This 11 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari has carefully been designed for travelers interested in tacking mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and golden monkey in Rwanda; as well as enjoy game drives in Akagera national park and also experience Rwanda’s traditional culture.
Highlights for 11 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari.
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
Day 2: Gorilla Trek and Visit Karisoke Centre
Day 3: Golden Monkey Trek
Day 4: Bisoke Hike
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Evening Game Drive
Day 6: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 7: Full Day Game Drive
Day 8: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 9: Chimpanzee Trek and Canopy Walk
Day 10: Waterfall Hike and Visit Gisakura Tea Estate
Day 11: Optional Coffee Tour in Huye and Transfer Back to Kigali.
Detailed Itinerary for 11 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari.
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali and Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
Our representative will meet you at your hotel in Kigali. Enjoy a brief tour of Kigali city including a visit to the local market and the Genocide memorial site. Later transfer you to Volcanoes national park for a cultural tour to Ibyi’wacu Village which is located near the national park. Get to watch dance and singing performances from the local intore dance troupe. Later drive to lodge for dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 2: Gorilla Trek and Visit Karisoke Centre
You will wake up early to have breakfast before heading to the park headquarters for a routine briefing about gorilla tracking. You will further be allocated a gorilla family to track. Your gorilla tour starts when you enter the forest on a gorilla trail, meeting the gorillas normally takes between 2 to 8 hours which is highly dependent on the movement of the gorillas.
After your gorilla trek, have your packed lunch and head back your lodge where you will refresh yourself and relax for a while. Later in the afternoon, you will drive to Karisoke center where you will take a tour of Dian Fossey museum and learn more about her contribution towards the conservation of Mountain Gorillas.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 3: Golden Monkey Trek
Wake up in time to have breakfast at your lodge and drive to the park headquarters for your briefing. Your golden monkey trek will begin at 8 am and can take between 2 to 6 hours or more to locate a golden monkey family depending on their location. Once you have located at a family, you will then spend an hour with the golden monkeys. Later return back to your lodge for lunch and spend the rest of your evening at leisure.
Later have dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 4: Bisoke Hike
Have breakfast early in the morning from your lodge and check out of your lodge. You will then drive to the park’s briefing point. You will be briefed by the head ranger at the park before hiking up Bisoke Mountain. The hike up the mountain can take between 4-6 hours depending on your hiking pace. Once you reach the mountain summit, you will have a panoramic view of the caldera lake and other surrounding attractions including some of the mountains within the Virunga Massif like Mt. Muhabura, Mt. Sabyinyo, Mt. Gahinga and Mt. Karisimbi.
Upon your descend down the mountain, you will meet up with your driver guide at the base and then drive to your new lodge for dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Evening Game Drive
Have breakfast and check out of your lodge. You will then embark on about a 5 hours’ drive to Akagera National Park via Kigali. You will have lunch enroute to the park with a few stopovers along the way to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Upon your arrival in Akagera National Park, you will check into your lodge and later enjoy an evening game drive in the southern part of the park.
Later have dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 6: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Rise up early and go for a game drive with great anticipation of seeing the different animals which rise early to graze and predators looking for their early morning kill. Look out for wildlife like Elephants, Antelopes, Civets, Zebras, Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes and so many more. After the game drive, connect to your lodge for lunch and rest for a while.
After lunch, embark on the late afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you will see game-like hippopotamuses, Crocodiles, and many bird species that live around the lake and the surrounding swamps. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 7: Full Day Game Drive
After having breakfast at your lodge, you will meet with your driver guide and head out to the park for a game drive in the northern part of Akagera National Park. This part of the park is rich in wildlife and gives you an opportunity to search for any specific animals that you might not have seen in your previous game drive. You will have lunch at your lodge before heading out for another game drive in the park.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 8: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Wake up in time to have breakfast at your lodge. You will then meet up with your driver guide and drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Arrive at your lodge/hotel in the evening, check in and refresh yourself.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 9: Chimpanzee Trek and Canopy Walk
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos. You will then return to your accommodation for lunch.
After lunch, you will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk-a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Before night fall, you will return to the lodge.
Day 10: Waterfall Hike and Visit Gisakura Tea Estate
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing at the park’s briefing point. You will then proceed on a 3-4 hours guided hike in Nyungwe forest, where you will be exploring one of the 19 nature trails that are in the park. This trail will lead you to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the park; and you also stand a chance to see a variety of primates during your hike including vervet monkeys, black & white colobus, and blue monkeys among others. If you are lucky, you might come across some chimpanzees in the forest. After your hike, you will return back to base where you will find your driver guide waiting for you and then drive to your lodge for lunch.
After Lunch, you will embark on a visit to Gisakura Tea Estate where you will be taken on a tea-making process. You will take a tour of the grand tea estate, and learn how tea is harvested, stored, processed and packaged for domestic sale and exportation. You will wind up your tour with a taste of Rwanda- made tea.
Later have dinner and overnight stay same as above.
Day 11: Optional Coffee Tour in Huye and Transfer Back to Kigali.
Wake up at leisure and have a relaxed breakfast meal at the lodge. Later check out in time and meet up with your driver guide. If you wish to explore, you can do an optional coffee tour at Huye Mountain Coffee Co-operative where you will learn more about how coffee in Rwanda is grown, harvested and processed.
Later embark on your return journey to Kigali with a lunch en route and a stopover at the King’s Palace in Nyanza. Upon your arrival in Kigali, your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali international airport as you will advise.
End of Tour!
