How to Have an Epic 8 Days Rwanda Safari Itinerary in 2025

Itinerary Overview: 8 Days Rwanda Safari

All-inclusive 8 Days Rwanda Safari – Primates Tracking and Wildlife Tour. 8 Days Rwanda Safari offers Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking, Wildlife, and a Boat Cruise on Lake Ihema. 8 Days Rwanda Safari Adventure. Activities for this 8 Days Rwanda Safari Tour include a game drive, boat cruise, Chimpanzee trekking, Gorilla trekking, a visit to Lake Kivu, and a Kigali city tour.

Your eight days safari in Rwanda will start from Kigali city to Akagera National Park, then to Nyungwe Forest National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and finally Lake Kivu. From Kigali city, you continue to Akagera National Park for a wildlife tour with a game drive and a boat trip on Lake Ihema. Formed of the forest-fringed lakes, rolling plains, and savannah plains the park is famed as the most scenic in Africa. The 8 Days Rwanda Safari continues to Nyungwe forest which is the best place for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda. Chimpanzees here are habituated for tracking by several tourist groups. From Nyungwe Forest, you will continue to Volcanoes National Park for Gorilla trekking. Gorilla safaris in Rwanda offer a lifetime experience as trekkers have a chance to share the mountain Gorilla habitat and a maximum of 1 hour in the presence of the Gorillas.

Highlights: 8 Days Rwanda Safari

• Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport, short Kigali city tour, and transfer to hotel.
• Day 2: Drive to Akagera National Park and have an evening game drive.
• Day 3: Morning Game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema in Akagera National Park.
• Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
• Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
• Day 6: Transfer from Nyungwe Forest to Volcanoes National Park.
• Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park and transfer to Lake Kivu.
• Day 8: Boat cruise and return to Kigali International Airport for a departure flight.

Detailed Itinerary: 8 Days Rwanda Safari

Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport, short Kigali city tour, and transfer to hotel

Upon arrival, a tour guide will be at Kigali International Airport to pick you up. The guide will easily be identified as she or he will be carrying a placard with your names. After meeting and greeting your local guide will transfer you to Kigali for a city tour and lunch. After lunch, you will then be transferred to a booked lodging facility in Kigali city. You check in, relax, have dinner and spend the night. 

Meal Plan: Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Serena Hotel Kigali, Mid-range: Hotel chez Lando, Budget: Iris Guest House

Day 2: Drive to Akagera National Park and have an evening game drive

Rwanda Safari Akagera National Park

Following breakfast in Kigali, you are driven for about 2 h 30 min to Akagera National Park. Arriving in time for lunch, you have a meal and then relax as you wait for an evening game drive. In the Afternoon, you have a game drive in the savannah plains of Akagera. Some of the animals that can be seen include the big five game which is Buffaloes, Rhinos, Elephants, Lions, and Leopards. Other wildlife species include Giraffes, Zebras, hyenas, cape bushbuck, Topis, Oribis, roan antelopes, duikers, impala, cape eland, and many more. In the evening, you return to your booked hotel or lodge for relaxation, dinner, and spend the night. 

Accommodation options: Luxury: Ruziza Tented Camp, Mid-range: Akagera Game Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Morning Game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema in Akagera National Park

Early morning you are served breakfast, then undertake a game drive in the scenic savannah plains for about 4 hours depending on the animal sightings and interests. After the game drive, you return to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you go for a boat ride on Lake Ihema. The boat ride on Lake Ihema offers great sightings of hippos and crocodiles in the water. Wildlife like Elephants and buffaloes can be seen on the shores of the lake. After the boat trip, you later transfer to a booked accommodation facility for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Accommodation options: Luxury: Ruziza Tented Camp, Mid-range: Akagera Game Safari Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park

You will have breakfast at leisure and then be transferred to Nyungwe Forest National Park. The drive lasts about 4-5 hours from Kigali city to Nyungwe Forest. On arrival, you check into your lodge, have lunch, and relax in the evening.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Nyungwe Forest Lodge / One & Only Nyungwe Forest House, Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Budget: Gisakura Guest House 

Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Meeting the Nyungwe Forest Chimps – Rwanda

Early morning you will have breakfast and then be driven to the park headquarters for the start of a chimpanzee trekking experience. You walk for some time till you find where the chimps spent their previous night. Chimpanzees can be seen jumping from tree to tree at high speeds while making noise, the speed at which they jump and play around determines how many photos you take and how much time you spend viewing them. After the trek, you return to your trek start point where you meet the driver guide for a transfer to the hotel for lunch and relaxation.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Nyungwe Forest Lodge / One & Only Nyungwe Forest House, Mid-range: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Budget: Gisakura Guest House

Day 6: Transfer from Nyungwe Forest to Volcanoes National Park

From Nyungwe Forest you have breakfast at leisure than be transferred to Volcanoes National Park. The drive lasts about 5-6 hours arriving in the afternoon. You check in to an accommodation facility of your choice. 

Accommodation Options: Luxury: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Mid-range: Gorilla Solution Lodge, Budget: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park and transfer to Lake Kivu

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Following breakfast, your driver-guide picks you up from the lodge for a drive to the park headquarters. Arriving at the park headquarters in Kinigi you first have a briefing on the dos and don’ts of Gorilla trekking in Rwanda by the park warden. By 8:30 am, the park ranger guide will transfer you to the trekking starting point for a gorilla trek. A total of 8 tourists with a trekking permit of Rwanda which costs USD 1500 per permit are allocated one gorilla family. The trek lasts an unpredictable time depending on the Gorilla group movements but the population in Rwanda is known to move for shorter distances and therefore make it easy to trek. After 1 hour in the presence of a Gorilla family, you walk back to the park headquarters where you meet the tour guide for a transfer back to your hotel then transfer to Lake Kivu in the evening. 

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation Options: Luxury: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, Mid-range: Paradise Malahide, Budget: Stipp Hotel

Day 8: Boat cruise and return to Kigali International Airport for a departure flight.

On the last day of your 8 Days in Rwanda Safari, you will have an early morning boat cruise up to the coffee island. You have breakfast and sightseeing in the beautiful surrounding. After breakfast, you return from the island and set off to Kigali International Airport for a departure flight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

End of the 8 Days Rwanda Safari

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