8 Days Best of Rwanda

This Vibrant Holiday Safaris 8 Days Rwanda Wildlife safari package is one of the perfect wildlife safari packages that will take you to all the major three National parks of Rwanda with Lake Kivu inclusive. Our 8 Days Rwanda Wildlife safari package will start from Akagera National Park and then end with the gorilla tracking experience in Volcanoes National Park. You will enjoy different sceneries of the Rwanda countryside as you drive on the Rwanda winding roads. The Rwandan national park features a buffet of mountains, forested areas, and savannah grassland that offers the chance to see and experience different species of animals and a variety of vegetation habitats. Expect to take part in the game drives, gorilla trekking, and the cultural encounter since these are some of the special highlights of our 8 Days Rwanda Wildlife safari package

Safari expectations

Game watching in Akagera National Park
Boat cruise on lake ihema or the Lake Kivu
Gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest park
Good photo moments
Canopy walks in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Exploring the Lake Kivu

Detailed safari itinerary

Day 1: Start your 8 Days Rwanda Wildlife safari package with a Kigali city tour

Today is the welcome day to Rwanda, the land of thousand hills. Meet our Vibrant Holiday Safaris guide at Kigali International Airport who will drive you to your hotel in Kigali or if you have arrived early enough, you will now go for the short Kigali city tour where you will visit different sites in the city such as the local crafts markets in Kigali, the Kigali genocide memorial center as well as the Kadt National Museum. However, the city tour is optional as you may decide to go to your hotel to have a rest as you prepare for your morning journey to Akagera National Park.

Accommodation; Okapi Hotel Kigali (Mid-range). Meal Plan; Half board

Day 2: From Kigali to Akagera National Park

Today early in the morning, you will leave the city from your lodge to Akagera National Park. The drive from Kigali will take you about 2 hours and 30 minutes and you will reach Akagera national park for the day’s main activity in the park game drives. Since this is the only savannah national park in Rwanda, you will get a chance to enjoy amazing animals grazing in the savannah grassland and these will include zebras, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and buffaloes as you make a stopover when you come close to them for photos as you listen to your safari driver narratives about such animal species that you are watching. You will spend about four hours doing the game drive and the hours could either be less or more depending on how interesting the park is to you. After the game drive, you will drive to Akagera game lodge where you will enjoy the lunch prepared for you by the lodge or have a picnic lunch in the wild provided you have come with packed lunch to the park from Kigali. After lunch, you will take a boat cruise at Lake Ihema where you will spot the aquatic animals such as the crocodiles and the other animals coming to drink water at the lake

Accommodation; Akagera game Lodge (Mid-range). Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3: Transfer from Akagera to Nyungwe Forest National Park

Early in the morning together with your safari driver guide, you will leave for Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe Forest National Park is found in the southwestern part of Rwanda and the drive from Akagera to Nyungwe Forest National Park will take you about 7 hours with an adventure stopover at Huye for lunch and you can visit Rwanda’s ethnographic museum here in the town before reaching to Nyungwe forest National Park in the evening for dinner and a night stay at you booked Lodge.

Accommodation: Nyungwe top view Lodge (Midrange). Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Early morning Chimpanzee tracking and evening Canopy Walk

Nyungwe forest national park in South Western Rwanda is known for being the home to chimpanzees. Tracking chimpanzees in this park means that visitors will hike deep into the forest to search for the chimpanzees and enjoy the nature-related attractions found within the Forest. This experience begins early in the morning and you will leave your lodge in the morning with a packed breakfast or snacks unless you can wake up early to have breakfast at the lodge. But you’re expected to be at the briefing place as early as 5.30 am in the morning where you will be able to get information about the chimpanzee trekking and how best you will be able to track the chimpanzees successfully in the Nyungwe Forest. Nyungwe Forest National Park boasts over 13 species of primates with chimpanzees as the major ones and others include the vervet monkeys, and mangabey among others. There are two trails for chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest National Park and these include Cyamudomgo chimpanzee trekking sector trail and the Uwika trailhead and therefore the guide from the park will lead you to one of these trail heads.

After chimpanzee trekking which will last for about 6 hours depending on how far you have allocated them, you will return to the lodge and have lunch before your being transferred to Uwinka to start the wonderful activity of canopy walk before returning to the lodge

Accommodation: Nyungwe top view Lodge (Midrange). Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: From Nyungwe Forest to Volcanoes National Park

After having the hectic experience of Nyungwe forest yesterday, today morning we embark on our safari journey to volcanoes national park for our very important activity of gorilla trekking. Here we shall depart Nyungwe forest after having our relaxed breakfast as we enjoy the scenic views of the famous Lake Kivu as we are driving in well made roads winding through hills which are stunning to watch. This journey from Nyungwe Forest National Park to Volcanoes National Park will take us about 6 hours before we check into our booked lodge

Accommodation: Le bamboo Gorilla Lodge (Midrange) Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Day 6: Trekking Gorillas in the dense forest of Volcanoes National Park

Today in the morning, you will have your lunch early and now the safari guide driver will be outside your hotel lodge in the car waiting to transfer you to the gorilla trekking briefing point usually at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters. The briefing gives you an insight into how you should handle yourself while in the forest searching for the gorillas. As you’re at the headquarters waiting to be briefed, you will be enjoying the Rwandese traditional dance produced by the local Rwandese nationals as you enjoy a cup of coffee warming for your gorilla trekking journey to the volcano’s deep forests. Later, after being briefed about the way how you will handle yourself while in the park searching for the gorillas, with one of the park rangers, you will be divided into groups of 8 to start the experience. Gorilla trekking in volcanoes is a bit strenuous and thus you need to be physically fit. However, you may see the gorilla family you’re searching for a few minutes after you have started the journey. Some visitors going to track a certain gorilla family will have to first drive a few meters to the starting point before they start the actual activity of gorilla tracking. A porter may be helpful in giving you a hand especially when gorillas nested far away from the starting point Volcanoes gorillas before returning to your booked Lodge. Here you can decide to visit the Musanze cave or hike the Diane Fossey grave or you can decide to spend your leisure time as you enjoy the stunning views of the Twin lakes before returning to your booked lodge for a night’s Stay.

Accommodation: Le bamboo Gorilla Lodge (Midrange) Meals: Lunch & Dinner

Day 7: Explore the shores of Lake Kivu

Yes, today as you are still excited about yesterday’s mountain gorilla trekking experience, we are aware of the fatigue for this good Rwanda safari, and therefore, in the morning we have to depart to Gisenyi to chill and explore the shores of Lake Kivu for leisure and adventure activities as you make around up of how Rwanda has been fantastic. While at Lake Kivu, there are various activities that you can engage in including walking to the hot spring, taking a boat ride on the lake to explore the island of the lake as well as kayaking on the lake without forgetting to explore the border of Rwanda and the democratic republic of Congo and mostly spend some good time relaxing on the lake enjoy the fishermen and beautiful sceneries. Remember that within only 1 hour from Volcanoes National Park to Lake Kivu.

Accommodation: Inzonzi Lodge (Midrange). Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: End of your 8 Days Rwanda Wildlife safari package

Your last day of the Rwanda wildlife safari package will begin with a relaxed breakfast in the morning prepared by your lodge after, you will check out of your lodge and your safari driver will drop you at the Kigali Airport for your back home flight and by this, we know that you have had a wonderful wildlife experience in Rwanda. Thank you for traveling with Vibrant Holiday Safaris

What is included in our safari?

The bottled mineral water for the whole trip within the safari vehicle
Gorilla trekking permit
Chimpanzee trekking permit
Game drives
Cultural experience
We provide the English -speaking guides however our guides are multilingual
Also our safari tour includes transportation within Rwanda
We provide as well accommodation for the 7 nights
Enroute meals
Full board meal plan
Any other activity that has been mentioned in the itinerary

What is excluded from our safari tour?

These are the items that are not part of this safari tour and these include

Personal Insurance
Souvenirs
International travel tickets
Entry Visas
All items of personal nature such as tipping and laundry etc.
Extras at the lodge

8 Days Best of Rwanda

Tips for Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda

We are pleased to inform you of these few tips as you book this safari

You are informed that Mountain gorilla tracking activity is somehow physically demanding activity and thus you need to take much water and where possible exercise before the activity to gain basic fitness.
Know that drinking, smoking, and eating when you near gorillas is prohibited
It good to come for this safari with hiking shoes or boots
Carry your cameras in the jungle but you should turn off your flashlight
Porters are ever ready and you can pick one by hiring him or her to assist you while walking into the forest
It is ideal that you put on long trousers and long-sleeved sweaters or shirts while in the forest to avoid insects coming close to you
Gardening gloves are helpful and protect your body from being scratched by plants or tree branches.
You also need to have paid your Rwandan gorilla trekking permit at $1500 per person per day.

8 Days Best of Rwanda