9 Days Rwanda Primates & Game Safari

A warm welcome to Kigali by our meet and greet expert. Proceed to a safari vehicle and board, then transfer to the hotel in Kigali city. Kigali is known to be Africa’s cleanest city and has a myriad of astonishing historical sites worth exploring. Today’s evening is primarily dedicated to you to relax at one of the finest hotels.

Overnight stay in Kigali

• Five-to-Five Hotel (Budget)
• Radisson Blu Hotel (Midrange)

Kigali Serena Hotel or Kigali Marriott Hotel/The Retreat Haven (Luxury)

Leave your hotel property for a rewarding Kigali city tour. Today, you have 2 hours to spare to explore some of the interesting sites in the heart of the vibrant Kigali including the Kigali genocide site, museums, craft shops, and local markets. After exploring the wonders of Kigali, continue to Akagera National Park in the Eastern Province and getting to this Park takes about 2.5 hours.

Akagera is the only Big 5 game safari destination and is extensively dominated by the savanna plains. At Akagera National Park, expect to find abundant wildlife including the cape buffaloes, elephants, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, leopards, lions, crocodiles, and over 525 bird species of birds.

Overnight Stay at Akagera

• Dereva Lodge/Campsites (Mutamba, Shakani, & Muyumbu) (Budget)
• Akagera Game Lodge/Akagera Rhino Lodge (Midrange)
• Rusizi Tented Camp or Magashi Luxury Tented Camp (Luxury)

Game drives in Akagera will allow you to explore the Park’s diverse savanna wildlife. Your journey begins early morning and you will spend at least 2-3 hours. Along the game tracks in Akagera National Park, be keen on the Big 5 (leopards, lions, elephants, buffaloes, & rhinos), giraffes, zebras, warthogs, and many antelopes, including elands and roan antelopes.

Return to the game safari lodge after completing your game drive. Have lunch at the lodge, and after, meet the driver to transfer to Lake Ihema. Along Lake Ihema, your concentration will be on exploring the aquatic species, including hippos, crocodiles, and water birds. You will get back to your respective accommodation to relax.

Overnight Stay at Akagera

• Dereva Lodge/Campsites (Mutamba, Shakani, & Muyumbu) (Budget)
• Akagera Game Lodge/Akagera Rhino Lodge (Midrange)
• Rusizi Tented Camp or Magashi Luxury Tented Camp (Luxury)

Enjoy an early morning breakfast, and after, you will be picked up by Alba Wonders Africa driver guide. Today, you have a full day just to travel from Akagera to Nyungwe National Park. From the Eastern Province to the Southern Province, your journey covers an en route stopover at Butare, where you will visit the Nyanza King’s Palace, the National Museum, and later, settle for a leisurely lunch. Bid farewell to Butare as you connect to your prime destination –Nyungwe National Park.

Overnight Stay at Nyungwe

• Gisakura Guesthouse (Budget)
• Nyungwe Top View Hotel (Midrange)
• Nyungwe One & Only (Luxury)

Leave your lodge and head out for a briefing at the Uwinka reception. Today, you will be expected at Nyungwe briefing center early and after, proceed with the trek to explore chimpanzees. The normal chimpanzee trek in Nyungwe takes between 2 and 5 hours but includes one hour for up up-close and personal encounter with a habituated troop of chimpanzees.

Return to have relaxation and lunch at your respective lodges in Nyungwe. In the afternoon, head out once again for a rewarding canopy walk along the 200m walkway set about 60-70 meters. The canopy walk in Nyungwe comes with amazing sightings of primates, birds, and lush Nyungwe Forest cover.

Overnight Stay at Nyungwe

• Gisakura Guesthouse (Budget)
• Nyungwe Top View Hotel (Midrange)
• Nyungwe One & Only (Luxury).

Enjoy an early morning breakfast, and after, continue to the offices of Nyungwe to get briefed and allocated of ranger guide. Expect to depart the briefing center early to enjoy a guided colobus monkey tracking tour. Up to 400 colobus monkeys are contained in Nyungwe Forest National Park alone with many of them already undergone habituation and can be explored during the guided colobus monkey trek.

Return from the colobus monkey trek to enjoy some lunch and later, check out. In the afternoon, begin your journey to Volcanoes National Park on a memorable drive, which comes with scenic views of Lake Kivu.

Overnight Stay at Volcanoes

• Hotel Muhabura/Kinigi Guesthouse/Villa Gorilla Lodge (Budget/Basic)
• Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel/Da Vinci (Midrange)
• Amakoro Songa Lodge/Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge/Singita (Luxury)

Begin your day with a heavy breakfast, and after, proceed to Kinigi to be briefed on the guidelines for gorilla trekking. The ranger guides will escort you to search for gorillas, and the trek is expected to begin at 8:00 am, taking about 2-6 hours. A reasonable fitness level is needed to take a gorilla trekking adventure in Volcanoes National Park. A maximum of 1 hour will be spent with mountain gorillas in the wild –witness these massive apes in the jungle and take as many pictures as you can.

Once your one hour is done, begin walking back to the lodge and relax. Late in the afternoon, you will be escorted to the Iby’Iwacu Village to explore a bit of Rwanda’s unique cultures, traditions, practices, and a lot more.

Overnight Stay at Volcanoes

• Hotel Muhabura/Kinigi Guesthouse/Villa Gorilla Lodge (Budget/Basic)
• Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel/Da Vinci (Midrange)
• Amakoro Songa Lodge/Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge/Singita (Luxury)

As early as 6:00 am, you will be expected at the Kinigi reception to get briefed about golden monkey tracking regulations. The Volcanoes National Park official will allocate the ranger guide to lead you to search for one of the 2 habituated troops of golden monkeys. Expect to wind around the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo. The golden monkey trek will also reward you with an hour of up close with golden monkeys, then you return to check out of the lodge. Proceed to Kigali, about 2-3 hours, and you will be safely dropped off to the hotel or Kigali International Airport for departure.

End of safari