Kigali • Akagera National Park • Nyungwe National Park • Volcanoes National Park
Duration: 11 Days
A longer trip that covers all three sides of Rwanda: the savanna and lakes of Akagera in the east, the rainforest of Nyungwe in the south-west, and the volcanoes in the north-west, where you finish with two gorilla treks. Saving the gorillas for the end means you arrive at the volcanoes rested and used to early starts. Each stay is at one of the top lodges in its area, and the two longest legs are by helicopter, which turns a five-hour drive into about an hour in the air.
The drive from Kigali to Magashi in the north of Akagera takes about two and a half to three hours. From Akagera, a charter helicopter flies you across the country to Nyungwe in about an hour, and from Nyungwe to the volcanoes takes about 35 minutes. At the end, you drive about two and a half hours back to Kigali. Helicopters carry limited luggage, so pack in soft bags and leave anything you will not need with the operator in Kigali. Gorilla permits currently cost US$1,500 per person per trek, only eight people visit each habituated family a day, and trekkers must be at least 15, so I book the permits as soon as your dates are set. The dry months of June to September and December to February make for easier trails in both forests.
Three nights on Lake Rwanyakazinga in the remote north of Akagera, with game drives, night drives and boat trips
A chimpanzee trek in Nyungwe's rainforest, and the canopy walkway high above a forest ravine
Tea-picking on the plantation around the lodge
Two mountain gorilla treks with different families in Volcanoes National Park
Golden monkeys in the bamboo, and a visit to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Ellen DeGeneres Campus
Couples and honeymooners • Repeat safari travelers • Families with teenagers 15 and over • Travelers who want primates and a savanna safari in one trip
Kigali: Hemingways Retreat Kigali
Akagera National Park: Wilderness Magashi
Nyungwe National Park: Nyungwe Tea Forest Resort
Volcanoes National Park: Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Arrive at Kigali International Airport and transfer about 20 minutes to the leafy Kiyovu neighborhood. Most long-haul flights land in the evening, so this is a night to eat and sleep.
Overnights: Hemingways Retreat Kigali
Drive east to Akagera National Park and north through the park to Magashi, the only permanent camp in this remote corner, on the shore of Lake Rwanyakazinga. With three nights you have two full days for game drives and boat trips, looking for lions, elephants, giraffes, buffalo and rhinos, with hippos and crocodiles on the lake and night drives after dinner. Birding is strong here, and the lake is one of the places in Rwanda where shoebill are sometimes seen.
Overnights: Wilderness Magashi
Fly by helicopter to Gisakura in the hills of south-west Rwanda, where the lodge sits in a working tea plantation that runs up to the edge of Nyungwe's rainforest. On Day 6, start before dawn for a chimpanzee trek with a permit. The trails are steep and sightings are not guaranteed, since the chimps move fast through the canopy. Later, walk to the canopy walkway, a suspension bridge high above a forest ravine, about an hour's walk from the Uwinka visitor center. Use the rest of the time for tea-picking, forest hikes and the infinity pool.
Overnights: Nyungwe Tea Forest Resort
Fly about 35 minutes north to the volcanoes and settle in at Kwitonda, on the edge of Volcanoes National Park. Every trek starts with a 7am briefing at the park headquarters in Kinigi, a short drive from the lodge, where you are assigned a family, and the walk to reach them can take anything from a short hike to most of the day. Trek to your first family on Day 8. Day 9 is golden monkey trekking in the morning and a visit to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Ellen DeGeneres Campus in the afternoon. On Day 10 you trek to a second family. Hire a porter on both treks; the trails are steep and often muddy.
Overnights: Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Drive back to Kigali, about two and a half hours, or fly by helicopter. Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the best place to start understanding modern Rwanda, then have an early dinner before your evening flight home. If your flight leaves late, I arrange a day room in the city.
Customize this tripThe following is included in the price of your trip:
All accommodations
All meals and most drinks at the lodges, and breakfast in Kigali
Two gorilla trekking permits per person
Golden monkey and chimpanzee trekking permits, and the Nyungwe canopy walkway
Akagera National Park entry, game drives and boat trips
Charter helicopter flights from Akagera to Nyungwe and from Nyungwe to Volcanoes National Park
Private road transfers with a driver-guide between Kigali, Akagera and the volcanoes
Visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial
24/7 support on the ground from the local operator, with me as your point of contact
The following is excluded from the price of your trip:
International flights
Travel insurance
Rwanda visa fees
Meals and drinks not listed above
Optional activities (helicopter transfers to and from Kigali, porters, the Mount Bisoke hike, spa treatments, etc.)
Tips and gratuities
Every itinerary begins with a 20-minute planning call. From there, a $250 planning fee, credited in full toward your booked trip and non-refundable if you don’t book. I brief the property before you arrive — that's what the fee funds.
Plan your trip
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