5 days / 4 nights
5-Day Rwanda Wildlife Adventure
Big Five savannah and mountain gorillas in one week
- Duration
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Destinations
- 3 places
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- From
- Price on request
01Overview
Rwanda's two great wildlife experiences sit at opposite corners of the country and could not be less alike: open savannah with lion and rhino in the east, montane rainforest with gorillas in the north.
Five days is enough to do both properly, with two full days in Akagera including a boat safari and a night drive, and a night either side of the gorilla trek.
This is the most popular shape of Rwandan trip, and with good reason.
Highlights
- Two full days of game drives in Akagera
- Boat safari among the hippos on Lake Ihema
- A guided night drive, rare in the region
- One hour with a mountain gorilla family
02Day by day
The itinerary
Every day, in order, with what is included. Open a day to see the detail.
Day 01
About 2.5 hours driving
Kigali to Akagera
Arrival, the memorial, and east to the savannah in time for an afternoon drive.
- Meals
- Breakfast not includedLunch includedDinner included
- Overnight
- Lodge or tented camp in Akagera
- Transport
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle
- Morning
Arrival and Kigali Genocide Memorial
Met at the airport, then to Gisozi.
- Afternoon
Drive east to Akagera
About two and a half hours, entering the park through the southern gate.
- Evening
First game drive
A short drive to camp, with the light going and the animals moving.
Day 02
Full day in the park
Akagera: the northern plains
A full day working north through the park, where the lion and rhino are.
- Meals
- Breakfast includedLunch includedDinner included
- Overnight
- Lodge or tented camp in Akagera
- Transport
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle
Day 03
About 5 to 6 hours driving
Lake Ihema, then north to Musanze
A boat safari in the morning, then the long drive across the country to the volcanoes.
- Meals
- Breakfast includedLunch includedDinner included
- Overnight
- Lodge or guesthouse near Kinigi
- Transport
- Private vehicle with driver-guide
Day 04
Trek duration varies widely
Gorilla trekking
The briefing, the climb, and one hour with a gorilla family.
- Meals
- Breakfast includedLunch includedDinner included
- Overnight
- Lodge or guesthouse near Kinigi
- Transport
- Private vehicle to the trailhead
Day 05
About 2 to 2.5 hours driving
Return to Kigali
A last look at the volcanoes, then south for your flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast includedLunch not includedDinner not included
- Overnight
- Departure day
- Transport
- Private vehicle with driver-guide
03What is included
- All transport in a private 4x4 with an English-speaking driver-guide
- Accommodation as specified, on a twin-share basis
- Meals as listed in the itinerary
- Akagera park entry and guided game drives
- Boat safari on Lake Ihema
- Guided night drive
- Airport transfers and drinking water in the vehicle
04What is not
- International flights
- Gorilla permits
- Visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Porters, tips and gratuities
- Drinks and items of a personal nature
Accommodation
Two nights in Akagera and two near Kinigi. Staying inside Akagera matters — the gates open early and the best game viewing is at first light.
Transport
A private 4x4 throughout. Day 3 is the long one, crossing the country from east to north; we break it sensibly.
05Where you go
Destinations on this route
Kigali City
Kigali
Rwanda's capital, spread across a series of ridges and valleys — the arrival point for almost every trip, and a city worth more than the night most itineraries give it.
1 to 2 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
Northern Province
Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda's gorilla country: bamboo and hagenia forest climbing the flanks of five volcanoes, home to habituated mountain gorilla families and golden monkeys.
2 to 3 nights
06What you do
Experiences on this route
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
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
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
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
It is the long day — five to six hours from Akagera to Musanze, usually via Kigali. We put the boat safari in the morning so the afternoon is simply a transfer, and it is a genuinely scenic drive.
This route, your dates
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