8 Days Rwanda Safari Tour: Gorillas, Chimps, Wildlife & Kigali City
Overview of the 8 Days Rwanda Safari
Offering you the finest of RwandFa, the 8 Days Rwanda Safari is a special eight-day Rwanda safari package that includes gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, a canopy walk tour in Rwanda, animal viewing, Lake Kivu boat trip and beach relaxation, cultural heritage tours, and a visit to the genocide memorial.
This fascinating 8 days Rwanda safari through begins and concludes in Kigali. It includes a traditional Rwanda wildlife safari in Akagera National Park, home of the well-known “big five” mammals of Africa, and a tour of the historic Rwanda chimpanzee trekking adventure in Nyungwe National Park, which is home to 13 primate species, or 25% of all primate species in Africa, including more than 500 wild chimpanzees.
Before embarking on the amazing gorilla trekking in Rwanda in the breathtaking Volcanoes National Park, home to a third of the 1063 mountain gorillas worldwide, you will enjoy a beach vacation at magnificent Lake Kivu.
You will get lots more chances to learn about the history, culture, and natural beauty of Rwanda on your eight-days Rwanda safari.
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8 Days Rwanda Safari : Highlights
- Trekking with gorillas in National Park of Volcanoes
- Trekking with Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest
- Nyungwe Forest tracking of Colobus monkeys
- A canopy stroll around Nyungwe Forest’s treetop pathway
- See the lovely, operational tea estate.
- Akagera National Park game drive
- Akagera boat trip on Lake Ihema
- Drive across the picturesque scenery of Rwanda.
- Unwind on the sands of beautiful Lake Kivu
- See the islands of Lake Kivu via boat.
- Stay at cosy safari lodges in Rwanda
- Tours of cultural legacy at King’s Palace and the Ethnographic Museum
- Visit Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn about the terrible past of Rwanda
8 Days Rwanda Safari: Featured Destinations
- Day 1 & 2: Kigali genocide memorial & Akagera National Park
- Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5: King’s Palace, Nyungwe National Park, and the Ethnographic Museum
- Day 6: Lake Kivu-Gisenyi Beach
- Day 7: Volcanoes National Park
- Day 8: Departure
8 Days Rwanda Safari: Highlights
Day 1: Transfer to Akagera National Park after seeing the Kigali genocide memorial
Day 2: Akagera game drive in the morning and boat trip in the afternoon
Day 3: Proceed to Nyungwe Forest by road. See King’s Palace and the ethnographic museum
Day 4: Nyungwe Forest chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Day 5: Tea plantation tour and early Colobus monkey tracking
Day 6: Take a leisurely drive to Gisenyi beach on Lake Kivu
Day 7: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park after boat trip on Lake Kivu
Day 8: Go gorilla trekking in Rwanda Volcanoes Park, then return to Kigali city
8 Days Rwanda Safari: A Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Visit The Kigali Genocide Memorial & Transfer To Akagera National Park
Eight in the morning is when your eight-day safari in Rwanda starts. Your tour guide will come get you from your hotel in Kigali city and drive you to the Kigali Genocide Memorial tour.
One of the cleanest, safest, and friendliest capital towns in Africa today is Kigali, but in 1994, it was the scene of one of the worst genocides in human history.
Building the memorial was intended to honor the victims and raise awareness of the horrors so that such incidents would never occur again. It is an insightful but upsetting experience, so be prepared.
Have lunch at one of the city’s best restaurants after the memorial tour. Then, take a beautiful two-and-a-half-hour drive east to Akagera NP.
The Big Five of Africa are housed at the park, which also has an amazing conservation story. Swamps and lakes are scattered over its Savannah plains as well. You get to your lodge late in the evening and spend the night there relaxing and eating.
A highlight of the day is visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial to learn about the tragic past of Rwanda.
Accommodation:- Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge/Magashi Camp, Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge, Budget: Dereva Hotel
Plan of Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Drive distance and duration: about 135 km/2 ½ hours.
Programs & Services:
- Pickup from your accommodation;
- visit of the Genocide Memorial in Kigali
- transfer to Akagera
- An optional Akagera activity is a night game drive
Day 2: Akagera Game Drive in the Morning & Boat Cruise in the afternoon
Day 2 of your 8-day safari in Rwanda begins with breakfast served before dawn. Spend four hours on a game drive in the Akagera Savannah, starting at 6:30 a.m.
Predators are easiest to see at this hour of day, and seeing the sun rise over the plains is a sight not soon forgotten. Watch for the park’s many free-grazing animals, which include lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants, buffalo, hyenas and more. Popular sights include Masai giraffes as well as zebras, warthogs, waterbucks, roan antelopes, elands, Topis, and impalas.
Retire to the lodge for lunch and some leisure time. See hippos and crocodiles on a leisurely boat trip on Lake Ihema in the afternoon.
As they congregate near the lakefront to drink, spot buffalo and elephants. Seek for a range of birds; the lake and the marshes that surround it are home to approximately 500 different species. Settle down for supper and the night.
Best part of the day: The early game safari in Akagera National Park
Accommodation:-
Luxury: Magashi Camp/Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: Dereva Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Products and Services: Drive a game boat
Optional Events: Sport Fishing, Night Game Drive
Day 3: Drive to the National Park of Nyungwe Forest. On route, stop at the King’s Palace and the Ethnographic Museum.
Your eighth-day safari in Rwanda begins with a full breakfast at 8 a.m. Then set out on a five- to six-hour trip southwest. Traveling to Rwanda’s Cultural Corridor, your driver will pass through undulating hills and breathtaking surroundings.
Learn about the authority, intelligence, and royal style of pre-colonial Rwandan Kings by stopping to explore the king’s palace at Nyanza.
Meet the herder, who sings to the royal cows on the property. Then meander around the bare, contemporary halls of the nation’s last monarch.
Drive south to the thorough ethnographic museum in Huye to see the nation’s sociocultural past.
Then, after a filling lunch, finish your picturesque trip to the breathtaking and biodiverse Nyungwe Forest National Park. Thirteen primate species—25 percent of all primate species in Africa—including chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, mona monkeys, blue monkeys, mangabeys, and red-tailed monkeys—are found in Nyungwe.
As you get ready for your chimpanzee hike tomorrow, unwind tonight at your resort.
A highlight of the day is discovering Rwanda’s rich cultural legacy.
Accommodation:-
Luxurious: Nyungwe Forest Lodge/One & Only Nyungwe House
Midrange: Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
Budget: Gisakura Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Time & Distance: About 320 miles or 6 hours of driving
Services & Events: The Ethnographic Museum Tour
See the Residence of the King
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest
The fourth day is spent trekking with chimpanzees in Rwanda and doing a canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park. One of the greatest wildlife experiences is to see chimpanzees in the wild.
Today, eat breakfast early and head to the park visitor centre. Here for a briefing are your outstanding local park rangers and guides. Set off on the two to five hour walk through the stunning Nyungwe forest at 5:30 am to view a chimpanzee community.
View more species than only chimpanzees in their natural habitat. Study about the ecology and watch out for other primates, birds, and other creatures.
You get a terrific opportunity to observe our distant cousins playing and interacting in their natural environment when you get near chimps. You are allowed to snap as many pictures as you want during your hour to admire these priceless animals!
Get back to the lodge for lunch and some downtime. Spend two hours on a forest canopy walk tour in the afternoon.
Ascending the 160-meter long, trembling bridge that is hung 70 meters above the forest floor, you will have to prove your balance and fortitude.
Discover amazing insight and viewpoint into the daily activities of butterflies, birds, and monkeys above the forest floor.
Highlight of the Day: Going on foot tracking wild chimpanzees
Accommodation:
Luxurious: Nyungwe Forest Lodge/One & Only Nyungwe House
Midrange: Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
Budget: Gisakura Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: Colobus Monkey Tracking & Afternoon Tea Estate Tour
Your eight-day safari in Rwanda starts at 7 a.m. with breakfast. Then head to the Park Visitor Center to embark on yet another incredible journey: colobus monkey tracking.
With more than 400 members, these charming old-world monkeys of Nyungwe form the greatest known troop size in all of Africa.
Not too exhausting is tracking colobus monkeys. To get to a remote woodland region where you can view these stunning primates leaping through the trees, you travel through lush tea plantations and gorgeous rolling hills. Following an hour with them, you head back to the resort for lunch and relaxation.
Take a tea plantation tour in the afternoon and chat to the locals who work there.
See the process of harvesting tea and go to a tea factory to find out how green tea leaves become drank. Dinner and a night at your lodge.
Highlight of the Day: On foot tracking of the stunning colobus monkeys
Accommodation:
Luxurious: Nyungwe Forest Lodge/One & Only Nyungwe House
Midrange: Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel
Budget: Gisakura Guesthouse
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Programmes & Services:
- Tracking Colobus Monkeys
- Tea Plantation Visit
- Waterfall hike is one of the optional activities
Day 6: Take the Lake Kivu-Gisenyi Beach Drive for Leisure
Savor a leisurely breakfast at the lodge on the sixth day of your eight-day Rwanda safari. Driving north will take seven hours after that. Traveling leisurely to Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s Great Lakes, you have a lot of sightseeing to do along the route.
Before you get to Gisenyi, the town on the northern edge of Lake Kivu, you drive through undulating hills, little farming communities, verdant tea farms, and banana plantations.
You will be driven directly to your beachside lodging for rest, supper, and the night.
Best part of the day: unwinding by stunning Lake Kivu
Accommodation:-
Luxury: Lake Kivu Serena.
Midrange: Paradise Kivu Resort and Hotel Gorillas Lake Kivu
Budget: Hotel Paradis Malahide
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Distance & Time: 294 kilometers/7–8 hours of driving time
Services & activities: Lake Kivu transfer
Day 7: Lake Kivu Boat Cruise. Head to National Park of Volcanoes.
After a relaxing breakfast on your seventh day of the eight-day Rwanda safari, you will go on an exciting boat trip on Lake Kivu.
Discover the stunning views and stroll along the charming beaches. Discover the fascinating past and customs of the lakes’ islands.
Go kayaking if you’re looking for something more strenuous. For a closer look at rural life and Rwandan culture, you might also choose to ride across verdant hills, explore the neighboring coffee farms, or stop by surrounding villages.
Lunch is going to be served somewhere close to the lake. You drive two or three hours north to Volcanoes National Park in the evening.
Few would contend that this national park, which includes five of the eight historic volcanic Virunga Mountains, is not among the most fascinating in Africa.
Apart from being among Africa’s most picturesque landscapes, volcanoes are home to a third of the world’s mountain gorilla population, as well as other uncommon species.
A Boat trip on Lake Kivu is the day’s high point.
Accommodation:
Luxury: Bisate Lodge, Virunga Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
Midrange: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Budget: Muhabura Hotel
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive Time & Distance: two hours and 110 km
Programmes & Services: Boat cruise on Akagera and Drive to Vocanoes park
Day 8: Do Gorilla Trekking & Drive Back To Kigali City
Your guided mountain gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park today may just make some of your dreams come true. So get an early breakfast at 6 a.m. and go at the park offices by 7 a.m. for a briefing.
Set out on an incredible journey into the rainforest through volcano forests at around 8 a.m. with a park ranger in quest of mountain gorillas.
The walk is really exhausting and can take anything from thirty minutes to seven hours, so come ready for a struggle. But know that all will be worthwhile if you see these magnificent animals—we share 98% of our DNA with them.
You will have one hour with the gorillas; Rwandan officials are very protective of this natural resource.
After the activity, you take a two to three hour drive back to complete this incredible eight-day safari in Rwanda.
Best Part of the Day: Tracking the Rare Mountain Gorillas
Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch Menu
Driving Distance & Duration: 116 116 km/2–3 hours
Events & Services: Trekking gorillas & Drop-off at Kigali Airport drop-off
