9 DAYS RWANDA CULTURE AND GORILLA SAFARI
This 9 days Rwanda culture and gorilla safari offers you the authentic Rwanda culture and heritage experience, an encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas in the jungle and wildlife experience.
This safari takes you on a tour to the best safari destinations in Rwanda that is Volcanoes National Park – home to mountain gorillas, wildlife including the Big Five (lions, leopards, buffaloes, rhinos and elephants) in Rwanda’s only savannah park – Akagera National Park. You will also experience the Rwanda culture through engaging in various activities and enjoy scenic views of the beautiful Rwandan landscape – the land of a thousand hills.
Safari Highlights
Game drive
Cultural and community experiences
Boat ride
Gorilla tracking
Photography moments
Brief Itinerary of 9 Days Rwanda Culture and gorilla safari
Day 1: Arrival
Day 2: Kigali City Tour
Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park
Day 4: Game drive and boat safari
Day 5: Visit a homestead for a Rwandan cultural experience
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 7: gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 8: Gorilla Guardians Village
Day 9: End of the safari
Detailed Itinerary of 9 Days Rwanda Culture and gorilla safari
Day 1: Arrival
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be picked up by our safari driver-guide and transfer you to your hotel in Kigali City. Spend the rest of the day resting, later have dinner.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Four Points by Sheraton Kigali
Midrange: Hotel des Mille Collines
Budget: Urban by City Blue
Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2: Kigali City Tour
After breakfast, you will head to the Genocide reconciliation village situated out of Kigali City. In the village you will hear the stories of genocide survivors as live alongside the perpetrators and give you a deeper insight into the horrific massive killing. You will also visit the Kigali genocide memorial, Kant Museum and shop for art and crafts.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Four Points by Sheraton Kigali
Midrange: Hotel des Mille Collines
Budget: Urban by City Blue
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park and boat safari
After breakfast, you will go for a morning Kigali City tour visiting the site you might have missed on the previous day, later start on the journey to Akagera National Park located in eastern Rwanda with stopovers for photography and washrooms.
Arrive in the park in time for lunch, later head to Lake Ihema for a boat safari in search for crocodiles, hippos, several water birds and elephants and buffaloes near the shores of the Lake. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: Dereva Hotel
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Full Day Game drive
After breakfast, you will head to the northern part of the park for a whole day game drive. The game drive is done on several trails running through the park, lookout for some of the large mammals in the area such as Elephants, Giraffes, Zebras, Buffaloes, Impalas, Waterbucks, the elusive Leopard, Rhinos and the re-introduced lions among others.
You will take the shore track which has a higher concentration of animals thriving in the northern plains.
At lunch, you will return to the lodge for your meals and short rest. Return to the park for another game drive till sunset. Head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Midrange: Akagera Game Lodge
Budget: Dereva Hotel
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Visit a homestead for a Rwandan cultural experience
After breakfast, you will go for a visit to a homestead of cattle keeper and engage in various activities, you will start with milking cows done with bare hands as opposed to using machines. The herdsman will guide you on how to soothe the cow and milk it, after this mind – opening experience, you will set the cows for the days grazing. You will also have lessons on how milk is converted traditionally into different products like ghee and yoghurt.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
After breakfast, you will checkout of your lodge and embark on a journey to Volcanoes National Park located in northern Rwanda about 2 hours 30 minutes’ drive from Kigali, along the way you will have several stopovers for photography as you travel north to volcanoes.
Arrive in the park in evening, check – into your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Midrange: Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge
Budget: Hotel Muhabura
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Have early breakfast and transfer to the park’s headquarters in Kinigi for briefing, a ranger guide taking you through the rules and regulations to follow, be assigned a gorilla family to trek and head to the starting point.
A ranger guide and armed rangers will head you into the forests of Volcanoes looking for mountain gorillas on a trek that takes about 2 -5 hours or more, when you locate the gorillas, you will spend 1 hour in their presence watching them go on with their daily life grooming each other, babies playing on tree branches among others.
After this life changing experience, you head to the park’s headquarters to pick your gorilla certificates then return to the lodge for relaxation for the rest of the day. Have dinner and stay overnight.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Midrange: Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge
Budget: Hotel Muhabura
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Gorilla Guardians Village
After breakfast, you will head to the Gorilla Guardians Village formerly known as Iby’iwancu Cultural Village, you will spend a full day learning about how the Rwandan people lived in their community traditionally. The climax of the experience is watching the crowing of the King and Queen, be entertained by local dances and drama, taste some of the local cuisines and learn how make traditional beer and taste it.
Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
Luxury: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Midrange: Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge
Budget: Hotel Muhabura
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: End of the Safari
After breakfast, you will check out of your lodge and drive back to Kigali City where you will be dropped off at the airport for tour international flight home or at the hotel.
End of the Safari
