7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari

7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari: These 7 days safari in Rwanda is the best tour package to book if you are looking to explore the best that Rwanda has to offer. The 7 days Rwanda safari will take you to the top three national parks in the country; Akagera, Volcanoes, and Nyungwe national park.

highlights of 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali & Transfer to Akagera National Park.
Day 2: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise.
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking & Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park.
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking & Visit Gisakura Tea Estate.
Day 7: Canopy Walkway & Transfer back to Kigali.

Detailed safari itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali & Transfer to Akagera National Park.

Arrival in Kigali & City Tour: Upon your arrival in Kigali, you will be picked by your guide from Kigali international airport. After a brief meet and greet session, you with will embark on a tour of Kigali city where you will visit interesting cultural and historical sites like; Kigali Genocide Memorial, Umusambi Village (Home to rescued gray crested cranes in Rwanda), Caplaki Craft Village, Nyamirambo Women’s Center, and Camp Kigali Memorial Center to mention but a few. After your tour of Kigali City, have lunch and proceed with your transfer to Akagera National Park.
Transfer to Akagera: Akagera national park is Rwanda’s only refuge for savannah wildlife animals and has over 8,000 large land animals. It is also the only national park in the country where you stand a chance to see the famous Big Five animals of Africa. The park is situated about 110 kilometers from Kigali, which is about a 2½ hour’s drive from the city. Upon your arrival in the park, you will embark on an evening boat game drive in the park. Later retire to your lodge for dinner and accommodation.

Day 2: Morning Game Drive & Afternoon Boat Cruise.

Morning Game Drive: Have your breakfast early in the morning and head out for a morning game drive. Get to explore the beautiful savanna and landscape in the park. You will also have the opportunity to see wildlife animals in the park like; elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, rhinos, waterbucks to mention but a few.
Evening Boat Cruise: You will return back to your lodge for lunch, rest for a short while and later embark on an evening boat cruise on Lake Ihema. While on your boat cruise, you will get to see the splendid wildlife at the park like; Nile Crocodiles, Hippos and some water birds like; the marabou stork, herons and the African fish eagle. After your boat cruise, you can opt to go guided nature walk and explore the marvelous flora and fauna species that Akagera National Park has to offer.
Return back to your lodge for dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.

Transfer to Volcanoes: Wake up early in the morning and take your breakfast. Later proceed with your transfer to Volcanoes national park in Ruhengeri, with a stopover at the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. The transfer from Akagera to Volcanoes national park will take you about 4-5 hours on road. Lunch will be enroute to the park. Upon your arrival in the park, check into your lodge for dinner and accommodation.

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking & Iby’iwacu Village Tour.

Gorilla Trekking: Have your breakfast early in the morning and proceed to the park’s headquarters in Kinigi; where you will be briefed and place in groups of 8 members each. Your gorilla trekking safari will commence at 8am, therefore it is important to always keep time. Usually, tracking gorilla groups can take between 2-8 hours with an hour of direct contact with the gorillas once they have been located. Hiking through the forest might prove to be a bit cumbersome and thus calls for one to be physical and mentally fit for the vigorous activity. Also remember to come with a good pair of hiking boots and a raincoat, in case it rains while you are in the forest.
Iby’iwacu Community visit: After your gorilla trekking, you will have your packed lunch and later proceed to Iby’iwacu cultural village where you will been taken through the interesting cultural history of the people of Rwanda. While there, you will have a short peek into the day-to-day lifestyle of the locals, get to check out their traditional handcrafts and also watch dance performances from the local dance and drummer’s troupe.
Later head back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park.

Transfer to Nyungwe: Wake up early and have breakfast at your lodge. Your will then be transferred to Nyungwe National Park via Gisenyi. It will take you approximately 4⅟₂ hours to drive from Volcanoes national park to Nyungwe. You will have a stopover at Lake Kivu for a boat ride on the lake and another for lunch enroute to the park. Upon your arrival at Nyungwe, check into your lodge/hotel for dinner and accommodation.

Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking & Visit Gisakura Tea Estate.

Chimpanzee Trekking: On day 6 of your 7 days Best of Rwanda safari, you will get to track some of the habituated chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park. You will be expected to arrive at the park headquarters by 7am in the morning. Actual chimpanzee trekking starts at 8am, where you will be placed in tracking groups consisting of a maximum of six members per group. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe can take about four to six hours, inclusive of an hour that is given to trekkers once a chimpanzee group has been located. Drive back to your lodge for lunch.
Visit Gisakura Tea Estate: Later in the evening, you can head to Gisakura Tea estate. Here, you will be taken through the process of tea growing, harvesting, processing, and packaging. You will even get to taste the delicious taste of the final product.
Return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Canopy Walkway & Transfer back to Kigali.

Canopy Walkway: After having your breakfast, your guide/driver will then drive you to the park headquarters at Uwinka where you will commence your hiking expedition from. The canopy walkway is characterized by a 160-meter long bridge which is suspended to 70 meters high. The hike to Nyungwe’s canopy walkway takes two hours and hikers can enjoy sighting lots of birds and primate species such as monkeys.
Transfer back to Kigali: After having your lodge, you will then transfer back to Kigali. Once you arrive in Kigali city, your guide will drop you off at a hotel of your choice or at the airport (make sure that your flight is scheduled for late in the evening or early the next day).

End of 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari