01What to do
What you actually do in Rwanda
Fifteen ways to spend your days here, from an hour with a gorilla family to a morning at a coffee washing station. Each one says how hard it is, how long it takes and when it is best.
Gorilla Trekking
One hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family
The reason most people come to Rwanda: a guided climb into the Virunga forest to spend an hour with a wild mountain gorilla family.
Half to full dayChallenging
Wildlife Safari
Big Five game drives on Rwanda's eastern savannah
Open savannah, acacia woodland and a chain of lakes in Akagera — game drives for lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, giraffe and zebra.
Half day to multiple daysEasy
Chimpanzee Trekking
Following the calls through Nyungwe at dawn
An early start into one of Africa's oldest rainforests to track habituated chimpanzees, guided by their calls and by trackers who set out before you.
Half day, from a very early startChallenging
Canopy Walk
A suspension bridge level with the crowns of the trees
A walkway strung high above a forested ravine in Nyungwe, reached on the Igishigishigi trail — the clearest way to grasp the scale of the forest.
About 2 to 3 hoursModerate
Golden Monkey Trekking
Endangered monkeys crashing through the bamboo
A shorter, easier trek in the Virunga bamboo zone to find troops of endangered golden monkeys — fast, bright and far more animated than the gorillas.
Half dayModerate
Boat Safari
Hippo, crocodile and fish eagles at water level
A small boat on Lake Ihema in Akagera, among the hippo pods and basking crocodiles, with one of the densest concentrations of waterbirds in the region.
About 1 to 2 hoursEasy
Night Safari
The park after the gates would normally close
A guided drive after dark in Akagera, with a spotlight — hyena, bushbaby, civet, genet and occasionally leopard, none of which you would see by day.
About 2 hoursEasy
Bird Watching
Papyrus swamp, savannah and rainforest in one small country
Rwanda packs wetland, savannah and montane forest into a short drive, which makes for a very long bird list — including shoebill and dozens of Albertine Rift endemics.
Half day to a full itineraryEasy
Photography Tours
Built around light, not around a checklist
Itineraries paced for photographers — first and last light in the right places, vehicles you can shoot from properly, and guides who understand why you are waiting.
Tailored, typically 7 days or moreModerate
Nature Walks
Out of the vehicle, at walking pace
Guided walks in forest and savannah, from gentle hour-long loops to full-day hikes — the small things you miss entirely from a vehicle.
1 hour to a full dayModerate
Hiking & Volcano Climbs
Crater lakes, summits and the Congo Nile Trail
Bisoke's crater lake in a long day, Karisimbi over two, the hike to Dian Fossey's grave, and the long trail along Lake Kivu.
Half day to several daysStrenuous
Cultural Experiences
Time with people, not a performance staged for you
Community cooperatives, Intore dance, craft workshops and village visits arranged so the money stays where the visit happens.
2 hours to a full dayEasy
Lake Kivu Experiences
Islands, night fishermen and somewhere to swim
Boat trips to the islands, going out with the singing fishermen, kayaking the shoreline, and the rare pleasure of an African lake you can swim in.
2 hours to several daysEasy
Coffee Experiences
From the hillside to the cup, in one morning
Rwandan coffee is exceptional and mostly leaves the country. Washing-station visits and cuppings put you at the other end of the chain.
Half dayEasy
Kigali City Tours
The day that gives the rest of the trip its context
The Genocide Memorial, a walking tour of Nyamirambo, Kimironko market and the city's working art studios — treated as a destination, not a transit night.
Half to full dayEasy
Build your days
Pick the ones that matter to you
Tell us which of these you want and how long you have, and we will sequence them into an itinerary that works geographically.