Experience
Nature Walks
Out of the vehicle, at walking pace
01What it is
Guided walking in Rwanda's parks and countryside, ranging from short interpretive loops to full-day trails.
A game drive shows you animals. A walk shows you the place they live in: the tracks in the dust, the termite mounds, the medicinal plants your guide's grandmother used, the birds that never wait for a vehicle.
Rwanda is well set up for it. Nyungwe has a proper trail network, Akagera runs guided walks with an armed ranger, and the hills around Musanze and Kivu are walkable in every direction.
- Where
- Nyungwe, Akagera, Musanze, Kivu
- Duration
- 1 hour to a full day
- Difficulty
- Moderate
02What to expect
- 01
A guide who reads the ground
Tracks, plants, calls and droppings — the things you would walk straight past.
- 02
A range of lengths
From an hour to a full day, matched to what you want from the walk.
- 03
Rangers in big-game areas
Walks in Akagera go with an armed ranger, which is standard practice.
- 04
Genuinely different pace
The point is not to cover ground.
03Best time
Year-round. Trails are firmer and safer in the drier months.
- JanJan: best
- FebFeb: best
- MarMar: shoulder season
- AprApr: shoulder season
- MayMay: shoulder season
- JunJun: best
- JulJul: best
- AugAug: best
- SepSep: best
- OctOct: shoulder season
- NovNov: shoulder season
- DecDec: best
04What to bring
- Boots or shoes with grip
- A light waterproof
- Water
- Insect repellent
- A hat
05Requirements
- Walks inside national parks are guided and booked through the park.
- Walking in big-game areas requires an armed ranger.
Permit costs, age limits and park regulations are set by the Rwanda Development Board and its partners and change from time to time. We confirm the current position with you in writing before anything is booked.
06Where it happens
Destinations for this
Western Province
Nyungwe National Park
A vast montane rainforest in Rwanda's southwest, holding thirteen primate species, a canopy walkway suspended above the trees, and waterfalls at the end of long forest trails.
2 to 3 nights
Eastern Province
Akagera National Park
Rolling acacia savannah, papyrus swamp and a chain of lakes along the Tanzanian border — the only place in Rwanda to see lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard.
2 to 3 nights
Western Province
Lake Kivu
One of the African Great Lakes, held between steep green hills on the Congolese border — islands, fishing boats, lakeside towns and the country's best place to stop moving.
2 nights
07Journeys that include it
Tours
7 days · 6 nights
7-Day Rwanda Discovery
Gorillas, rainforest and the lake in between
Kigali, the Virungas for gorillas, down the shore of Lake Kivu, and into Nyungwe for chimpanzees and the canopy walk.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
10 days · 9 nights
10-Day Rwanda Complete Experience
The whole country, at a pace that lets you enjoy it
Kigali, Akagera's savannah, the Virunga gorillas, Lake Kivu and Nyungwe's rainforest — every landscape Rwanda has, without a forced march.
ClassicModeratePrice on request
Walks in Akagera go with an armed ranger and follow set routes and protocols. It is safe when done that way, and it is not something to attempt independently.
Add it to your trip
Plan nature walks
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what you want to see. We will come back with an itinerary built around it, not a package pulled off a shelf.