Day 1: Kigali City Tour & Transfer to Akagera National Park

Begin your adventure in Rwanda’s capital city. After breakfast, your driver-guide will meet you at your hotel for a guided city exploration. Highlights include a poignant visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which tells the story of resilience and remembrance, a stop at the Inema Arts Center to admire contemporary African art, and a walk through the lively Kimironko Market, where traders display fresh produce, fabrics, and crafts.

After lunch, depart for Akagera National Park, Rwanda’s only savannah park and a sanctuary for the Big Five. The drive takes you eastward, revealing rolling hills, rural settlements, and scenic countryside. Depending on arrival time, you may embark on a short evening game drive before checking into your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meals & Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge

Day 2: Game Drive & Boat Cruise on Lake Ihema (Optional Hot Air Balloon)

Rise early for a sunrise game drive through the park’s extensive savannah. Guided by expert rangers, traverse open plains, wooded hills, and swampy valleys in search of lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo, and antelopes. Bird enthusiasts will also enjoy spotting species such as eagles, ibises, and hornbills.

For a unique perspective, you may opt for an early morning hot air balloon safari, offering sweeping aerial views of the lakes, hills, and wildlife below.

Return to the lodge for lunch before heading to Lake Ihema for an afternoon boat cruise. The calm waters reveal pods of hippos wallowing, crocodiles basking on the banks, and countless water birds including kingfishers and African fish eagles. As the sun begins to set, return to your lodge for relaxation and dinner.

Meals & Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge

Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park with Visit to Twin Lakes

After breakfast, depart Akagera and drive north to the Volcanoes National Park in Musanze district. Along the way, stop at the beautiful Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. Here, enjoy a canoe excursion where local fishermen share stories of life on the lakes, while you admire the backdrop of hills, terraced farms, and birdlife.

Continue your journey to your lodge nestled at the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes, where you’ll unwind in preparation for the next day’s gorilla trek.

Meals & Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge

Day 4: Gorilla Trekking & Iby’iwacu Cultural Experience

Today is the highlight of your safari—the gorilla trekking adventure. After an early breakfast, drive to Kinigi Park headquarters for a detailed briefing about the trek, rules of conduct, and conservation importance. With your assigned ranger-guide, set off into the misty rainforest to track one of the habituated gorilla families.

The trek can take several hours, but the reward is an unforgettable one-hour encounter with the gorillas. Observe them as they feed, groom, and interact—an awe-inspiring moment that creates a deep sense of connection with these great apes.

After returning to the lodge for some rest, in the afternoon visit the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village, where locals share their traditions, music, dance, and crafts, giving you an authentic taste of Rwanda’s cultural heritage.

Meals & Accommodation: Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge

Day 5: Scenic Drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park

After breakfast, embark on a long but scenic drive southwest to Nyungwe Forest National Park. The journey is enriched by breathtaking views of terraced hillsides, sprawling tea plantations, dense forests, and the sparkling waters of Lake Kivu.

Arrive at your lodge by evening and relax in preparation for the next day’s chimpanzee trek.

Meals & Accommodation: Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel

Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk Adventure

Start the day with an early breakfast before heading to the park headquarters for a briefing. With your guide, venture deep into Nyungwe’s dense rainforest to track wild chimpanzees. The forest is alive with calls of primates and birds, and along the way you may encounter species such as colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and numerous butterflies.

Once the chimpanzees are located, spend an hour observing their playful, energetic behavior—watching them swing through trees, communicate, and forage.

Return to the lodge for lunch before setting out on an afternoon canopy walk, a suspended bridge 70 meters above the forest floor. This exhilarating experience offers panoramic views of the treetops, birdlife, and primates crossing through the canopy. End the day back at your lodge for dinner and your final night in Nyungwe.

Meals & Accommodation: Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel

Day 7: Return to Kigali & Departure

After breakfast, begin the return journey to Kigali International Airport. The 6-hour drive is scenic, passing through lush tea plantations, banana groves, and small rural towns. Depending on your flight schedule, you may stop for last-minute shopping or photography opportunities.

Arrive in Kigali in time for your onward flight, marking the end of your 7 Days Rwanda Classic Wildlife Safari.

Meals: Half board (Breakfast & Lunch) | No Accommodation