ASK OUR EXPERT
+255 758 319 056
A five-day safari in Rwanda that blends the country’s modern capital with its moving history and a rare encounter with mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Time in Kigali offers a balance of contemporary cultural projects and touching memorial visits that frame Rwanda’s story of survival and reconciliation.
From there, the journey north to Ruhengeri leads to the forests where you will enjoy an encounter of a lifetime under the guidance of park rangers as you observe gorillas in their natural environment. Alongside the trek, the itinerary includes community visits and local initiatives that highlight Rwanda’s ongoing commitment to conservation.
With us, every journey is crafted around you flexible sample itineraries, personalized options, and expert guidance ensure your safari is exactly how you imagine it. Together, we design a once-in-a-lifetime experience made just for you.
Chat with Our Expert
During the safari you will have a private 4 x 4 safari Land Cruiser driven by a professional and well experienced local English speaking safari driver guide who will take you and show you all the animals that you have ever dreamed of the small & the big. Your jeep will have a photographic roof thatch to assure good pictures from any angle. Accommodation will be standard mid-range lodges & tented camps.
Rwanda Safaris
Kigali, Ruhengeri
Yearly around
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, clear immigration and meet your local guide who will accompany you into the city. The transfer to your hotel takes around 20 minutes, giving a first impression of Rwanda’s clean and orderly capital.
Accommodation is at Four Points by Sheraton Kigali, a modern property in the central business district with comfortable rooms, a rooftop pool, and easy access to restaurants and shops. After check-in, you can unwind and adjust to the pace of the city before dinner at the hotel.
Meals Plan: Bed and Breakfast
After breakfast, the morning is left open for a choice of cultural visits. Options include the Nyamirambo Women’s Center, a community project that addresses gender inequality while offering visitors an insight into Kigali’s daily life, or the Inema Art Center, where resident artists showcase contemporary Rwandan creativity through painting, crafts, and performance. Both provide a meaningful introduction to the capital’s social and artistic energy.
Later in the morning, the focus turns to Rwanda’s recent history with a drive to Nyamata Church Genocide Memorial. The site is one of the most sobering in the country, where thousands of people sought refuge in 1994 but were massacred. The church remains filled with reminders of the tragedy, including clothing, personal belongings, and grenade scars on the walls. Outside, mass graves commemorate over 45,000 victims. From Nyamata, we proceed to the Reconciliation Village, part of the Millennium Village initiative. Here, survivors and perpetrators live side by side, offering a unique opportunity to hear stories of forgiveness and resilience. Lunch is served in the village.
In the late afternoon, return to Kigali and check back into your hotel. Dinner is arranged at a local restaurant, giving the chance to sample the country’s cuisine before going back to the hotel for diner and peaceful night.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The day begins with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial after breakfast at the hotel, a sobering site that documents the events of 1994 and serves as a place of remembrance and education. The memorial provides detailed exhibitions and gardens dedicated to the victims, offering important context to Rwanda’s recent history. From here, we continue to a local restaurant in the city for lunch, sampling Rwandan cuisine before starting the drive north.
The route to Ruhengeri, a journey of about two and a half hours, and passes through rolling hills countryside that characterize much of Rwanda. On arrival, you can choose to explore local initiatives depending on time and interest. These include the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the Wool Workshop supporting genocide survivors, or the Gorilla Guardians Village where former poachers work on conservation and community projects. Each option provides a different perspective on Rwanda’s resilience and innovation.
Dinner and overnight are at Virunga Inn Resort, located near Volcanoes National Park with views of the surrounding peaks. The lodge offers comfortable rooms, a relaxed restaurant, and proximity to the park headquarters, making it a convenient base for gorilla trekking the following day.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
An early departure takes you to Kinigi Trekking Station at the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park, where registration and briefing are handled before joining a small group for the gorilla trek. The walk can take several hours, depending on the location of the family being tracked, and requires moderate fitness, but the payoff is an hour observing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
After the trek, return to the park base where lunch is provided, followed by transfer back to your lodge in Ruhengeri. The evening is at leisure, with dinner and overnight at Virunga Inn Resort.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Following breakfast, depart Ruhengeri by road with a stop at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, an education and research facility designed to support conservation through science and community engagement. Trails lined with more than 250,000 native plants make the campus a living laboratory and provide an introduction to Rwanda’s biodiversity. Continue the drive back toward Kigali, with short pauses possible along the way for photos or a stretch before reaching the city. Lunch is arranged at a local restaurant before transferring to Kigali International Airport in time for your onward flight to Kenya or onward destinations.
Meals Plan: Breakfast and Lunch
Note: This program can also be linked to a seven-day safari in Kenya, including Samburu and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Passionate Expert
With a passionate team of professional guides and travel planners, we are committed to delivering not just trips—but lifelong memories.
