6 Days Rwanda Gorillas and Akagera Wildlife Safari

Safari Overview

Pair a once-in-a-lifetime gorilla trek with exciting game drives across the plains and lakes of Akagera. This is a private safari proposal, with your accommodation choices and activity arrangements agreed before booking. Travel times are indicative and depend on roads, weather, park arrangements and border formalities where applicable.

Suggested route: Kigali – Volcanoes National Park – Kigali – Akagera – Kigali.

Detailed Day-by-Day Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Kigali

Arrive in Rwanda, meet your driver-guide and settle at a Kigali hotel. Depending on arrival time, enjoy a relaxed city drive or simply rest after the flight. Your guide will review permit details, park reporting times and the route connecting the Virunga mountains with eastern Rwanda's savannah.

Overnight: A suitable lodge or hotel in the overnight destination, chosen after your preferred comfort level and availability are confirmed.

Day 2: Travel to Volcanoes National Park

Depart Kigali after breakfast and drive north toward Musanze. Stop for photographs of Rwanda's terraced hills and reach your lodge near Volcanoes National Park. The afternoon is deliberately open for rest or a short optional experience with a local guide. Prepare boots, rain protection and a daypack for trekking.

Overnight: A suitable lodge or hotel in the overnight destination, chosen after your preferred comfort level and availability are confirmed.

Day 3: Gorilla trekking day

Begin at the Kinigi park headquarters for the official briefing, then drive to your assigned starting point with the ranger group. Track a habituated mountain gorilla family on foot through the forest. Hiking conditions vary, and wildlife encounters are not staged. Return to the lodge to unwind and enjoy an early evening.

Overnight: A suitable lodge or hotel in the overnight destination, chosen after your preferred comfort level and availability are confirmed.

Day 4: Travel across Rwanda to Akagera

Leave Musanze and drive south and east via Kigali toward Akagera National Park. Break for lunch during this longer transfer day, then enter the reserve if opening hours allow. An introductory afternoon game drive may be possible on the way to your lodge. Enjoy the change from mountain forests to savannah country.

Overnight: A suitable lodge or hotel in the overnight destination, chosen after your preferred comfort level and availability are confirmed.

Day 5: Akagera game drives and lake landscapes

Spend the day exploring Akagera's wildlife-rich mosaic of open plains, wooded slopes and lakes. Look for zebra, giraffe, elephants and a wide variety of birds. Plan a morning game drive and an afternoon outing, with a possible scheduled boat cruise if available. Predator sightings depend entirely on wildlife movements and luck.

Overnight: A suitable lodge or hotel in the overnight destination, chosen after your preferred comfort level and availability are confirmed.

Day 6: Return to Kigali

Enjoy a final breakfast and, if timing permits, a short morning game drive before leaving the park. Drive west to Kigali for a meal stop and your planned hotel or airport drop-off. Your guide will adjust the departure time according to your flight and the location of your lodge in Akagera.

Overnight: Safari ends after the agreed drop-off; additional accommodation can be arranged if required.

What Your Safari Quotation Can Include

• Private vehicle and professional driver-guide for the agreed route
• Accommodation in the agreed category for the confirmed nights
• Meals as specified in your final written quotation
• Park entries and pre-booked activities explicitly listed as included
• Airport, hotel or border transfers listed in the itinerary

Normally Excluded Unless Quoted Otherwise

• International flights, visa costs and personal travel insurance
• Gratuities, extra drinks and personal purchases
• Optional experiences not specified in the confirmed programme
• Gorilla, chimpanzee and golden monkey permits unless clearly included in the final quotation
• Any costs arising from independent programme changes

Important Safari Planning Notes

Gorilla trekking participants must be at least 15 years old. Permit availability is limited and every trek follows the relevant park authority rules. Wild animals move freely, so sightings and trekking durations cannot be guaranteed. Accommodation and activities are proposed options until we confirm space and receive your approval. Please share your travel dates and group size for a current quotation.

Ready to enquire? Use the safari enquiry form below and mention this itinerary. We can discuss preferred lodges, routing and a realistic travel pace before finalising your booking.