DAY 1: WELCOME TO RWANDA!
You will be picked up and welcomed from the Kigali Airport by a representative of your hotel or our tourist drive Guide. He or she will transfer you to to Kigali the cleanest city in the whole of East Africa and Africa at large and later drive to your lodge or hotel. You will meet your safari driver/ guide tomorrow morning when he picks you up from your hotel. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may be able to explore the sites in and around Kigali. Activities today are at your own costs. You will stay in a nice lodge with beautiful views of the city. The hotel has cozy safari style furnished rooms, equipped with satellite TV, fridge bar, telephone, fan, balcony with lake-view and a comfortable bathroom.
Accommodation : Serena Hotel Kigali
Meal Plan : No meals included
DAY 2: DRIVE TO AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK FOR GAME DRIVE AND BOAT CRUISE
Begin this amazing day with an early morning breakfast and later set off to Akagera National Park. Akagera National Park is a little piece of heaven found in North Eastern Rwanda, at the country’s border with Tanzania. It is dominated by swamps and small lakes with flow in River Kagera. All the water sources work together to create a piece of spectacular scenery. It is quite a remarkable eco-system. The Park was obviously named after River Kagera. Founded in 1934 to protect animals and vegetation, Akagera national park is the largest protected wetland in Africa. It was named after the Akagera River which flows along its eastern boundary. In 2009, Rwanda Development Boards and Africa Parks signed a joint management agreement in which the Akagera management company was established to help both bodies manage the park. AMC is therefore responsible for the day to day management of the park. The game drive here are like opening a present and each game drive holds a full new surprise as nature reveals its treasures in form of wonders that are so scenic, the wildlife like buffalos, antelopes including; the elands, topis, Maasai girafffes, monkeys, savannah birds, civets, leopards, the hyenas, as well as the serval cats. The game drives also mean that you will be accompanied by the guide who is so knowledgeable about the flora and the fauna that is found in the park. Then after the amazing Lunch you will wait for the boat cruise. The Boat safaris is normally the main highlight of any visit with in east Africa and it’s with the boat safari that you will be able to adventure Lake Ihema in Akagera National Park. Lake Ihema has got one of the largest concentrations of hippos in East Africa and it’s also a sight to behold and there are also many crocodiles that you will find along the shores of the lake. There are also many water birds that can be seen on a boat safari on Lake Ihema and you might also spot a shoe bill stork. The other many animals like the elephants can find their way to the water to bathe and you will get the opportunity of getting closer to them than you would be in the vehicle on any game drive.after this amazing experience you will be driven back to Kigali where you will have your dinner and spend an overnight.
Accommodation : Serena Hotel Kigali
Meal Plan : No meals included
DAY 3: DRIVE TO NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
You will wake up on an early morning breakfast and later set off to this amazing and majestic forest. Nyungwe forest in Rwanda which is also a land of thousand hills is also home too many natural wonders and the forest is one of them. This forest also covers an area of over 1000 sq. kilometers and it’s even large that it extends into Burundi where Kibira National park. This national park is also the largest tropical afro Montane rainforest east or central Africa rainforests, the forest canopy walk, which is the only one in East Africa is found in Rwanda, the chances for birding, the primate tracking and viewing and taking in the flowers like the orchids that are found here and they attract many butterflies . Nyungwe Forest is also not a compact park but large forest and the things to do and see here also take some planning as your time on the safari is not wasted with drive times. You can also find over 300 different bird species, many butterflies, orchids, 75 mammal species including the 13 primates. You will reach the lodge in the evening where you will have dinner and spend an overnight.
Accommodation : Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Meal Plan : No meals included
DAY 4: CHIMPANZEE TRACKING AND CONOPY WALK.
Begin the day with an amazing breakfast later at around 8:00 Am set off for this amazing and unforgettable activity. The park is also a good location where you can add chimpanzee trekking to your gorilla trek with in volcanoes national park without driving long distances. Chimpanzee trekking also starts in the morning and its best to carry a day pack where you have a couple of liters of water, have long trousers, the long sleeved shirt, rain jacket, the hiking boots and the hat. There will also be a maximum of over 8 people in your group that sets out to track the chimpanzees. These chimps at Nyungwe forest have been and are being habituated which means that they are used to human beings, many set out to track these closest cousins as they play in Nyungwe forest national park. There are more other wildlife to encounter while in the forest. There are also over 13 primate species that are found in Nyungwe forest. It’s in this very forest that you have a chance to see the grey cheeked Mangabeys and Ruwenzori colobus Monkeys. These monkeys can also be seen in large groups of up to 300 colobus monkeys. Other primates include; L’ Hoest’s monkey, the Owl faced monkeys, Mona monkey and the blue monkeys. After this fabulous experience you will relax have Lunch and later prepare for another fantastic adventure which is none other than the Canopy Walk. This canopy walk is also the first tree top forest canopy walk in East Africa and the third in all Africa. This walk is also an activity not to be missed in Rwanda. In case you are coming to Rwanda to trek the mountain gorillas, you can add on some days and include Nyungwe forest and enjoy the canopy walk as part of your safari itinerary. This canopy walk is also 50 meters above the ground and this can also be dizzying heights for some people, you will see the monkeys move around in the tree tops, the birds that are flying above you and below you and a beautiful view of the huge Nyungwe forest. It’s also an amazing sight. This canopy walk is also 90m long which is not a long distance; however, it is long, when you are 50m above the ground. After this amazing and memorable experience you will Walk back to the camp or lodge for dinner and spend an overnight.
Accommodation : Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Meal Plan : No meals included
DAY 5: DRIVE TO LAKE KIVU
Wake up at leisure and have an early morning breakfast, later setoff for this amazing destination which is Lake Kivu one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Lake Kivu empties into Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika. This lake is famous for different tourist activities which are centered on a modern lake shore overlooking pine-covered hills. This is such a relaxing enjoyable and calm place that strolls along the lake shores, bird-watching or just watching life open out. Additional leisure activities include water skiing, boat trips, wind surfing and fishing. With this experience you will retire for the day, have diner and spend an overnight.
Accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Meal Plan : No meals included
DAY 6: BOAT CRUISE THEN TRANSFER TO VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Wake up at leisure and have an early morning breakfast and setoff for the boat cruise, this normally takes about four hours the cruise on Lake Kivu is a beautiful and sublime experience that one must include in their Rwanda experience. It has something for everyone, one can either choose to just relax with a drink or drink in the sheer beauty of the lake and its environment or choose to party on deck, either ways it is an indulgence for the senses that can never be forgotten. Lake Kivu is an enchanting water body in Rwanda. It is one of the African Great Lakes and is also an exploding lake owing to its Limnic eruptions. A cruise on this lovely lake is a sublime experience as the boat glides across picturesque vistas that are straight out of a fairytale. After this amazing experience you will relax as you are having your delicious lunch then after prepare to leave for Volcanoes National Park another fascinating destination you may not want to miss while in Rwanda.
Accommodation : Le Bambou gorilla lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch, dinner
DAY 7: GORILLA TRACKING
Begin the amazing day with a cup of coffee or tea, ready with your packed lunch and set off for this breathtaking and memorable experience yet today in Rwanda same activity but with totally different experience. Gorilla trekking safaris are some of the most adventurous safaris you could ever take without getting tired. Close to 480 of the world’s mountain gorilla population is found in the Virungas, the rest are found in Bwindi impenetrable forest. There are 10 Gorilla groups in the Volcanoes National Park. These habituated gorilla families that have been trained to tolerate human presence making organized gorilla trekking possible and safe. And because it is safe you get to have the amazing experience of looking into a silver back’s eyes, or watching this magnificent creatures go about their day, taking care of their young, feeding, and simply being without worrying about being attacked or the gorillas hiding away from you. This is accompanied with very many other wildlife ranging from birds to mammals. The entire experience is simply amazing and definitely an adventure you can never forget. After this unforgettable experience you will walk back and drive to the lodge where you will relax, have diner and spend an overnight.
Accommodation : Le Bambou gorilla lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch & dinner
DAY 7: GOLDEN MONKEY TRACKING,GENOCIDE MEMORIAL VISIT THEN DEPARTURE
Begin this amazing day with a warm and fantastic breakfast and prepare to setoff for this wonderful experience of the endemic and endangered Golden monkeys found only in Uganda and Rwanda. The park also harbors the endangered Golden Monkeys, primate specie that apparently offers the best diverse tourism activity within the national park at the moment. The entire experience is simply amazing and definitely an adventure you can never forget. After this unforgettable experience you will walk back and drive to the lodge , check-out and drive to Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda where you will have a chance to visit the Genocide Memorial site. This took place between two ethnic groups populating Rwanda: the Hutus and the Tutsis and this was between April and June 1994 (~100 days), an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed. Soldiers and police officers encouraged ordinary citizens to take part in the killings. Hutu civilians, forced by military personnel, were to murder their neighbors, friends, and even relatives. Participants were given incentives, in the form of money, food, or land, to kill Tutsis; they could appropriate the land of the Tutsis they killed. But this now left history behind and the Genocide is now a tourist attraction. After this experience you will have your Lunch, do some shopping if you want as souvenirs and later leave for the Airport to catch up with your Flight Schedule.
Accommodation : Not included
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch
THIS IS THE END OF A WONDERFUL TOUR
