7 Day Best of Rwanda Wildlife and Gorilla Safari

After breakfast, meet your Kenzi Safaris driver-guide and begin your journey from Kigali to Akagera National Park.

Enjoy views of Rwanda’s rolling countryside as you travel towards the country's eastern region.

Arrive at your lodge around lunchtime, check in and enjoy lunch before your first wildlife experience.

Later in the afternoon, head out for a game drive in Akagera National Park.

Explore the park's savannah while looking for zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, elephants and other wildlife. Predators such as lions and leopards may also be encountered depending on their natural movements.

Return to your lodge later in the day for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, head back into Akagera National Park for a morning game drive.

Explore the park's mixture of open savannah, woodland, lakes and wetlands while searching for wildlife.

Akagera is home to elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, rhinos and several antelope species. Lions, leopards and other predators are also present within the park, although sightings depend on their natural movements.

Return to your lodge for lunch and some time to relax.

In the afternoon, head to Lake Ihema for a boat safari.

Cruise along the lake while looking for hippos and crocodiles around the water and shoreline. The lake and surrounding wetlands also provide excellent opportunities for bird watching.

Return to your lodge later in the day for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast, check out of your lodge and begin your journey towards Volcanoes National Park.

Travel via Kigali, where you can stop for lunch.

Depending on the day's schedule, you may also visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial or another selected Kigali attraction before continuing north.

Leave Kigali and travel towards the Virunga region, enjoying views of Rwanda's hills and countryside along the way.

Arrive at your lodge near Volcanoes National Park later in the day.

Check in and spend the evening relaxing as you prepare for your mountain gorilla trekking experience.

Today is one of the major highlights of your Rwanda safari — mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters at Kinigi.

Meet the ranger guides for a briefing about the trekking experience and the guidelines to follow while in the forest.

You will then be assigned a habituated gorilla family and begin your trek into the Virunga forest.

The trek can take several hours depending on the location of the gorillas, terrain and forest conditions.

Once the gorillas are located, spend the permitted viewing time quietly observing them in their natural habitat.

Watch them feed, groom, rest, play and interact while your ranger guide provides more information about their behaviour and family structure.

After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch and relaxation.

Depending on the time you finish trekking, you may visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund for another opportunity to learn about mountain gorilla conservation and research.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Gorilla Trekking Note

Gorilla trekking takes place through natural forest and mountainous terrain.

The duration and difficulty of the trek varies depending on the location of your assigned gorilla family.

A reasonable level of fitness is recommended, and local porters are available to carry backpacks and provide assistance along more challenging sections of the trail.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for your golden monkey trekking experience.

Meet the ranger guides for a briefing before entering the forest.

Trek through the bamboo vegetation on the lower slopes of the Virunga Mountains while searching for a habituated golden monkey troop.

Once the golden monkeys are located, spend the permitted viewing time watching these active primates as they feed, move through the bamboo and interact with one another.

After the trek, return to your lodge for lunch and freshen up before checking out.

Begin your journey towards Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Arrive later in the day, check in at your lodge and relax for the evening.

After an early breakfast, transfer to the designated starting point for your chimpanzee trekking experience in Nyungwe Forest.

Meet your ranger guides for a briefing before entering the rainforest.

Walk through the forest in search of a habituated chimpanzee community. The trek can vary in length depending on the location and movement of the chimpanzees.

Once located, spend the permitted viewing time observing the chimpanzees as they feed, communicate, groom and move through the forest.

After trekking, return for lunch and some time to relax.

Later, experience the Nyungwe Canopy Walk.

Walk along the suspended walkway above the forest and enjoy elevated views across the surrounding rainforest.

The experience also provides opportunities to look for birds, monkeys and other forest life.

Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, check out of your lodge and begin your journey back to Kigali.

Travel through southern Rwanda with cultural stops along the way.

Visit the Ethnographic Museum in Huye to learn more about Rwanda's history, traditions and cultural heritage.

Continue towards Nyanza, where you can visit the King's Palace and learn about Rwanda's traditional monarchy and royal history.

Enjoy lunch along the journey before continuing to Kigali.

Depending on your international flight schedule, your Kenzi Safaris driver-guide will transfer you to your hotel or Kigali International Airport for your departure flight.

For travellers flying out on the same day, a later international departure is recommended to allow enough time for the road journey and scheduled cultural visits.

This marks the end of your 7-Day Best of Rwanda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari.