9 Days Rwanda Safari

Itinerary Overview: 9 Days Rwanda Safari

9 Days Rwanda Safari offers the best gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking, and Wildlife tour in Rwanda. 9 Days Rwanda Tour is a trip to Nyungwe Forest National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Akagera National Park. 9 Days Rwanda Safari

Nyungwe forest is the best place for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda as well as a canopy walk. The canopy walk in Nyungwe is the best in the whole of East Africa. From Nyungwe Forest, you will continue to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking. Gorilla safaris Rwanda offers 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. A wildlife tour will be undertaken at Akagera National Park with a boat trip on Lake Ihema and a game drive in the savannah plains. Formed of the forest-fringed lakes, rolling plains, papyrus swamps, and savannah plains the park is famed as the most scenic in Africa.

Highlights: 9 Days Rwanda Safari

• Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport, short Kigali city tour, and transfer to hotel
• Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
• Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park
• Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
• Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
• Day 6: Golden Monkey trekking or hiking Mount Bisoke in Volcanoes National Park.
• Day 7: Drive to Akagera National Park and have an evening boat cruise on Lake Ihema
• Day 8: Half day Game drive in Akagera National Park
• Day 9: Return to Kigali International Airport, end of 9 days Rwanda safari

Detailed Itinerary: 9 Days Rwanda Safari

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

On the first day of your 9 Days Rwanda safari, 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: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.

On the second day of your trip 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 3: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk 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. In the evening, you undertake a canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest for about 2 hours. Later on, you return to the hotel for relaxation and Diner. You spend your night at the previous nights’ accommodation.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Diner

Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

From Nyungwe Forest you have breakfast at leisure then after 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 6: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla Trek at Volcanoes National Park, 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. Every 8 individuals take about 2-6 hours in the jungle trekking through the bamboo forest along with armed ranger guides. However, only 1 hour (60 minutes) is spent in the presence of the mountain gorillas. 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.

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

Day 6: Golden Monkey trekking or hike Mount Bisoke in Volcanoes National Park

In the morning you will go for Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park where they co-exist with the mountain Gorillas. Golden monkeys have unique characters and can easily be identified by their color. You must be at the park headquarters as early as 7:00 am for briefing before the trek. There are two troops of golden monkeys in Rwanda with the largest found in mount Sabinyo it has about 80-100 monkeys and is the most visited in the park. After trekking, you are driven back to your hotel for lunch. You spend the evening at leisure. Optionally on this day, you can decide to hike Mount Bisoke a dormant volcano in the Virunga Mountains. 

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

Day 7: Drive to Akagera National Park and have an evening boat cruise on Lake Ihema

boat cruise on Lake Ihema

From the gorilla foothills, you have breakfast then be driven to Akagera National Park. Arriving in time for lunch, you have a meal and then relax as you wait for a boat cruise. 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 8: Half day Game drive 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. 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. You spend the evening at leisure or have another game drive. You spend the night at the earlier on the booked hotel.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 9: Return to Kigali International Airport, end of 9 days Rwanda safari

On the last day of your trip, you have breakfast at leisure depending on your departure time. Your driver guide will ensure a drive to Kigali International Airport for a departure flight. You can ask your guide for a stop at craft shops in Kigali town in case you would want to purchase anything.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch 

End of 9 Days Rwanda safari

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