On our 10 days Classic Rwanda adventure, we a glimpse visit to some of East Africa’s most species -rich and spectacular Rwanda’s National Parks, where we can see and experience fantastic animal life, e.g. endemic bird species, lion, black rhinoceros, leopard, African Elephants, African buffalo, also known as The Big Five. We also find a huge diversity of primates such as chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, marmosets and then the mightiest of all the Gorilla of the misty mountains, tropical forests magnificent active volcanoes home to the golden monkeys and mighty savanna plains. We travel on small roads, through local villages, beautiful mountain areas and verdant landscapes, we meet the people, take part in their everyday life and experience a truly genuine African Adventure. Karibu to Rwanda’s ultimate adventure!
Detailed
Itinerary
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, our local safari guide welcomes you. After a short transfer to our fine selected hotel we have dinner, before its time to tie up for the night.
Accommodation: Hotel des Mille Collin
After your breakfast and depending on the time of your scheduled activities, you will drive to Akagera National Park. You will reach in the afternoon and have lunch at the park lodge. Thereafter, take an evening game drive to see some of the wildlife the park has to offer. You might encounter lions, giraffes, antelopes, zebras etc.
Accommodation: Akagera Game lodge
Early morning game drive around the park before returning to the lodge for breakfast. You will have lunch at the Lodge followed by a launch cruise on Lake Ihema to see hippos, crocodiles, elephants and a variety of bird species such as kingfishers and herons. Return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Akagera Game lodge
After having your morning breakfast, you will be transferred back to Kigali in time for lunch. You will later head to the Kigali genocide memorial ground where over 25000 bodies of victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide were buried in a mass ground.
This place acts as a museum and an education center. There is a lot to see and learn from Rwandan history to date. You will later return to your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Hotel des Mille Collines
After breakfast, transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa. Along the way, stop at the Royal palace Museum and National Museum of Rwanda for a cultural experience. This offers an opportunity to learn about the history of Rwandan culture and Kingship. You will have lunch and then continue to Nyungwe for an overnight stay.
After your early breakfast, you will be driven to the park offices for a briefing before starting your chimpanzee tracking adventure. With a guided ranger, you will hike through the thick forest in search of chimpanzees and the other 12 species of primates. Throughout your hike you will see many species of monkeys- sometimes in massive troops as well as hundreds of bird species. After finding the chimpanzees, you will spend 1 hour with them after which you will leave them and go back to the starting point.
After the hike, you will return to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation before going back to the park for the canopy walk. This is a suspended metallic bridge that is 70 meters above the ground and spans a distance of 160 meters.
The canopy walk provides great opportunities to see the forest from above and really appreciate the work of nature. On a lucky day, you will
be able to spot some primates that are high up in the canopies. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Early in the morning after your cozy breakfast, start a new day with an adventure to the volcanoes National Park, upon arrival at the lodge check in for hot lunch.
Later in the afternoon, indulge yourself in the Rwandan tapestry through visiting the Iby iwacu cultural village to learn about the way of life of the local people in Rwanda, with a stopover visit to the Dain Fossey campus to engage yourself in the gorilla conservation about how the gorilla conservation has been geared. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Today is the big day! Prepare yourself for an encounter with the gentle giants; the endangered mountain gorillas. After your morning breakfast, you will drive to the headquarters of the park where the park rangers will brief you about the gorilla trekking experience.
Embark on a lifetime adventure into the forest in groups of not more than 8 in search of mountain gorillas. En route, your guide will point out previous signs of gorilla activity such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots. While on a trek you will be enjoying an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo. Upon finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them after which you will be led back to the starting point. After the gorilla trekking, if time allows, you will have lunch and relax at the lodge.
Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Wake up for an early breakfast and transfer to the park head offices in Kinigi by 7:00 am. Join other golden monkeys’ trekkers and meet the ranger guide for a few minutes to talk about the activity and the park.
On 8:00 am, you’ll transfer to the trailhead just outside the park. Enjoy great views of the mountain scenery as you start your trek into the park to find the golden monkeys. The golden monkeys live near the edge of the park in the bamboo forests where the ground is relatively flat and easy to trek. Find the monkeys and follow them as they feed, noticing how they skillfully pick the young bamboo leaves from the tip of the bamboo tree. They may also move out of the park into the potato fields. How they love the potatoes!
After an amazing one hour with the golden monkeys, you will return to the trailhead before lunch, after your enjoying your packed lunch embark on a scenic drive to the twin lakes overlooking the volcanoes mountains to lake Ruhondo. Upon arrival you will jump on a boat cruise to the lodge while enjoying the beautiful breathtaking views of the landscapes and valleys with lush green countryside.
Wake early for breakfast, later embark on a boat ride to the lake shores and jump on your safari jeep to drive to Kigali for flight back home.
End of the safari