15 days Rwanda safari
Trip summary
15 days Rwanda safari : Take on a 15 days safari to Rwanda’s Volcanoes national and explore the most that this national park has to offer. Visit the Volcanoes national park is the home of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. You can also get to trek the golden monkeys, hike the Dian fossey tomb and conclude this Rwanda safari with a hike to Bisoke one of the eight Virunga volcanic mountains.
Visit the Nyungwe forest national park for a primate trek of the chimpanzees and also enjoy the canopy bridge in the Nyungwe forest national park, visit the Isumo waterfall and visit one of the tea plantations in the area. You will conclude this safari with a visit to the wildlife park of Rwanda the Akagera national park.
Trip Highlights
- Day 1: Full day in Kigali
- Day 2: Drive to Volcanoes national park
- Day 3: Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
- Day 4: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes national park
- Day 5: Dian Fossey hike
- Day 6: Bisoke Hike
- Day 7: Full day in Kivu
- Day 8: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
- Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park
- Day 10: Isumo waterfall hike and evening tea plantation visit
- Day 11: Transfer to Kigali with enroute visits
- Day 12: Drive to Akagera national park
- Day 13: Day Game drive and afternoon Lake Ihema boat cruise
- Day 14: Second game drive and cultural visit
- Day 15: Connect back to Kigali
Trip description
Day 1: Full day in Kigali
Your driver guide will be at your communicated pick up place in the morning to take you on your Kigali city visit. You will start with a visit to the Kigali Genocide memorial grounds where you will get some history information of the Rwanda 1994 genocide.
Connect to an authentic restaurant in Kigali to try out some Rwandan food and later in the afternoon, head out to the Kimironko market for a chance to interact with some Rwandan people and return to your hotel for dinner and night stay.
Hotels in Kigali
- Kigali Serena hotel for luxury
- Des Milles Colline hotel for midrange
- Step Town motel for budget
Day 2: Drive to Volcanoes national park
Leave your hotel in Kigali and drive towards the Volcanoes national park with an enroute visit to the Dian Fossey Fund mueum in Musanze where you will get to see the 3D impression of the Virunga mountains- the home of the mountain gorillas and learn about the work of Dian fossey.
Arrive at your hotel, check in and settle in as you wait for dinner to be served.
Day 3: Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Wake up for an early breakfast and after drive to the park headquarters for the briefing ahead of your mountain gorilla trekking. Enter the forest and hike for about 2 hours until you meet your gorilla family of the day.
After gorilla trekking, you will head back to your hotel for lunch and later in the evening you may take on the optional cultural tour at the Iby’iwachu cultural center. Return to your hotel for dinner and another night stay.
Day 4: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes national park
Volcanoes national park is one of the national parks where you will get to enjoy the mountain gorillas and the golden monkeys thus the term “where silver meets gold”. You will attend a morning briefing as the day before and enter the forest to spot these yellow looking and playful primates.
Lunch and dinner will be at your hotel as the night before.
Day 5: Dian Fossey hike
On the 5th day of your 15 days Rwanda safari, wake up energized for this eventful day. You will have breakfast at your lodge and drive to the park headquarters for a briefing on what to expect while on this experience. You will thereafter drive to the starting point and hike up to the tomb of the mountain gorilla mother Dian Fossey who gave up a big part of her life to enforce conservation of mountain gorillas.
Return to your hotel in Volcanoes national park to spend the rest of the day at leisure as you wait for dinner to be served. Spend the fourth night in the Volcanoes national park.
Day 6: Bisoke Hike and transfer to Gisenyi- Lake Kivu
Wake up mentally and physically ready for this hike up Mount Bisoke. This is one of the 8 Virunga volcanic mountains. The Mount Bisoke hike is a 1 day hike that you can complete in 4 to 5 hours and enjoy the view of the Crater Lake at the top.
Descend and reach the trailhead where your driver guide will be waiting for you from. You will connect to your hotel in Gisenyi where you will settle in for the night.
Hotels in Gisenyi
- Lake Kivu Serena lodge for luxury option
- The Palm Beach hotel for midrange option
- Paradise Malahide for budget option
Day 7: Full day in Kivu
Wake up at leisure to give the body a break. Enjoy your breakfast and opt to spend the day at the lodge or take on some activities like a boat trip on Lake Kivu or hire some canoes and do some canoeing or kayak while on a Rwanda safari.
Spend the night in Gisenyi.
Day 8: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
You will wake up for breakfast and check out of your hotel and drive south along the Lake Kivu headed to the Nyungwe forest national park. You will arrive in time to check and also enjoy your lunch at your hotel in Nyungwe.
The evening will be spent at leisure as you wait for dinner to be served and spend your first night in Nyungwe forest.
Hotels in Nyungwe forest national park
- Gisakura Visitor center for budget
- Nyungwe Top hill view hotel for midrange
- One and only Nyungwe house for luxury
Day 9: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park
By 5 am, you will be expected at the briefing point for your chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest. Get to spot the playful primates swing from one tree branch to another. You will enjoy the chimpanzees in the wild and head back to your hotel for a late breakfast.
Lunch will be served and you will connect for a canopy walk on the Nyungwe canopy 9 meter long bridge. Get to view the forest from an aerial view and also do some birding while at it. Before the night fall, you will return to your hotel for dinner and night stay.
Day 10: Isumo waterfall hike and evening tea plantation visit
On the 10th day of your 15 days Rwanda safari, right after breakfast, you will connect for the Isumo water fall hike trail that is a great trail for those interested in birding and butterflies as you will spot a great number of the different species in the Nyungwe forest. This is 5.3 km trail and you will complete it in about 4 hours to and fro.
Return to your hotel for lunch and later in the evening, you will drive to one of the tea plantations in the region for a tour and get back to your hotel before it gets dark for dinner and another night in Nyungwe.
Day 11: Transfer to Kigali with enroute visits
Wake up on a more leisurely note and have breakfast in the cold Nyungwe forest. After you are ready, you will check out of your hotel headed back to Kigali. You will have an enroute visit to the Butare Ethnographic Museum and also spend some time at the Nyanza King’s palace.
You will have an enroute lunch and drive further to Kigali reaching late evening to check in at your hotel to rest and have dinner.
Hotels in Kigali
- Kigali Serena hotel for luxury
- Des Milles Collines hotel for midrange
- Step Town motel for budget
Day 12: Drive to Akagera national park
Once you are done having breakfast, you will check out of your hotel in Kigali headed to the Akagera national park. This is a 2 hour road transfer through the community land and you may take some time for community interactions and continue to connect to your hotel inside the park.
Settle in, have lunch and relax at the lodge with some wildlife visits as the day ends. You will enjoy dinner in the Akagera national park and spend your first night in the park.
Hotels in Akagera national park
- Akagera Game lodge for budget
- Karenge Bush Camp for midrange
- Rusizi Tented camp for luxury
Day 13: Day Game drive and afternoon Lake Ihema boat cruise
Wake up excited for your first chance with the wildlife of the Akagera national park. Right breakfast, you will drive to the savannah plains where you will spot many animals like the giraffes, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, lions, the antelopes to mention but a few.
Return to your lodge later for lunch and to let the sun cool down and later in the evening, drive to connect to the Lake Ihema for your scheduled boat trip. Spot big numbers of hippos’ herds and some crocodiles and also do some birding. You will spend another night in the Akagera national park.
Day 14: Second game drive and cultural visit
Wake up and after breakfast, you will take another chance in the Akagera plains. Enjoy spotting more animals for the second time and explore trails you may have missed the day before. You will later connect for a community cultural visit and return to your lodge for the rest of the day as you wait for dinner to be served.
Day 15: Connect back to Kigali
On last day of your 15 days Rwanda safari, you will check out of your hotel in Akagera national park and exit the park headed for your drop off destination. Depending on your preferred location and time, your driver guide will drive and you will part ways. If you would like another chance for a Kigali city tour, you can take this on.
End of safari.
