Day 1: Kigali
We shall be waiting to receive you when you land at Kigali Airport. We shall then transfer you to the hotel in the city for the night.
Accommodation options
Upmarket: Serena Kigali Hotel
Mid-range: Hotel Chez Lando Kigali
Lower Budget: Step Town Hotel
Meals included: None
Day 2: Kigali City Tour
Your driver and guide will pick you up from the hotel and take you for a city tour, which includes, among others, the Gisozi genocide memorial site. This visit takes you 2 hours. Here, you learn and comprehend the history of genocide in Rwanda and other countries of the world.
Thereafter, proceed to Kimilonko Market, one of the busiest and biggest markets in the city. Visit Nyarutarma Golf Club, then proceed to the Belgium memorial site and Richard Kandt Historical Museum, where you will be at the exact point where Kigali city was started by a German colonialist and administrator in 1907.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Serena Kigali Hotel
Mid-range: Hotel Chez Lando Kigali
Lower Budget: Step Town Hotel
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch only.
Day 3: Drive to Akagera National Park, Boat Trip at Lake Ihema
When we finish breakfast, we shall be going to Akagera National Park.
While in Akagera, we shall proceed to the magnificent lakes of the park, Lake Ihema, to take a boat ride, enjoying a cross-section of aquatic animals with lots and lots of hippopotami, crocodiles, butterflies, and more.
Accommodation options
Upmarket: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Mid-range: Mantis Akagera Game Lodge
Lower Budget: Akagera Rhino Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 4: Game Drives and Boat Trip in Akagera National Park
Assemble at the park reception to pick up your guide.
Immediately after, you will start your game driving through the southern sector of this beautiful Savannah area. At your exposure, you will sight the wonderful savannah habitats among many, maybe elephants, herds of African buffaloes, giraffes, impala, zebras, antelopes, and many more.
Back to your hotel for evening relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)
Upmarket: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Mid-range: Mantis Akagera Game Lodge
Lower Budget: Akagera Rhino Lodge
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 5: Nyanza - Butare – Nyungwe National Park.
After an early breakfast, we depart from Akagera National Park to Nyungwe National Park.
Along the way, we shall be visiting Nyanza King’s palace, where you will pick a local guide to take you through the entire palace with lots of education about the ancient Rwandan kingdom.
The well-built grass-thatched king's house is one of the magnificent attractions you can never afford to miss with moral fiber and zeal.
We shall also be visiting the National Archeological Museum in Butare. and be entertained by the traditional dancing troop (intore) at the museum.
We then drive to close to Nyungwe National Park, where we have overnight.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park
At 5:00 am, you start your day with breakfast before heading to Nyungwe National Park head office for an exhilarating adventure - tracking the habituated chimpanzees and the other 12 resident primate species. After a briefing at the park headquarters, embark on a guided trek into the rainforest to track playful chimpanzees in their natural habitat. The hike offers an immersive experience, surrounded by the rich sounds and sights of the forest, culminating in an unforgettable encounter with these intelligent primates.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 7: Colobus Monkeys Tracking in Nyungwe National Park
After breakfast, enter Nyungwe National Park to hike in search of colobus monkeys at Uwinka reception. The forest is believed to harbor an apparent troop of 400 and is home to the largest troop of arboreal primates in Africa.
A walk in the forest is a comprehensive learning experience accompanied by a knowledgeable guide well-versed in botany, ornithology, and interspecific relationships within this forest.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 8: Waterfall Hike and Tea Plantation Visit
Begin your morning with a hearty breakfast before setting out on an adventurous waterfall hike within the lush forest of Nyungwe. This immersive trek offers opportunities for birdwatching, with Nyungwe boasting over 200 bird species, as well as sightings of vibrant orchids and other unique biodiversity. The journey through the dense jungle culminates at a serene waterfall, a rewarding highlight of the hike. After taking in the breathtaking scenery, return to the starting point and proceed to enjoy a well-deserved lunch. In the afternoon, visit a Gisakura tea plantation, where you’ll learn about the cultivation and production of Rwanda’s renowned tea.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 9: Isumo Waterfall Hike
After breakfast, you will proceed to the park headquarters, where you will be briefed and then proceed to the starting point of your hike. This is the trail most tourists to Nyungwe National Park hike. This trail covers a distance of 10.6 kilometres together with the road segment and takes approx. 4 hours to complete. It begins at Uwinka and Gisakura reception area. This trail passes through tea plantations to the magnificent Isumo waterfalls, which are named after. The name “Isumo” is a local slang meaning waterfall. This trail lies on an altitude of 1770 metres above sea level at the low point and 1940 metres above sea level at the highest point. It’s considered a moderate trail to hike. Dinner and overnight stay at your Hotel.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 10: Experiential Canopy walk
The Nyungwe forest national park has a 200 meter long 90-meter-high suspended bridge where guests can view the forest from the top. Enjoy the breathtaking bird’s eye views as you spot some wildlife moving below the canopy bridge. This is a 2-hour activity and can be booked by all individuals above the age of 6 years.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 11: Nature Walk in Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National Park is a nature lover’s paradise.
The only remaining mountain rainforest in Africa, Nyungwe boasts 260 species of trees and herbs, over 200 species of orchids and giant lobelias, 275 species of birds of which 25 are endemic, colorful butterflies, and 13 recorded species of primates (25%) of Africa's total, including a chimpanzee.
The forest is ideal for walks with stunning waterfalls cascading in the tranquil environment. This walk will give you an unforgettable experience to interact with quite a number of the ecology of this forest supplemented by natural walks in the tropical rainforest to explore waterfalls, black-white colobus monkeys, wild chimpanzees, mona monkeys, butterflies of different species, and many others.
Back to your hotel for an overnight stay.
Accommodation options available
Upmarket: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge
Lower Budget: Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 12: Drive to Gisenyi, Lake Kivu
After a relaxed morning, we shall embark on our drive to Lake Kivu/ Gisenyi. This will take you through the gorgeous scenery of tea plantations and glimpses of Lake Kivu.
Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)
Upmarket: Serena Lake Kivu Hotel
Moderate: Paradise Malahide.
Low Budget: Paradise Malahide.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 13: Boat trip on Lake Kivu and relaxation
Today, an unforgettable boat trip experience on Lake Kivu awaits you. Immerse yourself as you enjoy the breathtaking views of the serene waters and surrounding landscapes. You’ll follow the herdsmen and their boats as they guide their cattle, swimming from one island to another in search of grazing grounds—a truly remarkable and rare spectacle.
Continue with your boat trip to visit several intriguing islands on Lake Kivu, each offering its own charm and scenic beauty.
Accommodation options available (all on a full board basis)
Upmarket: Serena Lake Kivu Hotel
Moderate: Paradise Malahide.
Low Budget: Paradise Malahide.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 14: Drive to Volcanoes National Park
Today we shall be driving to Volcanoes National Park, home to the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.
Top Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 15: Rwanda Traditional Cultural Experiences at Community visit to Iby’iwacu village
Later in the afternoon, we take a trip to Iby’iwacu Cultural village, where the villagers have convinced a group of ex-poachers to turn their back on their former lifestyle and create a traditional dance group that performs for visitors on a cultural village tour. Known as The Intore, or The Heroes, this ancient form of celebration is based on the victory dance of the Rwandan kings. When not watching the traditional dances and drumming performances, you can step into the traditional dwelling of the local king, watch an authentic medicine man preparing his herbal concoctions, or try your hand at shooting the traditional weapon of bows and arrows.
Lively music and festive dance play a great role in the traditions of all the people of Rwanda. One of Africa’s most dynamic and least well-known musical traditions, the Ballet of Rwanda is performed by the Intore, the chosen ones, and was at one time danced exclusively for the royal court. The dance is performed by men dressed in grass wigs and carrying spears, who wear little tinkling bells on each foot, providing a ringing rhythm as the background music. The ‘Dance of Heroes’ is about returning warriors, celebrating victory in battle. Complex choreography reveals the performers shifting from side to side, blending agility and grace with raw aggression.
Top Accommodation Options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 16: Gorilla Tracking in Volcanoes National Park
An early morning breakfast is followed by a drive to Kinigi Park headquarters for group allocation and briefing.
Well, prepared with cameras, water, rain jackets, a long pair of trousers, and jungle boots on, you will assemble for a briefing from the guide about gorilla tracking, the great adventure and experience!
The time taken to encounter these peaceful primates is unpredictable, for it may take 1-6 hours. Nevertheless, on encounter, one may be forced to say it is dramatic!
After the adventure, a certificate awaits the successful tracker. The day is not easy at times, but alluring.
Accommodation options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 17: Volcanoes National Park - Golden Monkey Tracking
Discover the playful and inquisitive nature of the golden monkey, a beautiful little creature found only in the high-altitude forests of the Volcanoes National Park. Spend the morning searching the lush vegetation at the foot of Mount Sabyinyo for one of two habituated groups of golden monkey, one of them a troop of more than 80 members. Spend an enchanted hour watching their frolics as they leap among the slender shoots of bamboo or tumble among the dense foliage on the forest floor.
Active, sprightly little creatures, the golden monkeys are incredibly entertaining as they amuse themselves swinging through the bamboo or racing after one another in circles around and above you. Blending in perfectly with the golden bamboo, they are very pretty, with shiny reddish-gold backs.
Hiking to see them is one of the more leisurely activities in Volcanoes National Park. The scurrying primates inhabit the bottom of the mountain range in the bamboo forest, and the terrain here is relatively flat and easy to hike.
Accommodation options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 18: Day Musanze Caves
Exploring the Musanze caves in Rwanda is one of the latest additions on the menu for potential tourists going to Rwanda. When the activity was first launched in 2014, 400 visitors were received within the first two months – a great testament to Rwanda’s ability to market and attract tourists. Increased tourism activities in Rwanda have been of great economic benefit to the country. Sites like the Musanze caves allow locals in particular, to showcase and sell their arts and crafts to tourists passing by their communities. Apart from the crafts, the locals can also demonstrate the traditional way of living, cultures, and rich history whenever an opportunity presents itself.
The caves are generally cold and quiet on the inside, with streams of water slowly flowing out of the rock ceiling and down the rocky walls to holes underneath the cave floor. It usually takes between one to two hours to complete exploring the caves. The caves consist of complex and numerous tunnels, many of which are home to thousands of bats. The bats can be seen hanging on the cave walls that have been darkened by smoke that has been partly trapped by the numerous cobwebs for thousands of years.
Accommodation options in Volcanoes National Park
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 19: Hike to Dian Fossey’s Tomb
After your breakfast, depart for a hike to the Dian Fossey’s grave, this hike takes about 3-4 hours but it is doable by anyone with basic fitness, the ranger guide will provide you with information about Dian Fossey regarding the role she played towards the conservation and saving these endangered mountain gorillas, reaching the site you will have an opportunity to visit her grave, lying next to her is the grave of her beloved gorilla friend, Digit along with 20 other gorillas killed by the poachers you will also see the ruins of her house
Overnight choices:
Luxury level: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Moderate: Gorilla Solutions Lodge
Low Budget: Muhabura Lodge
Meals included today: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 20: Departure
After breakfast, prepare yourself and your luggage and take some refreshments, after which your driver/guide will transfer you to the airport for your flight back home.
