This 12 Days Visiting Rwanda Wildlife Safari visits all three of Rwanda’s national parks. Chimpanzees and birds can be found in the Nyungwe Forest National Park in the South West, while zebras, buffalo, elephants, leopards, hippopotamuses, and crocodiles can be found in the Akagera National Park in the East. The location of Kibuye Township lies on Lake Kivu. The program also includes a gorilla tracking trip to the northern Volcanoes National Park. Contact us to reserve this wildlife safari in Rwanda.
Detailed Itinerary.
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali
When you arrive at Kigali International Airport, you will be received by a Verdant Safaris company representative who will brief you on the 12 day tour and transfer you a hotel already booked for you in Kigali. Check in, rest up, have dinner and stay the night.
Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel, Hotel Chez Lando.
Meals: (Dinner).
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Following breakfast, you will go to Butare, Rwanda’s second-largest city and known as the country’s intellectual centre. It is home to the National Museum as well as a number of research and academic organisations. You will stop in Nyanza, the seat of the feudal kingdom and the former Mwami’s palace (King’s palace), your route to Butare. Similar to the Kabaka’s palace in Buganda, the palace has been restored to its 19th-century condition and features a characteristic dome. You will go to the National Museum, which is one of East Africa’s best ethnographic museums, if not the best one. It’s a reliable resource for learning about Rwanda’s and the region’s cultural past. After lunch in Butare, you will continue on to Nyungwe Forest National Park. To get the most recent information on the presence of the semi-habituated groups of chimps and colobus monkeys, your driver-guide will make a stop at the Uwinka headquarters. This will assist you in getting ready for the following day’s activities.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge, Nyungwe Safari Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 3: Primate Tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park
You can go for a chimp tracking adventure in Nyungwe, another guided primate walk or a walk on one of the well-kept trails. Less demanding hiking is necessary because of the abundance of primates and blue monkeys that may be seen in the Uwinka area. Additionally, Uwinka has an orchid garden. For hikers seeking a strenuous experience, we suggest the “Bigugu Mountain” trek, which is the highest mountain in Nyungwe Forest at around 3000m. The fact that Nyungwe is home to certain endemic species of the Albertine Rift that are only found here will undoubtedly pique the interest of birdwatchers! On one of the specially created pathways, birdwatching is quite rewarding.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge, Nyungwe Safari Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 4: Colobus Monkey Tracking in Nyungwe Forest.
The enormous social groups of Colobus (Colobus angolensis), which can number over 300 individuals, are of special interest on guided nature walks. These are the world’s largest troops of this species! A quarter of all African primates live in the Nyungwe forest.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge, Nyungwe Safari Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 5: Transfer to Kibuye.
After breakfast, you will go to Kibuye, where you will explore the shores of Lake Kivu and pass through verdant tea plantation areas. The most beautiful of the three resort towns around Lake Kivu is Kibuye. Arrival at Kibuye is anticipated during lunch. Most guests will enjoy some downtime on the banks of Lake Kivu after Nyungwe; a boat ride is a necessity.
Accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Paradise Malahide.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 6: Kibuye – Gisenyi – Transfer to Kinigi.
You will be picked up, detour to Gisenyi, lunch while there and we drive to Ruhengeri and Kinigi for an overnight at your hotel.
Accommodation: Gorilla Nest Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 7: Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda.
Following breakfast, you will go to the park headquarters, where your driver-guide will take care of the required paperwork. For a briefing on the best animal experience ever, you will meet your ranger guide or guides. After that, we’ll bring you to a Virunga volcano’s slopes so you may begin your trek. After the hike, have lunch at your hotel or in Ruhengeri, and if you have time, go on an afternoon tour to see Lake Bulera and Ruhondo, two of the area’s most picturesque lakes. Depending on the weather, there is a great chance to observe the Virunga series of volcanoes.
Accommodation: Gorilla Nest Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 8: Golden Monkey Trekking – Transfer to Kigali.
The only Golden Monkeys (cercopithecus mitis kandti) in Africa are freshly habituated groups of roughly 40 individuals, and they are classified as “endangered.” The Musanga troop, which is close to the Karisimbi volcano, is a somewhat greater walking distance from the Park Headquarters than the Kabatwa troop.
Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel, Hotel Chez Lando.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 9: Transfer to Akagera National Park.
You will travel through Kayonza to the eastern region of Rwanda, where you will spend three hours driving to Akagera National Park. We will reach the stunning Akagera Game Lodge, which features a swimming pool, prior to lunchtime. Before lunch, go for a swim. Following lunch, you will begin your excursion by going on a game drive in the Giraffe Valley. In January 1986, the giraffes of Akagera National Park were moved from Kenya. The Rwandan government received the two male and four female Masai giraffes, which were captured close to Lake Magadi in Kenya, as part of an agreement to replenish the wildlife habitats that had been destroyed by years of poaching. On the Rurama peninsula, the giraffes were initially housed in an enclosure.
Accommodation: Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akagera Game Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 10: Full Day in Akagera National Park.
After an early breakfast, you begin your adventure with a boat ride on Lake Ihema, which is a highly rewarding experience for spotting numerous birds, enormous Nile crocodiles, and hippos. Following the boat ride, you will continue exploring the Lakes Rwanyakizinga, Mihindi, and Kivumba. For birdwatchers in particular, they constitute the park’s most fascinating feature. You’ll go back to the Lodge for lunch and a refreshing swim. You will return to the giraffe valley, which is typically full of surprises, in the late afternoon.
Accommodation: Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Akagera Game Lodge.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 11: Return to Kigali.
After breakfast, you will depart for another day of exploration after waking up early. On this occasion, you will begin by touring Mutumba, the park’s highest peak. You will be able to see the Karangwe Mountains and all of Tanzania’s Akagera lakes, with Lake Tanganyika in the background. Go down to the lake area and enjoy a picnic lunch on the shore of one of the stunning lakes. We will drop you off at the hotel in Kigali once you travel back to the property in the afternoon.
Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel, Hotel Chez Lando.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner).
Day 12: Kigali City Tour – Departure.
A few-hour visit to the Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi is part of the Kigali City trip. Additionally, pay a visit to the artisan centre and the local general goods market. Rwanda is home to memorials honouring the 1994 genocide spread around the nation. The genocide memorials in Kigali (Gisozi) and Murambi (Gikongoro), which provide an explanation of the genocide’s history, are the most significant. For most people, visiting the genocide memorial is an emotional experience. Proceed to the airport to depart.
Meals: (Breakfast, Lunch).
End of the 12 Days Visiting Rwanda Wildlife Safari.
The 12 Days Visiting Rwanda Wildlife Safari cost includes;
- Airport Transfers.
- 1 Gorilla Permit per person.
- 1 Golden Monkey Permit per person.
- 1 Chimpanzee Permit per person.
- 1 Colobus Monkey permit per person.
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary.
- Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle.
- Services of an English-speaking driver guide.
- Bottled water in the car.
- Relevant Government Taxes.
However, the 12 Days Visiting Rwanda Wildlife Safari cost excludes; International Air Fare, Visa Fees, tips to local guides, personal travel insurance, items of personal nature such as souvenirs, laundry, alcohol etc.