9 Days Rwanda Wildlife, culture and gorilla safari
This 9 Days Rwanda Culture and Gorilla Safari offers travelers with an authentic Rwanda culture and heritage and mountain gorilla trekking experience for an encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas in the jungle of Volcanoes national park.
This safari includes a drive to the country side of Rwanda which will provide you with beautiful views of the Rwandan landscape with thousands of hills. You will also visit Rwanda’s only savannah national park, Akagera national park and the local village (the pastoral homes) where you will engage in activities surrounding the cattle and the local people themselves.
Safari Highlights
- Game drive
- Cultural and community experiences
- Boat ride
- Gorilla tracking
- Photography moments
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Rwanda
Today is the start of your amazing Rwanda wildlife and gorilla Safari, you will be picked up from your hotel in Kigali city or at the Kigali International airport upon your arrival by your safari drive guide.
He will give you a short briefing about the safari and then be transferred to your hotel in Kigali City, have dinner and stay overnight.
Accommodation: Kigali Marriott
Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2: Kigali City Tour
After morning breakfast, you will transfer to Kigali City for a tour visiting the Kigali genocide memorial site where you will hear the stories of the horrific genocide survivors as they live alongside the perpetrators. You will also visit the Kandt Museum and Art and crafts shops. In the evening, you will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation at Kigali Marriott
Meal plan: B, L & D
Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park
After breakfast, you will checkout of hotel and transfer to Kigali City visiting the sites you might have missed. Then start a journey to Akagera national park located in Eastern Rwanda, arrive in the afternoon and proceed to the lodge for check-in.
In the afternoon, you will go for a game drive in the savannah plains of the park. As you drive on several game viewing routes look out for a number of animals including lions, leopards, giraffes, antelopes, rhinos, oribis and the beautiful landscapes. In the evening, you will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Game drive and boat safari
After breakfast, you will transfer to the northern part of the park for a morning game drive where you will lookout for some of the large mammals inhabiting in the area such as Elephants, Giraffes, zebras and lions. In the afternoon after lunch, you will head to Lake Ihema for a boat ride where you will enjoy beautiful scenery of the lake and animals such as Nile crocodiles, hippos and many water birds. Head to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: B, L & D
Accommodation: Magashi Camp / Ruzizi tented camp
Day 5: Visit a homestead for a Rwandan cultural experience
Have breakfast, the head to the Rwanda village – homestead of cattle keepers in the Eastern region which is inhabited by the pastoralists, you will engage in various activities such as milking cows with hands as opposed to the modern day use of machines. The herdsman will guide you on how to soothe the cow and milk it, after this amazing session you will set the cattle for a day’s grazing. You will also learn how to covert the fresh milk into different products such as ghee and local yoghurt. Head back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: B, L & D
Accommodation: Magashi Camp / Ruzizi tented camp
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
After breakfast, you will checkout of your lodge and transfer to Volcanoes national park – a home for mountain gorillas, along the journey you will have several photography opportunities as you travel north to the park and amazing sceneries of thousand hills.
Along the way you will have lunch, you will arrive at the lodge in late evening, have dinner and stay overnight as you get ready the next day’s gorilla trek.
Meal plan: B, L & D
Accommodation: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge / Virunga Lodge
Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Wake up early for breakfast and head to Kinigi- park’s headquarters for briefing about mountain gorilla rules and regulations, after briefing you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a ranger guide to lead your group of 8 people in the forest.
Gorilla trekking takes approximately 2-6 hours depending on the location of the mountain gorilla you are trekking and where it spent the previous night, you will be given one hour of being in the presence of mountain gorillas while observing their behavior and take pictures.
You will then trek back to the starting point and head back to your lodge for an evening of rest, have dinner and stay overnight.
Meal plan: B, L & D
Accommodation: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge / Virunga Lodge
Day 8: Gorilla Guardians Village
After breakfast, you will transfer to the gorilla guardians Village for a cultural experience. This village is known as the Iby’iwacu cultural village, during your visit you spend the day learning about how the Rwandan people live in their community traditionally and witness various practices such as the crowing of the King and Queen, enjoy traditional dances performed by the group of the local people and learn about how they make traditional beer and local cuisines.
You will also learn about the daily life of the Rwandese people and eat together with the local people.
Meal plan: B, L & D
Accommodation: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge / Virunga Lodge
Day 9: Departure
After a leisure breakfast, you will checkout of your lodge, bid Volcanoes national park farewell and transfer to back to Kigali City where you will be dropped off at the airport for your departure flight back home or to your next destination.
End of 9 days Rwanda wildlife, culture and gorilla safari.
