Big 5 + chimps + gorillas in Rwanda

LOW SEASON (Mar-May, Oct-14 Dec 2025)

INCLUDES:

• Transportation in 4x4 safari Landcruisers

• English-speaking driver/guides

• Accommodation and meals as stated in the programme

• One-person rate includes the single-room supplement

• Rwanda gorilla permit

• Rwanda golden monkeys permit

• Pied Colobus and other primates trek

• Chimpanzee trek permit

• The canopy walkway fee

• Butare Museum and lunch in the town

• All guide fees, park fees, and government taxes

• Mineral water while on safari

• Kamiranzovu walk fees

• Visit to Iby’Iwacu cultural village OR a visit to The Dianne Fossey (Ellen DeGeneres) Museum

EXCLUDES:

• International flights and departure taxes

• Excess weight fees

• Visas

• Travel and medical insurance

• Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village (own cost of $25 pp)

• Other activities not mentioned in the program

• Driver/guide or local escort gratuities

• All drinks (beers, sodas and water from the hotels)

• Telephone bill

• Items of a personal nature

• Laundry

• Porters

• Gratuities

Arrive at Kigali International Airport, where you will be warmly welcomed by your Africa Geographic representative. A short introduction and safari briefing will follow, after which you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. In the afternoon, visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, and if time allows, explore the city. Sample street food and visit Caplaki Craft Village before returning to your hotel.

Overnight at Amata n'Ubuki Hotel, Kigali (BB)

After breakfast, drive to Akagera National Park. Arrive at Ruzizi Tented Lodge for check-in and lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a game drive until sunset.

The 1,122km2 (112,200 hectares) Akagera is on the eastern edge of Rwanda, where the sinuous bends of the Akagera River mark the boundary with Tanzania. The national park safeguards Central Africa’s largest protected wetland, consisting of a complex system of lakes linked by papyrus-lined swamps. Away from the marshes, the jagged lines of animal pathways weave across vast plains and sweeping highlands like a network of veins, a testament to Akagera’s status as a refuge for savannah-adapted wildlife. Akagera is a Big 5 safari destination.

Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge.

After an early breakfast, head out for a morning game drive. After lunch, enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Ihema, returning to the lodge with game viewing en route.

Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge

 After an early breakfast, set off with packed lunches for a full-day game drive, exploring the park from the southern to northern parts, including a visit to Giraffe Valley. Akagera's plains feature savannah, woodland, wetland and a dozen lakes, and are home to a rich variety of wildlife, including the Big 5. Return to the lodge with game viewing en route.

Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge

Enjoy an early morning game drive, then return to the lodge for breakfast. After checking out, drive back to Kigali, stopping at Imigongo Craft shops. Arrive in the early afternoon and enjoy lunch in the city before heading to your hotel.

Overnight at Amata N'Ubuki Boutique Hotel (on a B&B basis)

After breakfast, check out and drive to Nyungwe National Park, stopping on the way to visit the Butare National Museum. This museum was donated in 1989 by the Belgian government, in partnership with the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren. The museum feature exhibits on daily life and traditional crafts. The National Museum surprisingly remained untouched during the civil war in 1994. Arrive at your hotel in the evening.

Nyungwe National Park hosts Africa's most extensive protected tract of montane forest and a biodiversity hotspot of note. Nyungwe covers 1,019km2 (over 100,000 hectares) of forested mountains, burbling streams, sun-starved valleys, and extensive swamps. Part of the Albertine Rift and ranging in altitude from 1,600-3,000m, this high-altitude montane forest towers above Lake Kivu and comprises the watershed between the Congo and Nile Rivers.

Dinner and overnight at Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

After an early breakfast, drive to the starting point for chimpanzee trekking. Learn more about chimp trekking here.

Although sightings aren't guaranteed, you may encounter Rwanda's endangered chimpanzee population. Nyungwe National Park is home to the largest block of montane forest in East and Central Africa. Later, experience the Canopy Walk, 50 meters above the forest floor, offering unique views of the forest and its inhabitants.

Meals and overnight at Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel

After an early morning wake-up, you will drive to Uwinka to do a walk to observe a troop of colobus monkeys. Return for breakfast, check out, and drive north to Volcanoes National Park. Stop for lunch at Kibuye, then continue through tea plantations to your lodge.

Volcanoes National Park is renowned as one of the leading mountain gorilla trekking destinations in Africa. This volcanic landscape's breathtaking scenery includes tropical, bamboo and montane forests, Afroalpine shrubland, thicket, and grassland with marshes and small lakes interspersed. Tucked in Rwanda’s north-western corner on the borders of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, this 160km2 (16,000 hectare) gem consists of five major (non-active) volcanoes.

You will arrive in good time for lunch. Spend the afternoon relaxing before dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.

Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters to start your gorilla trekking adventure. Learn more about gorilla trekking here. Spend up to one hour observing these magnificent creatures. Trekking for gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virunga mountains is a magical experience. After the trek, return to the lodge for lunch and leisure, or visit Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village to mingle with the local community and enjoy traditional Rwandan dances (own cost: $25 per person).

Dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge

After breakfast, return to Volcanoes NP for a golden monkey trek. Explore the monkeys’ bamboo habitat with a guide, who will lead you to groups of habituated golden monkeys. You will spend up to an hour with these monkeys.

After lunch, check out and drive back to Kigali, stopping for a canoe ride on the Mukungwa River. Before getting into your canoes, you will receive a safety briefing. The first section of the journey is calm and flat, providing an easy opportunity to learn how to steer as you float gently downstream. After about 20-30 minutes, you’ll stop for a short briefing on navigating a small rapid, during which helmets must be worn. As you continue deeper into the countryside, you'll be surrounded by the sights and sounds of rural Rwanda. Another briefing will be given before tackling a 200-meter section where the water speeds up as it curves around a few corners. The trip lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours, ending just after a road bridge.

Afterwards, you will proceed to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight. Your arrival at the airport will be timed for your departure flight.