8 Days Rwanda Safari is a seven nights and eight days safari in Rwanda, offering you the very best of Rwanda, including gorilla trekking in Rwanda, chimpanzee tracking, canopy walk tour, wildlife game viewing, Lake Kivu boat tour and beach relaxation, cultural heritage tours, genocide memorial visit, and more – at an affordable price!
This exciting 8 days Rwanda safari starts and ends in Kigali. It takes you for a classic safari in Akagera National Park which has famous Africa’s “big five” animals and a tour of the ancient Nyungwe Forest, home to 13 primate species that account for 25% of Africa’s total, including over 500 wild Chimpanzees.
You’ll visit beautiful Lake Kivu for beach relaxation, before taking an unforgettable Rwanda gorilla safari trek in the stunning Volcanoes National Park, where a third of the world’s 1063 Mountain Gorillas live. During this 8 days safari to Rwanda, you have many opportunities to discover the country’s history, culture, and natural beauty.
Day 1 & 2: Kigali genocide memorial & Akagera National Park
Day 3, 4 & 5: Nyungwe National Park, Ethnographic Museum & King’s Palace
Day 6: Lake Kivu – Gisenyi beach
Day 7: Volcanoes National Park
Day 8: Departure
Day 1: Visit the Kigali genocide memorial & transfer to Akagera National Park
Day 2: Morning game drive & afternoon boat cruise in Akagera
Day 3: Drive to Nyungwe Forest. Visit Ethnographic Museum & King’s Palace
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking & canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest
Day 5: Morning Colobus Monkey tracking & afternoon tea plantation tour
Day 6: Drive to Lake Kivu – Gisenyi beach for relaxation.
Day 7: Boat cruise on Lake Kivu & transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 8: Do gorilla trekking and drive back to Kigali city
Day 1: Visit The Kigali Genocide Memorial & Transfer To Akagera National Park
Your 8 days Rwanda safari begins at 8 am. Your tour driver shall pick you up from your place of stay in Kigali city and take you for the Kigali Genocide Memorial tour.
Kigali, today is one of the greenest, cleanest, safest, and friendliest capital cities in Africa, but in 1994 it was the site of one of the bloodiest genocides in the history of mankind. The memorial was built to remember the victims and to educate people on the atrocities to ensure that this never happens again.
It is an insightful but upsetting experience, so be prepared.
After the memorial tour, settle for lunch at one of the best restaurants in the city, before embarking on a scenic 2½ drive east to Akagera National Park. The park has a remarkable conservation story and is home to Africa’s Big 5 animals.
Its savannah plains are dotted with swamps and lakes, as well. You arrive at your lodge in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
The highlight of the Day: – Learning about Rwanda’s heartbreaking history at Kigali Genocide Memorial.
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Ruzizi Tented Lodge/Magashi Camp
Midrange: – Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: – Dereva Hotel
Meal Plan: – Lunch & Dinner
Drive distance & time: – Approx. 135km/2 ½ hrs.
Activities & Services:-
Optional Activity in Akagera: – Night game drive
Day 2: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise in Akagera
On day 2 of your 8 days safari in Rwanda, wake up before sunrise for a breakfast. At 6.30 am, go for a four-hour game drive in the Akagera savannah.
This is the ideal time of day to spot predators, and the sun rising over the plains is an unforgettable sight. Keep an eye out for lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, and others who graze freely in the park. Masai giraffes are a popular site as well as zebras, warthogs, waterbucks, roan antelopes, elands, Topis, and impalas.
Return to the lodge for lunch and some free time to relax. In the afternoon, enjoy a leisurely boat tour on Lake Ihema, watching for hippos and crocodiles. Spot elephants and buffalo, as they gather at the lakeshore to drink water. Keep an eye out for a variety of birds; there are almost 500 species around the lake and its surrounding wetlands.
Retire for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
The highlight of the Day: – Akagera National Park morning safari drive
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Ruzizi Tented Lodge/Magashi Camp
Midrange: – Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: – Dereva Hotel
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services:-
Optional Activities: – Night game drive, Sportfishing
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Visit the Ethnographic Museum & King’s Palace En-route
Day 3 of your 8 days Rwanda safari starts at 8 am with a good breakfast. Then embark on a 5-6 hour drive southwest. Pass rolling hills and beautiful scenery as your driver takes you to the Cultural Corridor of Rwanda.
Make a stop and tour the king’s palace in Nyanza to learn about the royal style, the smartness, and the authority of pre-colonial Rwanda Kings. Meet the royal cows on the site and the herder who sings to them. Then, wander the halls of the simple, modern home of the country’s last king.
Proceed your drive south to the detailed Ethnographic Museum in Huye for a look at the socio-cultural history of the country.
After that, have a delicious lunch and complete your scenic drive to the biodiverse and stunning Nyungwe Forest. Nyungwe is home to 13 primate species that account for 25% of Africa’s total, including Chimpanzee, L’Hoest’s Monkey, Owl Faced Monkey, Mona Monkey, Blue Monkeys, Mangabeys, and Red-tailed monkey.
Tonight relax at your lodge as you prepare for your chimp trek tomorrow.
The highlight of the Day: – Exploring Rwanda’s rich cultural heritage
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Nyungwe Forest Lodge/One & Only Nyungwe House
Midrange: – Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
Budget: – Gisakura Guesthouse
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: – Approx. 320km /5-6 hrs.
Activities & Services:-
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest
Seeing chimpanzees in the wild is an epic wildlife experience.
Have an early breakfast today and transfer to the park visitor center. Meet your excellent local park rangers/guides for a briefing. At 5.30 am, begin the 2-5 hour trek through the beautiful Nyungwe forest to see a chimpanzee community.
See more than just chimpanzees in their natural environment. Learn about the ecosystem and keep an eye out for other primates, birds, and animals. Upon reaching chimps, you have a great chance to see our distant cousins as they play and interact in their natural habitat.
You have one hour to enjoy these precious creatures and you are free to take as many photos as you wish!
Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the afternoon, embark on a 2-hour forest canopy walk tour. Test your balance resilience as you walk on the 160m extended and shaking bridge suspended 70m over the forest floor.
Get an incredible insight and perspective into what happens above the forest floor and how butterflies, birds, and monkeys all go about their daily lives.
The highlight of the Day: – Track wild Chimpanzees on foot
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Nyungwe Forest Lodge/One & Only Nyungwe House
Midrange: – Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
Budget: – Gisakura Guesthouse
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services:-
Day 5: Colobus Monkey Tracking & Afternoon Tea Estate Tour
Day 5 of your 8 days safari to Rwanda begins at 7 am with breakfast. Then transfer to the Park’s Visitor Center for yet another amazing adventure: tracking colobus monkeys. These attractive old-world monkeys of Nyungwe live in huge troops of over 400 members – the largest known troop size throughout Africa.
Tracking colobus monkeys is not tiresome. You hike through verdant tea plantations and beautiful rolling hills to reach an isolated forest patch where you can see these attractive primates jumping through the trees. After an hour with them, you return to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.
In the afternoon, go for a tea plantation tour experience and interact with the local people who work there. Discover how tea is harvested and visit a tea factory to learn about how the green tea leaves end up in drinkable tea. Return to your lodge for dinner, and overnight.
The highlight of The Day: – Tracking the beautiful colobus monkeys on foot
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Nyungwe Forest Lodge/One & Only Nyungwe House
Midrange: – Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
Budget: – Gisakura Guesthouse
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Activities & Services:-
Optional Activities: – Waterfall Hike
Day 6: Drive to Lake Kivu – Gisenyi Beach for Relaxation
On day six of your 8 days Rwanda safari, enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge. Then take a 7-hour drive north. You’re slowly heading to one of Africa’s Great Lakes, Lake Kivu but with a lot of sightseeing to do along the way.
You drive through rolling hills, small farming villages, lush tea fields, and banana plantations before arriving at Gisenyi, the town on the northern shore of Lake Kivu. Your driver will take you straight to your beachfront accommodation for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
The highlight of the Day: – Relaxation at beautiful Lake Kivu
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Midrange: – Hotel Gorillas Lake Kivu/Paradise Kivu Resort
Budget: – Hotel Paradis Malahide
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive distance & time: – 294km/7- 8 hours
Activities & Services: – Transfer to Lake Kivu
Day 7: Boat Cruise on Lake Kivu. Drive to Volcanoes National Park
Your day seven of the 8 days safari in Rwanda starts with a leisurely breakfast, before embarking on a thrilling boat tour on Lake Kivu. Explore the picturesque shores and enjoy the breathtaking sights. Explore the islands of a lake and learn about their intriguing history and traditional folklore.
If you are looking for something more active you can opt to go kayaking. You might also want to visit the nearby coffee plantations, cycle through lush green hills, or visit local communities to gain an insight into the rural life and Rwandan culture.
You’ll have lunch at a location at the lake. In the evening, you take a 2-3 hour trip north to Volcanoes National Park. Encompassing 5 of the 8 ancient volcanic Virunga Mountains, few would argue that this is not one of the most exciting national parks in Africa. Aside from being one of the most scenic sights in Africa, Volcanoes host a third of the world’s Mountain gorilla population and other rare creatures.
The highlight of the Day: – the Lake Kivu boat ride
Accommodation:-
Luxury: – Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Bisate Lodge/Virunga Lodge
Midrange: – Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Budget: – Muhabura Hotel
Meal Plan: – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive distance & time: – 110km/2 hours
Activities & Services:-
Day 8: Do Gorilla Trekking & Drive Back To Kigali City
Today’s the day that some of your dreams may just come true because you are going on a guided mountain gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park. So wake up for an early breakfast at 6 am and then go to the park offices by 7 am for a briefing.
At about 8 am, embark on an unforgettable trek deep into the jungle through volcano forests alongside a park ranger to search for mountain gorillas. The trek can take anything between 30 minutes to 7 hours and is relatively tiresome, so be prepared for a challenge. But know that if you spot these majestic creatures (we share 98% of our DNA with them) it will all be worth it.
Note: Rwanda authorities are fiercely protective of this natural treasure, and you’ll be allowed one hour with the gorillas. You retire from the activity and embark on a 2-3-hour drive back to mark the end of this unforgettable 8 days safari in Rwanda.
The highlight of the Day: – Tracking Rare Mountain Gorillas
Meal Plan: – Breakfast & Lunch
Drive Distance & Time: – 116km/2-3 hours
Activities & Services: –
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