9-Day Complete Rwanda Primates & Wildlife Safari

Safari Overview

A broad Rwanda journey that connects Akagera wildlife, Nyungwe chimpanzees, Lake Kivu and the Virunga primates.

Safari Highlights

• Akagera wildlife
• Nyungwe chimpanzees
• Lake Kivu
• Gorilla trekking
• Golden monkeys

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrival in Kigali

Travel from Kigali into the Virunga foothills near Volcanoes National Park, allowing time to settle near the park and prepare for the next primate activity.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 2 – Akagera National Park

Explore Akagera National Park on game drives through woodland, open plains, lakes and wetlands with chances for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, birds and predators.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 3 – Akagera Wildlife Safari

Explore Akagera National Park on game drives through woodland, open plains, lakes and wetlands with chances for elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes, birds and predators.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 4 – Akagera to Nyungwe

Cross Rwanda’s highlands toward Nyungwe Forest, an ancient montane ecosystem of steep green ridges, forest birds and numerous primates.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 5 – Nyungwe Chimpanzee Tracking

Join a ranger-led chimpanzee trek in the Nyungwe ecosystem, listening for calls and following forest signs to locate habituated chimpanzees when conditions allow.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 6 – Nyungwe to Lake Kivu

Continue to Lake Kivu for a slower afternoon or full day by the water, with optional boat time and room to rest between active trekking days.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 7 – Lake Kivu to Volcanoes

Travel from Kigali into the Virunga foothills near Volcanoes National Park, allowing time to settle near the park and prepare for the next primate activity.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 8 – Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

After the park briefing, trek with rangers through bamboo and montane forest to locate a habituated mountain gorilla family. Terrain and walking time vary, so the day is kept flexible around the trek.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Day 9 – Golden Monkeys & Return to Kigali

Track golden monkeys with park guides in bamboo habitat. Their speed and social behaviour create a lively contrast with the slower, more contemplative gorilla encounter.

Driving time, meal stops and activity order can be adjusted where park rules, permit times and local conditions allow. Accommodation is selected according to the budget, mid-range or luxury style confirmed in your quotation.

Customize This Safari

Ask Bush Shrike Adventures to change the number of nights, upgrade or simplify the lodges, add specialist birding, include a domestic flight, change the starting airport or combine this route with more of Uganda or Rwanda.