5 Days Rwanda Safari: The Best 5 Days in Rwanda Safari Itinerary
5 Days Rwanda Safari: Overview
Your exciting 5 days Rwanda safari is the ultimate 5 days in Rwanda safari itinerary, featuring three of Rwanda’s top Rwanda safari experiences: gorilla trekking, wildlife viewing, and a tour of Kigali city and the Genocide Memorial.
Upon arrival at Kigali Airport, your tour driver guide will meet you, and you’ll head north to Volcanoes National Park in the magnificent Virunga Mountains. Here, you will trek into the dense rainforest jungle to see Mountain Gorillas in the wild—an extraordinary wildlife encounter!
Next, you will travel to the beautiful Akagera National Park, where you’ll enjoy a game drive on open savannah and a boat trip on Lake Ihema. You’ll have the chance to see a variety of wild animals, including Africa’s “big five”: rhino, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo.
Your 5 days Rwanda safari will conclude with a visit to Kigali city and the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn about the horrific genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994.
If you’d like to book or customize this amazing 5 days in Rwanda itinerary to suit your specific interests and desires, please let us know!
5 Days Rwanda Safari: Prime Safari Activities
- Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Searching for the ‘big five’ on a game drive in Akagera National Park
- A relaxing safari boat cruise on Lake Ihema in Akagera
- Driving through Rwanda’s beautiful rolling hills and countryside
- Visiting Kigali’s Kimironko market and the Genocide Memorial
5 Days in Rwanda Safari: Featured Safari Destinations
- Days 1 & 2: Volcanoes National Park
- Days 3 & 4: Akagera National Park
- Day 5: Kigali Genocide Memorial & Museum
5 Days Rwanda Safari: Highlights
Day 1: Arrive at Kigali International Airport & transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park & relaxation at the lodge
Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park, with a lunch stop in Kigali city
Day 4: Morning game viewing and afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema
Day 5: Return to Kigali, visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and visit a local market
5 Days in Rwanda Safari: Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Kigali International Airport & Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After landing at Kigali Airport, your tour driver guide will welcome you to Rwanda and brief you about the country and your 5-day safari. Following the briefing, you will be driven northwest through Rwanda’s beautiful, terraced hillsides to Musanze Town at the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes. Your accommodation will be near the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park in Kinigi.
Spanning an area of 160 km², this stunning park is home to a third of the world’s remaining Mountain Gorillas, the rare Golden monkeys, and is where famous primatologist Dian Fossey spent 18 years studying and protecting these great creatures. Her life’s work inspired the Hollywood movie “Gorillas in the Mist.”
Tonight, relax and prepare for your unforgettable gorilla trek tomorrow.
Highlight of the Day: Driving through Rwanda’s beautiful landscapes
Accommodation:
Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Virunga Lodge, or Bisate Lodge
Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Budget: Muhabura Hotel
Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: 116 km / 2-3 hours
Activities & Services:
- Pick up from your hotel
- Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park & Relaxing at the Lodge
On the second day, enjoy an early breakfast and transfer to the park offices for a briefing. At 8 am, embark on a trek into the dense jungle in the Virunga Volcanoes alongside an expert ranger guide in search of rare Mountain Gorillas.
A Rwanda gorilla trek can take from 1 to 7 hours of hiking on steep, narrow footpaths, which are sometimes muddy and slippery, so you need to be reasonably fit. Your guide will ensure you take plenty of breaks. Once you find the gorillas (we share 98% of our DNA with them), it will all be worth it. You’ll have a full hour to watch these human-like creatures feed, groom, and interact with each other in their natural habitat.
After the adventure, return to the lodge for a late lunch and some relaxation. Spend the rest of the day resting.
Highlight of the Day: Trekking with rare 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
- Optional Activity:
- Visit the Gorilla Guardian Cultural Village
- Tour the volcanic Twin Lakes
Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park with a Lunch Stop in Kigali City
After a relaxed breakfast, embark on a leisurely 4-5 hour drive east to Akagera National Park. Enjoy this Rwanda wildlife safari in the impressive countryside landscapes before stopping in Kigali for lunch. After lunch, continue to Akagera, arriving in the evening for relaxation, dinner, and overnight.
Akagera National Park, Rwanda’s largest national park, offers a remarkable conservation story and boasts some of the best scenery in Africa. The park’s wetlands, woodlands, and savannah, set against a natural river border with Tanzania, are dotted with a dozen lakes and home to the famous “big five” animals. Akagera is also a bird-watcher’s paradise, with 490 species identified.
Highlight of the Day: Scenic drive through Rwanda’s countryside
Accommodation:
Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge, Magashi Camp
Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: Dereva Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: Approx. 251 km / 4-5 hours
Activities & Services:
- Transfer to Akagera
- Optional Activities:
- Night game drive
Day 4: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise in Akagera
Start the day with an early breakfast at the lodge. Then, go on a game drive in the Akagera savannah as the sun rises. This is the ideal time to see predators, and the sunrise over the savannah plains is an unforgettable sight.
On the game drive, look for lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, and others grazing freely in the park. Giraffes, zebras, warthogs, waterbucks, roan antelopes, elands, topis, and impalas are also commonly seen. After a 3-hour game drive, return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.
In the afternoon, enjoy a leisurely boat trip on Lake Ihema. Watch hippos and crocodiles and spot more wildlife, such as elephants and buffaloes, as they gather at the lakeshore to drink. Keep an eye out for various bird species; there are almost 500 species around the lake and its surrounding wetlands.
Highlight of the Day: Searching for wildlife on a 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
Day 5: Return to Kigali, Visit The Kigali Genocide Memorial, & Visit a Local Market
After breakfast, drive back to Kigali. Upon arrival, tour the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, constructed on the burial site of 250,000 victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi tribe. Learn about the events that led to the tragic 100 days during which nearly a million Rwandans were killed. The center is extremely moving, educational, and ultimately inspiring, showcasing Rwanda’s progress and reconciliation.
After the memorial tour, visit the Kimironko Market, the largest and busiest market in Kigali, where you can find everything from foodstuffs and fabrics to clothing. Get measurements taken by a skilled tailor for colorful African wear made for you in a matter of hours. This visit offers a unique opportunity to observe local city life in action.
Afterward, connect to the airport for your return flight home, marking the end of your unforgettable 5-day safari in Rwanda.
Highlight of the Day: Kigali Genocide Memorial Tour
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Drive Distance & Time: 135 km / 2 ½ hours
Activities & Services:
- Drive back to Kigali
- Kigali Genocide Memorial tour
- Visit the Kigali market
- Drop-off at the airport