Beyond the Gorillas: Akagera, Nyungwe and Lake Kivu

Most people fly to Rwanda for the gorillas and leave after three nights. That is a shame, because the country is small and the rest of it is close. In a few extra days you can track chimpanzees in an old montane rainforest, see lions and rhinos on a savanna that has been brought back from near collapse, and spend a slow night or two on a big, quiet lake. Here is what Akagera, Nyungwe and Lake Kivu each add, and how to fit them around Volcanoes National Park.

Akagera: Rwanda's Savanna

Akagera National Park covers 1,122 square kilometers of savanna, lakes and papyrus swamp in the east, along the Tanzanian border. It is Rwanda's only savanna park, and it looks and feels nothing like the volcanoes.

The Recovery

Akagera was established in 1934. It was nearly destroyed during and after the war of the 1990s: people displaced by the conflict settled inside it, its area was roughly halved, lions were hunted out and rhinos disappeared. In 2010 the Rwanda Development Board invited African Parks to manage it jointly, and the park has been rebuilt since then:

• Lions were reintroduced in 2015.
• Eastern black rhinos returned in 2017, with more brought in in 2019.
• Thirty southern white rhinos arrived in 2021, and 70 more followed in June 2025.
• Almost 500 bird species have been recorded.

With elephants, buffalo and leopards also in the park, Akagera has all of the Big Five again. African Parks reports that in 2025 the park became fully self-financing, covering its operating costs from revenue it generates itself.

What It Adds

Game drives, a boat trip on the lakes for hippos, crocodiles and water birds, and night drives from some camps. Wildlife is good but less dense than in the big Kenyan or Tanzanian parks, so think of Akagera as a strong addition to a gorilla trip, not a replacement for an East African safari. What makes it special is seeing a park in the middle of its recovery.

Our first choice is Wilderness Magashi, eight tented suites on a private concession in the remote north of the park, on the shore of Lake Rwanyakazinga. Wilderness opened a second camp nearby, Magashi Peninsula, at the end of 2025. Two or three nights is the right length.

Nyungwe: Chimpanzees and the Canopy

Nyungwe National Park protects 1,019 square kilometers of mountain rainforest in the southwest, on the Burundi border. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, and African Parks has managed it with the Rwanda Development Board since 2020. It is home to 13 primate species.

Chimpanzee Trekking

Chimp treks start before dawn, and once the chimps are found you have an hour with them. It is a very different experience from the gorillas. Chimps move fast and high through the canopy, so you spend more time following than sitting, and some days you hear them more than you see them. Sightings are never guaranteed. A minimum age applies, which we confirm when we book. The forest also has large troops of Ruwenzori colobus, L'Hoest's monkeys and grey-cheeked mangabeys, and the birding is excellent.

Rwanda has a second, much smaller chimp population in Gishwati-Mukura National Park, in the hills of the west. It covers about 34 square kilometers across two forests and became a national park in 2015. Visit Rwanda lists a group of about 20 chimpanzees there alongside golden, L'Hoest's and blue monkeys. It is a small, low-key visit rather than a reason to go on its own, and we arrange it on request.

The Canopy Walk

Nyungwe's canopy walkway is a 160-meter suspension bridge across a forested ravine, which Visit Rwanda puts at about 70 meters above the ground. It is roughly an hour's walk from the Uwinka visitor center. The fee for international visitors is currently US$40. It is not difficult, though anyone uneasy with heights should know the bridge moves a little underfoot.

Where to Stay

Nyungwe Tea Forest Resort, which until recently was One&Only Nyungwe House, sits in a working tea plantation at Gisakura on the forest edge. It has 22 rooms and suites with decks over the forest, an infinity pool and tea-picking sessions. Two or three nights gives you a chimp trek, the canopy walk and a forest hike without rushing.

Lake Kivu: The Rest Stop

Lake Kivu runs along the western border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at about 1,460 meters. Rubavu, the main town at the northern end, is about an hour's drive from Volcanoes, which makes it the easiest place in the country to slow down after trekking. There are no hippos or crocodiles, so kayaking and swimming are relaxed. Other things to do include:

• Boat trips to the small islands, including Napoleon Island near Karongi, with its colony of fruit bats
• Sections of the Congo Nile Trail, which runs 227 kilometers along the shore, on foot or by mountain bike
• Coffee farms and washing stations on the hills above the water

Hotels on the lake are simpler than the lodges at the parks, so this is a night or two of quiet rather than another highlight. We do not have a Kivu hotel page on the site yet, and we choose the town and hotel to suit the route.

How to Route Them

The distances are short, but the roads are winding, so order matters. These are the routes we use most.

Gorillas and Akagera

The simplest addition. Akagera's southern entrance is about three hours from Kigali, and Volcanoes is about two and a half to three hours in the other direction. Akagera works well at the start, as an easy first stop after a long flight, or at the end, to finish on the savanna. Our eight-day Rwanda itinerary does it this way, with Akagera last.

Gorillas, Kivu and Nyungwe

After Volcanoes, drive an hour to Rubavu for a night on the lake, then follow the lakeshore road south through Karongi toward Nyungwe. Expert Africa puts the main lakeside towns three to four hours apart, so this is a full day or two of driving, broken by the views. At the far end, Rusizi is about 45 minutes from the forest. From Nyungwe, RwandAir flies from Kamembe back to Kigali, so you do not have to drive the five hours back.

Short on Time

A helicopter from the Volcanoes area to Nyungwe takes about 35 minutes. It costs more, but it turns a long day on the road into a morning transfer.

How Many Nights

• Kigali: one night at the start and, ideally, one at the end. Hemingways Retreat Kigali is our usual pick.
• Volcanoes: three nights for two gorilla treks and golden monkeys, at Singita Kwitonda, Wilderness Bisate or One&Only Gorilla's Nest.
• Akagera: two or three nights.
• Lake Kivu: one or two nights.
• Nyungwe: two or three nights.

Adding all three makes a trip of 10 to 13 nights. With one week, we would add Akagera. With ten days or more, Nyungwe is worth it for the chimps, with Kivu as the pause in between. For the gorilla day itself, read our guide to gorilla trekking in Rwanda, and for how Rwanda compares with its neighbor, see Uganda vs Rwanda.

When to Go

The drier months, June to September and December to February, are best for all three. Trails in Nyungwe are easier underfoot, and animals in Akagera gather near water. Nyungwe is a rainforest, so rain is possible in any month.

If you would like help planning a longer trip to Rwanda, get in touch.