7 Days Wildlife, Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tour

Day 1: Transfer to Akagera National Park – Boat Cruise on Lake Ihema

You will be met by our company driver guide at your hotel in Kigali at around 7am and then transfer to Akagera National Park. This drive will take around 3hours. Upon arrival at the park, you will check in at the lodge/hotel where you will have lunch.
Later in the afternoon, your driver will take you to the dock on Lake Ihema (the second largest lake in Rwanda after Lake Kivu). You will then do a boat trip that will expose you to plenty of wildlife on the lake shores which come to cool off and quench their thirst. Some of these include; hippos, buffaloes, huge crocodiles and birds such as malachite kingfisher and fish eagle among others. After the amazing cruise, return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay at lodge/hotel.
Accommodation: Ruzizi tented camp (luxury)/ Akagera game lodge (midrange)/ Dereva hotel (budget).

Day 2: Full Day Game Drive

After a morning breakfast, you will embark on a game drive around the park for a rewarding wildlife views. This is a full day game drive which will take from 1-8 hours, make sure to have your packed lunch before leaving the hotel. you will expect to spot animals like; 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 among others. The park is a home to over 500 bird species and you will expect to spot some of them.
Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest (7-8 hours)

This morning after breakfast, we depart for Nyungwe Forest National Park in southern Rwanda with a stopover for lunch in Huye formerly known as Butare. Huye hosts the ethnographic museum of Rwanda that was formerly known as the national museum of Rwanda. If time allows, you will stop and visit this museum where you will learn about the culture and history of the Rwandan people. We arrive in Nyungwe forest later in the evening.
Accommodation: One and only Nyungwe (luxury)/ Hill top view hotel (mid-range)

Day 4: Chimpanzee and Canopy

After breakfast, you will drive to the park headquarters where you will pick your park ranger guide. He will brief you about the activity and the park. You will then proceed to start your chimp tracking, searching for the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are the easy to spot, as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimp tracking usually takes about 3 hours. As you trek chimps, you will expect to spot other primates like monkeys baboons among others as well as birds. You will then return to your accommodation for lunch.
After lunch, 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 rain forest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. You will expect to spot monkeys jumping from one tree to another as well as various bird species.
Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 5: Transfer to volcanoes (5-6hours)

You will leave for Volcanoes National Park after breakfast, enjoy the sights of Lake Kivu and winding roads in the land of a thousand hills. We arrive at the hotel later that evening.
Accommodation: Virunga lodge (luxury), Da vinci lodge (mid-range), Muhabura hotel (budget).

Day 6: Gorillas – Dian fossey museum

After having a very early breakfast you will drive to volcanoes national park headquarters for a routine gorilla tracking briefing where you will be informed about the Do’s and Don’ts while on your gorilla tour. In the company of a ranger guide, you will drive to the start of the trek depending on the gorilla group you will be trekking.
You will then proceed in to the jungles of Virunga covered in thick rain forest to start your gorilla trekking encounter. You will then start the trek through the tropical forests of the park to look for these amazing apes. The activity lasts from between 2 to 8 hours after which you will proceed back to the lodge for relaxation and lunch.
Later in the afternoon you will visit the Dian fossey museum where you will learn about the work of Dian Fossey in protecting mountain gorillas.
Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 7: Golden monkeys – transfer back to Kigali – Kigali genocide museum

After breakfast at the hotel, you will drive to the park headquarters for briefing. Then proceed to the start of the trek. The trek takes about 2-4 hours and you will expect to spot the golden monkeys jumping from one bamboo tree to another as they feed and go about their daily activities. Return to the hotel, refresh and check out.
You will take a 3 hour drive back to Kigali and visit the Kigali Genocide Museum. At the museum, you will learn about the genocide that happened in Rwanda where over 1000 people lost their lives. You will also visit a mass grave where some of them are buried.
The driver guide will drop you at your hotel in Kigali or at Kigali international airport for your late flight back home.