Seven days lets Rwanda’s full range show itself: gorilla trekking and golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park, followed by a genuine Big Five safari in Akagera National Park — primates and classic savannah wildlife in one connected trip, entirely within Rwanda’s compact geography.
Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Your driver-guide is waiting just past customs at Kigali International Airport with an Amazing Gorilla Safaris board, for the short transfer into the city. With no activities planned for the rest of the day, the evening is deliberately unstructured — time to rest ahead of tomorrow’s drive north.
Arrive Kigali
Accommodation Options
BudgetDiscover Rwanda Youth Hostel
Mid-rangeUbumwe Grande Hotel
LuxuryKigali Serena Hotel
Meals: Dinner
DAY 2
The drive to Kinigi covers barely two hours on some of the best-maintained roads in East Africa, climbing through Rwanda’s famous “thousand hills” terraced countryside, with an optional stop at the Kigali Genocide Memorial before leaving the city. You arrive at your lodge by early-to-mid afternoon, the Virunga volcanoes visible from most rooms here, in time for an evening trekking briefing.
Kigali 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 drive to park headquarters, where the 7am briefing opens with a performance by the Kinigi intore dancers before groups of up to eight are assigned to specific families based on fitness and tracker reports. The trek climbs through increasingly misty, moss-draped forest on the volcanic slopes before the strict hour with your assigned family.
Gorilla Trekking
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4
A markedly gentler day than the one before it: a drop down into the park’s bamboo zone to find a troop of golden monkeys, playful and constantly on the move, chasing each other through the bamboo in a way that makes for genuinely entertaining photography even without the more solemn atmosphere of the gorilla encounter.
Golden Monkey Tracking
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5
The drive east crosses the width of the country, Rwanda’s rolling hills gradually flattening into the drier savannah that characterises Akagera — a genuinely different landscape from the volcanic north, and a reminder of how much variety this small country packs in. You arrive with time for an evening game drive as the light softens.
Transfer to Akagera National Park
Accommodation Options
BudgetRuzizi Tented Lodge
Mid-rangeAkagera Game Lodge
LuxuryMagashi Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6
A full day across Akagera’s mix of savannah, lakes and papyrus wetland, tracking lion and both black and white rhino — all reintroduced here after local extinction, alongside long-established elephant, buffalo and leopard populations — plus a boat trip on Lake Ihema for hippo, crocodile and some of the best waterbird viewing in the region.
Full Day Big Five Game Viewing
Accommodation
As above
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7
The drive back to Kigali, timed against your onward international flight, with a lunch stop en route.
Return to Kigali, Departure
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Permits & Costs
| Gorilla trekking permit | $1,500 per person |
| Golden monkey permit | ~$100 per person |
| Akagera park entry & boat trip | Included in tour price |
Who This Itinerary Suits
Travellers wanting Rwanda’s complete range — two primate species and a genuine Big Five safari — without crossing into a second country.Tour Includes
- Travel in a 4×4 safari vehicle
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Gorilla & golden monkey permits
- All accommodation per itinerary
- Meals as specified
- Akagera park fees & boat trip
Tour Excludes
- International flights
- Visas
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips & gratuities
- Travel insurance