8 Days Rwanda Safari with primates, Wildlife & Bisoke hike

8 Days Rwanda Safari Primates, Wildlife & Bisoke hike

8 Days Rwanda Safari Primates, Wildlife & Bisoke hike: This 8 days Rwanda safari with primates, wildlife, and Bisoke hike is one of the best Rwanda safari that covers all the 3 beautiful national parks of Rwanda including Volcanoes national park for gorilla trekking and Bisoke hike, Nyungwe forest national park for chimpanzee trekking and Canopy walk, Akagera national park for a game drive and boat cruise. This 8 days Rwanda safari with primates, wildlife and Bisoke hike starts and ends in Rwanda and it includes 8 days and 7 nights in the land of a thousand hills.

Highlights of the 8 Days Rwanda Safari Primates, Wildlife & Bisoke hike

Day 1: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park
Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes national park in Kiningi
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Day 5: Hike Mount Bisoke
Day 6: Transfer to Akagera national park
Day 7: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema
Day 8: Transfer to Kigali

Detailed Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park

Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park: On day 1 of 8 Days Rwanda Safari, you will be met by our company representative in Rwanda who will brief you about your 8 days safari and you drive from Kigali heading to south western part of Rwanda along lake Kivu. The road drive takes about 6-7 hours but can even take a full day since it’s so rewarding with several unique attractions ranging from the vegetation cover, the coffee plantations, the kings palace, the Kigali museum, genocide memorial sites and stunning Lake Kivu among others that will make the long drive seem shorter. Lunch will be enjoyed enroute and upon arrival at Nyungwe forest national park, you will check in the lodge, enjoy your dinner plus overnight rest.
Meal plan: Lunch and dinner

Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park

Chimpanzee trekking: On day 2 of 8 Days Rwanda Safari, you will wake up very early in the morning, have breakfast and then be transferred to the park headquarters for a pre chimpanzee trekking briefing where trekkers have to be briefed about the dos and don’ts while in the habitat of chimpanzees. At the headquarters, porters are always available for hire, and these help in carrying the extra luggage during the trek and also offer help in pushing and pulling the trekkers during difficult trails. During the chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest, look out for other primate species, mammals, birds, and unique plant species that all make up the ecosystem in the forest. The journey to search for chimpanzees takes about 30 minutes to 5 hours but after finding them only one hour will be allowed in presence of chimpanzee and later on trek back to the park headquarters where you will be picked up by your safari driver and returned the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk in Nyungwe forest: After lunch, you will be driven back to Nyungwe forest for yet a Canopy walk that starts from Uwinka with the briefing and after briefing the 2-3 hours walk along a 50m high and 150m long canopy commences. This walk is very rewarding as it offers a clear view of Nyungwe forest national park and an encounter with forest dwellers as seen from above and these include primates, mammals, birds and the unique species plants within the forest. After enjoying the canopy walk, you will return to Uwinka where you will be picked by your safari driver and returned to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 3: Transfer to Volcanoes national park in Kiningi/Ruhengeri

Transfer to Ruhengeri: Arise in the morning on day 3 of 8 days Rwanda safari, have your breakfast then check out of the lodge and start the long journey from Nyungwe forest national park to Volcanoes national park via Gisenyi where you will have your enroute lunch. Upon arrival, you will be driven past park headquarters where you will obtain your Mount Bisoke hiking permit and gorilla trekking permit and finally be driven to your lodge for check in, dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park

Gorilla trekking: As soon as you’re done with breakfast on day 4 of 8 days Rwanda safari with primates, wildlife and Bisoke hike, pack some snacks and enough drinking water then meet your safari driver for a transfer to park headquarters at Kiningi for gorilla trekking briefing. After briefing, hire a porter and later on start the journey to the wilderness of Volcanoes national park where you will spend from 30 minutes to 7 hours searching for habituated mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Once a habituated gorilla family is spotted, one hour will be spend interacting with these gorillas and taking photographs then trek back to the starting point to meet your driver for a ride back to the lodge for dinner and overnight. In case you are still strong, I recommend an evening walk to visit the twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Day 5: Hike mount Bisoke

Mount Bisoke hike: After breakfast on day 5 of 8 days Rwanda safari with primates, wildlife, and Bisoke hike, pack drinking water, a meal for lunch and put on the best hiking attire and be transferred for a briefing before starting the hike to summit the top of Mount Bisoke that is situated in the border between Volcanoes national park and Virunga national park that is usually hiked due to existence of crater lakes that are really stunning to view. The hike to summit the top of Mount Bisoke takes about 5-6 hours while descending takes about 2 hour thus an entire round trip takes 7-8 hours.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 6: Transfer to Akagera national park

Transfer to Akagera national park: On day 6 of 8 days Rwanda safari, you will be served with breakfast as soon as you wake up then check out of the lodge and start the journey from Volcanoes national park via stunning vegetation cover and overlooking rolling hills of Rwanda to Akagera national park which is the best savanna national park in Rwanda that allows game drive safaris. Upon arriving at the park, you will check in the lodge reserved for you, have your lunch and embark on an evening game drive in a thrilling savanna vegetation cover that harbors several wildlife species including the big 5 game.
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 7: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema

Game drive: Enjoy an early breakfast on day 7 of 8 Days Rwanda Safari then meet your driver for an early game drive in the park that will open the curtains to encounter with the nocturnal mammals as they return to their hideouts and several species of herbivores that arise early to graze on fresh vegetation cover. Amongst the wildlife seen while on a game drive in Akagera national park include; elephants with an elderly elephant which is usually spotted by every tourist on every game drive, buffaloes, lions, and several species of birds. After the game drive, drive back for lunch at the lodge.
Afternoon boat cruise: After lunch, you will head to Lake Ihema where you will spend some good hours on a boat cruise where more of the wildlife will be spotted and these include Hippos, Crocodiles, Waterbirds, and several mammals that flock the lake in search of water during the afternoons. After the boat cruise, you will drive in the park back to your lodge for dinner and have rest.
Meal plan: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Day 8: Transfer to Kigali

Transfer back to Kigali: Breakfast on this last day of 8 days Rwanda safari will be served at leisure then check out of the lodge and start the journey back to Kigali where you will have lunch, Kigali city tour and finally be dropped off at your preferred location either a hotel in Kigali or at Kigali international airport.
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch

End of 8 Days Rwanda Safari Primates, Wildlife & Bisoke hike