10 Day Rwanda primates and wildlife safari
10 Day Rwanda primates and wildlife safari
Explore literally all Rwanda tour destination in 10 Day Rwanda primates and wildlife safari carrying gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park and golden monkey trekking, chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park and later head for the Rwanda wildlife encounter at Akagera national park
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Hotel
Following your arrival at Kigali airport, our company representative together with the driver / guide will be waiting to welcome you and later drive you to your hotel in Kigali for dinner and overnight stay at Kigali Serena hotel (luxury), Hotel Des Mille Collins (midrange), Step town motel (budget).
Day 2: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
After breakfast, drive through Kigali then connect through the terraced hills of Rwanda to locate Volcanoes national park, home to the endangered mountain gorillas. Dinner and overnight stay at Sabyinyo silver lodge (luxury) Le Bambou gorilla lodge (mid range), Hotel Muhabura (budget).
Day 3: Gorilla trekking experience
After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters-kinigi for a briefing about the endangered mountain gorillas from the park warden. Along with your trekking gear, drinking water and packed lunch, the driver will drop you off at the starting point to trek the gorillas together with the ranger guides. This activity may take between 1-8 hours searching for the gorillas depending on their movement. However meeting them is so rewarding and you will spend maximally 1 hour with them as you take time studying them and taking pictures and videos. After spending your time with the fascinating mountain gorillas, return to the base and meet your driver to connect to your lodge for lunch and refresh.
After lunch, take a cultural walk to Iby’iwachu Cultural Village-a Non-Profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park through provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and livelihood based projects. It’s a rewarding place where you will be guided around the place as you enjoy the Kinyarwanda traditions including the Intore dance, traditional ceremonies and a guided community walk. Retreat and return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay as above. Sabyinyo silverback lodge (Luxury), Le Bambou Lodge (Midrange), Muhabura Hotel (Budget).
Day 4: Golden Monkeys tracking and transfer to Lake Kivu
After early morning breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for briefing from the park warden about the endangered golden monkeys. After connect to the tracking starting point and enter the forest to search for the rare golden monkey. This activity can take about 1-5 hours and is done at closer view of the other primates in the park like the red tailed monkeys, Vervet monkeys among other. After viewing the rare golden monkeys for an hour while taking pictures and studying their behaviors, return to the base and meet your drive to connect to Lake Kivu. Drive to Rubavu town at the shores of Lake Kivu where you will spend the rest of the day enjoying the shores while taking boat trips to the island of the lake, a town tour with lunch en route and relaxing at the shores as you enjoy the breeze. Dinner and overnight stay at L. Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury) Palm garden resort (midrange) Paradise Marahide (Budget).
Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
After enjoying your delicious breakfast at leisure, embark on your journey to Nyungwe forest national park which is a 4 hours drive from Lake Kivu. Arrive at the park early afternoon and check in your lodge for relaxation. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Forest lodge (luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange), Gisakura guest house (budget).
Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking and afternoon canopy walk
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimpanzee tracking usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos. You will then return to your accommodation for lunch.
After lunch, you will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk-a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Before night fall, you will return to the lodge for dinner at Nyungwe Forest lodge (luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange), Gisakura guest house (budget) as above
Day 7: Colobus monkeys tracking and nature walk to the waterfalls
After having breakfast, connect to enter the forest in search of the large groups of Colobus monkeys. This activity can take 2-5 hours locating the monkeys. Retreat from the activity and connect to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, take a forest walk t the waterfalls. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Forest lodge (luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (midrange), Gisakura guest house (budget) as above.
Day 8: Transfer to Akagera national park
After early morning breakfast at your lodge, embark on your journey to the eastern province of Rwanda to visit Akagera national park bordering Tanzania, the journey is about 5-6 hours drive from Nyungwe national park through with stopovers at Nyanza king’s palace and Rwanda national museum. On arrival at the park, enjoy en route game drive to introduce you to the beautiful scenery as you spot animals on your way to the lodge, check in the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at Ruzizi tented camp(luxury) Akagera game lodge(mid range) Dereva hotel (budget).
Day 9: Game drive and Lake Ihema boat cruise
After a morning breakfast, you will embark on a morning game drive around the park for a rewarding wildlife views. Expect to encounter the Big five including the Lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, cape buffaloes and the recently introduced Rhinos along with other animals including; giraffes, warthogs, waterbucks, zebras, hyenas and different antelope species. Expect to also see over 500 species of birds. The game drive may last for about 3-4 hours. Return to lodge for lunch and relax as you wait for the next activity.
In the afternoon, the driver will pick up for a boat cruise on Lake Ihema-the second largest lake in Rwanda after Lake Kivu. The boat trip exposes you to plenty of wildlife on the lake shores which come to cool off and drink water including hippos, buffaloes, huge crocodiles and birds such as malachite kingfisher and fish eagle. After the amazing cruise, return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge as above. Ruzizi tented camp (luxury) Akagera game lodge (midrange) Dereva hotel (budget).
Day 10: Transfer back to Kigali
Have breakfast the take a brief game drive while spotting the missed animals in the previous game drive. Later connect to transfer back to Kigali, about 2-3 hours passing through the scenic landscape of Rwanda. If time is available before your return flight, visit places you missed out visiting in Kigali city, have lunch then precede to the Airport catch your flight.
End of 10 Day Rwanda primates and wildlife safari
