8 Days Rwanda Wildlife Safari, By the end of this 8 Days Rwanda Wildlife Safari, you will have explored all the major 7 natural wonders of the land of a thousand hills. These include Volcanoes National Park, where you will be treated to a gorilla adventure of a lifetime. You will also pursue an endearing chimpanzee trek and a canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park, an ancient rainforest. At Akagera National Park, you will encounter Big 5 during game drives and crown the day with a rejuvenating sunset cruise that leaves one feeling 10 years younger. The best part of the story is that you won’t be forced to do anything you don’t want to during this Rwanda wildlife tours!
Day1: Kigali city tour and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After a delightful breakfast prepared with a Rwandan touch, you will set off for a half day city tour of Kigali, the cleanest city in East Africa. Brace yourself for captivating history of the past events that have shaped Rwanda’s present. Such includes the 1994 genocide as highlighted at the Kigali National museum. This will be followed by a road trip along a scenic road that meanders along slopes of countless rolling hills, some of which host plantations of irish potatoes, plantain and beans. By 5pm, you will have arrived at your destination Ruhengeri, a peaceful village on the foothills of Volcanoes National Park. Dinner and overnight at Virunga Safari Lodge/Silver Back Lodge/Mountain Gorilla View Lodge. Meal plan: H/B
Day2: Rwanda Gorilla Trek-Visit the Twin Lakes
The best time of the day to encounter gorillas is early morning, when they are in a very active state busy searching for food. Accordingly, you will set off for the park by 6:30am after your breakfast. In an effort to psychologically prepare you about how the adventure will unfold, your adventure will start off with an early morning briefing by a ranger guide tasked with leading your group. To ensure you are not outstretched, you will be asked to set the walking pace, especially if you are the slowest. Considering this isn’t an express run through the forest but rather nature walk, the ranger guides will take things slow so as to enable you feel the pulse of every flora and fauna that comes your way. Seeing the gorillas is quite revealing and euphoric. It will give you a good understanding why man is believed to have evolved from apes.
Considering that the adventure can last up to 4 hours, we shall offer you packed lunch and plenty of bottled drinking water to keep you rehydrated.
Then in the evening visit the twin Lakes (Burera and Ruhondo). This is the place to go if you want to unwind and move away from the noise of the city. Over 50,000 years back, it used to be an enormous crater lake and it still is. Dormant volcanoes set the scene in the background of the isolation. The twin lakes is also an A-list destination for birders as it is blessed with over 200 recorded species.
Return to lodge for dinner and overnight, Meal plan: F/B
Day3: Transfer from Volcanoes National Park to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Have breakfast, after which you will set off for Nyungwe Forest National Park with a stopover for lunch along the way. Found in the southern section of Rwanda, Nyungwe is a prime destination for chimpanzee trekking. It also has a canopy walk experience that offers an awesome dose of adrenaline rush. Dinner and overnight at Nyungwe Forest Lodge/Nyungwe Hill Top Lodge/Gisakura Guest House, Meal Plan: F/B
Day4: Rwanda Chimpanzee Tour-Canopy Walks
After a healthy breakfast, you will head out to the park headquarters for a briefing by the ranger guides ahead of your chimpanzee trek. The wow factor with chimps is that they are much more active and entertaining than gorillas. This is partly because their weight allows swift movement as it is lighter. By the end of this 1-4hours adventure, you will have encountered almost all the 85 mammal species to whom the park is home, inclusive of l’hoest monkeys, black and white colubus, blue monkeys and vervet monkeys..
In the evening, you will return for a canopy walk aboard the suspended bridge that hovers over the crown of trees in the park. It offers exhilarating views of the surrounding inclusive of the distant hills of Burundi.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight, Meal plan: F/B
Day5: Nyungwe Forest-Kigali
Have breakfast, after embark the safari jeep and transfer back to Kigali with lunch en-route, then after travel to your lodge/hotel for dinner and overnight at Rwanda Luxury Hotel/Lemigo Hotel. Meal plan: F/B
Day6: Kigali-Akagera National Park
Have breakfast and after embark on a four hours road trip Akagera National Park, a big 5 destination and a scenic landscape graced with rolling hills and awe-inspiring crater lakes. If you arrive in the dry season, brace yourself for a heartwarming trumpet welcome from Mitware – the park’s most famous elephant.
Enter into the park with en-route game drive to spot the Rwanda wildlife species like elephants, buffaloes, lions, water and bush bucks and warthogs among others. Dinner and overnight at Akagera Game Lodge/Ruzizi Camp, Meal Plan: H/B
Day7: Game Drives & Boat Ride
Set off for game drive to spot the Rwanda wildlife species like the lions, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, warthogs and water and bush bucks. This experience takes 3-4 hours, a reason you will carry packed breakfast with you. The guide who will lead you on this trip goes out of his way to deliver a wonderful and engaging experience…and the animals join in on the fun.
Return to lodge for lunch, after in the evening takes the boat cruise along the Ihema Lake to spot the wildlife and bird life species along the shores of the Lake Ihema. Dinner and overnight as above, Meal Plan: F/B
Day8: Akagera-Kigali
After breakfast, transfer to Kigali with the en-route stop to the Rwanda genocide memorials and have lunch later and thereafter transfer to the Kigali international airport for your return flight. Safe travels!
The package includes:
Ground transportation
Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
Visit twin Lakes
Rwanda Gorilla permits
Visit Rwanda genocide memorials
Chimpanzee permits
Canopy walk
Park entrance
Game drive
Boat ride
En-route meals
Full day English speaking guide
Package excludes:
All expenses not mentioned in the package like fees to the porter while gorilla trekking, airtime to call back home, laundry, luxury drinks, Visa and air fares, cigarettes among other personal nature expenses.
