The National

What's included?

Park entry, permits, guides, transportation, accommodation, breakfast, water, medevac insurance.

Private Trip

Cost: from $8,145 per person based on two people sharing at higher-end accommodations.

Journey through the Land of a Thousand Hills to discover warm and welcoming people, a breathtaking landscape, the Big Five, chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.

You’ll see the highlights of the Rwandan capital before driving to Akagera to safari through the savannah and wetlands of this precious reserve. A conservation success story, the park is now home to lions and rhinos, leopards, hippos, antelope and a wealth of birdlife.

Traveling into the volcanic highlands, you’ll hike into the forest to spend time with one of the families of mountain gorillas living in Volcanoes National Park: a truly incredible experience.

Turning south, your tour takes you along the shores of one of Africa’s Great Lakes before arriving in Nyungwe National Park. Walk through the ancient rainforest to see chimpanzees, spot magnificent endemic birds and flora along the way. Finally wind your way back to Kigali for a farewell lunch.

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Kigali
Walk through a neighborhood market, our favorite milk bar and Mt. Kigali before a delicious lunch, and visit the Genocide Memorial - a poignant experience.
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Kigali to Akagera
A quick tour of the city and lunch at one of our favorite spots before the drive east to Akagera National Park. Take a boat across Lake Ihema and look out for hippos.
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Akagera
Head into the wilderness of the southern stretches of the Park, look out for leopards, baboons and rhino. In the afternoon join a group for the Lake Ihema boat ride this is an opportunity to see wildlife on the shores and on the small islands.
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Full day game drive
Dawn and dusk are undoubtedly the best times to spot wildlife, so today it's an early start to a full day of game driving. The drive will explore the Mohana and Kilala Plains in the north, home to many of the big cats of the Park. You'll have a packed lunch picnic at "Mihindi Lake" or, if you are trailing game, enjoy lunch on the go.
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Akagera to Musanze
Dawn is undoubtedly one of the best times to spot wildlife. Explore the Mohana and Kilala Plains, home to many of the big cats, along with giraffe, zebra, elephant, buffalo and herds of antelope. Mid-afternoon you'll travel to Musanze: a small town bordering Volcanoes National Park.
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Mountain gorillas
Hike into the forest to track some of the world's only mountain gorillas. You'll be tracking one of the 12 families who inhabit the southern side of this international reserve.
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Golden monkeys
Track golden monkeys, endemic to the Albertine Rift and found only in the Virunga mountains between Rwanda and Uganda. Journey west to Gisenyi, nestled on the shore of Lake Kivu.
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Lake Kivu: Transfer to Nyungwe
Kayak across the warm waters of Lake Kivu before driving along the shores of the lake to Nyungwe National Park.
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Chimpanzees
Track the chimps through this ancient forest. Human's closest DNA relatives, chimpanzees share a 99% genome match.
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Waterfall
Walk to 'isumo' (waterfall in Kinyarwanda) or 'Ndambarare' waterfalls in Nyungwe this morning, crossing through tea fields before diving deep into the forest. The rainforest is rich with hundreds of species of plants, orchids, and birds to spot along the way.
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King's Palace Museum
Leave Nyungwe today and drive north on the return journey to the capital, stopping on the way at the King's Palace in Nyanza.

Diary

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