TYPE: Mid-range or Luxury Safari

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

-Canopy Walk

-Kigali City Tour

-Gorilla trekking

-Chimp trekking

-Golden Monkey trekking

-1 Game drive in Akagera NP

-2 Boat rides (1 in Akagera NP and 1 on Lake Kivu)

 

DETAILED/SAFARI/TOUR ITINERARY:

Day 1: – Arrival in Kigali

On arrival, our driver-guide will be waiting to transfer you to the hotel in Kigali for an overnight stay. He will brief you about the tour and what time to pick you the next day.

Mid-range Accommodation: – Heaven Boutique Hotel, Onomo Hotel or Hotel des Mille Collines

Luxury Accommodation: – Kigali Serena Hotel, or Hemingways Retreat or Radisson Blu Hotel

 

Day 2: - Transfer to Akagera National Park

Today, we will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and head to Kigali City for sightseeing with visits to a local market (Kimironko, the oldest market in Rwanda) as well as other monuments in the city. During the city tour, we will also get to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial which is such an emotional and touching experience. You will then have lunch and thereafter embark on the journey to Akagera National Park, the only savannah park in Rwanda located in the North East arriving at the lodge later in the evening.

Travel time: ± 3 hours

Mid-range Accommodation: – Akagera Safari Camp,

Luxury Accommodation: - Salt of Akagera, Ruzizi Tented Lodge or Magashi Camp

 

Day 3: - In Akagera National Park

After an early morning breakfast, we will head to the park for a game drive to see the wildlife in the plains of the park such as Rhinos, Elephants, Oribi, Gazelles, African Buffalo among others and you will have chances of sighting predators like Lions and Leopards. Thereafter, we will return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest. Later in the afternoon we will head back to the park for a boat ride on Lake Ihema where we will spot different species of birdlife as well as animals like Hippos and crocodiles.

Mid-range Accommodation: – Akagera Safari Camp,

Luxury Accommodation: - Salt of Akagera, Ruzizi Tented Lodge or Magashi Camp

 

Day 4: - To Nyungwe Forest National Park

This morning you will leave Akagera National Park for Nyungwe Forest National Park in the South West of Rwanda with a stop for lunch on the way. After lunch you will continue with the journey to Nyungwe forest arriving later in the afternoon. The forest is home to 13 species of primate so as you drive through the park, you should be able to see some of them especially the beautiful Angolan colobus monkeys. Your evening meal will be at your accommodation.

Travel time: ± 6 hours

Mid-range accommodation: - Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Luxury accommodation: - Icayi Songa Lodge

 

Day 5: - Chimp Tracking and Canopy Walk

Today you will once again enter the rainforest, an exceptional place for primates and boasting 13 species (20% of Africa's total). This morning you will track down a troop of chimpanzees to learn more about the behaviors. In the afternoon, you will go for a canopy walk through this beautiful rain forest. Here, you will have a chance of spotting some of the other primate species, birds and mammals that inhabit the forest. This forest is home to about 275 species of birds of which an impressive 25 are endemic, 270 species of trees and shrubs, 100 different orchids and many large mammals such elephants, leopards, servals, golden cats, bush pigs and black-fronted duiker. There are loads of walking tracks in the park and the experienced guides will show you the best ones for particular wildlife. Thereafter, we will bring you back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Mid-range accommodation: - Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

Luxury accommodation: - Icayi Songa Lodge

 

Day 6 - To Lake Kivu

Today after a late breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and leave Nyungwe Forest National Park for the shores of the beautiful Lake Kivu, the largest lake in Rwanda arriving in time for lunch. Later in the afternoon, you will head out for a boat ride to explore some of the small islands on the lake and also get to spot the different bird species commonly seen here. Thereafter return to the hotel/lodge where you spend the rest of the day relaxing.

Driving time: ± 3 hours

Mid-range Accommodation: - Kivu Lodge

Luxury Accommodation: - Lake Kivu Serena Hotel

 

Day 7: - Volcanoes National Park

This morning, you will have breakfast and leave Lake Kivu at leisure for the picturesque Volcanoes National Park, home to the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda. Once there, you will check-in to the accommodation, have a short rest, lunch and later in the afternoon head out to take part in some activities at Iby’iwacu cultural village.

Travel time: ± 3 hours

Mid-range accommodation: – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge or Ingagi Lodge

Luxury accommodation: – Virunga Lodge or Wilderness Sabyinyo

 

Day 8: - Gorilla Tracking

Early in the morning after breakfast, we will transfer you to the park headquarters for briefing and then later you will enter the rainforest and along the montane slopes of Virunga. This remarkable experience of searching for the famous Mountain Gorillas is strenuous thus requires one to be physically fit, however, the thrill of encountering these humble and gentle giants erases the poor memories you went through while finding them. You will spend one hour with them as you take photos and learn about their behaviors. Later in the day, you will visit Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Mid-range accommodation: – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge or Ingagi Lodge

Luxury accommodation: – Virunga Lodge or Wilderness Sabyinyo

 

Day 9: – Golden Monkey Trekking and Return to Kigali/Departure

Today you will be taken from one side of the national park to another, here you will be taken on a guided walk into the thick bamboo thickets in search of the one of the rarest and most beautiful of all African primates with black limbs, tail tips and crown. Volcanoes National Park has a Golden Monkey population of around 200 individuals that has been studied and habituated since 2002. After tracking, we will embark on the journey to the back to Kigali and upon arrival, we will bring you to the airport for check-in for your flight back home.

Travel time: ± 3 hours

Accommodation – None

OUR ADVENTURE WITH YOU ENDS HERE!!!