$6,105 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateArrival
Arrival
Day 1
Arrival at International Airport
Arrival at International Airport
- Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed by Attractive Safaris. He will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall with a sign marked “Attractive Safaris.” He will take you to your accommodation where he will present you the program of your trip.
- Transfer to your hotel
- Accommodation: Five to Five (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: (dinner at your charge).
- Main Destination:
- Kigali
- Accommodation:
- Five to Five Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
- Early in the morning after breakfast, drive to Ruhengeri (Muzanze). On the way, enjoy the attractive, green landscape of the
thousand hills.
- Continue by car on the Gakenge-Gifurwe-Burera-Musanze road to admire the spectacular terraces on the hills and
the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo.
- Lunch at Ruhondo Beach Resort.
- Then continue on to Musanze
- Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast & dinner (lunch at your charge)
- Drinks: mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Ruhengeri (City)
- Accommodation:
- Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Mountain gorilla trekking (as an option)
Mountain gorilla trekking (as an option)
- Early morning breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Meet at Kinigi National Park office for a briefing at 7:30. With the help of a park guide and trackers, in groups of up to 8 people, you will set off in search of mountain gorillas. Tracking them can take between 2 and 6 hours. Once the group of gorillas has been located and approached with the help of the trackers, you will be able to observe them for one hour, no more, from a distance of no more than 5 meters, so as not to disturb them.
- Optional activities: for those who can’t afford gorilla tracking (1500$), we propose the following activities:Dian Fossey tomb trail (75$) or Golden monkey trekking (100$).
- Lunch at your Hotel
- Afternoon: Visit the Iby'iwacu cultural village and marvel at Rwandan folk dances. A very moving experience of Rwandan tradition, culture, customs, and traditions.
- Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Full board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
- Drinks: Mineral water.
- Main Destination:
- Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge
Wildlife in Volcanoes NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Climbing Mt Bisoke
Climbing Mt Bisoke
- Meet at the National Park to meet the team that will take you to the summit of Mt. Bisoke (3,711 m), one of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga chain. Accompanied by a National Park guide, you will gradually climb through the different vegetation zones, from bamboo to equatorial forest, to heather and giant ragwort.
- Picnic Lunch (packed food from hotel)
- Walking time (ascent and descent): 6 hours.
Optional activity: we propose Golden monkey hike ($100/p) for those who can’t hike Bisoke
- Golden monkeys are only found in the Volcanoes National Park conservation area. Two clans have become accustomed to human presence. You will be able to observe the golden monkeys up close in their natural habitat.
- Meal in the town of Musanze
- Then continue to Gisenyi to spend the night on the shores of Lake Kivu
- Accommodation: Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast & Lunch (Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water.
- Main Destination:
- Mount Bisoke (Virunga Mountains)
- Accommodation:
- Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Relaxing day on the beaches of Lake Kivu
Relaxing day on the beaches of Lake Kivu
- Morning: Relax on the red sand beaches: swimming, kayaking, etc. in this idyllic, paradise-like setting on Lake Kivu, massage at Nyamyumba hot springs,...
- Lunch in one of the restaurants in the town of Gisenyi on the shores of Lake Kivu.
- Afternoon: Tour of the beautiful city of Gisenyi and visit to the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo; then your entertainment.
- Accommodation:Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Lake Kivu
- Accommodation:
- Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail
Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail
- After an early breakfast, bike from Gisenyi to Kimbiri – 26 km – the journey takes 3 to 4 hours. This bike ride includes the steepest climb. This bike ride will take you along the highly sought-after Congo-Nile trail, which runs partly along Lake Kivu with beautiful views of the lake.
- Experience the coffee tour from seed to cup, including a visit to the plantations, sorting, drying, and finally roasting.
- Picnic lunch in Kimbiri, enjoy a cup of coffee with a natural aroma.
- In the afternoon, meet the "Indangamuco" Association: Here you will experience traditional medicine and discover the different herbs used for different types of illnesses, as well as traditional Rwandan dances.
- Return by car for the night to Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort (3-star hotel) or similar
- Accommodation: Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Congo Nile Trail
- Accommodation:
- Paradis Kivu Luxury Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail ( next)
Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail ( next)
- From Kimbiri to Kinunu - 15 km and takes about 2 to 3 hours. This bike ride will take you through beautiful landscapes and villages where locals go about their daily lives. On the way, stop at the Rugamba Center to meet the "Twitezimbere" Beekeepers Association: There, you will learn how to make different types of traditional beehives from wood, cow dung, and other materials, take local beehives to the apiary, and collect fresh honey that you can taste.
- Then continue your bike ride for lunch at Kinunu Guesthouse.
- Afternoon: Relax at Kinunu on the shores of Lake Kivu, where you will enjoy the “coffee experience,” from planting to cup, including a tour of the plantations, sorting, drying, and finally roasting.
- Accommodation: Rushel Kivu Lodge (3-star hotel)
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Kinunu (Village)
- Accommodation:
- Rushel Kivu Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail (end)
Cycling on the Congo Nile Trail (end)
- From Kinunu to Bumba (Congo-Nile Divide) - 29 km, a 5-6 hour journey.
- After breakfast, continue your bike ride on the Congo Nile Trail along Lake Kivu to the center called Bumba “Congo Nile Divide,” passing through the village of Musasa (15 km) where you will stop for lunch. Then continue your bike ride, marveling at the sumptuous view of the mountains, valleys, and Lake Kivu with its various islands. You will cross the Koko River, which flows into the lake, and then drive up to the watershed between the Nile and Congo rivers at 2,300 m, overlooking Lake Kivu. On a clear day, the view stretches all the way to the volcanoes...
- On the way, visit the “INGE BAHO” cooperative, and enjoy a memorable experience by participating in wood carving, weaving, and knitting.
- Continue by car to the seaside town of Kibuye (Karongi).
- Accommodation: Moriah Hill Resort (3-star hotel) or similar.
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Congo Nile Trail
- Accommodation:
- Moriah Hill Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9
Boat trip on Lake Kivu
Boat trip on Lake Kivu
- After breakfast, go and admire the crystal clear waters of Lake Kivu, discover the beauty of the small bay and the surrounding islands by boat: Amahoro Island, Napoleon Island, Monkey Island, etc.
- Afternoon: Relax in the charming seaside town of Kibuye or swim at the hotel.
- Accommodation: Moriah Hill Resort (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Lake Kivu
- Accommodation:
- Moriah Hill Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 10
Kibuye-Nyungwe
Kibuye-Nyungwe
- After breakfast, drive to Nyungwe National Park. On the way, take a few walks to get in touch with the local people and their daily live.
- Then transfer to Nyungwe via Nyamasheke. Along the way, admire the tea plantations, rich biodiversity, and
spectacular beauty of the Nyungwe rainforest, one of the oldest tropical forests in Africa.
- Accommodation: Munazi Eco Lodge (3-star hotel) or similar.
- Meal plan: Full board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
- Drinks: Mineral water, coffee, or tea.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
-
Munazi Lodge
Wildlife in Nyungwe NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 11
Chimpanzee Trek & Canopy Walk Adventure
Chimpanzee Trek & Canopy Walk Adventure
- Early in the morning, meet at the park office for a briefing and assignment of a professional guide to accompany you on your chimpanzee tour. The search for chimpanzees may take a few hours or several hours before you find a group, but you will likely see many other groups of monkeys along the way, such as Angolan colobus monkeys or blue monkeys.
- Lunch at the Uwinka Reception Center.
- After lunch canopy walk adventure (with Zipline as optional :+$100/person). The canopy walkway offers an
exhilarating perspective of treetops and wildlife.
- In the afternoon, return to the hotel.
- Accommodation: Munazi Eco Lodge (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Full board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
- Drinks: Mineral water, coffee, or tea.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Munazi Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 12
Guided hike in Nyungwe Forest
Guided hike in Nyungwe Forest
- Spend a 2nd day on a guided 4-5 hour walk on one or more of Nyungwe's trails.
- After breakfast, enjoy the adventure on the aerial walkway in Nyungwe Forest. The canopy walkway offers an exhilarating perspective on the treetops and wildlife.
- Then, go on a 3-4 hour guided walk on one or more of Nyungwe's trails. Nyungwe Forest has over 200 different types of trees and birds, and a myriad of flowering plants including the otherworldly giant lobelia and a host of colorful orchids. A vast, well-maintained network of walking trails leads through Nyungwe Forest to various viewpoints, including Kamiranzovu Falls. Bring your binoculars.
- Lunch during the visit
- Next, head to the Gisakura guided tea experience: Farmers offer tea cultivation experiences, from sowing seeds to collection and delivering tea leaves to the factory.
- Accommodation: Emeraude Kivu Resort (3-star hotel) or similar.
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Emeraude Kivu Resort
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 13
Getting in touch with Rwandan history and culture
Getting in touch with Rwandan history and culture
- After an early breakfast, drive to visit the Butare Museum (Huye). The Huye National Museum is renowned as the best ethnographic museum in East Africa.
- Lunch in the town of Butare.
- Then visit the Nyanza Royal Palace and the Museum of Arts. Nyanza was the seat of the ancient Kingdom of Rwanda before the arrival of Europeans.
- Return to Kigali.
- Accommodation: Five to Five Hotel (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Butare (City)
- Accommodation:
- Five to Five Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 14
Transfer to Akagera National Park
Transfer to Akagera National Park
- Today, around 9:00 AM, your professional driver guide will pick you up at your hotel to proceed to Akagera National Park (around 3 hours of transfer).
- Lunch at Imigongo Art Center or Akagera Transit Lodge
- Upon arrival, you will check in at Akagera Game Lodge, and then relax by the pool. Afterward, go on a boat trip from 3:00 to 4:00 pm on Lake Ihema to discover the aquatic wildlife (hippos, crocodiles, birds...).
- Accommodation: Mantis Akagera Game Lodge (4-star hotel) or similar.
- Meal plan: Half board (Breakfast & Dinner), Lunch at your charge
- Drinks: Mineral water & soft drinks.
- Main Destination:
- Akagera National Park
- Accommodation:
- Mantis Akagera Game Lodge
Wildlife in Akagera NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 15
Full day Akagera game drive
Full day Akagera game drive
Spotting the Big Five and other wild animals
After an early morning breakfast at 7:00 am your professional driver guide will take you for a full day wildlife game drive (around 7 hours) in Akagera National Park from south to north for variety animals discovering: Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo), giraffes, zebras, antelopes, impalas, secret oribas and bushbous, as well as ungainly tsessebe and the largest antelope in the world, Cepeeland statuesque…)
The park also boasts almost 500 species of birds including the spectacular shoebill with its implausibly massive bill and the near-endemic red-faced barbet.
Lunch at Mihindi Café and picnic area inside the Park:
Thereafter driver back to Kigali.
- Accommodation: Five to Five (3-star hotel) or similar
- Meal plan: Breakfast (Lunch & Dinner at your charge)
- Drinks: Mineral water during travel.
- Main Destination:
- Akagera National Park
- Accommodation:
- Five to Five Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 16
Relaxing in the city of Kigali
Relaxing in the city of Kigali
- After breakfast, visit the Kigali genocide memorial, dedicated to Unesco heritage in 2023, will take you back to the barbarity of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, which decimated the country and left around a million dead.
- Then free time to visit Kigali: Kimironko market, the busiest market in town and other art shops of the city to buy souvenirs.
- Transfer to the airport at 5:00 p.m.
- Meal plan: breakfast and lunch
- Drinks: mineral water or other local drinks
End of the Safari.
- Main Destination:
- Kigali
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
