7 Days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari
The 7 Days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safaris offers a unique opportunity for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park and wildlife experiences in Akagera National Park. This 7 days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari itinerary often combine gorilla trekking with wildlife safaris, cultural encounters, and supplementary activities such as chimpanzee trekking and exploration of Lake Kivu.
Set off on a 7 days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari itinerary in Rwanda that is 99% client-recommended for first-time travelers and explore Volcanoes National Park, a refuge for the endangered mountain gorillas. Appreciate the stunning landscape of this expansive tropical rainforest while acquiring knowledge about these intriguing primates. You will pause at Lake Kivu en route to Nyungwe Forest National Park, where you may enjoy a picnic lunch amidst the refreshing atmosphere.
Your 7 days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife itinerary in Rwanda, will proceed after your en-route accommodation as you are transported to Nyungwe National Park, an expansive montane forest located in the southwest region of Rwanda. Nyungwe Forest National Park is renowned for its plethora of flowers, butterflies, chimpanzees, and colobus monkeys. The Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari will thereafter proceed to Akagera National Park, where one may observe eland, zebras, waterbuck, giraffes, Sitatunga, elephants, buffalo, topi, and roan antelope. During nocturnal excursions, it is frequent to observe monkeys, vervets, olive baboons, and bush infants. Upon the 7 days Rwanda gorillas & Wildlife Safari tour’s conclusion, you will have the option to explore Kigali, visit the Rwanda National Museum, and the Genocide Memorial at Gisozi.
Highlights of a One-Week/7 days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife
Day 1: Journey to Volcanoes National Park
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 3: Journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park via Lake Kivu
Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 5: Journey to Akagera National Park
Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Safari on Lake Ihema
Day 7: Transfer to Kigali and City Excursions
A Detailed 7 Days Rwanda Gorilla & Wildlife Safaris
Day 1: Journey to Volcanoes National Park
Following an early breakfast on your 7 Days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari, you will be transported to Volcanoes National Park, the habitat of the endangered mountain gorillas. Following a 2 to 3 hours drive from Kigali to the Musanze district, you will arrive at your Ruhengeri resort, where you can relax, dine, and spend the night. Volcanoes National Park has a diverse array of activities in addition to gorilla trekking, including mountain hiking, golden monkey trekking, and others. Visitors to Rwanda will discover it to be an exceptional location.
Accommodations: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Hotel Muhabura
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
After an early breakfast, proceed to the park headquarters in Kinigi for a gorilla briefing, where you will be assigned to trekking groups and provided with a tour guide to commence your 7 days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari. In addition to your hiking equipment, drinking water, and packed lunch, the driver will transport you to the starting location for the gorilla trek alongside the ranger guides. Tracking the gorillas lasts from 1 to 8 hours, and encountering them is immensely gratifying, as you spend 1 hour observing and capturing photographs and films. This experience represents the peak of your 7 Days Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari.
Based on the conclusion of your gorilla trekking, you may opt for a cultural excursion to Iby’iwachu Cultural Village, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of rehabilitated poachers and surrounding communities near Volcanoes National Park, or you may partake in Kinyarwanda traditions, including the Intore dance, traditional ceremonies, and a guided community walk. Subsequently, retire for an overnight stay at the lodge and contemplate the day’s adventures during dinner.
Accommodation: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Hotel Muhabura
Day 3: Transit to Nyungwe Forest National Park via Lake Kivu
After an early breakfast at the resort, you will embark on a one-hour ride to Rubavu through Nyungwe Forest National Park, stopping at Lake Kivu to enjoy the views, have lunch, and reunite with your fellow guests along the park’s shoreline. The journey to Nyungwe National Park will require approximately four to five hours post-lunch. You will reach your lodge in the evening and dine while preparing for the remarkable adventure that lies ahead the next day.
Accommodations: Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Gisakura Guest House
Day 4: Chimpanzee Expedition in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Prior to your transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing, ensure you have an early breakfast. Embark on a trek with chimpanzees in the jungle, accompanied by a park ranger. While observing the chimpanzees transition from nest to nest, one can witness them traversing from branch to branch, with the juveniles consuming fruit or seeking refuge behind their mothers.
Post-lunch, you will embark on a walking safari along a trail culminating at the Canopy Walk, a suspension bridge situated sixty meters over the forest floor and ninety meters above ground level. From above, one can observe the gorgeous rainforest, while below, animals are seen frolicking.
Accommodations: Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Gisakura Guest House
Day 5: Transition to Akagera National Park
Commence your Rwanda Gorillas & Wildlife Safari to Akagera National Park, adjacent to Tanzania, following an early morning breakfast. You will be relocated to the eastern province. Visiting the Nyanza king’s palace and the Rwandan national museum en route from Nyungwe National Park to Akagera National Park extends the driving time by an additional thirty minutes to two hours. Rest and dine at the hotel.
Embark on a game drive in the park post-lunch to enjoy the stunning surroundings while observing wildlife; after dusk, you may witness the big cats ready to emerge.
Accommodations: Dereva Hotel, Akagera Game Lodge, and Ruzizi Tent Camp
Day 6: Game Drive and Boat Safari on Lake Ihema
Commence the day with breakfast before to embarking on a morning game drive into the park, where you may observe remarkable wildlife. A diverse array of fauna may be observed, including giraffes, warthogs, waterbucks, zebras, hyenas, and antelopes, with the Big Five—lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, cape buffaloes, and the recently introduced rhinos. Approximately three to four hours into your game drive through the park, you will get the opportunity to observe some of the over 500 bird species that inhabit the area. Return to the resort for lunch and relax prior to the commencement of the next excursion.
Following lunch, you will be transported by boat to Lake Ihema, Rwanda’s second-largest lake. Lake Kivu is the most extensive lake in the nation. While gliding above the lake, one can observe an array of fauna, including hippopotamuses, buffalo, large crocodiles, and species of birds such as the fish eagle and the malachite kingfisher.
Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge, Dereva Hotel, Ruzizi Tented Camp
Day 7: Transition to Kigali
The timing of your departure flight will dictate the duration of your tour of Kigali’s attractions; however, following breakfast, you will be transported to the city. During your visit, you can observe the National Museum and the Genocide Memorial Center, which narrate the events preceding the mass deaths in April 1994. Your return flight will be a later connection.
Conclusion of the One Week in Rwanda | Gorilla and Wildlife Safaris