Rwanda Gorillas And Wildlife Safaris for First-Time Visitors

Embark on a 7-day Rwanda Gorillas And Wildlife Safaris and visit Volcanoes National Park, a sanctuary for the endangered mountain gorillas. Take in the breathtaking scenery of this massive tropical rain forest while you learn about these fascinating primates. You’ll get to stop at Lake Kivu on the way to Nyungwe Forest National Park, where you may relax with a picnic lunch while taking in the fresh air.

Your Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife safari will continue after your en-route stay as you are transferred to Nyungwe Forest National Park, a huge montane forest in the southwest of Rwanda. Nyungwe is well-known for its abundance of orchids, butterflies, chimps, and colobus monkeys. The Rwanda Gorillas And Wildlife Safari will next go on to Akagera National Park, where you can see eland, zebras, waterbuck, giraffes, Sitatunga, elephants, buffalo, topi, and roan antelope. On nighttime drives, it is not uncommon to spot monkeys, vervets, olive baboons, and bush babies. At the conclusion of the tour, you will have the opportunity to explore Kigali, see the Rwanda National Museum, and the Genocide memorial at Gisozi.

Highlights of 7 Days Rwanda Gorillas And Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park via Lake Kivu
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 5: Transfer To Akagera National Park
Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Safari on Lake Ihema
Day 7: Transfer to Kigali and City Tour

Detailed Itinerary of Rwanda Gorillas And Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

On your Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari, after an early breakfast, you will be transferred to Volcanoes National Park, the habitat of the endangered mountain gorillas. After a two- or three-hour drive from Kigali to Musanze district, you’ll reach your Ruhengeri resort, where you may unwind, have dinner, and spend the night.

Volcanoes National Park offers a wide variety of activities beyond merely gorilla trekking, such as mountain hiking, golden monkey trekking, and many more. Visitors visiting to Rwanda will find this to be an outstanding destination.

Accommodation: Sabyinyo silverback lodge / Le Bambou Gorilla lodge / Hotel Muhabura

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla Trek at Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

With an early breakfast, drive to the park headquarters for gorilla briefing in Kinigi where you will be allocated trekking groups and a tour guide to begin your Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari. Along with your trekking gear, drinking water and packed lunch, the driver will drop you off at the starting point to trek the gorillas together with the ranger guides. Tracking the gorillas lasts between 1-8 hours and meeting them is so rewarding as you spend 1 hour with them as you take time studying them and taking pictures and videos and this is the climax of your Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari.

Depending on the time your gorilla trekking will end, you can decide take a cultural walk to Iby’iwachu Cultural Village-a Non-Profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Volcanoes National Park or you may enjoy the Kinyarwanda traditions including the Intore dance, traditional ceremonies and a guided community walk. Later retire for an overnight at the lodge and reflect on the day’s activities over dinner.

Accommodation: Sabyinyo silverback lodge / Le Bambou Gorilla lodge / Hotel Muhabura

Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park via Lake Kivu

Following an early morning meal at the lodge, you will go on a one-hour journey to Rubavu via Nyungwe Forest National Park, pausing along the way at Lake Kivu to take in the scenery, have lunch, and then meet up with your fellow travelers along the park’s shoreline. It would take you around four or five hours to get to Nyungwe National Park after lunch. You will arrive at your lodge in the evening and have dinner while getting ready for the incredible adventure that awaits you the following day.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest lodge / Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel / Gisakura guest house

Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Meeting the Nyungwe Forest Chimps – Rwanda

Before your transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing, make sure to get an early breakfast. Trek with chimpanzees in the forest by accompanied by a park ranger. As you follow the chimpanzees from nest to nest, you can see them swinging from limb to branch and see the little ones eating fruit or hiding behind their moms.

After lunch, you’ll go on a walking safari along a path that ends at the Canopy Walk, a swing bridge that’s sixty meters over the forest floor and ninety meters above the ground. From above, you can see the magnificent rain forest, and below, you can see animals frolicking around.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest lodge / Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel / Gisakura guest house

Day 5: Transfer to Akagera National Park

Embark on your Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari to Akagera National Park, which borders Tanzania, after an early morning breakfast. You’ll be transferred to the eastern province. Visiting the Nyanza king’s palace and the Rwandan national museum on the way from Nyungwe Forest National Park to Akagera National Park adds another half to an hour or two to the driving time. Get some rest and eat at the motel.

Take a game drive in the park after lunch to get a feel for the beautiful environment while keeping an eye out for wildlife; when the sun goes down, you might even catch a glimpse of the big cats preparing for parole.

Accommodation: Akagera game lodge / Dereva hotel / Ruzizi tented camp

Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Safari on Lake Ihema

Lake Ihema, Akagera National Park, Rwanda

Get a head start on the day with breakfast before hitting the road for a morning game drive around the park, where you can see some amazing animals. You might see a variety of creatures, such as giraffes, warthogs, waterbucks, zebras, hyenas, and antelopes, as well as the Big Five—lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, cape buffaloes, and the newly arrived rhinos. An estimated three to four hours into your game drive through the park, you’ll get the chance to see some of the more than 500 bird species that call the region home. Get back to the resort for lunch and unwind before the next adventure begins.

You will be taken by boat to Rwanda’s second-biggest lake, Ihema, after lunch. Lake Kivu is the largest lake in the country. As you float over the lake, you’ll see a variety of animals, including hippos, buffalo, massive crocodiles, and birds like the fish eagle and the malachite kingfisher.