7 Days Rwanda Safari and culture

Description

 7 Days Rwanda Safari and culture Detailed itinerary:

DAY 1: Arrival and transfer to volcanoes national park

Meet and greet with our guide on arrival at Kigali airport and transfer straight to volcanoes national park located in Musanze Northern Province, about 2 hour drive. Volcanoes national park, a habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas is Rwanda’s top safari destination for gorilla tracking safaris.

DAY 2: Gorilla tracking and cultural tour

Begin your day early morning with breakfast and take some packed lunch, biscuits/ drinking water and transfer to Kinigi the park headquarters for briefing. Then you begin a guided trek in the forest searching for habituated gorilla families which you are allowed to see and photograph for 1 hour.

You return back to the lodge for lunch and after that you can take some rest. The cultural tour begins later in the evening, you visit iby’iwacu cultural village for a cultural experience. Iby’iwacu is a community based organization helping local people around volcanoes national park to participate in sustainable farming, weaving, art and craft, cultural and tourism other than poaching. Visitors here get to meet local people, learn their traditions like dressing, weaving, and enjoy a cultural dance performance. Return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 3: Transfer to Akagera national park

Next day after breakfast, get transported to Akagera national park for a guided evening game drive. Located in north eastern Rwanda, Akagera national park is the only savannah park named after river Akagera. It offers habitats ranging from swamp fringed lakes home to hippos, to open acacia and woodland savannah that make it an ideal habitat for big five mammals; black rhino, lion, leopard, African elephant and cape buffalo as well as other mammals such as giraffe, eland, zebra, impala, warthogs. The park also hosts over 500 species of native and migratory birds. On arrival check in at Ruzizi tented camp/ akagera game lodge for lunch. after settling in go for an evening game drive to capture some sights of animals such as elephants, zebra, giraffe, impala, warthogs, buffalo. Dinner and overnight stay

DAY 4: Game drive and boat ride

After breakfast enjoy a wildlife adventure with early morning game drive in akagera national park where you can spot African elephants, herds of buffaloes grazing, giraffes, antelope species like eland, impala, klipspringer and if lucky catch a glimpse of the leopard, or black rhinos, the favorites among the big 5. Akagera is also known for being one of the best parks for bird enthusiasts with its various habitats which boasts an array of birds such as secretary bird, saddle billed stork.

Picnic lunch in the bush or you can return back to the lodge. In the afternoon go for boat based game viewing on Lake Ihema, one of the largest swamp lakes in the park. You can cruise along the shores and watch herds of elephants, buffalo, and waterbuck come down for a drink. The lake is teeming with hippos and crocodiles too. The birdlife is prolific including the endangered papyrus goneclock. Return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 5: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park

Set off to Nyungwe forest national park with en route stop at Nyanza palace or Butare museum arriving at the park in the evening. Check in for dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top View Lodge/ Nyungwe Rainforest Lodge/ Gisakura guest House.

DAY 6: chimpanzee tracking and canopy walk

Transfer to cyamudong for an early morning chimpanzee tracking experience in Nyungwe forest national park, Rwanda’s largest tropical rainforest home to 12 species of primates including chimpanzees. In addition to view chimps, the guided forest walk offers opportunity for spotting primates such as red colobus monkey, blue monkey, red tailed monkey, black and white colobus monkey. Drive back to the lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon, go for a canopy walk which offers you the chance to walk in the tree canopies and enjoy breathtaking views of Nyungwe forest whilst spotting birds, primates and orchids.

DAY 7: Kigali city tour and departure

On the final day, depart after breakfast and drive back to Kigali. On arrival if time permits take a sightseeing tour visiting Kigali genocide memorial, a cemetery where 250000 victims of the 1994 genocide against tutsi are laid to rest in peace. Transfer to Kigali airport in time for flight bringing your Rwanda safari to an end.