The 11 Day Rwanda wildlife, Chimpanzee & Gorilla tours will take you to the most visited areas in Rwanda like the Kigali genocide memorials, Akagera wildlife, Nyungwe for chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk, relax at the shores of Lake Kivu and then to Volcanoes for the most amazing experiences like Iby’wacu cultural site for the Rwanda cultural dances arts, Rwanda gorilla trekking and the Dian Fossey trekking experience with Nature Adventure Africa Safaris Ltd, Rwanda & Uganda.
Day1: Kigali Arrival
Upon arrival at the Kigali International Airport, meet our driver/guides and after you will be transferred to the hotel for your overnight stay. Radisson Blu Hotel Kigali. Meal plan: (Breakfast)
Day2: Kigali – Akagera National Park (Sun Set Boat Cruise)
After breakfast, the driver guide will pick you from your hotel of residence, in the morning and embark on a 2-3hour drive to Akagera National Park near the border with Tanzania. There are beautiful sceneries you shall be exposed to along the way, we shall then check-in at Ruzizi Tented Camp and have a rest. After Lunch in the Afternoon, you will go for one of Africa’s most wonderful sun set boat cruise for photographic game viewing in Akagera national park looking for various wildlife species like crocodiles, hippos, elephants, Kobs, warthogs, water and bush bucks, giraffes, buffaloes among others along the shores of the Lake Ihema. While on this cruise also expect to spot variety of birds. Return for diner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge. Meal plan: (Lunch & Dinner)
Day3: Dawn Game drive & Boat Ride
After early cup of coffee proceed to a dawn game drive to catch up with early raisers and predators returning to their hideouts. The game drive will reward you with chances to see a variety elephants, buffaloes, lions, Masaai giraffe, gazelles, impala, baboons, oribi, Butchel’s zebra, topi, bush baby, leopard and bush buck among others. Return to the Lodge for Breakfast and relax to lunch time. Then after go for a Boat ride along Lake Ihema, here you will see hippos, huge Nile crocodiles and a rich bird life of about 525 bird species. Dinner and overnight at the Lodge as above, Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day4: Akagera National Park – Nyungwe Forest National Park
After breakfast, embark the safari vehicles and transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park through the scenic terraced hills and green covers of Rwanda. Lunch and after continue to Nyungwe Forest National Park, a home to the endangered chimpanzees and other primates like Red tailed monkey, White and black Colobus, Vervet monkeys in Africa. Dinner and overnight at Nyungwe Forest Lodge. Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day5: Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk
After breakfast, and then go for the Chimpanzee trekking and on this walk expect to spot more primates, birds and plants and then back to the lodge for lunch, relax and then spend the evening take amazing canopy walk into the forest and expect to spot birds, plants at the closer point. Dinner and overnight as above, Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day6: Nyungwe Forest National Park – Lake Kivu Beach Holiday
After breakfast, you embark the safari vehicle and drive to Lake Kivu with en-route stopovers for visiting the King’s Palace at Nyanza and Murambi Genocide Memorial Site, photography and lunch, reaching at the shores of Lake Kivu in the evening and you’re your dinner and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel. Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day7: Lake Kivu Holiday – Volcanoes National Park
Have breakfast and after take local boat cruise along the Lake Kivu visiting some of the fishing villages and on this cruise you will experience the undulating landscapes of thousand hills of Rwanda. Return to the lodge for lunch, after embark the safari jeeps and transfer to Volcanoes National Park, and check in at Five Volcanoes Hotel Boutique or Mountain Gorilla View Lodge. Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Note: Our company offers an initiative to arrange for the all the participants to visit the Gorilla Doctor Center to attend to the gorilla conservation lecture from the one of the Doctors of the organization. Therefore we take this speech to be very important to the conservationists, researchers and scholars of the new generations.
Day8: Rwanda Gorilla Trekking & Iby’wacu Cultural Village
After briefing from the senior park ranger you will commence your memorable gorilla trekking which normally takes 2 to 6 hours in the jungle. You will be allowed to stay in the presence of the gorillas for a maximum of 1 full hour. Later return to your Hotel for Relaxation. Evening visit to the Iby’wacu Cultural Village to experience the Rwanda cultural performances from once the gorilla hunters and now the Eco – warriors. Dinner and overnight as above, Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
The parking list for Rwanda Gorilla Trekking include the healthy documents, walkable shoes, rain gears, sun screen, insect repellent, hut, Yellow Fever Vaccination Card among others.
Day9: Golden Monkey Tracking – Relax at Lodge
Early morning breakfast, and thereafter go for the endangered golden monkey tracking into the Volcanoes National Park and after have your lunch at the lodge. Relax at the lodge or you can decide to take a walk with our guide around the nearby town experiencing the lifestyle of people in Rwanda. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay, Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day10: Dian Fossey Hike Experience
Have breakfast, after go visit Dian Fossey’s Grave – a famous researcher on Mountain gorillas for 20 years. Experience great scenery and close view of many sorts of primates on the trek to the Grave and this experience seems to take half or full day adventuring the centre depending on the participants wish. Return to lodge for dinner and overnight, Meal plan: (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Day11: Volcanoes National Park – Kigali City Tour – Departure
Have the morning breakfast and after drive back to Kigali with lunch en-route and later visiting some cultural and genocide sites, visit some craft shop villages like Caplaki craft village in Kigali, for souvenir’s shopping and after in the evening the guide will drop you to the airport for your return flight! End of services
The package includes:
Ground transportation
Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
Gorilla permits, $ 750 USD, each
Chimpanzee permits, $ 90 USD, each
Golden monkey permits $ 100 USD, each
Canopy walks, $ 60 USD, each
Trek to the Dian Fossey Centre $ 75 USD, each
Park entrances
Game drives
En-route luncheons
Mineral water
Boat rides at Lake Ihema in Akagera National Park
Boat rides at Lake Kivu
Full day English speaking guide fees
Visit to genocide memorials
Iby’wacu cultural performances
Excludes:
The air fares, Visa, porter fees while trekking the gorillas, laundry, expensive drinks, and other activities not mentioned in the itinerary.
What to wear/bring
Dress codes are informal. Daytime temperatures are generally warm, so bring lots of light clothing, supplemented by light sweaters for the cool evenings and heavier clothing for the higher altitudes especially volcanoes. When tracking gorillas layering your clothing is the best idea and we suggest: long sleeved shirts, cotton or gore tex trousers, strong walking shoes with ankle support, socks that you can tuck your trousers into, light gloves to protect your hands from thorns and nettles, a hat and sunglasses to provide protection against the sun and a waterproof jacket in neutral colors may come in handy in the moist mountains. Travel light and remember that soft-sided luggage is required. One medium sized duffel bag and one small day pack (carry-on) per person should be adequate. Laundry services are available at most accommodations. You should also pack some zip lock bags for spare clothing, cameras, binoculars and film. Please note that you are not allowed to use a flash when photographing Gorillas. It is a good idea to take along several different speeds of film (64 to 1000) as gorillas can be found in open sun or in the dark underbrush of the forest.