8 days best of Rwanda Great Apes and Big five wildlife safari is a remarkable journey through the beautiful landscapes of Rwanda, famously known as the ‘’Land of a Thousand Hills.’’ This safari combines unforgettable encounters with great apes, thrilling Big five wildlife experiences, rich cultural interactions and breathtaking scenery. Rwanda is one of Africa’s top luxury safari destinations, offering excellent conservation experiences, clean cities, beautiful mountains, tropical forests and warm hospitality.
During this safari, you will explore Rwanda’s most famous national parks including Akagera National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, and Volcanoes National Park. You will enjoy game drives in search of the Big five animals, boat cruises, chimpanzee trekking, canopy walks and the once in a lifetime experience of mountain gorilla trekking in the Virunga Mountains. This safari offers the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation, wildlife and culture, making it deal for the travelers looking an unforgettable African safari experience.
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali-welcome to Rwanda.
On the first day of the safari, upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed by your professional safari guide and transferred to your hotel in Kigali. Depending on the time of arrival, you may relax at your hotel or optional go for a city tour. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Kigali city tour and transfer to Akagera National Park.
After breakfast, you go for a guided city tour of Kigali where you visit important attractions like Kigali Genocide Memorial, local art galleries, and craft markets. Later go for en-route lunch.
Later, transfer to Akagera National Park, which is Rwanda’s only savannah national park and home to the Big five animals including lions, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, and leopards. Upon arrival, enjoy a game drive to where you will spot zebras, giraffes, antelopes and other wildlife. Later dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Full day Big five safari and boat cruise in Akagera National Park.
Today is offered to exploring the beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Akagera National Park. Start your day with en early game drive while searching for predators and large mammals across the park’s savannah plains, woodlands and wetlands.
The park is a home to elephants, buffaloes, lions, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes and many bird species. In the afternoon, you enjoy a relaxing boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you may see hippos, crocodiles, elephants along the shoreline, water birds and others. The boat cruise offers peaceful scenery and excellent photography opportunities. Dinner and overnight stay
Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
After breakfast, start on your journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park which is one of the Africa’s oldest tropical rainforests. Along the way, you will pass through the beautiful sceneries with tea plantations, rolling hills, rural villages and among others.
Upon arrival, check into your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing for chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing, enter the forest with experienced rangers and walk through the rainforest while searching for the chimpanzees along other primates while enjoying the sounds of birds and the beauty of the forest.
Once the chimpanzees are located, spend one hour in their presence while observing them feed, communicate, and moving through trees and others. Later in the afternoon, experience the famous canopy walk suspended high above the forest floor. The canopy bridge offers breathtaking views of the rainforest, waterfalls, bird species and surrounding mountains. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
After breakfast, travel to the north to Volcanoes National Park, which is a home to the endangered mountain gorillas. The drive offers spectacular views of the Rwanda’s rolling hills, volcanic mountains and scenic countryside. Upon arrival, check into your lodge for relaxation, later dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7: Gorilla trekking inn Volcanoes National Park.
After breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing before beginning your gorilla trekking experience, after you will enter the forest with the experienced rangers then start hiking through the bamboo forests and volcanic slopes while searching for a gorilla family. Gorilla trekking takes you several hours depending on the location of the gorillas, once the gorillas are found, spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas in their natural habitat. Watching mountain gorillas feed, play, groom one another, and interact with their young crates memories that last a lifetime. After the trek return to the lodge for relaxation and later dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Departure.
After breakfast, you may optionally go for a golden monkey trekking, or directly transfer to Kigali city for your final lunch before transferred to Kigali International Airport. And this brings your safari come to the end.
