Description
This 6 days Rwanda wildlife and gorilla safari will give you the two ultimate safari experiences for bother game drives in akagera national park and gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park. The Akagera national park is the only Savannah park in Rwanda hosting a number of the big five mammals with the most sought after being Lions, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Zebras rhinoceros and Hippos which will provide for great photographic moments. After this experience proceed to the volcanoes national park for an unforgettable encounter with the mountain gorillas.
Safari Highlights
• Kigali city tour
• Game drive
• Optional – Boat trip on Lake Ihema
• Gorilla trekking
• Gorilla Guardians Village
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival for the 6 days Rwanda Safari
Today you start the amazing experience touring Rwanda on this wildlife and gorilla safari. Kagera Safaris driver guide will pick you up from your hotel or at the Kigali international airport on your arrival.
Drive time – 20 minutes
Kigali Serena / Kigali Marriott
Day 2: Kigali city tour & Transfer to Akagera National park
After a breakfast, we take the Kigali city tour visiting key areas like Genocide Memorial, craft centers, Kandt National Museum etc. You can choose which sites to visit because in the afternoon we journey to Akagera national park after having lunch in the city.
Akagera National Park is located in eastern Rwanda; our journey will be about 2 hours arriving late afternoon continuing to the lodge for check-in. You can have short stopovers en route to Akagera park for photo moments of the beautiful landscape and people.
B, L & D
Magashi Camp / Ruzizi tented camp
Day 3: Game drive and Boat safari
We arise early and leave right after breakfast to explore Akagera national park in search of the big five mammals like Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, rhinoceros, several Antelope species and recently the re-introduced Lions. Most of the game drives happen in the northern part of the park where we will spend the better part of the day and return to the lodge later that afternoon. Akagera national park is the biggest in Rwanda with beautiful scenery and landscape. It has varied habitats for wildlife and a birders haven with over 500 species in the park. There are also opportunities to explore the park on foot together with a ranger by taking a nature walk, this can be incorporated on request especially in the afternoon.
B, L & D
Magashi Camp / Ruzizi tented camp
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
After breakfast, we relieve the great wildlife safari experience in Akagera national park before transferring to the volcanoes national park where the massive gentles giants inhabit. It is a natural habitat for the mountain gorillas providing the perfect environment and food for the gorillas. Volcanoes national park is located in northern Rwanda about 2 hours from Kigali in Kinigi, Musanze. The drive from Akagera national park to Musanze will be through Kigali city, enjoy several villages with great landscape views. You can ask the driver to stop for picture moments at different viewpoints as you see the endless hills and understand why indeed Rwanda is referred to as ‘the land of a thousand hills’. We will arrive to the lodge later that evening ready for the gorilla hike the next day.
Drive time – 6 hours Or Helicopter (Robinson) – 35 minutes
B, L & D
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge / Virunga Lodge
Day 5: Gorilla trekking safari
After a good restful night, your whole agenda today is tied to meeting the mountain gorillas in the lush and dense jungles of the Virunga ranges – precisely the volcanoes national park. Your driver guide will transfer you to the briefing place right after your early breakfast to listen from the ranger guide on how to behave while in the park and divide you into the different gorilla groups. In the meantime, as you wait for the briefing enjoy the Rwandan cultural dances and the freshly brewed Rwandan coffee. After a briefing from at the visitors Center – you embark on the trek that will eventually bring you to the gorillas in their natural habitat. The trek can last from an hour to several hours depending on where the gorillas nested the previous night – you need to be relatively fit to enjoy this experience.
Depending on the time the gorilla tracking lasts, you have an opportunity to visit the Gorilla Guardians village for a taste of the Rwandan culture.
B, L & D
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge / Virunga Lodge
Day 6: End of your 6 day Rwanda Wildlife and Gorilla Safari
We hope that you have had a fantastic time exploring the wildlife and culture of Rwanda and will look back at these memories with smile. This is the last day of your safari, after a lazy morning we start journey to Kigali for your return flight or hotel. If your flight in later in the night you can add an optional activity like golden monkey trekking, hike one of the virungas, visit Dian Fossey’s tomb and learn more about her conservation work.
