrange: Heaven Boutique Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel, or Lemigo Hotel. Upmarket or luxury: Kigali Serena or The Retreat.

Day 2: Kigali city tour, then transfer to Akagera

After breakfast, you spend the morning on a half day Kigali city tour, including the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site and Museum, the Nyamata Genocide Church, and local markets. After lunch, you head to Akagera National Park for an evening game drive. Full board included.

Budget: Akagera Game Lodge. Midrange: Ruzizi Tented Camp. Upmarket or luxury: Magashi Camp.

Day 3: Full day in Akagera, game drive and boat ride

Morning game drive in the park's northern sector, where sightings depend on the day but regularly include elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, and lions. Return to your lodge for lunch, then head out on the afternoon boat ride on Lake Ihema for hippos, crocodiles, and riverside game. Full board included.

Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast, you transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi, Musanze, about 2 hours from Kigali. The drive passes through Kigali city and Rwanda's rural villages. You arrive in the evening for dinner and overnight stay. Full board included.

Budget: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge or Davinci Lodge. Midrange: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Five Volcanoes Lodge, or Ingagi Park View Lodge. Upmarket or luxury: Bisate Lodge, One and Only Gorilla's Nest, Bishop's House, Virunga Lodge, or Sabinyo Lodge.

Day 5: Gorilla trekking and community walk

Pack lunch and water, and hire a porter if you want one. Trek time is unpredictable. After briefing at the park headquarters, rangers assign you to a gorilla family and you head into the forest. The hike can take anywhere from a few hours to most of the day, depending on where the gorillas were last seen. If the terrain is tough, you can hire a sedan chair carried by local porters. Once you find the gorillas, you get one hour with them for photos and video. In the evening, visit Ibwiwacu Cultural Village, run by former poachers turned guides, for a look at the culture and history behind the park. Full board included.

Day 6: Golden monkey tracking, then transfer to Kigali

Morning briefing at the park office, then golden monkey tracking. These troops move less than gorillas, so the trek is shorter and the sighting comes faster. Back at the lodge for an early lunch, then transfer to Kigali for the night. Full board included.

Budget: Scheba Hotel or ChezLando Hotel. Midrange: Heaven Boutique Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel, or Lemigo Hotel. Upmarket or luxury: Kigali Serena or The Retreat.

Day 7: Departure

Relax at your hotel until your flight time. Lunch, then transfer to the airport for your departure. Breakfast and lunch included.

Can I track gorillas if I am not in great shape?

Yes. Fitness helps, but age is not a barrier. We have booked trekkers as old as 90 who reached their gorilla family and spent their full hour with them. On trekking day, park officials brief you first, then split visitors into groups of 8 per gorilla family. Once you find them, you get 60 minutes with the group before heading back to your lodge.

Golden monkey tracking runs on your last day at Volcanoes. Two habituated troops live on the slopes of Karisimbi and Mount Sabinyo. Briefing starts at 7:00am in Kinigi, same as gorilla trekking. After the trek, your guide drives you back to Kigali.

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What's included

Includes

• Accommodation on a full board basis
• One gorilla permit per person
• Park entrance fees
• Internal local flights
• Private guide for all sightseeing on the itinerary
• All transfers as detailed above

Excludes

• Drinks
• Gratuities
• International flights
• Travel insurance
• Visa fees

Accommodations

During the trip, you will stay at:

Kigali: Scheba Hotel or ChezLando Hotel (budget), Heaven Boutique Hotel, Mille Collines Hotel or Lemigo Hotel (midrange), Kigali Serena or The Retreat (upmarket), bed and breakfast.

Akagera National Park: Akagera Game Lodge (budget), Ruzizi Tented Camp (midrange), Magashi Camp (upmarket), full board.

Volcanoes National Park: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge or Davinci Lodge (budget), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Five Volcanoes Lodge or Ingagi Park View Lodge (midrange), Bisate Lodge, One & Only Gorilla's Nest, Bishop's House, Virunga Lodge or Sabinyo Lodge (upmarket), full board.

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