Overview
6 days luxury safari in Rwanda provides an excellent blend of wildlife experiences, cultural immersion, and relaxation. The safari will offer the best Rwanda has to offer and a chance to trek the endangered mountain gorillas with a taste of luxury in the best way possible. During the safari you will see primates like mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys; animals like lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, bushbucks, forest hogs, bush pigs, antelopes, duikers; birds like brown-chested lapwing, Carruthers’s cisticola, cabanis’s bunting, Denham’s bustard, bushshrike, blue-headed coucal, wood hoopoe, papyrus gonolek, flycatcher, red-faced barbet, Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori apalis, Ruwenzori nightjar, handsome francolin and more plus the beautiful green and lush vegetation and landscapes. The trip will start in Kigali and end in Kigali.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
You will be picked at an agreed point at 8:00am in Kigali by our driver guide from Omangwa Safaris, who will also brief you on how the trip will go, and then you will start with a city tour of Kigali by visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial, an important and sobering site that commemorates the victims of the 1994 genocide. With many of the guides as survivors, the memorial provides a historical overview of the events and serves as a place for reflection with a personal touch from the guide and this will take about 2hours. You will then head to the Kimironko market to experience the lively atmosphere of a local market as you explore the stalls selling fresh produce, crafts, textiles, and more. Locals allover Kigali come to the market to stock up as their needs come up and it’s a great opportunity to interact with local vendors too and this will also take about 2hours with a local guide. Once done, you will have a late lunch, then set off for the Volcanoes national park which will take about 2-3hours as you enjoy the beautiful green scenery the countryside of Rwanda has to offer and arrive in the evening. You will check into your lodging and have diner then rest for the night.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking and community visit
You will wake up to an early breakfast then head out to the briefing spot by 7:30am where you shall be given the rules to be followed by a guide to ensure a smooth trek before you head deep into the forest to experience it. Depending on the targeted gorilla family given to you to trek, gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park will take between 30 minutes-6hours, it’s in this time that you shall get to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, how they live, care for each other, care for their young, how and when they eat, all this will be done with a guide and armed ranger on route with you. Other primates like red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, olive baboons: animals like elephants, duikers, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, otto, civet and jackal; birds like black-bee eaters, regal sunbirds, black-billed turaco, bushshrikes, Shelley’s crimsonwing, mountain oriole, strange weaver will also be seen during the trek. You will be given water and a snack for when you need it. When done with the trekking, you will head back to the center where you will be picked by the driver guide who will take you back to your lodging for freshening up and lunch. Once lunch is done, you will head out to the Iby’iwacu village for a community tour with the help of a local guide. You will take part in local banana brewing, traditional meals, local herbal remedies with some music, dance and drama to top off the experience which can take 2-3hours. When done you will head back to your lodging for the night, have dinner and retire for the night at will.
Day 3: Bisoke Hiking
After an early breakfast, lunch will be packed and you will head to Kinigi for briefing about what to expect from a guide and also ensure you have the right gear needed for the hike. You will begin the hike at 8:00am and this will take about 6-8hours, and you will hike through the bamboo forests, alpine and lobelia bushes. Expect to see lions, elephants, buffaloes, forest hogs, golden monkeys, woodland warblers, dusky crimsonwing, trogons, Rwenzori turacos, crested barbets, Rwenzori bati and many more. You will have one stopover for lunch, after which you will continue to the peak and you will enjoy the panoramic views from the summit, crater lakes, Rwenzori Mountains and also have picture taking moments. You will then descend back to the bottom, and head back to your lodging, refresh and have dinner. After dinner you will rest for the night.
Day 4: Transfer to Akagera
You will wake up to a beautiful breakfast, then checkout of your lodging and exit Volcanoes for Akagera national park which will take about 5-6hours with a lunch stop in Kigali city before you proceed for Akagera. As you move, you will enjoy a variety of scenic landscapes, showcasing the country’s natural beauty and diverse geography. However the terrain becomes flatter, transitioning from hilly terrain to the savannah and woodland typical of eastern Rwanda as you approach Akagera national park. You will get to Akagera in the early evening, check into your lodging and rest for the evening as you wait for dinner. Once dinner is sorted, you will retire for the night.
Day 5: Morning game drive and Boat cruise
You will wake up very early and head out for your game drive and you will see animals like zebras, elands, warthogs, impalas, elephants, rhinos, giraffes and birds like African fish eagles, egrets, cormorants, shoebill stocks, African darter, strange weaver, Rwenzori batis and many more which will take about 2-3hours. After which you can have breakfast then head back to your lodge. You will relax as you wait for lunch after which you will head out for an afternoon boat cruise at Lake Ihema and this will also take 2-3hours, during this time you will see animals like crocodiles, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and birds like the rare shoebill stork, jacanas, sandpipers, malachite kingfisher, hawks, herons and many more. Once done you will head back to the lodge and have dinner, then relax with by the fire and retire at will.
Day 6: Checkout and departure
You will checkout of your lodge, have breakfast and then plan for your exit from the national park. At 10:00am you will set off for Kigali which will take about 2-3hours, during this time you will enjoy the beautiful green scenery, rolling hills, locals for picture moments as you proceed to Kigali city where you will be dropped off at the agreed point by our driver guide which will mark the end of the 6 days Rwanda luxury safari.
