10-DAY RWANDA WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE
Proposed itinerary
DAY 1: ARRIVAL KIGALI
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be welcomed to a VIP lounge while we clear your luggage through immigration. You will thereafter meet a Palast Tours representative for a short briefing and trip introduction and then transfer on a 15min drive to the Kigali Serena Hotel for check in. Dinner will be on your own arrangements, though we are happy to recommend depending on your arrival time.
Overnight: Kigali Serena Hotel (BB)
The Kigali Serena Hotel welcomes you to Rwanda’s capital city with 5-star sophistication and impeccable service. The hotel provides a luxurious home away from home for business and leisure travelers. Settle in to your beautifully appointed room or suite, which features floor-to-ceiling windows, pillow top bedding, flat-screen TVs and more. Take advantage of free internet.
Overnight at Kigali Serena Hotel (dinner on your own
DAY 2: AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK – BEHIND THE SCENES
Enjoy morning breakfast before your checkout. At 10:00 am depart from Kigali to Akagera National Park with your driver guide/s (2hrs drive). Akagera National Park is located in the east of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. It is named after the Akagera River that flows along its eastern boundary and feeds into a labyrinth of lakes. The rolling hills of Acacia woodland coupled with scattered grassland and swamp-fringed lakes along the watercourse combine to create a park of breathtaking beauty. You will arrive the Ruzizi Tented Camp in time for lunch (included).
At 3:00pm take an afternoon boat ride on Lake Ihema that will reward you with views of a large number of hippos, huge Nile crocodiles and a variety of bird species. Bird-lovers will be entertained by the majestic African fish eagles and the large concentration of water birds. In the marshes, keep an eye out for the papyrus gonolek and the often sought-after shoebill stork, the cormorants, and many more.
The Ruzizi Tented Camp, which opened in November 2012, is tucked away in the riverine forest on the edge of Akagera’s largest lake, Lake Ihema. Sheltered by large trees and swaying palms, the camp is a cool, calm and quiet retreat in a spectacular setting. The camp offers seven en-suite tents dotted along the forested lake edge featuring a comfortable queen or large twin bed and a walk-through closet leading to a private bathroom. They are spaced on either side of a thatched reception area with a lounge, bar and dining room. Each tent is accessible by a wooden boardwalk from the reception. The camp is powered entirely by solar power, with a solar-powered hot water system
Dinner and overnight at Ruzizi Tented Camp (dinner included). (FB)
DAY 3: AKAGERA GAME DRIVE EXPERIENCE
Have your morning breakfast and checkout You will be joined by a park guide and embark on your fullday game drive. You may enjoy viewing many animals such as elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and antelopes that frequent the open plains within the park with chances to view the big cats of the park. Picnic snacks and a bush packed lunch will be served in the park before exit the park heading back to Kigali.
A drive of approximately 2-hours after exiting the Park will take you back to Kigali and arrive for dinner at the renowned on the African Specialty cuisine Restaurant, the Repub Lounge before checking in to Kigali Serena Hotel for another night.
Overnight at Kigali Serena Hotel (BB
DAY 4: PRE-COLONIAL RWANDA/ NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel for a nearly 6-hour drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe Forest is located in southern Rwanda and is home to different species of birds and primates such as chimpanzees and colobus monkeys. Along the way you will visit the Kings Palace Museum, which is two hours into your drive.
Situated on a hill 2-km southwest of Nyanza town, this fascinating museum is less about ancient history and more about royal residences. The displays center on a replica king’s ‘palace’. You will go on a guided tour that helps explain some of the architectural idiosyncrasies inside the royal compound, including why the royal beer brewer’s hut had an entrance without a lip, and other curiosities such as why the woman who looked after the king’s milk was never able to marry.
You will then make a stopover for lunch in Huye, visit the Ethnographic Museum. This outstanding museum was given to the city as a gift by Belgium in 1989 to commemorate 25 years of independence. While the building itself is certainly one of the most beautiful structures in the city, the museum wins’ top marks for having one of the best ethnological and archaeological collections in the entire region. From there, you will proceed to Nyungwe, checking in to the One & Only Nyungwe House for dinner and overnight.
Dinner and overnight: One & Only Nyungwe House (FB)
DAY 5: CHIMPANZEE & CANOPY EXPERIENCES
After an early breakfast at the lodge, you will head into the forest to track chimpanzees. Chimps are highly sociable creatures, and one of the few primates to form complex communities ranging upwards of 100 individuals. During the day these communities break down into smaller units that forage for food, a behavior that has been dubbed ‘fission-fusion’ by anthropologists. You will get back to the lodge in time for lunch.
This is also the perfect place for birdwatchers. Nyungwe has something of a legendary status among birdwatchers in East Africa, and is by far the country’s top spot for birdwatching with some 300-plus species, which include no fewer than 27 Albertine Rift Valley endemics.
In the afternoon, you will go for the canopy walk. Now’s your chance to relive your Indiana Jones fantasies. The construction of a 160m-long and at times 70m-high canopy walkway is a big draw for visitors after an unusual experience. You won’t encounter much wildlife while on the metallic suspension bridge, but you’ll certainly appreciate the jungle anew from this unique monkey’s-eye perspective. Access to the canopy walkway, which is on the Igishigishigi Trail, involves a preliminary 20- to 30-minute hike from Uwinka.
Dinner and overnight: One & Only Nyungwe House (FB)
DAY 6: LAKE KIVU EXPERIENCE
After breakfast at the lodge, you will check out of the hotel and go on a 5-hour drive to Gisenyi. Gisenyi is located along the shores of Lake Kivu. On arrival, you will check into the Lake Kivu Serena in time for lunch. At 5:30 pm, you will go on a fishing trip boat ride on the Lake Kivu.
The fishing boat ride is done in canoes and as you watch the sun setting over the horizon, you will join the local fishermen rowing and singing traditional tunes said to bring unity and attract the fish. They attach three canoes using poles and then cast the fishing nets into the water. As it gets dark, they use lamps to attract the fish. The fishing trip lasts until 8:30 pm or longer after which you will get back to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Dinner and overnight: Lake Kivu Serena (FB)
DAY 7: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you can spend your day at leisure at the hotel. After lunch at the hotel, you will check out and go on a 1-hour drive to Musanze, home to the Volcanoes National Park. This is also home to the endangered Silver backed Mountain Gorilla, the Golden Monkeys, and Mountain Elephants among others.
Volcanoes National Park, which runs along the border with the DRC and Uganda, is home to the Rwandan section of the Virunga’s. Comprising five volcanoes, the Virunga’s are utterly spellbinding and many would argue that this is one of the most exciting national parks in Africa. You will arrive at the Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in time for check-in.
Dinner and overnight: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (FB)
DAY 8: GOLDEN MONKEY EXPERIENCE
Early breakfast at the lodge. At 6:40 in the morning, you will set off for your golden monkey experience, stopping by the park headquarters, a short drive away, for briefing and assigning of a guide. After the golden monkey trekking experience, you will return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon you will visit ex-poacher’s cultural village, Gorilla Guardians. This is a non-profit umbrella organization that aims at improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park through the provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and livelihood-based projects.
Dinner and overnight: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (FB)
DAY 9: GORILLAS IN THE MIST EXPERIENCE
Once again you will have an early morning breakfast, departing for the park headquarters at 6:40 am for briefing and being assigned into gorilla groups complete with rangers. You will then trek through the Volcanoes National Park for a face to face encounter with the gorillas in the mist. You will arrive back at your lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon can relax around the lodge with the option of taking part in lodge activities, paid for directly at the lodge.
Dinner and overnight: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (FB)
DAY 10: KIGALI CITY/DEPART RWANDA
After breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and go on a 3-hour drive to Kigali. After lunch at the Kigali Java House, you will go on an afternoon city tour where you can visit places like the Kimironko local market. You will also go on a souvenir shopping expedition, where you can buy souvenirs, among other things. The afternoon activities will depend on your departure flight details.
END OF TOUR