12 Days Best of Rwanda Safari

12 Days Best of Rwanda Safari: Rwanda is incredibly interesting to visit in its incredible scenic hilly landscapes making her famous as “Land of a thousand hills” rich in biodiversity. This 12 Days Rwanda Safaris is the longest way of spending your safari in Kigali and takes you to Rwanda’s most visited primates’ destinations that is Volcanoes national park and Nyungwe national park with a bit of relaxation during the trip. Volcanoes national park is the most popular park unique for gorilla trekking along with other 2 parks in Uganda and 1 in Congo. Volcanoes national park has about 10 habituated gorilla families for tourism. Apart from gorilla trekking, Volcanoes national park is also a home to the endangered golden monkeys and a few of the forest animals and the park hosts about 200 different bird species. Nyungwe forest national park on the other hands is home to the endangered chimpanzees and 12 other species of primates. Trekking chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest is one of the most scenic experiences under the montane rainforest and walking on a canopy above the forest is an added beautiful experience. Akagera national park which is located in the eastern part of Rwanda in the savannah areas good for wildlife experience especially to see the big 5 game. Enjoy other excursions include visiting Lake Kivu bordering Congo and a city tour in Kigali city.

Highlights of the 12 Days Best of Rwanda Safari

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali – Rwanda/Kigali city tour
Day 2: Transfer to Volcanoes national park – Community tour
Day 3: Gorilla trekking safaris experience
Day 4: Golden monkey tracking and transfer to Gisenyi
Day 5: Full day excursion Lake Kivu
Day 6: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and Canopy walk
Day 8: Waterfalls hike
Day 9: Transfer to Kigali city
Day 10: Transfer to Akagere national park
Day 11: Game drive and boat trip on Lake Ihema
Day 12: Return to Kigali – Departure

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali – Rwanda

Upon arrival at Kigali international airport with your confirmed booked flight, you will be met by your safari driver who will be your guide throughout the trip, meet and greet, pack your luggage in the safari vehicle and drive to your booked accommodation in Kigali city. Depending on your time of arrival, doing a city tour on this day will be the best. Visit some of the interesting places in Kigali including the Kigali genocide memorial, drive to one of the hills in Kigali for a city view and a market tour. Return in the evening to your Hotel for dinner and overnight stay

Luxury option: Kigali Serena Hotel
Mid-range option: Des Mille Collins Hotel
Budget option: Step Town Motel

Day 2: Transfer to Volcanoes national park – Community tour

After breakfast, check-out of the hotel and embark on your journey to transfer to Volcanoes national park. It’s a 2-3 hours’ drive from Kigali to Musanze where we find the home of the endangered mountain gorillas.

Arrive in Musanze at good time for lunch after checking-in your booked accommodation. Later afternoon, visit Iby’wacu 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. Connect to your booked accommodation for dinner and overnight stay at

Luxury option: 5 Volcanoes Gorilla lodge/Virunga lodge
Mid-range option: Le Bambou Gorilla lodge/Da Vinci Gorilla lodge
Budget option: Hotel Muhabura/Kinigi Guesthouse

Day 3: Gorilla trekking experience

After early morning breakfast, you will be transferred to the Kinigi park headquarters with your trekking gears for a briefing about the endangered mountain gorillas. You have been allocated a gorilla family to trek, connect to the starting point and start trekking along with the guidance of the armed ranger guides together with the ranger guides. This activity may take between 2-8 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. Spend the rest of your day at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at booked lodge as above

Day 4: Golden monkey trekking – transfer to Gisenyi

After early morning breakfast, drive back to the park headquarters for briefing about the endangered golden monkeys and be allocated a group. 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 back to the lodge.

After lunch, check-out of the lodge and drive to Gisenyi. It’s a 2 hours’ drive from Musanze. Upon arriving in Gisenyi, connect to your booked accommodation located close to Lake Kivu shores for great views. Relax at the lodge, dinner and overnight stay at

Luxury option: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Mid-range option: Palm Garden Hotel
Budget option: Paradise Malahide Hotel

Day 5: Full day excursion at Lake Kivu

On the 5th day of your 12 Days Best of Rwanda Safari, after your breakfast, transfer to explore Lake Kivu and connect 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 lodge as above

Day 6: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park

After enjoying your delicious breakfast at leisure, embark on your journey to Nyungwe forest national park which is a 6-7 hours’ drive from Gisenyi. Drive through the rolling hills and great views of Virunga Mountains. Upon arrival in Nyumgwe forest, connect to your booked lodge for dinner and overnight stay at your booked lodge

Luxury option: One and Only Nyungwe House
Mid-range option: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
Budget option: Gisakura Visitors Centre

Day 7: Chimpanzee trekking and 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 before you drive back to your lodge for lunch.

Connect for a canopy walk. 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 below you. Dinner and overnight stay at provided lodge as above

Day 8: Water fall nature walk

After having breakfast, connect to enter the forest on a forest walk to the waterfalls, you will encounter different birds and other primates, reaching the waterfalls is relaxing and refreshing with great views of the forested mountain. Return from the hike and drive back toy lodge for lunch. Later afternoon, enjoy a coffee tour where you will learn more about coffee in Rwanda, you will also taste Rwanda coffee and even buy some for packing home. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay hotel as above

Day 9: Transfer to Kigali – Rwanda

After breakfast, check-out of the hotel and transfer to Kigali with en-route visit of Rwanda national museum in Butare and Nyanza Kinga’s palace in Huye with en-route lunch. Its a 6-7 hours’ drive to Kigali. Upon arrival in Kigali, locate your hotel to rest. Spend your evening relaxing at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at

Luxury option: Kigali Serena Hotel
Mid-range option: Des Mille Collins Hotel
Budget option: Step Town Motel

Day 10: Arrival and transfer to Akagera national park – evening game drive

On the 10th day of your 12 Days Best of Rwanda Safari, after breakfast, set off to Akagera national park located in the eastern part of Rwanda. This are is different from the other hilly areas of Rwanda given this savannah vegetation cover and relatively flat area. It’s a 2-3 hours’ drive to Akagera national park from Kigali. Arrive at the park late morning, proceed to check-in your lodge, have lunch and enjoy an evening game drive. Before nightfall, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay

Luxury option: Ruzizi tented camp
Mid-range option: Akagera game lodge
Budget option: Dereva hotel

Day 11: Game drive and Lake Ihema boat cruise

After a morning breakfast, you will embark on your 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 boat trip, return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay

Day 12: Return to Kigali – Departure

After breakfast, check-out of the lodge and transfer back to Kigali. Upon arrival in Kigali, have lunch and proceed to Kigali airport for your onward flight back home.

End of safari