The main highlight of your 5 days on Virunga safari will be a chance to embark on a gorilla trekking tour. Akagera national park is the best place to go for a safari in Rwanda. Set in the country’s eastern region, the park encompasses more than 1,000 square kilometers of savanna landscapes similar to those in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The park is close to Kigali and is home to a large collection of African mammals that gather at its numerous water points like the Akagera River and Lake Shakuni.

The most popular activity in Akagera National Park is to take a game drive to spot hyenas, jackals, antelopes, giraffes, baboons, zebras, buffalos, leopards, and elephants among others. To provide tourists with a complete experience of Africa’s big five, lions and black rhinos are being introduced into the park. Bird watchers should expect to Spot over 500 species including the shoebill Storks.

Tour highlight

1. Transfer to congo from Kigali
2. Gorilla trekking in Virunga national park
3. Game drives and Boat cruises in Akagera national park
4. Departure

Day 1: Transfer from Kigali to Congo

The driver will pick you up from your destination and transfer you to Congo passing through the Rwanda-Congo border, reaching Goma town to have lunch after proceeding to the border to clear the immigration with the invalid documents. After the team from Virunga national park will be waiting to transfer you to the lodge to check in, refresh and take a rest while preparing for gorilla trekking the following day. Dinner and overnight at Mikeno lodge, Bukima tented camp options

Day 2: Gorilla trekking at Virungas national park

Wake up for early breakfast and meet your driver to transfer to head office for a gorilla trekking briefing, you will be escorted by guides and rangers to protect and provide you with insights into what to do and behave towards gorillas. The trek will take about 2-5 hours to find the gorilla families. Once you meet with the gorillas, you are allowed to spend one full hour studying them and taking pictures, and videos at a distance of 7 meters. After you will return to the office to find your driver and get back to the lodge to refresh. Later in the afternoon, you may visit the Senkwekwe gorilla orphanage center to see the young gorillas rescued from the poachers after killing their mothers. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and overnight at Bukima tented camp, Mikeno lodge options.

Day 3: Transfer back to Kigali

Wake up and prepare yourself, have breakfast and checkout at the lodge, meet your driver to transfer to the border, renew your Rwanda visa, and meet your driver-guide from the Rwanda side because the Virunga team will stop at the border and handle you to the other guide to proceed with the journey. Make a stopover at Lake Kivu to have lunch, if interested you may have a walk to explore different islands situated on Lake Kivu or take a swim. After continuing to Kigali city for dinner and overnight at Kigali Serena hotel, Ikaze hotel options.

Day 4: Game drive and boat cruise in Akagera national park along Lake Ihema

Wake up early and take your breakfast, after embarking on morning game drives to catch the nocturnal animals before going back to their shelters and find the early risers that prefer feeding on fresh grass, you may spot bird species during the game drive in the savannah wilderness.  There is a high chance to view all the big five African animals in the Akagera park after Rhinos were introduced, other small animals to see include hyenas, antelopes, and bushbucks. Return to the lodge for lunch and relax.

Later in the afternoon, you will be taken on a boat cruise along Ihema Lake to see water-loving animals and birds in the waters and on its banks, such animals include hippos, crocodiles, and buffaloes, that come to drink on the lake. Bird species include the African fish eagle, African jacana African harrier hawk, and Squacco heron. After you will return to the lodge to refresh, have dinner, and overnight at Akagera resort, Akagera game lodge options.

Day 5: Another game drive and transfer to Kigali

Have breakfast in the morning and hurry to take another game drive. You may have a chance to see the animals you missed on the previous game drive, after you will drive straight to Kigali and take a city tour around Kigali if interested, or else the driver will drop you at the lodge or at the airport for the evening flight ad departure.

End of tour