Rwanda can easily be visited as an add-on to any safari in East or southern Africa. The drive to Volcanoes National Park, home of the mountain gorillas, is only 2½ hours from the capital city of Kigali. This scenic country has a lot more to offer though. See below for the most popular route taking in the country’s main highlights.
The Wildlife Circuit (6 to 10 days)
After arriving at Kigali International Airport, you can spend the night in Kigali before starting the obvious loop around the country taking in Nyungwe National Park, Lake Kivu and Volcanoes National Park. Akagera National Park can be visited as a separate side trip from Kigali (the drive takes 2½ hours).
Destinations:
- Kigali (1 to 2 days) is one of Africa’s cleanest and safest cities. A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is highly recommended.
- Nyungwe National Park (2 to 4 days) is a high-altitude rainforest offering chimpanzee trekking, forest hikes and a thrilling canopy walk
- Lake Kivu (1 to 3 days) is a scenic lake located in East Africa’s Rift Valley
- Volcanoes National Park (2 to 4 days) is the place to track the endangered mountain gorillas. Other activities include a hike to Dian Fossey’s grave and golden monkey tracking.
Popular add-ons:
- Akagera National Park (2 to 4 days) is a scenic Big Five reserve offering boat trips and night drives as well as regular game drives