Big 5 Culture and Wildlife of Rwanda

Arrival in Kigali, Rwanda!

Arrive at the Kigali International Airport, meet and greet with the guide and give you a short briefing about the trip. Transfer to the hotel, check-in, and acclimatize to the climate of Rwanda. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Kigali City Tour & Visit Bugesera Reconciliation village

Breakfast at the hotel later start the Kigali city exploration. Get to learn more about Rwanda from the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial eras as well as Genocide times. Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial where over 259,000 Genocide victims were put to rest in mass graves. Visit Kandt house, the first German explorer who settled in Kigali. Get to learn more about Rwanda's history, especially during colonial times by Germans.

Transfer to Bugesera Reconciliation village, about an hour drive from Kigali. This is a village where Genocide survivors, perpetrators, and a few returnees live together in harmony, get to hear testimonies from both sides, and engage in different activities with them such as; agriculture, farming, traditional cooking and dancing, basket weaving, etc.

Drive back to Kigali. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Akagera National Park & Enjoy Boat Cruise at Lake Ihema

Morning pick up at the hotel and transfer to Akagera National Park – arrival at the park reception for briefing later start a short game drive in search for different animals such as the big 5: lions, rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, and leopard. Drive to the lodge for check-in and lunch.

Afternoon drive to Lake Ihema for the boat cruise to see different wildlife including giant Nile crocodiles, schools of hippos, different species of water birds, and many more.

Dinner and overnight at Akagera Game Lodge/ Ruzizi Tented Lodge.

Akagera National Park - Day Game Drive

Early morning breakfast at the lodge then start a full day game drive in the park, get to see over 12 species of antelopes, over 525 species of birds including the rare ones such as the shoebill stock, papyrus gonolek, and the big 5: Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo and Elephant to name but a few.

The park has the highest concentration of birds per square kilometer, very beautiful undulating landscapes, high species numbers, and endemic species plus historical and cultural sites inside the park. You will have enough water on board and a picnic lunch box.

Dinner and overnight at Akagera Game Lodge/ Ruzizi Tented Lodge.

Gatsibo - Discover The Pastoralist Heritage

Breakfast at the hotel, then drive out of the park to visit the Pastoralist heritage in Gatsibo. The rural life in these villages elegantly and conventionally gives a very unique experience about the culture of grazing, introduces you to the history and values of cows in Rwanda including the INYAMBO cows which were very significant in many cultural festivals.

The beauty of a cow is exhibited in the cultural dances of Rwanda. The tour takes you to the village where you will observe and participate in the tradition of cattle grazing; get ready to make your traditional raincoat from grass, learn how to milk with your own hands, learn how to make ghee, etc.

Drive back to Kigali. Dinner and overnight at the hotel

Musanze - Volcanoes Destination

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Musanze – Volcanoes destination, stop en route to enjoy the beautiful views, and take good pictures of the Rwanda remotest villages.

On arrival check-in at the hotel and have lunch later visit the Musanze cave, formed by centuries of geologic activity centered around the Virunga volcanoes next door, the 1.25-mile long Musanze caves are located just outside of the town they share a name with. With an enormous opening (and an equally huge number of the bats resident inside), the greenery outside spilling over into the twilight within makes for a fantastic photo op. Though today they’re a tourist attraction, the caves were used as a shelter during wartime for many centuries leading right up into the modern era, and as such, it’s an important site to local people. Dinner and overnight at the boutique hotel.

Gorilla Trekking at The Park

Early breakfast followed by the drive to the park headquarters for the registrations and briefing before embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime trek of the critically endangered mountain gorillas. Once you spot them you are allowed to spend an hour watching them closely.
Be back at the base time for lunch and refreshment. Later drive back to Kigali and Airport Back Home.