9 Days Rwanda Adventure: This 9 Days Rwanda Expedition takes you to the major safari destinations in the small but beautiful African country – Rwanda. They include; Volcanoes National Park where you will go gorilla trekking, Nyungwe Forest National Park which will host you for chimpanzee tracking and a canopy walk and Akagera National Park where you will go game viewing. You will also have a city tour in Kigali to give you a synopsis of Rwanda.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to the booked hotel in Kigali
The driver guide will be at Kigali International Airport waiting for you, marking the first day of your safari. You will head to the hotel upon arrival, have a briefing about the safari, and communicating the time at which the driver will pick you up the next day. Relax, have dinner and a night stay.
Day 2: City tour in Kigali.
Take on a long city excursion in Kigali where you will visit places including Kimironko and Kigali central market. They display different kinds of hand crafts, art galleries and fresh food stuff including fruits.
Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, to learn about the history of the horrible Rwanda genocide, the Presidential Palace museum for an insight about the political history and fall of dictator Habyarimana’s regime in 1994 and later on, hike one of the hills overlooking the city, rewarding you with perfect views of Kigali and the surrounding. The scenic views are great for photography.
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe National Park.
Breakfast at the hotel in Kigali, check out and head to Nyungwe National Park, south of Rwanda. Depending on en-route stopovers if any and time of arrival at the park, you may have your lunch enroute or at the lodge. This journey takes about 5 hours while traversing in the countryside. Arrive and transfer to the lodge, check in, relax and later have dinner.
Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk.
After having breakfast at the lodge, you will transfer to the park offices for briefing, meet your guides who will take you through the forest and set off for the adventure. When you locate the chimps, you will spend an hour in their presence. Trek back to the starting point and meet your driver guide.
Head back to the lodge for a lunch break and return to the office for another briefing. This will include guidelines for canopy walk. Set off for the adventure starting with a short hike and then connect to the starting point for the walk along the 160m long and 70m high suspended bridge over Nyungwe forest. This canopy walk will give you one of the most thrilling and remarkable adventure experiences in Africa. After 2 hours for the activity, return to the lodge.
Day 5: From Nyungwe National Park to Volcanoes National Park.
Leave Nyungwe and transfer to Volcanoes National Park. It is a scenic and interesting journey, taking you via the beautiful Lake Kivu where you may stop for a short boat cruise and later proceed to the gorilla park. Arrive at the lodge in the late afternoon or evening. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Dian Fossey trek.
Attend a briefing session at the park offices with fellow trekkers, and later head into the forest to search for the assigned family of mountain gorillas. This experience can last for about 2 to 5 hours and one hour will be allocated to you while in the presence of these great apes. Watch them keenly as you spot the silverback who is the head of a gorilla family practicing its leadership skills.
Return to the lodge for lunch break and later drive back to offices of the park where you will meet the park ranger that will take you on a hike to Dian Fossey’s graveyard. You will learn about this primatologist who saved lives of mountain gorillas, started the Karisoke Research Center and started the gorilla habituation experience in the Virunga conservation area.
Day 7: Transfer to Akagera National Park.
You will wake up at your leisure, have breakfast and transfer to Akagera National Park. You will arrive and check in to the lodge, have lunch and later go for an evening game drive. Some of the animals you should expect to see include zebras, giraffes, warthogs, buffaloes and antelopes. Back to the lodge after about 2 hours of the drive.
Day 8: Hot air balloon tour and boat cruise.
Head out to the plains to take part in the early morning hot air balloon which gives chances of spotting more animals and having aerial views of the savannah plains to yourself. Among animals that may be spotted include lions, elephants, buffalos, Maasai giraffes, hippos, warthogs, and zebras among others. The basket will float in air at a height of 100m and each basket carries between 4 to 6 people.
In the afternoon, take a boat cruise on Lake Ihema for yet another wonderful experience. The two hours boat cruise offers an opportunity to see semi- aquatic wildlife- crocodiles and hippos. You will also see several bird species on the shores and vegetation around the lake.
Day 9: Transfer back to Kigali and fly home.
On this last day of your safari in Rwanda, you will leave the park (Akagera National Park) right after having breakfast and transfer to Kigali city. In the evening, you will board your scheduled flight back home which will mark the end of this 9 Day Rwanda safari.
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