Overview
Embark on an unforgettable 7-day safari adventure in Rwanda, exploring the country’s diverse landscapes, from the savannahs of Akagera National Park to the misty forests of Volcanoes National Park. This safari offers a blend of thrilling wildlife encounters, including game drives, boat safaris, gorilla trekking, and cultural experiences. During the safari you will see primates like mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys; animals like lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, bushbucks, forest hogs, bush pigs, antelopes, duikers; birds like brown-chested lapwig, Carruthers’s cisticola, cabanis’s bunting, Denham’s bustard, bushshrike, blue-headed coucal, wood hoopoe, papyrus gonolek, flycatcher, red-faced barbet, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori apalis, Ruwenzori nightjar, handsome francolin and more plus the beautiful green and lush vegetation and landscapes. The trip will start in Kigali and end in Kigali.
Day 1: City tour
You will be picked up at an agreed point at 8:00 am in Kigali by our driver guide from Glory Summit tours, who will also brief you on how the trip will go, then take you to your hotel for the night, and you will check in. Once done, you will head back to the city for your tour, and you will start with the Kigali Genocide Memorial, an important and sobering site that commemorates the victims of the 1994 genocide. With many of the guides as survivors, the memorial provides a historical overview of the events and serves as a place for reflection with a personal touch from the guide, and this will take about 2- 3 hours. You will then have an early lunch, then head out to Kimironko market. In the Kimironko market you will experience the lively atmosphere of a local market as you explore the stalls selling fresh produce, crafts, textiles, and more. Locals all over Kigali come to the market to stock up as their needs come up, and it’s a great opportunity to interact with local vendors too, and this will also take about 2- 3 hours with a local guide. With the market tour done, you will head back to your lodging, freshen up, have dinner, and retire at will.
Day 2: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
You will wake up early, check out of your lodging, have breakfast, then prepare to leave the city for Volcanoes National Park. The drive to the park will take about 2- 3 hours as you enjoy the beautiful green scenery, and breathtaking views the countryside of Rwanda has to offer, and arrive in the late afternoon. You will check into your lodging, have a late lunch, and then enjoy the views of the park. In the evening, you will have dinner, then rest for the night in preparation for the day to come.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking and community visit
You will wake up to an early breakfast, then head out to the briefing spot by 7:30 am where you shall be given the rules to be followed by a guide to ensure a smooth trek before you head deep into the forest to experience it. Depending on the targeted Gorilla families given to you to trek, the trekking will take between 30 minutes-6hours, it’s in this time that you shall get to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, how they live, care for each other, care for their young, how and when they eat, all this will be done with a guide and armed ranger on route with you. Other primates like red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, olive baboons: animals like elephants, duikers, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, otto, civet and jackal; birds like black-bee eaters, regal sunbirds, black-billed turaco, bushshrikes, Shelley’s crimsonwing, mountain oriole, strange weaver will also be seen during the trek. You will be given water and a snack for when you need it. When done with the trekking, you will head back to the center where you will be picked up by the driver guide who will take you back to your lodging for freshening up and lunch. Once lunch is done, you will head out to the Iby’iwacu village for a community tour with the help of a local guide. You will take part in local banana brewing, traditional meals, local herbal remedies, with some music, dance, and drama to top off the experience, which can take 2- 3 hours. When done, you will head back to your lodging for the night, have dinner, and retire for the night at will.
Day 4: Fossey Hike
After breakfast, you will head out for the Dian Fossey hike, which will take about 2- 3 hours with a guide, between Karisimbi and Bisoke. The Karisoke research station is found where the gorilla cemetery is, and Dian was buried at the same point right with her friends lost during poaching, something she brought to light in her bid to protect the already endangered mountain gorillas. The guide will give the information needed for you to understand Dian’s role in the protection of the mountain gorillas. During the hike you might see mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, elephants, buffaloes, forest hogs and birds like Rwenzori turaco, grey-chested kakamega, Rwenzori batis, strange weaver, African swamphen, narina trogon, crested barbet and more. When done with the hike, you will head back to your lodging for lunch. With lunch out of the way, you will enjoy a lazy afternoon at your lodging as you relive the experience shared with other tourists in stories and pictures taken. In the evening, you will have dinner, then enjoy the night under the stars in the sky and retire at will.
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera
You will wake up to a beautiful breakfast, then check out of your lodging and exit Volcanoes for Akagera national park, which will take about 5- 6 hours with a lunch stop in Kigali city before you proceed for Akagera. As you move, you will enjoy a variety of scenic landscapes, showcasing the country’s natural beauty and diverse geography. However, the terrain becomes flatter, transitioning from hilly terrain to the savannah and woodland typical of eastern Rwanda as you approach Akagera national park. You will get to Akagera in the early evening, check into your lodging and rest for the evening as you wait for dinner. Once dinner is sorted, you will retire for the night.
Day 6: Morning game drive and Boat cruise
You will wake up very early and head out for your game drive and you will see animals like zebras, elands, warthogs, impalas, elephants, rhinos, giraffes and birds like African fish eagles, egrets, cormorants, shoebill stocks, African darter, strange weaver, Rwenzori batis and many more which will take about 2-3hours. After which you can have breakfast, then head back to your lodge. You will relax as you wait for lunch after which you will head out for an afternoon boat cruise at Lake Ihema and this will also take 2-3hours, during this time you will see animals like crocodiles, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and birds like the rare shoebill stork, jacanas, sandpipers, malachite kingfisher, hawks, herons and many more. Once done, you will head back to the lodge and have dinner, then relax by the fire and retire at will.
Day 7: Checkout and departure
You will check out of your lodge, have breakfast, and then plan for your exit from the national park. At 10:00 am you will set off for Kigali, which will take about 2- 3 hours, during this time you will enjoy the beautiful green scenery, rolling hills, locals for picture moments as you proceed to Kigali city, where you will be dropped off at the agreed point by our driver guide, which will
