Location
RWANDA
Luxury Complete Rwanda Safari
Details
12 DAYS FROM 31250 PP
Best time to go
YEAR ROUND
Luxury Complete Rwanda Safari
The opportunity to visit Rwanda's three main wildlife hotspots whilst staying in the most luxurious accommodation and transferring via helicopter, from tracking the world famous mountain gorilla and meeting the doctors of the mountain gorilla veterinary project, to tracking the cheeky chimpanzee in Nyungwe and searching for a multitude of wildlife on game drives in Akagera National Park.
What to expect?
Akagera National Park
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our local representative who will arrange your 30-minute helicopter transfer to Akagera National Park. Head off on your first full-day game drive with packed lunches in tow. Although established in 1934 and reduced somewhat from its former size, Akagera National Park has a rapidly increasing wildlife population and still boasts 900 square kilometres of scenic savannah and lakes. The park takes its name from the Kagera River that runs along its eastern boundary before emptying into a series of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Ihema. Over 30% of the park is made up of these lakes and interconnected papyrus swamps, which together form one of the largest protected wetlands in Africa. You’ll be able to enjoy an afternoon boat ride through this area today in search of wallowing hippos, crocodiles, and birdlife.
Volcanoes National Park
After an early breakfast at your lodge, you’ll drive the short distance to Volcanoes National Park HQ for your first day of mountain gorilla tracking. Depending on the location of your assigned family group, it may take hours to reach the gorillas, but the ascent in altitude and trek through often dense vegetation will be entirely worth it when you discover the apes and spend an hour in their presence. After leaving the gorillas to their foraging and grooming, you’ll then be able to visit the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in Musanze. Also known as Gorilla Doctors, this centre cares for orphaned and injured gorillas found in the wild or those resident at the Senkwekwe Centre in the DRC’s Virunga National Park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park
Enjoy a scenic helicopter transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park, on Rwanda’s southwestern border. Look out for one of Africa’s Great Lakes, Lake Kivu, stretching out to the west. You’ll set off early in the morning for a 1-hour drive to Cyamudongo Forest, where you’ll have your third primate tracking excursion of the safari – this time, with chimpanzees. Often raucous and boisterous, your experience with the chimps will likely be markedly different than with the more docile gorillas. In the afternoon, take to the trees and enjoy an exhilarating trip across the 250 ft-high canopy walkway, gazing out at the sea of green below you.
Talk to a Rwanda Destination Specialist Today
Why book this trip?
- Volcanoes National Park - take the opportunity to track the magnificent mountain gorilla twice and the cheeky golden monkeys
- Meet the Gorilla Doctors and spend time learning about the amazing work they do within conservation perhaps even go on a hike with the gorilla doctors
- Take a helicopter ride over the 'land of a thousand hills'
- Witness savannah, lake and wetland in Akagera National Park, taking game drives in search of iconic wildlife like lions, elephants and giraffes.
Accommodation Highlights
One & Only Gorillas Nest
Gorilla's Nest is a luxury lodge located at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes and only a 5 minute drive from the park headquarters. Fit with 5-star treatment, rooms are styled like treehouses up stilts, and with a design that draws the outside in. The hotel was imagined by interior designer Hubertus Feit to give a subtle sense of Africa while taking nothing away from the true emphasis of the place: the surrounding landscape. One&Only Gorilla's Nest is a place that encourages you to gaze into the mirror through eye-opening encounters with majestic mountain gorillas and experience the story of Rwanda.