10 Days Rwanda gorillas and Kenya big five safari
Our 10 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Kenya Big Five Safari takes you to the best safari destinations in Rwanda and Kenya, in Rwanda you will visit Nyungwe Forest National Park for chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk, Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking and Kigali City on which you will visit Kigali Genocide Memorial and Kandt House Museum.
In Kenya, you will visit Masai Mara National Reserve which is home to the Big Five and other predators.
Highlights of 10 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Kenya Big Five Safari
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and Kandt House Museum
Day 2: visit Kigali Genocide Memorial & Transfer to the Rwandan Cultural Heritage Corridor
Day 3: Visit the King’s Palace and Ethnographic Museum and transfer to Nyungwe National Park
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Bird watching
Day 5: Canopy walk and transfer to Lake Kivu
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Caving
Day 7: golden monkey trekking to Kigali and flight to Nairobi, Kenya
Day 8: Transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 9: Full Day Game Drive – Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 10: Departure
Detailed itinerary of 10 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Kenya Big Five Safari
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali and Kandt House Museum
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be received by our driver – guide and after a short briefing. You will be taken to your hotel in Kigali City. Based on the time of arrival, you will have a Kigali City tour visiting the Kandt House Museum – Richard Kandt was the first colonial governor of Rwanda on behalf of Germany until the early 1900s. The Kandt House Museum comprises three main parts, the first part presents Rwandan life in all its aspects social, economic and political before the colonial period. The second part traces the experience of the Rwandan people during the colonial period.
Following the Berlin Conference in 1884, the Germans ruled Rwanda until 1916 when the Belgians took over under the League of Nations Mandate after World War I.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Four Points by Sheraton Kigali
Meal Plan: Dinner
Day 2: visit Kigali Genocide Memorial & Transfer to the Rwandan Cultural Heritage Corridor
After breakfast at your hotel, you will depart for Kigali Genocide Memorial where you will honor the memory of more than one million Rwandans killed in 1994, the center has three permanent exhibitions and burial gardens which form part of a meaningful tribute to those who perished and provide a powerful education tool for visitors.
After lunch, you will depart for Rwanda for Rwanda Cultural Heritage Corridor in the Southern part of the country, reaching Huye former Butare in the Southern part of Rwanda, you will check in the hotel. Have a small town of Huye and then return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Hotel Mater Boni Consilii
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: Visit the King’s Palace and Ethnographic Museum and transfer to Nyungwe National Park
Wake up at sunrise, have breakfast and go for a visit to the Ethnographic Museum and King’s Palace in Nyanza, a reconstruction of the traditional royal residence. The King’s palace is a beautifully – crafted thatched dwelling shaped like a beehive. In olde times, Nyanza was the heart of Rwanda and according to oral tradition. It was the site of battles and power struggles.
After the visit, you will head to the Ethnographic Museum housing one of Africa’s finest ethnographic collections and is a good combination with the King’s Palace. Ethnographic Museum was a gift from Belgium’s King Badouin in the late 1980s, now it houses one of the Africa’s finest ethnographic collections, seven galleries that display historical, ethnographic, artistic and archaeological artefacts accompanied by visual aids giving visitors a rich insight into the Rwandan culture.
Later depart Nyanza for Nyungwe National Park, head to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and Bird watching
Wake up early, have breakfast and head to Nyungwe Forest for chimpanzee tracking, you will have briefing by our professional guide and enter into Nyungwe Forest – one of the oldest rainforests in Africa in search for chimpanzees.
Along the trek, you will have a chance to spot other primate species such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys and many birds such as handsome francolin, blue-headed and purple breasted sunbirds among others.
When you locate the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them while observing them play with each, pick fruits, groom each and take pictures among others.
Return to the lodge for lunch, later in the afternoon. You will go for bird watching in Nyungwe Forest, on this experience you will spot several bird species including red-collared babbler, handsome francolin, purple breasted sunbirds, grauer’s swamp warbler, Neumann’s warbler among others. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Canopy walk and transfer to Lake Kivu
Wake up early for breakfast and head to the park for a canopy walk which starts at 08:00 AM, canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park is the only canopy walk in East Africa and it is approximately 2 hours from the starting point at Uwinka Visitor Centre, this bridge adjourned between the huge trees 60m above the forest floor.
During the walk, you will enjoy sights of blue monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red – tailed monkeys and many birds.
After the canopy walk, you will return to the lodge for lunch, later depart for Lake Kivu. Along the drive of 3 hours, you will enjoy the beautiful scenery of Rwanda with several stopovers for photography. When you reach the lodge, you will check in for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 6: Gorilla Trekking and Caving
Have early breakfast and head to Volcanoes National Park for mountain gorilla trekking, you will join other trekkers at the park’s headquarters for briefing about gorilla trekking. An experienced ranger will take you through rules and regulations to follow during gorilla trekking, in groups of 8 people you will be assigned a gorilla family to trek. Head into the forests in search for mountain gorillas, the trek takes about 90 minutes to 6 hours depending on the movement of mountain gorillas.
When you locate the gorillas, you will spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas observing the gorillas and taking the most beautiful pictures and enjoy the breathtaking experience.
Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, you will head to the Northern Province for visit caves. The region has 52 caves with 15.2 kilometers of cave passage most of which are developed from Cenozoic Volcanic rock. The longest cave in Rwanda is called Ubuvumo Bwibihonga – a multi – level system of parallel lava tubes, Musanze Caves is 2 kilometers long and the most frequently visited.
In the evening, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: golden monkey trekking to Kigali and flight to Nairobi, Kenya
Day 8: Transfer to Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 9: Full Day Game Drive – Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 10: Departure
