7 days Best of Rwanda safari
This 7 days best of Rwanda safari starts and ends in Kigali and it will take you to the three most visited national parks in the country such as Volcanoes national park where you will visit the endangered mountain gorillas, Nyungwe national park in southwestern Rwanda where you will participate in chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk activities and Akagera national park where you view abundant wildlife species including elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, elands, impala, topi, waterbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, primates like baboons, monkeys which will be seen during the game drive and boat cruise on lake Ihema.
Highlights of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Volcanoes national park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera national park
Day 6: Game drive and boat cruise
Day 7: Departure to Kigali for a city tour
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari
Transfer to Volcanoes national park, depending on the time of arrival at Kigali international airport on the first day of your 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Volcanoes national park. On your way you will have en-route lunch and spectacular views of the rolling hills in Rwanda, homesteads, terraced farmlands, beautiful scenery, landscapes among others. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on day 2 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will carry packed lunch from the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people where each group will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with the gorillas and trails in the jungle. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park takes 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the location of the gorillas and during trekking you will have views of the bird species, other primates like black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkey, vervet monkey, animals like bush pigs, buffaloes, plant and tree species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, playing, learn about their lifestyles, behaviors, take photos and record videos with a flash less camera. After the one hour encounter with the gorillas you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
After breakfast on day 3 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Kivu where you will enjoy spectacular views of the morning breeze, beautiful landscapes, terraced hills, farmlands among others. After the amazing views you will have lunch and then proceed with the journey to Nyungwe national park which takes about 4 to 5 hours drive and upon arrival you will check into the lodge have dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on day 4 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee group to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where they are located because they like to move deep into the forest in search of food especially during the dry season. Once the chimpanzee family is found you will be allowed to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their natural environment and during the one hour you will learn about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors, watch chimpanzees breastfeed, feed, take photos and record the moments to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour encounter with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk, after lunch you will go for a canopy walk which is one of the most adventurous and exciting activity in the park. Nyungwe national park is the only national park in east Africa that offers this amazing activity. The canopy walk was opened in 2010 and it starts at Uwinka Visitor’s Center going through huge trees across the steep and deep valleys filled with thick forest. The canopy walk takes about 2 hours and offers great views of the forest canopy, birds, butterflies, primates like blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, tree species among others which gives you lifetime memories. After the canopy walk you will trek back to the starting point, meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera national park
After breakfast on day 5 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer Akagera national park which is the only savannah protected area in Rwanda. The journey takes about 7 hours drive with en-route lunch and great views of the landscapes, terraced farmlands, rolling hills among others. Upon arrival in the park then continue to the lodge where you will relax, have dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 6 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will meet up with your driver guide to go for an interesting game drive in the park. during the game drive you will follow various tracks where you will be able to view and experience variety of animals such as elephants, giraffes, elands, buffaloes, zebras, wild dogs, impalas, oribi, bushbucks, topi, waterbucks, duikers, Bohor reedbuck, sitatungas, klipspringer, black tailed mongoose, warthogs, bush pigs, predators like lions, leopards, hyenas among others if you are lucky, primates like vervet monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, bush babies, bird species like lesser kestrel, hornbills, Hadada ibis, cattle egret, grey backed fiscal, pied crow, long crested eagle among others. During the game drive you will also enjoy great views of the beautiful landscape, sunrise, flora among others where after you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for a boat cruise on Lake Ihema which is the biggest lake in Akagera national park. The boat cruise is done in schedules and the afternoon boat ride starts at around 3:30 pm and takes about 2 to 3 hours. During the boat ride you will chill, relax and enjoy the breeze, take great pictures and have spectacular views of the landscape, hills, large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water. cruise near animal species like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, waterbuck along the shores drinking water, aquatic bird species like the prehistoric shoebill stork, papyrus Gonolek, African wattled plover, pied and malachite kingfisher, cormorants, bee-eaters, African fish eagle, open billed stork, herons, egrets among others. After the boat cruise you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Departure to Kigali
After breakfast on day 7 of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your guide to transfer to Kigali for a city tour where you will visit the Genocide memorial center, craft centers and Kimironko market where you will interact with the local vendors in the market. After the city tour you will go for a buffet in one of the restaurants and later transfer to Kigali international airport for your next flight.
End of 7 days best of Rwanda safari
Inclusions of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Canopy walk
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Kigali city tour
- Park entrance fee
- Boat cruise fee
- Services of an English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Exclusions of the 7 days best of Rwanda safari
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.
