A slightly more compressed version of our 6-Day Highlights itinerary, combining a single Kigali city stop, the gorilla trek, and a short but genuine stay on Lake Kivu, for travellers with five days rather than six.
Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Your driver-guide meets you at Kigali International Airport, and the afternoon is built around the city itself: the Kigali Genocide Memorial first, then time at Kimironko Market or a craft cooperative, before an evening at leisure ahead of tomorrow’s drive north.
Arrive Kigali, City Tour
Accommodation Options
BudgetDiscover Rwanda Youth Hostel
Mid-rangeUbumwe Grande Hotel
LuxuryKigali Serena Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 2
The drive to Kinigi covers barely two hours on well-maintained roads, climbing through Rwanda’s terraced “thousand hills” countryside. Arrival by early-to-mid afternoon, the Virunga volcanoes visible from most lodges here, in time for an evening trekking briefing.
Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Accommodation Options
BudgetKinigi Guest House
Mid-rangeMountain Gorilla View Lodge
LuxuryVirunga Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3
A 6am wake-up for the trek itself — briefing, family assignment, the climb through misty volcanic forest, and the strict hour with your gorilla family — then, rather than a second night at Kinigi, straight on to Lake Kivu after lunch, the road winding through tea plantations and terraced hillsides. Arrival by early evening.
Gorilla Trekking, Transfer to Lake Kivu
Accommodation Options
Mid-rangeCormoran Lodge
LuxuryLake Kivu Serena Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4
A genuinely free day to recover from the trek — swimming off the shoreline, a boat trip out toward one of the lake’s small islands, or simply resting.
Lake Kivu at Leisure
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5
Checkout after breakfast for the drive back to Kigali, timed against your onward international flight.
Return to Kigali, Departure
Meals: Breakfast
Permits & Costs
| Gorilla trekking permit | $1,500 per person |
Who This Itinerary Suits
Travellers who want the Kigali-gorillas-Lake Kivu combination but have one day less to spend than our 6-Day Highlights itinerary.Tour Includes
- Travel in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Gorilla trekking permit
- All accommodation per itinerary
- Meals as specified
Tour Excludes
- International flights
- Visas
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips & gratuities
- Travel insurance