Savanna Wildlife, Then Gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes
This 5-day private tour pairs Rwanda’s savanna with its mountain gorillas. After a night in Kigali, you’ll head east to Akagera National Park, the country’s only savanna park, for game drives among elephants, giraffes, zebras and buffalo, plus a boat trip on Lake Ihema. Then you’ll cross the country to Volcanoes National Park for a gorilla trek and an afternoon at the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village.
Your last morning brings a golden monkey trek and a visit to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus before the drive back to Kigali. Compared with our 3-day gorilla tour, this one adds the Akagera safari, the cultural village and an arrival night in Kigali.
Why You’ll Love This Safari
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Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
Price on request. Tell us your dates and group size, and we’ll send you a quote.
Meeting point
Kigali
Availability
Year-round, 7 days a week
Duration
5 days
Group size
Min. 1 person
Included
- Park fees (for non-residents)
- Gorilla permits (one per person, non-resident)
- Golden monkey permit for Volcanoes National Park (one per person, non-resident)
- Game drives in Akagera National Park
- Boat trip on Lake Ihema
- Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village visit
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodations (unless listed as upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- Private safari vehicle: a 4×4 Land Cruiser, Toyota Prado or safari van, depending on group size
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Drinking water (on all days)
Not included
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodations before and at the end of the tour
- Tips
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Porter fees
- Some meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
What to bring
- Waterproof jacket
- Warm jacket (early mornings can be cold)
- Neutral-colored clothing (avoid bright colors)
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Good hiking shoes
- Gaiters (for mud and nettles)
- Hat
- Gloves
- Light backpack
- Sunscreen
- Snacks
- Light face mask
- Binoculars
- Insect repellent
Participation requirements
Min. age of 15 years old required to participate in this tour. A reasonable level of fitness is recommended for the gorilla and golden monkey treks.
About your guide
Your safari will be led by an experienced local guide who will share facts about the wildlife, landscapes, and culture. Your guide is dedicated to ensuring your safari is safe, informative, and tailored to your interests.
What You’ll See & Do
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Your safari guide will meet you at Kigali International Airport and take you to your hotel in the city. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and recover from your flight, whether that means a rest, a walk around the neighborhood or a quiet drink at the hotel.
Later on, your guide will sit down with you to go through the plan for the coming days, from the early start for Akagera to what to pack for the gorilla trek. You’ll then have dinner and an early night.
Meals Included: Dinner
Overnight: Kigali
Day 2: Akagera Game Drive and Lake Ihema Boat Trip
Your guide will collect you from your hotel at 6:00 AM, and you’ll have breakfast on the road as you drive east to Akagera National Park, about two and a half to three hours away. Your first game drive starts soon after you arrive, crossing open savanna where elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffalo and antelope graze.
In the afternoon, you’ll head out on a boat trip on Lake Ihema, where hippos surface near the boat and water birds hunt along the shore. In the evening, you’ll have dinner at your lodge and fall asleep to the sounds of the bush.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Akagera National Park
Day 3: Morning Game Drive and Drive to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, you’ll set out on a half-day game drive, a second chance to find Akagera’s elephants, giraffes, zebras and buffalo while the morning is still cool. You’ll return for lunch before leaving the park.
The afternoon is spent on the road. The drive west and north to Volcanoes National Park takes about six to seven hours, through Rwanda’s green hills and small farming villages, so settle in and watch the country go by. You’ll reach your lodge near the park in the evening, ready for the treks over the next two days.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Volcanoes National Park
Day 4: Gorilla Trekking and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
After an early breakfast, you’ll go to the park headquarters at Kinigi for the gorilla trekking briefing. Rangers assign your small group a habituated gorilla family, then lead you up through the forest on the slopes of the volcanoes. The trek can take two to five hours, depending on where the gorillas are, and once you find them you’ll have one hour to watch them at close range.
In the afternoon, you’ll visit the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village for traditional music and dance and a look at village life near the park. Then you’ll return to your lodge for dinner.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Volcanoes National Park
Day 5: Golden Monkey Trek and Return to Kigali
After an early breakfast, you’ll head back to Kinigi for your golden monkey trek. In the bamboo forest, you’ll find a troop of these quick, orange-backed monkeys leaping between the stems as they feed. Afterward, you’ll visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to learn how Rwanda protects its gorillas and other endangered wildlife.
After lunch, you’ll drive back to Kigali through the hills. If time allows, your guide will take you on a short city tour that includes the Kigali Genocide Memorial, before dropping you at your hotel or Kigali International Airport.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Frequently Asked Questions
Both tours include a mountain gorilla trek and a golden monkey trek in Volcanoes National Park. This 5-day version adds an arrival night in Kigali, two game drives and a Lake Ihema boat trip in Akagera National Park, and an afternoon at the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village. It suits travelers who want savanna wildlife as well as primates. Unlike our 6-day safari, it doesn’t include chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe.
The gorilla trek is a moderate to challenging hike on steep, often muddy trails, and takes two to five hours depending on where your gorilla family is. The golden monkey trek is usually shorter, through bamboo forest at the foot of the volcanoes. A reasonable level of fitness is recommended. Porters can carry your bag on either trek, but porter fees are not included.
Your price includes one Rwanda gorilla permit and one golden monkey permit per person, the Akagera game drives and Lake Ihema boat trip, the cultural village visit and park fees for non-residents. The gorilla permit alone costs $1,500. Four nights’ accommodation, meals as listed, your driver/guide and airport transfers are also included. Tips, porter fees, visas and travel insurance are not.
For how gorilla permits are priced and booked, see our gorilla trekking permit cost guide and our guide to the full cost of a gorilla trek.
Kigali to Akagera takes about two and a half to three hours, which is why you leave at 6:00 AM to reach the park early. The longest day is Day 3, when you cross the country from Akagera to Volcanoes National Park, a drive of about six to seven hours. The return from Volcanoes National Park to Kigali on Day 5 takes about two and a half hours.
Book as early as you can, since only a limited number of gorilla permits are issued each day, and about six months ahead for July and August. A 50% deposit confirms your booking. Because this is a private tour, we can adjust it, for example by adding a second gorilla trek or chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park.
Our guide to the best time for gorilla trekking compares the dry and rainy months.
