This 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari will take you to Rwanda. Known as the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” the country offers a rare blend of raw wilderness, rich culture, and transformative wildlife encounters. This 7-day Best of Rwanda Safari, expertly curated to takes you through the highlights of the country, from the bustling capital of Kigali to the misty forests of Volcanoes National Park, the primate-packed jungles of Nyungwe, and the savannah plains of Akagera. It’s a seamless, in-depth journey through one of Africa’s most resilient and captivating nations.

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali for 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari

Your 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari begins the moment you step off the plane at Kigali International Airport, where a warm Rwandan welcome awaits. Our guide from Vibrant Holiday Safaris will be waiting to welcome you. After helping you with your luggage, your guide will offer a quick briefing about the week ahead, sharing your safari highlights, essential travel tips, and answering any questions you might have.

You’ll then be driven to your hotel through Kigali, Rwanda’s capital and beating heart. Clean, safe, and organized, Kigali often surprises first-time visitors with its modern infrastructure and scenic, green hills. The drive to your hotel gives you an immediate sense of Rwanda’s natural beauty and its remarkable progress. Depending on your arrival time, you may settle in for a rest at your hotel or jump straight into some light, meaningful activities.

Activities during the Kigali City Tour

Your first stop is the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a powerful and essential experience. This site commemorates the tragic events of 1994 and honors over a million lives lost. The memorial is not just a museum; it’s a place of reflection, education, and healing. Exhibits include photos, personal stories, and historical documentation that guide you through Rwanda’s painful past, showing the strength and resilience of its people in the years since. While the experience can be emotional, it lays an important foundation for understanding Rwanda’s present-day unity and spirit.

Afterward, take a more uplifting stroll through Kigali’s vibrant craft markets or artisan cooperatives, where you can browse colorful kitenge fabrics, handcrafted jewelry, woven baskets, and carved wood sculptures. Your guide will introduce you to the stories behind the crafts and the communities who create them. As the sun begins to set over the surrounding your guide will return you to your hotel for check-in and a restful night.

Location: Kigali

Accommodation Option

Luxury: Kigali Serena Hotel

Mid-Range: Hôtel des Mille Collines

Budget: Golden Touch Spa and Lodge

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Transfer from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park

After an early breakfast at your hotel, your guide will meet you to begin the scenic drive northwest toward Volcanoes National Park, located in the Musanze district near Rwanda’s border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The 2.5-hour drive is anything but dull. Rwanda’s iconic rolling hills, blanketed in tea and banana plantations unfolding before your eyes in a shifting landscape of green terraces, eucalyptus forests, and small villages where locals wave as you pass. Your guide enriches the ride with stories of Rwanda’s culture, ecology, and efforts to balance conservation with community development.

Upon arrival in Musanze, you check in to your lodge. After lunch and some time to rest, the afternoon features a visit to the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village. This community-based tourism initiative is not a staged performance it’s an authentic window into traditional Rwandan life. Former poachers have become conservation ambassadors here, sharing music, dance, storytelling, and crafts passed down through generations. You’re invited to take part, beat traditional drums, taste local banana beer, or don ceremonial robes in a joyful, mock coronation. It’s cultural exchange at its most genuine and spirited.

As the sun dips behind the volcanoes, return to your lodge for a hearty dinner and a briefing about the next day’s Gorilla trek. Your guide will help you prepare, explaining what to wear, how to behave near gorillas, and what to expect on the hike. Then it’s early to bed, tomorrow is the highlight of your Rwandan journey.

Location: Volcanoes National Park

Accommodation Option

Luxury: Sabinyo Silverback Lodge

Mid-Range: Le bamboo Gorilla lodge

Budget: Urugano Virunga Palace

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking

This day 3 of the 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari is the day. You’ll rise before sunrise, eat a nourishing breakfast, and make your way to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi for registration and group assignments. Here, you’ll be briefed by park rangers and assigned one of the twelve habituated mountain gorilla families. Your guide will help you ensure your group matches your fitness level and expectations. Once assigned, you’ll head to the trailhead, accompanied by trackers, armed rangers, and a local guide. The trek can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours depending on the gorillas’ location. You’ll traverse thick rainforest, climb steep muddy paths, and move through dense foliage but every step is worth it.

And then, suddenly, the moment arrives. You’re in the presence of wild mountain gorillas. A silverback may sit calmly in the clearing while juveniles wrestle nearby and mothers cradle infants with astonishing tenderness. It’s a humbling, emotional experience. For one magical hour, you observe them up close, eye to eye. The line between human and animal fades. After the visit, you’ll hike back down where your guide will greet you with refreshments and help you process the experience. You’ll receive a Gorilla Trekking Certificate, but more importantly, you’ll carry the memory of this encounter forever.

Spend the afternoon relaxing at the lodge. Many guests journal, sort through photos, or simply gaze at the volcanic peaks in quiet reflection. It’s a day that will stay with you for life.

Location: Volcanoes National Park

Accommodation Option

Luxury: Sabinyo Silverback Lodge

Mid-Range: Le bamboo Gorilla lodge

Budget: Urugano Virunga Palace

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Golden Monkeys & Transfer to Lake Kivu

This morning offers another wildlife encounter, an easier, faster-paced trek to see the endangered golden monkeys. These energetic primates live in large troops in the bamboo forests at lower altitudes. Their golden coats flash as they leap from branch to branch, and their playful antics make for a fun, light-hearted experience.

After the trek, return to the lodge to freshen up and check out. Then it’s off to Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s Great Lakes and a tranquil gem on Rwanda’s western edge. The 2-hour drive winds past plantations and lush hills before opening to expansive views of the lake.

Upon arrival, check in to your hotel. Spend the afternoon however you choose, sip coffee on the terrace, take a walk along the beach, swim in the calm waters, or join an optional sunset boat ride across the lake. The relaxed pace is a welcome contrast to the intense jungle treks.

Location: Lake Kivu

Accommodation Option

Luxury: Cleo Lake Kivu Hotel

Mid-Range: Gorilla Lake Kivu lodge

Budget: Kivu Hilltop View Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Lake Kivu to Nyungwe Forest – Into the Rainforest

Enjoy a slow breakfast with lakeside views before departing for Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of the oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests in Africa. The drive south hugs the lake for much of the way, offering sweeping views and photo stops along the way. You’ll pass vibrant roadside markets, dense banana groves, and endless rows of tea plantations.

Arrive at your lodge near Nyungwe in the afternoon. Depending on timing, you may enjoy a short nature walk, a visit to a nearby tea estate, or simply unwind and take in the serene forest atmosphere.

This lush rainforest is home to 13 primate species, including chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and L’Hoest’s monkeys. The elevation, misty canopy, and calls of unseen birds and primates create an atmosphere unlike anywhere else.

Location: Nyungwe Forest National Park

Accommodation Option

Luxury: One &Only Nyungwe lodge

Mid-Range: Nyungwe Top View Hill

Budget: La petite Colline House

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk

Wake up early on day 6 of the 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari and head into the forest for chimpanzee trekking. Though more elusive and mobile than gorillas, chimps are full of personality calling, shrieking, and crashing through the trees in fast-moving groups. Trackers help you follow their movement, giving you rare access to the lives of our closest living relatives in their natural habitat.

After a successful trek and a return to the lodge for lunch, the afternoon brings another highlight: the Nyungwe Canopy Walk. Suspended 70 meters above the forest floor, this metal walkway stretches across treetops and offers bird’s-eye views of the rainforest below. Keep an eye out for monkeys, butterflies, and rare birds. It’s a thrilling and educational finale to your forest adventure.

Location: Nyungwe Forest National Park

Accommodation Option

Luxury: One &Only Nyungwe lodge

Mid-Range: Nyungwe Top View Hill

Budget: La petite Colline House

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Return to Kigali

After breakfast on the final day of this 7 Days Best of Rwanda Safari , it’s time to begin the return drive to Kigali. The journey takes about 5-6 hours and offers one last opportunity to soak in Rwanda’s landscapes, lush valleys, red-roofed homes, roadside fruit stands, and endless hills.

Depending on your departure schedule, Vibrant Holiday Safaris can arrange for a stop at a local art gallery, cooperative, or market to pick up final souvenirs. Your guide will escort you to the airport for your flight or drop you at your hotel if you’re staying on.

As your safari comes to an end, you’ll leave with far more than photos, you’ll carry a deeper appreciation for Rwanda’s wildlife, culture, and enduring spirit.

Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch

Package Includes:

• Park Entrance fees
• Gorilla tracking permits
• Chimpanzee tracking permits
• 4*4 Land cruiser/ Safari Van
• English speaking guide
• Accommodation for 6 nights.
• Meals and bottled drinking water

Package excludes:

• Tips
• Visa fees
• Air tickets
• Shopping
• Optional activities