7 Days Rwanda Volcanoes & Akagera Safari

Overview

This 7 days safari, takes you to three famous national parks in Rwanda that is Akagera national park, Nyungwe national park and Volcanoes national park. You will encounter different experience in each of the parks like game viewing, chimpanzee trekking, golden monkey and gorilla trekking.

Highlights

• Day 1: Kigali City tour [visiting the Museums] and transfer to Akagera National Park
• Day 2: Game drive and Boat cruise
• Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
• Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy walk
• Day 5: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
• Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Ibylwacu cultural centre
• Day 7: Golden Monkey and Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Kigali City tour [visiting the Museums] and transfer to Akagera National Park

Our company guide will collect you from the hotel, he will brief you about your 7 days safari and explain more about Rwanda culture. Set off with the journey for Kigali city tour where you will visit places like Museums, king’s palace, local markets and later on have lunch at any tourist restaurant. After lunch, embark on the drive to Akagera National Park to the east of Rwanda 135km about 2 ½ hour drive while encountering magical sights of Rwanda countryside including the sights of the Inyambo cows in Rwamagana. Upon arrival at the park, have a mini game drive as you are heading to the lodge, you encounter plenty of wildlife. Check-in at the lodge, relax as you wait for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Game drive and Boat cruise

Have breakfast at 6am and head for morning game early, so as to meet with early hunters before they go back to their hideouts. The drive through the diverse landscapes of Akagera National Park presents the magical game viewing. Expect to see African elephants, Masaai giraffes, buffaloes, Impala, water bucks, bushbucks, Oribi, eland, reedbuck, roan antelope, lions, leopards among other wildlife. The game drive in Akagera National Park takes 3-4 hours after which you retreat to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, you embark on the boat ride on Lake Ihema one of the myriad of lakes in the park standing as the second largest in Rwanda.

The boat cruise allows you to explore the recreational waters of this lake, the fringing papyrus that supports counts of goneleks and shoebill stork, the sights of Nile crocodiles and Hippos. Retire for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park

Wake up with beautiful sounds of African birds singing, have more breakfast. Drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park which covers an area of about and it travel distance is 320km about 5 hours’ drive to the south west of Rwanda. The drive takes you through magical hills of southern Rwanda before stopping en route in Butare to visit the Butare National Museum also referred to as the ethnographic Museum featuring a range of artifacts that count to more than 100,000 bringing out the background, heritage and history of Rwanda – the land of a thousand hills. You proceed to visit the Nyanza Palace the Royal court of the two Kings of Rwanda namely King Musinga and his successor King Rudahigwa featuring an impressive architectural hut, the traditional Inyambo cows and items that these Kings used in their daily life. You retreat from the stop in Butare and proceed to Nyungwe arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy walk

Waking up on the land of chimpanzee, have breakfast and pack your trekking equipment’s and drive to the park’s headquarters for briefing about the Chimpanzee trekking conducted at 8am. You embark on the chimpanzee trekking in this forest of Nyungwe which is known to have survived the last ice age featuring over 13 primate species, the 310 species of birds, the 75 mammal species and great counts of butterflies. The chimpanzee trekking experience tends to last 2-5 hours and one full hour is availed to you to explore the chimps in detail as they feed, copulate, socialize, patrol, make pant hooting calls and the young ones play which magical deriving ultimate memories. Retreat from the activity and relax at the lodge till lunch, after which you gather at Uwinka visitor center for canopy walk in the afternoon exploring the famous canopy walk way of Nyungwe standing as the third in Africa and the first of its kind in East Africa. The activity takes 2 hours and offers you the opportunity to explore the lush canopy of Nyungwe, the magical sights of primates, birds and butterflies that prefer to dwell on the raised branches of the trees. Retire for overnight.

Day 5: Transfer to Volcanoes national park

Start the day with a morning cup of coffee, after check-out of the lodge and embark on the transfer to Musaze – Volcanoes National Park. The journey takes about 110km which is 2 hours’ drive to the park. Upon arriving in Musaze, you embark on the Musaze caves tour taking a 2 hour walk in the 2km cave that is over 65 million years formed as a result of the lava flow from the two Volcanoes of Sabyinyo and Bisoke. The Musaze Caves feature 31 entrances and the cave was significant in the Rwandan history as it would provide refuge in times of war and even the genocide time. Connect to the lodge after the cave walk for relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Ibylwacu cultural centre

Rise early and have morning breakfast, organize your trekking equipment’s and your tour guide will drive you to the park’s headquarters for briefing on rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. The earlier arrival offers you an opportunity to explore the traditional Kinyarwanda performance and the hot cup of Rwandan coffee all presented at a zero cost.

The game ranger will brief the tourists, allocate gorilla families to each tourists and you will be driven to the trekking starting point. You traverse the jungle full of lush flora, counts of birds (178 species) and the forest animals like duikers. Upon finding the gorillas, it’s a lifetime moment of re-uniting with your long lost cousins. You enjoy them, the silverback demonstrating its might as head of the family, the young ones socializing, and the female caring for the young and the entire group spread across the forest gathering their nutritious diet provided naturally in their ancient habitat. Retreat from the activity which tends to last 2-8 hours according to the movements of mountain gorillas and embark on visit to Ibylwacu cultural centre, where you will witness the traditional lifestyle of Rwandese people. Drive back to the lodge, relax in the evening as you wait for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Golden Monkey and Departure

On our last day of the trip, you will visit the amazing golden monkey. Have breakfast, drive to the parks headquarters, enter the jungle in search of golden monkeys, you will see other primates, fauna and flora. Finally get face to face with the beautiful golden monkeys. You will see them play as they jump from one branch of tree to the other; all this will be amazing and memorable for your safari. Drive back to Kigali and if you still have time, you can visit some craft shops and buy for yourself a souvenir. Continue to the airport for your flight and say farewell to Rwanda.

Includes

• gorilla permit,
• golden monkey,
• park entry fees,
• accommodation,
• meals full board