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10 Days Rwanda Tour: Primate Trekking, Wildlife, Hiking, Recreation, Culture

10 Days Rwanda Tour Overview

The 10 days Rwanda tour package is a 10 days in Rwanda adventure starting and ending in Kigali. This Rwanda tour itinerary offers the perfect blend of Rwanda’s highlights, including gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, golden monkey tracking, game viewing, a Lake Kivu tour, community village tours, and more!

Gorilla in Rwanda

Your Rwanda tour journey begins with a Rwanda wildlife safari in Akagera, Rwanda’s only savannah park, where you can spot lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, antelopes, warthogs, crocodiles, and rhinos. Travel to Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of Africa’s oldest montane rainforests and home to chimpanzees and rare monkeys.

After exploring Nyungwe, you’ll relax at one of Africa’s Great Lakes, Lake Kivu. The final and most anticipated stop is Volcanoes National Park, where you’ll spend time with the famous mountain gorillas. This unforgettable Rwanda gorilla trekking experience includes a trek to see the endemic golden monkeys and a cultural tour of the Gorilla Guardian Village.

You can book or customize this exciting 10 days Rwanda safari to suit your interests  at an affordable price.

10 Days  Rwanda Safari Tour Prime Activities 

  • Search for the Big 5 on game drives in Akagera National Park
  • Boat cruise on the tranquil waters of Lake Ihema in Akagera
  • Gorilla trekking in Rwanda Volcanoes National Park
  • Golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park
  • Visit Iby’iwacu Cultural Village for a community experience
  • Trek for chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park
  • Experience a canopy walk via a treetop walkway in Nyungwe Forest
  • Track colobus monkeys in Nyungwe Forest
  • Tour a beautiful working tea plantation
  • Relax on the sandy beaches of Lake Kivu
  • Stay at comfortable Rwanda safari lodges
  • Enjoy a comfortable drive through Rwanda’s scenic landscapes
  • Tour the Ethnographic Museum and King’s Palace
  • Optional Kigali city tour

10 Days Rwanda Safari Tour Featured Activities

  • Day 1: Kigali City
  • Days 2 & 3: Akagera National Park
  • Days 4, 5, & 6: Nyungwe National Park, Ethnographic Museum, King’s Palace
  • Day 7: Lake Kivu (Gisenyi)
  • Days 8 & 9: Volcanoes National Park & Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
  • Day 10: Kigali

10 Days Rwanda Safari Tour Highlights 

Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport & transfer to your hotel

Day 2: Travel to Akagera National Park for an evening game drive

Day 3: Morning game drive & afternoon boat cruise in Akagera

Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest; visit the Ethnographic Museum & King’s Palace

Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking & canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest

Day 6: Colobus monkey tracking & tea plantation experience

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Kivu (Gisenyi) for relaxation

Day 8: Enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Kivu & drive to Volcanoes NP in the evening

Day 9: Gorilla trekking in Rwanda & visiting the Gorilla Guardian Cultural Village

Day 10: Golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes; transfer back to Kigali

10 Days Rwanda Safari Tour Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport & Transfer to Your Hotel

Our company representative will greet you warmly when you arrive at Kigali Airport. He will brief you about Rwanda and your 10-day safari tour before driving you to your comfortable hotel in Kigali. Spend the rest of the day at leisure to prepare for your once-in-a-lifetime safari.

If your flight arrives early, you can take a tour of Kigali city, renowned for being one of the greenest, cleanest, safest, and friendliest capitals in Africa. The tour includes a visit to the Genocide Memorial for a deeper understanding of Rwanda’s history, along with stops at local markets, craft centers, and art galleries, and a stroll through the vibrant streets for a glimpse of contemporary Rwandan life.

Accommodation:

  • Luxury: Serena Hotel Kigali/Radison Blu/Hotel Mille Collines
  • Midrange: Hotel Chezlando

Meal Plan: Dinner

Activities & Services: Airport pick-up and transfer to the hotel

Optional Activities: Kigali city tour

Day 2: Travel to Akagera National Park for an Evening Game Drive

Start your day with a relaxed breakfast at 8 am, then embark on a scenic 2½-hours drive east to Akagera National Park. Before checking into your lodge, enjoy a short game drive to spot some animals, then proceed to your lodge for relaxation and lunch.

Akagera is the last refuge for savannah-adapted species in Rwanda, featuring savannah plains, woodlands, lakes, acacia forests, and wetlands. Here, you’ll find crocodiles and hippos in its watery basins, predators in its acacia groves, and elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, and other animals roaming the grassy plains.

Arrive at your lodge for relaxation and lunch, then explore the park with a 3-hour evening game drive.

Highlight of the Day: Evening game drive

Accommodation:

  • Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge/Magashi Camp
  • Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
  • Budget: Dereva Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 135km / 2 ½ hours

Activities & Services:

  • Transfer to Akagera
  • Game drives

Optional Activities: Boat cruise, Night game drive

Day 3: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise in Akagera

Akagera National Park

Begin your day with an early breakfast at 6 am, then set off on a morning game drive as the sun rises. This is the best time for wildlife viewing, as animals are most active during the “golden hours.”

Look out for lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hyenas, baboons, topi, impalas, waterbucks, elands, and bushbucks. Return to the lodge for lunch and some relaxation.

In the afternoon, enjoy a leisurely boat cruise on Lake Ihema. Watch for hippos and large crocodiles, and spot elephants, buffalo, and antelopes gathering at the lakeshore. Observe the abundant birdlife, with over 490 species around the lake, including shoebills, herons, fish eagles, and kingfishers.

Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Highlight of the Day: Game drive

Accommodation:

  • Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge / Magashi Camp
  • Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
  • Budget: Dereva Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Activities & Services:

  • Game drive
  • Boat cruise

Optional Activities: Night game drive, Community tour

Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest, Visiting the Ethnographic Museum & King’s Palace En Route

After an early morning breakfast, check out and say farewell to the great staff in Akagera National Park. Embark on a 5 to 6-hour drive southwest to Nyungwe National Park, passing through rolling hills and beautiful scenery.

Stop in Butare to visit the detailed Ethnographic Museum and learn about Rwanda’s social-cultural history. Continue to Nyanza to tour the king’s palace and learn about pre-colonial Rwanda. Meet the royal cows and the herder, who sings to them.

After lunch, complete your scenic drive to Nyungwe, an ancient, biodiverse forest home to 1,068 plant species and 13 primate species, including chimpanzees, mangabey, olive baboon, red-tail monkey, colobus monkey, owl-faced monkey, blue monkey, vervet monkey, and L’Hoest’s monkey.

Highlight of the Day: Exploring Rwanda’s rich cultural heritage

Accommodation:

  • Luxury: One & Only Nyungwe House/Nyungwe Forest Lodge
  • Midrange: Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
  • Budget: Gisakura Guesthouse

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 320 km/5-6 hours

Activities & Services:

  • Drive to Nyungwe
  • Tour of the Ethnographic Museum & King’s Palace

Day 5: Chimpanzee Tracking & Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest

Chimpanzee In Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda

After an early breakfast, transfer to the visitor center by 5 am to meet the expert local guides for a briefing. Embark on a 2-6 hour trek through the dense forest, where you’ll have the opportunity to spot other primates, birds, and animals along the way.

Your guide will teach you how to track the chimps, pointing out signs they have left. Once you find them, spend an hour observing these fascinating creatures as they play and interact in their natural habitat—an experience you will treasure forever. Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.

In the afternoon, take a 2-hour canopy walk via a treetop walkway in Nyungwe National Park. Test your balance on the 200-meter extended bridge suspended 70 meters above the forest floor and enjoy incredible views of the green forest and the wildlife that lives in the tree canopies, such as monkeys and birds.

Highlight of the Day: Trekking the fascinating chimpanzees

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:

  • Chimp trekking
  • Canopy walk

Day 6: Colobus Monkey Tracking in Nyungwe Forest & Tea Plantation Experience

6 Days Rwanda Safari-Primates Tracking, Gorilla Trekking, Chimpanzees & Colobus Monkeys Tracking Tour

Enjoy breakfast at 7 am on this sixth day of your 10-day Rwanda safari tour. Then, head to the Park’s Visitor Center for another fascinating adventure: colobus monkey tracking. These unique old-world monkeys form “super-groups” of up to 500 members, a phenomenon observed only in Nyungwe.

The trek is not strenuous and takes you through green tea plantations to an isolated forest patch where you can see these beautiful primates leaping through the trees. Spend an hour with them before returning to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.

In the afternoon, visit a tea plantation to interact with local workers. Discover how tea is grown and harvested, and visit a factory to see the processing. End your tour with a refreshing cup of tea.

Highlight of the Day: Trekking for the beautiful colobus monkeys

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:

  • Colobus monkey tracking
  • Tea plantation tour

Optional Activities: Waterfall hike

Day 7: Transfer to Lake Kivu (Gisenyi) for Relaxation

Start your seventh day with a relaxed breakfast at the lodge. Then, set off northwards towards Lake Kivu, with some sightseeing en route. The drive takes around 7 hours, with Rwanda’s rolling hills becoming more dramatic and cliff-like as you travel.

Pass through small farming villages and banana plantations before descending into the valley to Gisenyi, located at the northern end of Lake Kivu. Upon arrival, your driver will take you straight to your hotel for relaxation.

Highlight of the Day: Relaxation on the shores of lovely Lake Kivu

Accommodation:

  • Luxury: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
  • Midrange: Paradise Kivu Resort / Hotel Gorillas Lake Kivu
  • Budget: Hotel Paradis Malahide

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Drive Distance & Time: 294km/7-8 hours

Activities & Services:

  • Transfer to Lake Kivu for beach relaxation

Day 8: Enjoy a Boat Cruise on Lake Kivu & Drive to Volcanoes National Park in the Evening

Begin your day with a relaxed breakfast, then embark on a leisurely three-hour boat cruise on Lake Kivu. Explore the scenic shores and enjoy breathtaking views. Visit some islands and learn about their intriguing history and folklore.

Return to your lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, embark on a 2-3 hour drive to Volcanoes National Park in the north. This stunning park covers 160 km2 of prime rainforest, encompassing five of the eight Virunga volcanoes. It is a mystical backdrop for mountain gorilla trekking experiences in Rwanda. Relax at your lodge as you prepare for your unforgettable gorilla trek tomorrow.

Highlight of the Day: Boat cruise on beautiful Lake Kivu

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:

  • Boat cruise on Lake Kivu
  • Transfer to Volcanoes

Day 9: Gorilla Trekking & Visit the Gorilla Guardian Village

After a restful night’s sleep, rise early and enjoy a delightful breakfast. Transfer to the park offices to meet your local guides for a briefing. At 8 am, embark on your Rwanda gorilla trekking expedition to find the shy and gentle mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park.

Prepare for muddy, humid, and possibly challenging conditions, but gorilla trekking in Rwanda is manageable for all reasonably fit and healthy trekkers. The trek can take between 30 minutes and 7 hours. Expert trackers and guides will lead you to one of the park’s 14 habituated mountain gorilla families.

Spend up to an hour observing these fascinating creatures as they feed, forage, play, and interact in serene silence. After your time with the gorillas, return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Gorilla Guardian Village, a replica village showcasing traditional Rwandan life.

Highlight of the Day: Tracking the fascinating mountain gorillas

Accommodation:

  • Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Bisate Lodge/Virunga Lodge
  • Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
  • Budget: Muhabura Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

Activities & Services:

  • Gorilla trekking
  • Visit the Gorilla Guardian Village

Day 10: Golden Monkey Tracking in Volcanoes & Return to Kigali

4 Days Safari In Rwanda - Gorilla Trekking & Golden Monkey Tracking In Volcanoes Park, Musanze Caves, Lake Kivu & Kigali City Genocide Memorial Museum TourThis morning, meet at the park headquarters for a briefing on golden monkey tracking in the bamboo forests of the Virungas. Set out on your trek to find these little-known, endangered primates with the assistance of knowledgeable rangers.

Once you locate them, spend up to an hour observing their charming antics as they leap from branch to branch. After the encounter, drive back to Kigali and transfer to the airport for your departure flight, marking the end of your fantastic 10 days Rwanda safari tour.

Highlight of the Day: Tracking the beautiful and rare golden monkeys

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Drive Distance & Time: 116km/2-3 hours

Activities & Services:

  • Track golden monkeys
  • Drive back to Kigali
  • Drop off at the airport

End of the 10 Days Rwanda Safari Tour

 

 

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