21 Days Discovering Rwanda safari
Rwanda has got so much to see including some of the rarest tourist attractions like the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys. Enjoy different activities i.e boat rides, game drives, city tour in Kigali city. Visit Rwanda for 3 three weeks (21 Days) and see all this in the land of the thousand hills and so much more.
21 days Rwanda safari itinerary
Day 1: Arrival – Transfer to Hotel
You begin your magical holiday as you board your fight to Rwanda, a country of a thousand hills. Upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will receive a worm welcome from one of our tour guides from Naturenest Safaris, who will transfer you to your hotel. Overnight stay and dinner at Serena hotel (Luxury hotel), or Hotel des Mille Collines (Midrange hotel) or Quiet Haven Hotel (Budget facility) on Half Board. Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2: Explore Kigali City
After a cup of tea, start a historical exploration of Kigali city with visits to landmarks from colonial, post-independence, genocide and post-genocide times i.e. Kigali Genocide memorial site where over 259,000 genocide victims were put to rest in mass graves, Kimironko Local Market Belgian camp where they killed the 10 Belgian UN soldiers who were protecting the moderate prime minister before the start of genocide etc.
Overnight stay and dinner at Serena hotel (Luxury hotel), or Hotel des Mille Collines (Midrange hotel) or Quiet Haven Hotel (Budget facility) on Full Board. Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Experience way of Life in Rwanda
In the morning after the breakfast, head to Muhanga to join the locals at their hillside, working, feasting, creating and laughing by participating in a day of life of artisans, imigongo ( cow dung art experience), traditional cooking , Candle Dipping and Hive Making. After your lunch, head to Butare and visit the Nyanza Loyal palace en route to Butare. Overnight stay and dinner at Serena hotel (Luxury hotel), or Hotel des Mille Collines (Midrange hotel) or Quiet Haven Hotel (Budget facility) on Full Board. Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Visit Museum in Butare
After the morning breakfast, you will go to the National Museum, where you will be introduced to Rwanda’s kingdoms, you will have a discovery of colonial architecture. Have lunch in town and in the afternoon you will enjoy traditional dancers from the museum, visit the Catholic Church in Butare
Day 5: Kigali to Nyungwe National Park
Wake up early in the morning after having your breakfast start off your journey to the Nyungwe National Park with a lunch en-route. Once you reach the park have a walk on the canopy walk. After the walk, check – in to the hotel for relaxation around this impenetrable forest as you enjoy a fresh breathe. Dinner and overnight at Paradise Kivu (midrange lodge) or Paradise Marahide (Standard lodge) on Full Board. Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 6: Tea Plantation Visit
After morning breakfast, you will head for the tea plantation visit. Visit the Gisakura tea gardens; learn on how long it takes to plant tea up to the harvesting stage and during the processing and later head to Kibuye along the Kivu Lake; you will have a fantastic view of the country of a thousand hills. Dinner and overnight stay at Paradise Kivu (midrange lodge) or Paradise Marahide (Standard lodge) on Full Board. Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 7: Boat ride and Kibuye
In the morning after a warm breakfast, you will have a boat ride to visit different island in the Kivu Lake. Here you will explore the beautiful attractions within this great Lake. After lunch, have a drive to visit the environmental museum and later back to your hotel for enjoying the beach
Day 8: Transfer to Gisenyi- Congo- Nile Trail Excursion
Discover the historical Congo-Nile trail enroute to Gisenyi or Rubavu. You will explore the beauty and unique sites of the trail of which include experiencing coffee and tea tours, local livelihoods, fishing with local fishermen using traditional boats. Overnight at Hotel Bethany
Day 10: Community projects in Gisenyi
It will be an educational revealing day with tours to women who live with HIV/AIDS, former prostitutes, widows of genocide, street kids etc
Day 11: Kayaking in Kivu Lake
In the morning after your breakfast, you will enjoy the kayaking activity in Kivu Lake. After having your lunch, you will have a city tour of Rubavu for visiting the Two borders of Rwanda with Democratic Republic of Congo and hot springs later return back to your hotel for overnight stay and dinner at Paradise Kivu (midrange lodge) or Paradise Marahide (Standard lodge) on Full Board. Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 12: Buhanga Eco Park- Red Rocks
Today after your breakfast, you will drive to Musanze. You will meet with your respective park rangers who will take you to the Buhanga Eco Park. This has been a sacred forest where the Rwandese Kings performed initiation ceremonies. Today, it is a testimonial to the past societies that conducted such rituals. There is an opportunity here to go on a trail walk through the park and see where these rituals took place.
When you reach one of the ritual sites in the park, you are always confronted with a small ditch that is surrounded by a flowery thicket and small lava stones. This is where the kings’ assistants, the Abiru, pick some herbs and add to spring water to make a ritual bath for the king’s coronation. After lunch, you will visit the red rocks for home stay. You will later return off to Musanze which is roughly a 3 hours’ drive to Volcanoes National Park. Dinner and overnight at Le Bamboo Gorilla Lodge (midrange lodge) or The Garden Palace Hotel (Standard lodge) on Full Board. Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 13: Gorilla Trekking and Cultural Visit
Wake up early in the morning, have a cup of coffee, you will transfer to the park headquarters with your packed lunch early enough to be briefed about the code of conduct while with gorillas. This will be followed by entering the forest in search of the gorillas in the forest which may take 2-6 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas in the jungle. Meet and stay with the gorillas for a maximum of one hour.
After this gorilla tracking experience you will return to your lodge. In the afternoon, go for a community walk to the Banyarwanda people and enjoy their different performances and also explore more about their unique culture. Dinner and overnight at Le Bamboo Gorilla Lodge (midrange lodge) or The Garden Palace Hotel (Standard lodge) on Full Board. Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Day 14: Golden Monkey – visit the twin lakes
Today after your warm early morning breakfast, you will be picked by our safari driver guide who will transfer you to the park headquarters for briefing and start off you day with golden monkey trekking and you will be able to see the rare and Albertine rift endemic golden monkeys.
Just like the gorilla trekking experience, the same applies to golden monkey trekking though not so hectic like gorilla trekking. In the afternoon, you will visit the twin lakes after having your lunch at the lodge. Dinner and overnight at Le Bamboo Gorilla Lodge (midrange lodge) or The Garden Palace Hotel (Standard lodge) on Full Board basis. Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Day 15: Transfer to the Akagera National Park
In the morning, after the breakfast you will head on a transfer to Akagera National Park which is comprised of a blend of wetland, savannah grassland and woodland in 4 to 5 hours’ drive passing via Rwanda city for a lunch stopover. The location of the park shows that it lies at a lower altitude as compared to rest of the country. Some of the wildlife you will expect to see include: Giraffes, Buffaloes and Elephants as well as a number of bird species. You will relax at your hotel in the afternoon. Overnight and dinner at Ruzizi Tented Camp (Luxury lodge) or Akagera game lodge (Midrange hotel) on Full Board. Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner.
Day 16: Game Drive – Boat Trip on Lake Ihema
Early in the morning after the breakfast you will go for a morning game drive in search for wildlife. Expect to see Giraffes, Buffaloes and Elephants as well as a number of bird species. Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon have a boat ride on Lake Ihema that will reward you with views of a large numbers of hippos, huge Nile crocodiles and a variety of bird species too. Overnight stay and dinner at Ruzizi Tented Camp (Luxury lodge) or Akagera game lodge (Midrange hotel) on Full Board. Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Day 17: Game Drive in Akagera National Park
Early morning, after breakfast you will head in search for the big 5 plus the 12 species of antelopes such as the eland cape and roan antelopes, the topi, some of the 525-bird species including 4 Albertine rift endemics, reptiles, amphibians, plants, magnificent landscapes, historical sites; a place with the highest concentration of birds per square kilometer in any National park of Africa and hundreds of hippos etc. Overnight stay and dinner at Ruzizi Tented Camp (Luxury lodge) or Akagera game lodge (Midrange hotel) on Full Board. Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & dinner
Day 18: Akagera National Park to Kigali
After a morning breakfast, start off your journey to transfer to Kigali, visit Agahozo Youth Village on your way to Kigal
Day 19: Bugesera
This day is dedicated to an excursion to the Nyamata and Ntarama Genocide memorials after you will head for lunch in la Palice hotel on the beach of Rumira Lake. Return to Kigali for overnight stay
Day 20: Kigali Community Visit
After the breakfast you will have Nyamirambo Walking Tour, Nyamirambo is a bustling multi-cultural commercial district in Kigali. This unique experience brings you right into the heart of the colours, noises and smells of urban Rwanda. And visit Bwiza Village during this visit you will see how the government has helped to bring new housing to this community along with their local arts and crafts
Day 21: Depature
After your morning breakfast go for last souvenir shopping prior to your departure flight
Safari inclusions
- Airport transfers
- All Accommodations and meals on Full Board.
- 1-litre bottled mineral water per person per day whilst on safari
- Transportation by a safari vehicle
- A professional English
- All park entrance fees
- Game drive
- Boat trip on Lake Ihema
- Boat ride on Lake Kivu
- Golden monkey trekking
- All excursions and attractions as described in the itinerary
Gorilla permit: 1500 USD, per person and should be paid in advance
Safari exclusions;
Items of a personal nature i.e,
laundry,
alcoholic and
non-alcoholic beverages,
International flights and souvenirs.
personal insurance