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Pop up roof 4x4,
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2-20
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To be provided
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Kigali
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Game drive, Hiking, Boat trip
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English
This safari adventure to Akagera National Park promises an incredible experience in the stunning Akagera wilderness, where you’ll encounter a diverse range of wildlife and birds in Rwanda. Additionally, this safari includes a journey through Kigali city to Mgahinga National Park for golden monkey trekking, following an exhilarating border crossing from southwestern Uganda. Here, you’ll immerse yourself in yet another breathtaking experience with gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
You will start your 2-day trip to Akagera at 7:00 am prompt. The tour driver shall pick you up from your hotel in Kigali and depart for Akagera National Park in the east of Rwanda. The travel time from Kigali to Akagera is about 2.5 hours. Prior to checking into your lodge, you shall do a short game drive to spot some animals and enjoy the amazing scenery. The southern part of Akagera National Park is mostly covered by acacia thickets and woodlands which is not a favorable habitat for most grazing animals. Expect to see some impalas, zebras, reedbucks, giraffes, baboons, and black-faced vervet monkeys among others. However, the most exciting prospect in the south of Akagera National Park is the rhino. After lunch, you shall go out for the boat safari on Lake Ihema at 3:00 pm. Lake Ihema is the largest lake in the park and the second-largest in Rwanda. The boat safari will provide among other sightings: hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and plenty of water birds.
Main Destination: Akagera National Park (Rwanda)
Accommodation: Akagera Rhino Lodge - Mid-range lodge located just outside Akagera NP (Rwanda)
Meals & Drinks:
Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
Drinks not included
After early breakfast, check out of the lodge by 6.30 am and set off for the full-day safari in Akagera taking about 6 hours. Drive along the main game track, from the south of the park to the north and exit. You shall go through a range of habitats from acacia thickets, woodland, bushes, and savanna grassland, providing a variety of animals, wildlife and varied scenery. The most notable stop is the “hippo beach” where schools of hippos and groups of crocodiles can be found basking in the shallows of the swamps. Continuing on the main track, you will finally get to the Kilala plains in the north of the park. The Kilala plains have a high concentration of animals and are the main game-watching area of the park. Predators such as the lions are often found taking shelter from the afternoon heat under trees, satisfied from the successful morning hunt in the Kilala plains! After the game drive, have a picnic lunch, exit the park, and travel back to Kigali.
Main Destination: Akagera National Park (Rwanda)
Accommodation: Five to Five Hotel - Budget hotel located in Kigali (Rwanda)
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included Drinks not included
On this day, the driver guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kigali and proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park located in southwestern Uganda. Drive via undulating and beautiful terraced hills showing a clear picture of the general landscape and altitude of Rwanda and Uganda. You will have a relaxed evening at the lodge as you get prepared for the next day’s adventure.
Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge- Budget lodge just outside Rushaga (Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda)
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Drinks not included
After the briefing, embark on the golden monkey tracking. The encounter starts at 7:00 am at the park headquarters where you'll head to the forest in unlimited numbers in search of these endangered species. You will take about 4 hours on the Golden monkey tracking experience, inclusive of one hour encounter with them. You will see them roll themselves on the Bamboo stems and present themselves with not much shyness as it has been reduced through habituation, and enjoy the sights of their silver patch. You will then transfer to the gorilla land of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The drive takes you through different features including tropical rain forests and the undulating terraced hills of Kigezi, famously known as the Switzerland of East Africa. Drive to the lodge for relaxation as you wait for the next day’s adventure.
Main Destination: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Accommodation: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge- Mid range lodge just outside Rushaga (Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda)
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Drinks not included
Have an early morning breakfast and proceed to the briefing point. Enjoy the highlight of your trip, gorilla trekking, which may last from 2 to 6 hours depending on the group you are visiting. We will trek through the rainforest and bamboo-covered slopes, accompanied by Uganda Wildlife Authority guide and other trackers, in search of a mountain gorilla family. The walking can sometimes be tough and long, but when you catch a glimpse of the magnificent silverback, any discomforts will be quickly forgotten. Due to the nature of the activity, you will have a packed lunch. After gorilla trekking, you will drive through the terraced hills to Kigali city. Then you will be dropped off at your point of call either at the hotel or the airport for your flight back home.
Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
Drinks not included
The best time is during the dry seasons (June–September and December–February). During these months, the wildlife in Akagera congregates around water sources, and the forest trails for your gorilla and monkey treks are less muddy, making the 5-Day Safari Trip to Rwanda and Gorillas more comfortable.
This tour is rated as “Moderate to Challenging.” The game drives in Akagera are relaxing, but the trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga involves hiking at altitudes of 2,500m to 3,000m. We suggest a basic level of cardiovascular fitness to fully enjoy the trekking portions of your 5-Day Safari Trip to Rwanda and Gorillas.
While the trip visits Mgahinga for monkeys, the main gorilla encounter typically takes place in the nearby Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi holds nearly half of the world’s mountain gorilla population, and your 5-Day Safari Trip to Rwanda and Gorillas is timed to ensure you have a full hour of face-to-face observation with a habituated family group.
After exploring Rwanda, you will take an exciting road trip to the southwestern tip of Uganda. For the 5-Day Safari Trip to Rwanda and Gorillas, we recommend the East Africa Tourist Visa ($100), which allows for seamless entry between Rwanda and Uganda at the Cyanika or Katuna borders without paying for separate visas.
Yes. To provide a well-rounded experience, the 5-Day Safari Trip to Rwanda and Gorillas includes a transit through Kigali. You will have the opportunity to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial or local craft markets, providing essential cultural context before you head toward the volcanic border region.
Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s only savannah sanctuary. During your 5-Day Safari Trip to Rwanda and Gorillas, you’ll have the chance to spot lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and buffalo (the Big Five), alongside giraffes, zebras, hippos, and over 480 bird species, including the rare Shoebill Stork.
