RWANDA BIG FIVE SAFARI

7 days—Like a handful of other African parks, Rwanda's Akagera National Park is an interestingly home to Africa's endemic BIG FIVE beasts

$3986-4200 USD

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Safari summary

This 7-day ultimate Rwanda Safari takes you to Akagera National Park, where you will visit and spot various BIG FIVE wildlife species –enjoy the spectacular views on a boat cruise along Lake Ihema. Visit the Volcanoes National Park for Golden Monkey, Mountain Gorilla trekking. Thereafter, visit Nyungwe National park, a home to 13 primate species such as Chimpanzees, endangered Golden monkeys, Blue Monkeys, colobus, red-tailed monkeys and grey checked mangabeys. There are also about 300 bird species and a variety of habitats including montane forests, bamboos, grasslands, and swamps, alongside memorable canopy walk.

About this tour

	Tour type	Custom, tailor-made, private
	Main focus	Primate trekking
	Activity level	Moderate activity
	Best months	January, February, June, July, August, November, December
	Countries	Rwanda
	Parks	Akagera Nyungwe Forest Volcanoes

Itinerary

Day 1

Akagera

Day 1 – Arrival at Kigali International Airport – Transfer to Akagera National Park Upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport, our safari guide will be waiting for you. You will be welcomed by our guide and then transfer you to Akagera National Park, a home to various wildlife species such as; elephants, buffaloes, zebras among others. Stay overnight at your choice of accommodation –that is Akagera Game Lodge/Ruzizi Tented Camp. Meal Plan: H/B.

Day 2

Day 2 –Game Drive & Boat Cruise Rise for an early morning breakfast, thereafter go to the early morning game drive searching for some of the big 5 of Africa which includes the lions, buffaloes, elephants, leopards and other wildlife species like the warthogs, antelopes, water and bushbucks, Kob, topi. This experience takes 3-4 hours and after return to lodge for lunch, and then in the afternoon drive to the starting point of the boat ride along the lake Ihema and on this cruise expect to spot wildlife and birds and they provide stunning photographs. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: F/B

Day 3

Virunga | Volcanoes

Day 3 – Transfer to Volcanoes National Park Have breakfast and after embarking the safari vehicle and transfer to volcanoes national park via Kigali with lunch en-route and then dinner and overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge/Virunga Safari Lodge/La Plame Lodge. The journey is on good roads and you will quickly see why Rwanda is known as the Land of 1000 Hills. Winding roads leave up steep hills through Kigali. Look down below you and you will see agricultural Rwanda, a land of densely cultivated paddy fields and animals grazing. You will drive through Ruhengeri, with its stunning backdrop of five volcanic mountains – the Virungas – arriving for dinner and overnight at your lodge. This place is best known as being the home of Rwanda’s mountain gorillas. Meal plan: F/B

Day 4

Day 4 –Gorilla Trekking Safari + Dian Fossey Center Visit. Rise up very early in the morning and have breakfast and thereafter proceed to volcanoes national park, and head straight to the park offices for the briefing about the gorillas and allocation of gorilla groups and guides. Thereafter get into the tropical rainforest and search for the mountain gorillas starting from where they were the previous day until you find them. You will find them doing their daily chores of feeding their young ones, climbing trees and others just relaxing. Take your best photographs having switched off your flash. This whole exercise takes a maximum of 1 hour and then returns to the park offices for your gorilla tracking certificate. Return to the hotel for lunch and some relaxation. Then in the evening visit the Dian Fossey center and from here experience the conservation effort she did to save these endangered mountain gorillas in the mist and it was due to these gorillas that she lost her life and she was buried in this forest! Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: F/B.

Day 5

Nyungwe Forest | Volcanoes

Day 5 – Transfer from Volcanoes National Park to Nyungwe Forest National Park Have breakfast at the sunrise and thereafter embark the safari vehicle and transfer to Nyungwe forest, a 4 -5 hours drive and on your way to this forest have your lunch en-route, visit some genocide memorials, then upon your arrival check in at Nyungwe forest lodge/Nyungwe top hill lodge/Gisakura guest house for dinner and overnight to prepare for the morning activity. Meal plan: F/B

Day 6

Day 6 –Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk Rise for an early morning breakfast before you head to the park headquarters for the briefing about the dos and don'ts of Chimpanzee trekking adventures. We will then drive for an hour to the start of the trails and after enter the jungle to search for the primates, which can last for 3-4 hours. While on this trail, expect to spot other primates like the white and black colobus monkeys, Vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and the mangabeys, and various species of birds. Once found spend one hour with them and return to the lodge for lunch and then in the evening take the canopy walk looking for other primates and bird species in the clear green canopy cover. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight as mentioned above. Meal Plan: F/B.

Day 7

Nyungwe Forest

Day 7: Nyungwe Forest to Kigali After Morning Breakfast at the lodge, you will transfer back to Kigali with lunch en-route & in case you arrive in time in Kigali, you will go for shopping and later be dropped at the airport for your return flight back home. Meal Plan: H/B.

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