14 Days Best of Rwanda tour
Throughout this 14 Days Best of Rwanda tour, you will get to experience the best that Rwanda has to offer. The Rwanda safari package will provide you the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, such as monitoring gorillas and chimpanzees, wildlife drives, boat rides, a visit to the genocide memorial site in Kigali, and a cultural encounter with the people. The Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, Akagera National Park, Lake Kivu, and the capital city of Kigali are all included in the Rwanda safari.
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali / City tour
You will be met by a guide at the Kigali International Airport upon arrival, and from there you will be transferred to your accommodation. You will also be taken on a tour of Kigali City, during which you will get the opportunity to see memorial sites for the Rwandan genocide as well as local marketplaces and mingle with the native Rwandan people, who are known for their warmth and hospitality.
Day 2: Transfer to Akagera National Park
After the breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and begin your journey to Akagera national park, which is around a four-hour drive away. You will get the opportunity to take in some of the breathtaking beauty and scenery that the country of a thousand hills has to offer you along the journey. After arriving, you will first check in at the lodge, and then you will eat lunch there. After that, you will have an afternoon boat tour on Lake Ihema, during which you can view large populations of hippos and crocodiles relaxing in the sun, as well as elephants wandering around the lake beaches. In addition, there are many other types of birds that you could see, such as the shoebill stork. Prior to turning in for the night and retiring to the lodge later on.
Day 3: Akagera National Park game drive
You will get up very early in the morning and go on a game drive, during which you will have the opportunity to see a wide variety of wildlife, including Elephants, Antelopes such as Topi or Elands, Burchell Zebras, Buffaloes, Masai Giraffes, Savannah Birds, Monkeys, Leopards, Civets, Hyenas, and many more. Before making the trip back to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, you will be taken on a guided nature walk in the afternoon, during which you will have the opportunity to observe the various types of birds that Akagera has to offer. In the later part of the evening, you will embark on a wildlife drive, during which you will have the opportunity to view nocturnal predators such as lions, leopards, hyenas, civets, and many other creatures. These animals often prey throughout the night.
Day 4: Akagera National Park and transfer to Kigali
You will get up very early in the morning to embark on a game drive, during which you will have the opportunity to watch numerous animals grazing in the early morning hours. Before ascending Mount Mutumba, where you will have a picnic lunch and enjoy the park from a panoramic perspective before being transferred to Kigali, you will begin your journey by visiting the park.
Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe forest via Butare
It takes around two hours and thirty minutes to drive from Kigali to Butare in the early morning. You will go to the national museum while you are in Butare. The museum features an extensive collection of black-and-white photographs, antiques and artefacts from traditional cultures, tools, and a variety of handcrafted goods. The collection of ethnographic artefacts that have been arranged in accordance with a central topic provides detailed information on the routine activities of the Rwandan people. You will then be taken to the Nyungwe forest, and upon arrival at the lodge there, you will check in.
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking at Nyungwe forest
The Nyungwe forest is home to the majority of Rwanda’s chimp population, which numbers more than 500 individuals. The chimp tracking activity will need you to enter the forest at an early hour in the morning. In the later part of the day, you will hike the spectacular Waterfall Trail, which is one of the most popular trails in the park. The hike begins on the Gisakura side of the park and takes between three and five hours to complete. The path climbs and descends steep hillside terrain while passing through a primitive rain forest. Here, the trees are covered in vines, and the air is dense and muggy. The highlight of the hike is a waterfall in a remote area, where you may swim in the water.
Day 7: Nyungwe forest Nature walk
The early morning hours mark the beginning of the guided nature walk through the biggest forest in East Africa, Nyungwe. Chimpanzees, Mona Monkeys, Angolan Black Colobus, and Owl Faced Monkeys are just some of the 13 species of primates that may be seen throughout the walk. The walk is not only well-known for showcasing Rwanda’s forest birds, but it also gives visitors the opportunity to observe some of these primates.
Day 8: Transfer from Nyungwe to Kibuye (Lake Kivu)
An hour and a half’s journey from Nyungwe Forest will bring you to the Bugarama Hot Springs, where you will spend the eighth day of your Rwanda safari. Travelers can take a refreshing dip or swim in the warm waters of the numerous hot springs that can be found in this area. In the afternoon, you will make your way to the Rusizi River for a boat excursion, and then in the evening, you will continue on to Kibuye, where you will spend the ninth day of your Rwanda vacation.
Day 9: Kibuye – Gisenyi (Lake Kivu)
The ninth day of your holiday in Rwanda will be spent doing nothing more than resting and thinking about the days that have previously passed on the trip. You have the option of relaxing at your hotel or spending the day on the shores of Lake Kivu, either of which will allow you to recuperate from the weariness caused by your safari experience. You will make your way to Gisenyi in the later part of the day.
Day 10: Transfer from Gisenyi to Volcanoes National Park
You are going to start the day off by unwinding on the beach, and then you are going to take a hike into the woods along the coastline. After that, the Rwanda Safari will continue with a transfer to Volcanoes National Park, which is a sanctuary for primates and gorillas in Rwanda.
Day 11: Gorilla tracking
You are going to have an early start on the day by having breakfast, and then you are going to make your way to the park headquarters for a standard briefing on gorilla tracking. In addition to this, a gorilla family will be assigned to you to follow. As you enter the forest on a gorilla route, your gorilla tour will officially begin. The time it takes to actually see gorillas can range anywhere from two to eight hours, depending heavily on how the gorillas travel through the forest. You are welcome to go to volcanoes national park later in the day for a hike around the park’s natural areas.
Day 12: Golden Monkey Tracking
It is well-known that Park national des Volcans is home to a large number of primates, among them are the golden monkeys, which you will have the opportunity to follow on the 12th day of your Rwanda safari. After there, you will continue on to see the grave of Diane Fossey (Diane Fossey was an American researcher who researched about the Gorillas). Later on, you will be transported to Lake Ruhondo and Lake Burera, which are collectively referred to as the Twin Lakes.
Day 13: Depart from Ruhondo for Kigali
We drive around the lakes and visit the Musangabo viewing point. Guests have the option to go on a nature walk around the lakes. Then we head to Kigali. If you are interested, you may pay a visit to the local pygmies while you are here.
Day 14: Kigali exclusive
If you did not take a city tour of Kigali on the first day of your trip before heading to the airport, you will get one towards the end of your trip.
