13 days Rwanda Budget Safari

13 days Rwanda Budget Safari, Located on the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift, a western arm of the Great Rift Valley, on the watershed between Africa’s two main river systems—the Nile and the Congo—Rwanda is a landlocked nation in tropical East Africa. With the highest peak, Karisimbi (4,507m), in the volcanic Virunga massif, also protected by the Parc des Volcans. The largest part of the country is covered by strikingly rolling mountainous/hills. Lake Kivu is the largest water body though there are other water sources including rivers ( The Nile and Congo rivers) and smaller lakes.

 Mountain gorilla tracking in the Parc National des Volcans, the primates of Nyungwe Forest, and game drives at Akagera National Park are the top attractions leading to Rwanda’s increased tourists’ inflow yearly.

This 13 days Rwanda budget safari takes you through all the above tourism destinations  and other cultural destinations as away of   discovering the beauty, nature, wildlife and culture in this land of a thousand hills. Join Active African Vacations as we tailor your safari for this Rwanda exploration.

 

Trip highlights of 13 days Rwanda Budget Safari

• Day 1: Arrival in Kigali-Evening visit to Kigali Convention Centre
• Day 2: Kigali City Tour
• Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National park – afternoon boat cruise – night game drive
• Day 4:Full day Game drive – transfer to Kigali
• Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe with stop overs at Ethnographic museum and Kings Palace Nyanza
• Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking – Canopy walk
• Day 7: Colobus monkey tracking and Gisakura Tea plantation visit
• Day 8: Transfer to Gisenyi- afternoon beach relaxation
• Day 9: Boat Cruise and transfer to Volcanoes National Park
• Day 10: Gorilla tracking
• Day 11: Golden monkey tracking and Ib’yiwachu cultural center visit
• Day 12: Dian Fossey Tomb hike
• Day 13: Transfer to Kigali- last minute shopping or cafe stop – flight back home.

Detailed Itinerary of 13 days Rwanda Budget Safari Day 1: Arrival in Kigali-Evening visit to Kigali Convention Centre

Upon arrival at Kigali international airport, you will be welcomed by our   company representative, take you through a simple briefing of the whole trip and then transfer to the accommodation. In the late evening hours, you drive to Kigali convention Center for  a relaxed evening coffee as you enjoy the beautiful/bright outlook of the Rwanda flag  at the top of the doomed shaped construction. dinner and overnight at the accommodation.
Accommodation: Marriot Hotel Kigali (Luxury),  Hotel Des Mille Collines (mid range), Five To Five Hotel (Budget)

Day 2: Kigali City Tour

This is a day for enjoying the beauty of Rwanda.  Visit different places for   history, culture, tradition and the present situation in the country. Some of the places you may visit this day depending on your plan include Kigali genocide Memorial site to learn about what happened in 1994 and how the genocide was stopped, Kimironko market and Nyamirambo women’s center to interact with locals , Niyo arts Centre, Belgian Camp peacekeepers memorial site, Mount Kigali Viewpoint to enjoy the best views of Kigali city at the highest point and any craft shops for some soveniers.

Accommodation: Accommodations: Marriot Hotel Kigali (Luxury),  Hotel Des Mille Collines (mid range), Five to Five Hotel ( Budget)

 

Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National park – afternoon boat cruise – night game drive

start the day with   breakfast at the hotel and then drive east of Rwanda to Akagera National Park. This is a 2.5 hours journey. Upon arrival you will go on a short game drive to see some animals before continuing to your lodge and have lunch. In the afternoon, you will go for a boat safari on Lake Ihema, the biggest lake in the park. Expect to see hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards and other animals along the shores. For those interested in birding, the boat offers excellent birding opportunities with lots of birds sighted along the shore and on the islands in the lake.

 At   5:30pm,  you can go for a night game drive which lasts for hours. expect to see nocturnal including lions, leopards, bush babies and night jars.Accommodation: Magashi Camp (luxury), Akagera Game Lodge (Midrange), Akagera Transit Lodge (budget)

Day 4:Full day Game drive – transfer to Kigali

After breakfast and check out of the lodge, then embark on a 5- to 6-hour safari in Akagera National Park. Starting from the southern part of the park, you will drive through a range of habitats, including forests, thickets, forest, marsh, lake coast, and savannah grasslands, where you will see a diversity of wildlife and breathtaking views of the park! You wind up your game drive in the Kilala plains, a large open area where many animals are always spotted grazing. The abundance of wildlife and the abundance of wildlife and magnificent views make this park a premier animal viewing location as its a also home to the African Big five animals.

After the game drive, you will enjoy a picnic lunch and return to Kigali

Accommodation: Marriot Hotel Kigali (Luxury), Hotel Des Mille Collines (mid range), Five to Five Hotel (Budget)

Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe with stop overs at Ethnographic museum and Kings Palace Nyanza

This day begins with an early breakfast at 7 am and later set off for a 5-6 hours drive to Nyungwe national park in the southwestern part of the country. drive through the amazing rolling hills and the beautiful countryside, a stop over in Butare to see the Ethnographic Museum to learn about Rwanda’s social culture. In Nyanza, visit the royal King’s palace, to see the historical /traditional seat of Rwanda Kingdom, listen to the Amahamba songs that herders sing to the royal cattle as part of culture and tradition.

After lunch drive to Nyungwe national park, which is located in a dense biodiverse forest, housing various primates. on arrival relax at the lodge, have dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation:  One and only Guest house Nyungwe (Luxury), Nyungwe Hilltop View Hotel (Midrange), EAR Ken Barharm Guest House (Budget)

Day 6: Chimpanzee tracking – Canopy walk

After an early breakfast, you will meet the park guides at 5 a.m.  for a briefing and later be led into the forest jungles of Nyungwe Forest National Park to search for the chimpanzee group. Nyungwe National Park houses roughly 500 chimps and is one of the best places to see them in their natural habitat. during the trek, you will see many birds and other primate species. You are allowed only one hour in the presence of the chimps as you watch them go about their daily activities. Later, after the trekking, return to the accommodation for lunch.

 In the afternoon, head back to the park centre to do the canopy walk tour with the park guide. The canopy walkway suspended 50 meters from the ground provides amazing views across the forest and sighting at eyelevel of some wildlife that spend most of the time in the forest canopy like monkeys and birds.

After the canopy walk, return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation:  One and only Guest house Nyungwe (Luxury), Nyungwe Hilltop View Hotel (Midrange), EAR Ken Barharm Guest House (Budget)

Day 7: Colobus monkey tracking and Gisakura Tea plantation visit

Enjoy breakfast, go back to the park headquarters for another interesting adventure: colobus monkey tracking. They are very attractive monkeys that often live in groups. Tracking colobus monkeys is a bit easy as it involves having guided walks through tea plantations as they are easily spotted at the forest edges leaping in trees. You will spend one hour watching them and return to the accommodation.

After lunch, drive to Gisakura Tea Plantation /Estate where you will be taken through tea production procedures. you will be guided on a walk in the tea plantation to witness and also participate in the ways how tea is collected/ harvested, processed and packaged for consumption and sale to local and international markets. Following the exploration, you will share a cup of hot tea with the locals, buy some processed tea for take home.
Accommodation: One and only Guest house Nyungwe (Luxury), Nyungwe Hilltop View Hotel (Midrange), EAR Ken Barharm Guest House (Budget)

Day 8: Transfer to Gisenyi- afternoon beach relaxation

After breakfast, check out of the accommodation and drive to lake Kivu (Gisenyi).  after 4 hours drive, you will be enjoying the shimmering waters of lake Kivu. go to the accommodation, check in, relax and later have lunch. in the evening go for a sunset cruise on the lake or enjoy other activities like swimming, kayaking or sport fishing. Dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Accommodation:  Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury), Palm Garden Resort (Midrange), Paradis Malahide (Budget)

Day 9: Boat Cruise and transfer to Volcanoes National Park

On the ninth day of your 13 days Rwanda budget safari, enjoy the beautiful sun rise with a beach breakfast. Explore the lake shores or go an adventurous boar cruise where you can visit one of the islands on the lake, say the Napoleon island, Amahoro/peace island to learn more about the lake’s history and also interact with the locals on the islands. After the boat cruise, return to the lodge for lunch, then set off for Volcanoes national park.  Arrival will be in the late evening, check into the lodge, for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: One and Only Gorillas Nest lodge (Luxury), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (midrange), Classic Resort Hotel (Budget)

Day 10: Gorilla tracking

After an early breakfast, we will drive to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters to be assigned to a gorilla tracking group at 7 a.m. The park guides/rangers will give you a briefing before you begin the thrilling journey of gorilla trekking.

Gorilla trekking involves strenuous as well as challenging hiking through varying terrain, but when you come face to face with the peaceful yet strong Mountain Gorillas, watching them only a few meters away from you as they go about their daily activities is a memorable experience. The trek lasts for 1-6 hours depending on the location of the gorillas.  After the one hour with the gentle giants, return to the starting point to meet your guide who will transfer you back to the lodge for lunch and relaxation.

Accommodation: One and Only Gorillas Nest Lodge (Luxury), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (midrange), Classic Resort Hotel (Budget)

Day 11: Golden monkey tracking and Ib’yiwachu cultural center visit

Another day at the park center for another briefing, spend the morning scouring the lush greenery at the foot of Mount Sabyinyo to track the golden monkeys with the leadership of park guide. these monkeys are easy to spot as they spend most of their time in the bamboo forested zones. Once you find the monkeys (a troop of 50 or more members), you’ll often have to follow them for an hour because they’re always on the move, jumping from tree to tree with their long tails, which is very entertaining but difficult to photograph! We recommend setting your camera to a fast shutter speed to account for low light in the dense undergrowth and improve your chances of good photography.

After the experience, transfer to the lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Gorilla guardian village for an enchanting cultural experience.  Enjoy the mix of Rwandan tradition and culture through dances, drumming, story telling and other artworks.  Step into the traditional dwelling of the local king, try the bow and arrow   used for hunting and learn more of Rwandan history.  Later return to the  lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: One and Only Gorillas Nest lodge(Luxury), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (midrange), Classic Resort Hotel (Budget)

Day 12: Dian Fossey Tomb hike

After breakfast at the lodge, connect to the park center for a a briefing and then to the head trail to Dian Fossey gravesite after a 30 minutes drive. At the head trail, hike up to Karisoke research center where Dian Fossey centred her research on mountain gorilla protection and habitat conservation. then to her grave site where she was buried with other gorillas, close to Digit, her gorilla friend.

The takes 1- 2 hours depending on your pace, as you hike, enjoy great views of the  forest, some wildlife creatures like animals, plants and birds. At times, you may find gorillas on the way, you may be allowed to watch them for a few minutes but no taking photos. After paying tribute to the great primatologist, return to the base to meet your guide to transfer you to the accommodation for lunch.

in the afternoon, you can have a guided walk in Musanze town to interact with the locals and also see how they carry out their daily activities.

Accommodation: One and Only Gorillas Nest lodge (Luxury), Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel (midrange), Classic Resort Hotel (Budget)

Day 13: Transfer to Kigali- last minute shopping or cafe stop – flight back home.

After a leisurely breakfast, check out of the hotel and drive back to Kigali.  In Kigali, you can do some lastminute shopping and later transfer to the airport for your flight back home.

End of 13 days Rwanda  Budget Safari.