7 Days Rwanda Tour to Akagera and Volcanoes National Park Gorillas

Your Rwanda Tour begins with a warm welcome from your English-speaking guide at Kigali International Airport, followed by an informative city tour covering approximately 25km through Rwanda's immaculate capital. This first day of your Rwanda Tour includes visits to the moving Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, the vibrant Kimironko Market known locally as "Isoko ry'Akarere," and the historic Nyamirambo district where Kigali was founded. The Rwanda Tour continues with lunch at a selected local restaurant offering authentic Rwandan cuisine before checking into your hotel in Kigali, located just 10km from the city center, where you'll have dinner and prepare for the adventures ahead.

After breakfast, your Rwanda Tour takes you eastward on a scenic 2.5-hour drive (approximately 120km) to Akagera National Park, Rwanda's only savanna reserve located along the Tanzania border. This exciting Rwanda Tour Day includes registration at the park headquarters in Rwinkwavu sector before checking into your lodge for lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive through the southern section of the park known locally as "Amajyepfo y'Akagera." Your Rwanda Tour experience is enhanced with a sunset boat cruise on Lake Ihema (Ikiyaga cya Ihema), Rwanda's second-largest lake, where you'll observe hippos, crocodiles, and numerous water birds before returning to your lodge for dinner.

Day three of your Rwanda Tour features an extensive exploration of Akagera National Park, beginning after an early breakfast with a full-day game drive covering approximately 80km through diverse habitats. Throughout this immersive Rwanda Tour Day, you'll search for recently reintroduced lions in the "Miombo" woodlands and track elephants in the "Imisozi" hills while your expert guide shares insights about conservation efforts within the park. The Rwanda Tour continues with a picnic lunch at the scenic "Kilala Plains" viewpoint, followed by afternoon wildlife viewing at "Mutumba Hill" (the highest point in the park at 1,825m) before returning to your lodge for dinner and reflection on the day's wildlife encounters.

Your Rwanda Tour journey continues as you depart Akagera after breakfast for a scenic 6-hour drive (approximately 230km) northwest to the Volcanoes National Park region. During this Rwanda Tour transfer day, you'll pass through Kigali for lunch and continue through Rwanda's beautiful terraced hillsides known locally as "Imisozi Igihumbi" (Thousand Hills) while your guide shares stories of Rwandan culture and history. The final leg of today's Rwanda Tour takes you to Musanze (formerly Ruhengeri), the gateway to Volcanoes National Park, where you'll check into your lodge near the park entrance in Kinigi sector, approximately 15km from Musanze town, and prepare for tomorrow's gorilla encounter.

The highlight of your Rwanda Tour awaits as you rise early for breakfast before a short 20-minute drive to Kinigi Park Headquarters for a 7:00 AM briefing on mountain gorilla etiquette from Rwanda Development Board rangers. This transformative Rwanda Tour experience continues with a trek through the dense forests of "Birunga" mountains, lasting between 1-4 hours depending on gorilla location, until you encounter one of the habituated gorilla families like Susa, Amahoro, or Hirwa. Your Rwanda Tour reaches its pinnacle with one magical hour observing these gentle giants in their natural habitat at elevations between 2,500-3,700 meters before returning to your lodge for a well-deserved dinner and rest.

Your Rwanda Tour adventure continues with another early start and breakfast before returning to Kinigi headquarters, just 12km from your lodge, for a briefing on golden monkey trekking procedures. This fascinating Rwanda Tour activity takes you into the bamboo forests known locally as "Ishyamba ry'Umugano" to track the playful golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti), an endangered species endemic to the Virunga Mountains. The Rwanda Tour provides excellent photography opportunities as you spend one hour with these vibrant primates in their bamboo forest habitat at approximately 2,800 meters elevation before returning to your lodge in the afternoon for relaxation and dinner at your accommodation.

The final day of your Rwanda Tour begins with a leisurely breakfast before checking out and embarking on the 2-hour drive (approximately 100km) back to Kigali through the scenic volcanic highlands and terraced farmlands. Your Rwanda Tour concludes with optional last-minute souvenir shopping at local craft centers like "Caplaki Crafts Village" or "Kimironko Market" depending on your departure time. This memorable Rwanda Tour ends with a transfer to Kigali International Airport, located just 10km east of the city center, with ample time for check-in procedures, or to your preferred Kigali accommodation if you're extending your stay in Rwanda.