12 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Adventure and Cultural Safari – Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport.

Upon your arrival at the Kigali international airport, you will be picked up by our driver guide and be transferred to your pre-booked Kigali hotel/lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Kigali Serena Hotel (Luxury/Upmarket), Hotel chez Lando (Mid-Range/Standard), Hotel Okapi (Budget)

Day 2: Kigali City Tour.

After taking breakfast at 8:00am, embark on an early morning City tour.

The city tour will take you through Gisozi genocide memorial center where you will have time to listen to the comprehensive history of Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and the events of the massacres, including personal accounts.

You will view the Photographs, video clips, and artifacts of the genocide. After touring the site, you will proceed to other attractive sites like Nyamata church, local markets within the city and after exploring the unique attractions within Kigali City, retire back to your lodge for lunch and relaxation.

After lunch, continue with the city tour by visiting different art and craft shops, markets, plus bus parks and in the evening visit one of the cultural troupes within the city to enjoy marvelous cultural performances. After the activity, retire back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Kigali Serena Hotel (Luxury/Upmarket), Hotel chez Lando (Mid-Range/Standard), Hotel Okapi (Budget)

Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park and do Boat Cruise, Behind The Scenes Experience.

Have your early morning breakfast and embark on transfer drive from Kigali to Akagera National Park 130kms about 2-3hours drive.

The interesting drive will take you to the eastern part of Rwanda where Akagera national park is situated.

Upon your arrival to the park, you will drive to your lodge to check-in, have lunch, relaxation as you wait for an afternoon Boat trips along the shores of Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second largest lake.

After lunch and relaxation, embark on an afternoon boat trip which will give you the opportunity to get close to the plentiful water birds species including African fish eagles, open-billed stork marabou stork, cormorants, crowned cranes, egrets and   herons among others.

The boat trip will also only reward you with the encounters of the wild game like Hippos, Nile Crocodiles, elephants, Buffaloes when they are drinking on the lake side.

After the boat trip, you will drive back to the park head Quarters for Behind the Scenes experience. Here you will get more insights into Akagera, including conservation developments within the park, take a ‘Behind Scenes’ tour of the park headquarters which enables you to meet some of the people integral to the management of the park. Retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight after the activity.

Accommodation: Akagera game Lodge (Luxury), Ruzizi Tented Lodge (Mid-Range), Shakani Campsite (Budget).

Day 4: Do Early Morning Game Drive And Transfer to Butare.

After an early morning cup of coffee, embark on an early morning game drive along a well-designed network of tracks.

The early morning game drive will offer you possibilities of encountering early morning wildlife risers when they are starting their normal day activities like looking for food and you may also confront the nocturnal wildlife species when they are retiring back to their hiding grounds.

The variety of wildlife that you stand pretty chance to watch include elephants, buffalo, zebra, bush baby, hippos, crocodiles among other mammal species.

On rare occasions, one can see species such as leopard, lion and black rhino. As one of the most scenic savanna parks in East Africa, the game drive in Akagera will provide you pretty opportunity to see gentle hills blending in beautifully lowland swamps and water bodies.

After enjoying the fascinating game drive, you will retire to the lodge for relaxation, lunch and thereafter embark on transfer to Butare town. On arrival to Butare, you will drive to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Mator Boni Consilii (Luxury/Upmarket), Hotel Ibis (Mid-Range/Standard) Guest House Centre Diaconal (Budget).

Day 5: Explore Butare And Transfer to Nyungwe

After breakfast, embark on exploring Butare city in the Southern Province of Rwanda. You will visit interesting places like the National Museum of Rwanda- which shows cultural history of the Rwanda and the region.

From the Museum you will head to the National University of Rwanda (NUR).After exploring the city, you retire back to your lodge for lunch, relaxation as you wait for transfer to Nyungwe.

After lunch, embark on transfer from Butare to Nyungwe national park a drive distance of 155kms about 3-4 hours’ drive.

The drive to Nyungwe is very fascinating because it takes you through impressive landscape scenery dotted with local settings and local populations.

On arrival to the park, you will drive to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Mator Boni Consilii (Luxury/Upmarket), Hotel Ibis (Mid-Range/Standard) Guest House Centre Diaconal (Budget).

Day 6: Early Morning Chimpanzee Trekking and Afternoon Canopy Walk.

After your early morning breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters for memorable primate’s encounter.

Nyungwe National Forest is an ideal destination for lovers of primates, with 13 different species living.

You will have the opportunity to trek the chimpanzees in their natural habitat. In the park you will be briefed by the park ranger guides and divided in groups of 8 people.

At exactly 8:00am, you will be led by the ranger guide through the beautiful forest trail to trek the fascinating chimpanzee creatures.

Along the trails you will enjoy the nice melodies of different bird species housed in the forest and you will also have chance to enjoy the views of other primates like grey-cheeked mangabey, monkeys.

The activity takes between 2-6 hours but experienced guides will also make sure that they take you where you will have to see the primates as fast as possible.

Face to face encounter with the chimpanzees is very amazing because you will observe them play, feed and rest.

After this worthwhile experience, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and later explore canopy walk to see the beautiful twin lakes as well as various bird species.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge, (Luxury) Nyungwe Top View Hotel (Mid-Range),Gisakura Guest House(Budget)

Day 7: Transfer to Gisenyi-Lake Kivu.

Transfer from Nyungwe Forest Park to Gisenyi in Lake Kivu after your early morning breakfast. The drive journey of 189 kms is very fascinating as it will take you through impressive landscape sceneries dotted with natural setting and local populations.

On arrival to Gisenyi town, you will drive direct to your booked lodge within Lake Kivu for lunch, relaxation.

After lunch, embark on an afternoon boat ride around the Virgin Islands like the Napoleon’s Hat Island. After enjoying the adventurous boat ride on the waters of Lake Kivu, retire back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury), Cormoran Lodge (Mid-Range)

Day 8: Do an Early Morning Boat Cruise to Virgin Islands

After an early morning breakfast, embark on boat cruise to explore the Virgin Islands like the Napoleon’s Hat Island.

While at Hat Island, you may ascend to the peak of the hat to view thousands of Angola bats in the blue skies.

You can also enjoy swimming in the, Crocodile free, bilharzia free water of Lake Kivu  and after exploring the adventurous activities retire back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.

Accommodations: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury), Cormoran Lodge (Mid-Range)

Day 9: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Have an Afternoon Cultural Encounter

After taking your breakfast like at 8:00am, embark on transfer from Lake Kivu to Volcanoes national park. The drive distance of 62 kilometers about 1and half hours’ drive will lead you to natural home of Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national Park.

On arrival to the park, you will drive to your lodge to relax and have lunch. After lunch, you will embark on an evening cultural encounter with the local communities around volcanoes national park.

The cultural encounter will give you a rare opportunity to interact with the local people in their natural environment, with a taste of their unique culture and traditions.

On arrival to the village, you will be genuinely welcomed by the community as special Visitors. After cultural refreshment, entertainment, you will retire back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Standard/Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel (Budget).

Day 10: Do Gorilla Trekking and Musanze Cave Tour.

After an early morning hearty breakfast, you will be driven by your driver guide to the park headquarters for a briefing at 7:30am to 8:00am regarding gorilla trekking etiquette in Volcanoes Park.

While at the park headquarters, you will meet other trekkers and you will be divided in groups of eight individuals who are allowed to trek one habituated mountain gorilla group.

After briefing, you will be led by ranger guide to hike through the verdant jungle searching for mountain gorillas. The activity which will take 2-8 hours needs someone to be physical fit since it involves hiking the hills and slopping the Valleys.

Gorilla trekking process is tedious but impressive when you finally set your small eyes direct to bit big round eyes of the mountain gorillas.

When you eventually meet the gorillas, you will  be allowed one hour with them, seeing them feed, play and look for their young ones.

While staying with the gorillas, you will be required to maintain a distance of 7 meters away, also turn off the flash of your camera as you take pictures.

Right after one hour, you will retire back to the starting point and transfer to your lodge for late lunch and relaxation.

After lunch, embark on Musanze Cave tour through the tourist walkways, trails and stairs that take you to the dark interior of the caves that illustrates a picture of a house with several rooms and corridors.

The tour will offer you an in-depth understanding of the geological, geographical as well as historical development of the globe. After exploring the cave, retreat back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodations: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Standard/Mid-range), Muhabura Hotel (Budget).

Day 11: Do Early Morning Golden Monkey Trekking And Afternoon Trek to Dian Fossey Tomb.

After an early morning breakfast, embark on an early morning drive to the park headquarters for briefing about the dos and don’ts of Golden Monkey trekking in the hilly forested areas of Volcanoes national park.

On arrival to the headquarters, you will meet other trekkers and you will be divided in group of eight trekkers who are allowed to visit one habituated golden monkey group on single day.

After briefing, the ranger guides will drive you to the heads where golden monkey trekking starts from. You will be led by ranger guides to start searching for the threaten species of the golden monkeys.

Once up-close, you will be allowed one hour to spend with the primates. After the one, you will retreat back to the starting point and thereafter drive to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.

After lunch, embark on trek to Dian Fossey Tomb. The trek will offer you golden opportunity to visit the Dian Fossey Tomb and visit the house where this prominent American researcher was killed from and also listen to the experienced guide explain to you the history of the fallen conservationist.

After the exploring the Karisoke Research Centre, you will retire to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 12: Trek to Dian Fossey Tomb and Transfer to Kigali City.

After an early morning breakfast, embark on transfer drive to Kigali. The drive distance of 80km will take you about 2-3 hours .

On arrival to the city, the driver guide will take you around to Gisozi genocide memorial center where you will have time to listen to the comprehensive history of Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and the events of the massacres, including personal accounts.

Thereafter, the driver guide will drive you to your Kanombe Airport for your scheduled flight back home.

End of The 12 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Adventure and Cultural Safari

Getting There

Safari Inclusions

• Gorilla Permit (for gorilla trekking safaris)
• Chimpanzee Permit (for chimpanzee trekking safaris)
• Full Board Accommodation on Safari
• Transportation in either 4X4 Safari Van or 4X4 Safari Land Cruiser all with Pop up roof & AC
• Fuel
• Professional English Speaking driver guide. Any other foreign language speaking guide can be arranged on request.
• Entrance fees to the tourist sites including Protected areas mentioned
• Activity fees of the tourist activities mentioned
• Bottled water while on safari
• Border crossing fees (for cross border safaris)

Safari Exclusions

• General tips for the driver guide, site guides and service staff at the lodges
• Laundry Services
• Other Beverages / drinks of personal nature like Alcohol
• International Flights (Arranged on request)
• Domestic Flights (Arranged on request)
• Visas
• Optional Activity fees
• Other extras not mentioned in the Itinerary
• Airport Transfer (Arranged on request)
• Accommodation in Kampala or Kigali unless it is part of the Itinerary (Arranged on request)

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