In this 6-day safari, we take you to explore the wildlife and primates in the republic of Rwanda – “the land of a thousand hills”. Rwanda is located in the east of the continent of Africa, neighboring Tanzania, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. It is a tiny landlocked country, with one of the smartest cities in Africa – Kigali. Rwanda has four national parks; but in these 6 days, you will visit Akagera national Park National Park for wildlife encounters; Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking and cave exploration as well and Nyungwe National Park for chimpanzee trekking.
Have a taste of Rwandan delicious foods, connect with the natives, and learn a few local words; especially greetings and appreciation. The hope is to encounter the Big 5 animals – lions, leopards, elephants, Rhinos, and African Buffaloes. The safari starts and ends in Kigali, with lots of surprises, nights in amazing lodges, and more. Each day has unforgettable safari experiences.
Detailed Safari.
Day 1: Transfer to Akagera National Park
After breakfast at your lodge, our driver guide will meet and brief you on how the safari will go. This includes verifying whether you have all the documents required for the tour, details of the activities to be done and more. After, hit the road to Akagera national park, enjoying the drive while listening to the guides’ stories, and watching breathtaking landscape, busy towns, and dotted homesteads. The driver guide will have an enroute stopover for Lunch, and where site seeing. You will arrive at the park in the evening hours, proceed to check-in for refreshment, dinner and overnight.
Day2: Wildlife safari and Ihema lake tour
Upon waking up, the first activity of the day will be game drive from 6:30 am for about 4-5 hours. At sunrise, chances of spotting several animals and birds is very high, as the night hunters will be returning to their hide-outs and grazers feeding on the fresh grass. The birds are also easily spotted in the morning hours. The checklist of the day includes among others; the lions, leopards, hyenas, waterbuck, wild dogs, Buffaloes, zebras, rhinos, elephants, warthogs, and more, primates, the birds, and identifying botany. Your ranger guide will be in position to spot and explain the unique characteristics of the different animal life at the park. Breakfast will be in the wilderness.
At midday, you will drive back to the lodge to refresh, and have lunch. At 15:00 hours, you visit Lake Ihema, where you will take photos, interact with the fishermen, and have a boat ride along the transparent waters of Ihema. After sunset, you will call it a day and return to the lodge for dinner and a night stay.
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge to the habitat of one of the most sought-after primates -the mountain gorillas. A quarter of the population of mountain Gorillas in the vast Virunga Mountains is harbored here, and are reportedly the most powerful primates in the world.
The drive is through a tarmacked and maram road, with a route stopover for lunch and sightseeing. You will arrive at the lodge in the evening hours, check in, and spend the evening with an optional visit to Musanze caves for a one-hour cave exploration, and photography. At sunset, dinner will be served, followed by an overnight stay.
Day 4: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Nyungwe national park
Lights get on by 5:00 hrs as you get set with the trekking documents, cameras, and more. A heavy breakfast meal will be served at about 06:00 hrs, followed by a transfer to the park headquarters for a trekking briefing at the park headquarters from 07:00 hours. The ranger guides will take you through the trekking dos and don’ts, explanation about the Apes, and assign a gorilla group to trek.
Gorilla trekking lasts for approximately 1-8 hours, plus an additional hour for photography and to closely watch the apes.
Mountain gorillas are shy but accommodative. They live as a family, led by an alpha male with a silver like lining at the back – a silverback. A group is dominated by females, with young stars spending most of their day playing and sleeping, mothers nursing the young ones and silverback is there to ensure security. After spending an hour with these apes, you will depart back to the lodge to refresh and have lunch, and thereafter, check out for transfer southwards to Nyungwe National Park. Late arrival at the lodge for check-in, and dinner.
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Wake up very early in the morning for a mouthwatering breakfast at the lodge. Thereafter, transfer to the park headquarters for a pre-trekking briefing with the ranger guides who will explain the trekking dos and don’ts, and much more about the chimps and the forest. Chimpanzee trekking is on foot and lasts for about 1-5 hours, plus an additional hour for photography, and watching the apes making calls, playing, and feeding.
Chimpanzees possess over 98% human-like DNA making them less human. They are very clever and use grass to pick ants from the holes, sticks as forks, and more. As you search for the chimps, there are primates that might come your way notably the white and black Colobus monkeys, the grey checked monkeys, and more, the birds, and different plant species.
Lunch break follows, and then a canopy walk adventure thereafter. Up there, you can rest, watch the thick Nyungwe forest, take photos, and see various bird species from tree tops. At sunset, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Departure
You will have a lazy morning, with nothing to do but have breakfast after a good rest. That is followed by check-out for a transfer to Kigali. Depending on your flight time, you can take a tour of Kigali city, with a visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial Center to pay tribute to over 25,000 Tutsi victims of the 1995 conflict who were buried here. Lunch will be around town and then a drop-off at the agreed point.
