6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari overview
This unique program of our Rwanda safari combines the exciting yet humbling gorilla trekking experience with wildlife safaris. This is a perfect combo for those visiting Rwanda for a limited time. Expect a wildlife encounter in the open savannah, now home to the African Big 5 in Akagera National Park. Lake Ihema in Akagera, NP, also offers some of the best boat safaris on the African continent. After this experience, you will have a rare opportunity to come close to the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park. After gorilla trekking, you will visit the Ibyiwacu cultural village for a cultural immersion before transferring to Lake Kivu for relaxation.
This Rwanda safari program will include meals, lodges, 4×4 vehicles, park fees, and gorilla permit fees.
6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Rwanda
Our 6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari will start with our guide meeting you at the airport in Kigali. You will be driven to your hotel for a resting and overnight stay.
There is a lot to do and see in Kigali. If your flight arrives early, we shall take you on a city tour to visit some places like the famous Kigali genocide memorial center, the kimironko market, and other sites.
Most of our visitors are surprised to see how clean and organized Kigali is especially compared to other cities in Africa that are often chaotic. If you want to check out the nightlife tonight, your local guide can take you around to show you the best that Kigali city has to offer. According to the World Economic Forum, Rwanda is one of the safest countries in the world.
For tonight, you will sleep in one of the cleanest and comfy accommodations in Rwanda, with meals.
Day 2: Kigali to Akagera National Park – Rwanda
Our day 2 of this 6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari will see us driving East wards to Akagera National park.
This Park is less known to many but should not be underestimated, for it provides some of the best wildlife encounters in East Africa.
Akagera National Park is one of the oldest in Africa, having been established in 1934, and it covers an area of 1120 km2 with a rich diversity of habitats. The Park is located along the Rwanda-Tanzania border.
Akagera features grasslands, lakes, swamps, and woodlands, making it suitable for a classic African safari.
As you enter the Park, you will be welcomed by various birds and Wildlife typical of classical African safaris. Big and small mammals, including 3 of the African big 5, lions, elephants, and buffaloes, roam freely here. There are about 480 bird species that have been recorded here, and with a fair amount of luck, we hope to see a lot of them.
Day 3: Boat safari in Akagera and transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
After breakfast, you will go for a boat cruise on Lake Ihema inside Akagera National Park. Be ready to encounter 100s of Hippos, birdlife, and crocs; Akagera National park has over 550 bird species; with a fair amount of luck, expect to see the rare shoebill, papyrus gonolek, ibis, pygmy kingfishers, little bee-eaters, etc. This is a relaxing and breathtaking boat safari with spectacular views of the surrounding landscapes.
We shall drive Northwest of Rwanda to Volcanoes NP after this amazing boat safari. The journey is quite long, 5 hours but rewarding and full of things to see, like roadside markets, terraced mountains, and locals doing their daily lives before arriving in the home of mountain gorillas in the mist.
We will stay in a cozy and beautiful lodge in Musanze, a base for many gorilla trackers to Volcanoes National Park. Relax and be ready for the highlight of Rwanda safaris.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes Park – Rwanda
Today is a special day! Gorilla trekking is, for many, the highlight of many visitors that come to Rwanda and Uganda. Mountain gorillas live in the Virunga ranges shared between Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. Bwindi, Mgahinga NP , Volcanoes and Virunga NP. Mountain gorillas can’t survive in a captive and can only live in these mountains. In the company of experienced rangers and potters, you will trek into ancient rainforests on the Virunga ranges to meet face-to-face with the endangered mount gorillas- this life-changing experience.
After breakfast, you will go to the nearby village Kinigi to the headquarters of the Park. On arrival, you will have to provide the identification documents before going for a briefing on the procedures and rules of the jungle. Once that is finished, it is time to enter Volcanoes National Park on foot. The Park is characterized by ancient afro-montane and bamboo forests with over 160 km2 of untouched wilderness. Volcanoes national Park was named after the 5 volcanoes, Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabinyo, some of which are shared mountains in Uganda, DR Congo, and Rwanda, and is most famous for gorilla trekking.
Volcanoes Park is also one of the most biodiverse parks with many animal and bird species, plants, and insects, some of which are rare and endemic species to the region. The Park also has 10 groups of gorillas that call it home. It’s one of the best and most accessible places for gorilla trekking. While trekking, an experienced guide will show you the signs of gorillas, bamboo shots, nests, and droppings. Feel free to ask him any questions
Once you have found the gorillas, you will be allowed to have an hour with them watching their doing their daily life, playing, and grooming each other. Observing the behavior of gorillas in the wild is humbling. You have to keep 7 meters from the gorillas, but at times gorillas look at visitors with curiosity and can even touch you. Watching the similarities between the mountain gorillas and humans is fascinating and reminds us how close we are. To many visitors, it is a moving experience. After watching the gentle giants, it is time to make our way back to the base and return to the hotel.
Please note: Gorilla trekking requires a degree of physical fitness and can leave you tired and sore.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 5: Ibyiwacu Cultural Village & Kivu Lake – Rwanda
On this day of your 6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari, you will visitIbyiwacu Cultural Village, near Volcanoes National Park. The visit to this village offers a glimpse into the traditional Rwanda way of life. You will see traditional dances and drumming, consult a traditional medicine man, try out a bow and arrow, milk the cows, or taste local beers and banana gin.
After this fantastic cultural experience, you will drive to the city of Gisenyi on lake Kivu, which is shared between Congo and Rwanda. You can spend the afternoon beside the lush green areas of, take a boat tour, or just choose to be on the sandy shore.
Later, we check in at our accommodation.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 6: Lake Kivu to Kigali – Rwanda
We hate to say goodbye but today is your last of this 6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari. So after breakfast, besides the lake, you have an option of going on a boat tour to visit the beautiful small islands of lake Kivu before we return to Kigali international airport for your flight home.
- Meals included: Breakfast
This will mark the end of your 6 Days Rwanda gorillas and Wildlife safari.
Child Policy
This tour does take children