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Scenic Akagera savannah wildlife & shoebill storks - Nyungwe for chimps & colobus monkeys - Volcanoes NP gorillas - hills, scenery & people of Rwanda
Outline Itinerary
Day
1. Depart UK to Nairobi.
2. Arrive Nairobi and connect to Kigali. Afternoon at leisure to rest from your flight.
3. To Akagera and safari.
4. Akagera full day safari through the park with picnic lunch.
5. Morning safari and return to Kigali. Afternoon city sightseeing.
6. Drive to Nyungwe visiting Butare Museum en route.
7. Morning chimp tracking or colobus monkey tracking. Afternoon visit to tea plantation.
8. To Cyangugu and boat to Kibuye.
9. Scenic drive to Gisenyi.
10. Morning drive to Ruhengeri for gorilla tracking. Afternoon visit to twin lakes.
11. Return to Kigali and depart to UK.
12. Arrive UK.
Cost
Please contact us for prices.
Departure Dates
Any date to your requirements
Rwanda is certainly a country worth exploring and whilst many will visit just to track gorillas in Volcanoes National Park we do feel there is so much more than the country has to offer and hence have put together this complete tour that we highly recommend. None of the distances in the country is great but roads are often winding through the hills and are generally of a very good standard
On arrival from an overnight flight from the UK or Europe, we feel it is best just to relax in the warmth of Kigali and perhaps take a stroll around the friendly city. It is an easy going capital spread over several hills. The following morning heads off east to Akagera National Park. The game lodge here (there is only one lodge at present) sits on a ridge with wonderful views over Lake Ihema to the escarpment on the Tanzanian border. There will be plenty of time to see the wildlife with an evening safari and a full day safari towards the northern end of the park past other pretty lakes. There is a wide diversity of habitats here which make this park special and numbers of savannah plains animals are rapidly increasing. For birders it is possible to see rarities such as shoebill stork and papyrus gonalek.
Returning to Kigali you will have a private guided sightseeing tour which can include the genocide memorial and museum to help you understand a little of what this country went through in 1994. The following morning is a very pretty drive down to Nyungwe Forest, now designated a National Park, it is one of the prettiest forests we have visited. Here you can track chimps or go in search of troups up to 400 strong of colobus monkeys. Your night will be spent in simple accommodation belonging to the park authorities on the edge of a tea plantation. The tea here is of excellent quality! Next, you have the adventure of taking a fast boat about half way up Lake Kivu from the southern port of Cyangugu to the pretty town of Kibuye. The following day is a journey through what is described as 'Switzerland of Rwanda', a very picturesque and hilly part of the country. The road is rough but it makes for a lovely drive to Gisenyi at the top of Lake Kivu. The very good Kivu Sun hotel here is your night's rest on the lakeshore.
We have left perhaps the highlight of the trip to last and today you will transfer about 1.5h to Ruhengeri for gorilla tracking this morning. Volcanoes National Park consists of several dormant volcanoes whose slopes are covered by bamboo forests with vegetative clearings, ideal for gorillas and for viewing them as they often rest in the clearings. You should be aware that you may be trekking up to around 3000m although with the time now spent in the country you will be reasonably well acclimatized. There is just time to see the pretty lakes nearby in the afternoon before returning to the centrally located capital for your departure.
