The 5 Days Rwanda Wildlife & cultural safari gives a taste of Rwanda’s wilderness. It exposes you to the rich wild game of Akagera National Park including; elephants, leopard, buffalo, zebra, giraffe & Antelopes; the cultural encounters at Butare including the ethnographic museum, Nyanza palace and Murambi genocide memorial and the Chimpanzee trekking experience and canopy walking Nyungwe forest National Park. It is a perfect blend of primates, wild game and culture.
Day 1: Transfer to Akagera National Park & do boat cruise
Day 2: Do Game drive & transfer to Butare
Day 3: Encounter Butare & transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 4: Do Chimpanzee trekking & canopy walk
Day 5: Transfer to Kigali city
After breakfast, transfer to Akagera National Park 130km about 2.5 hours’ drive from Kigali. You will pass through the farmed hill sides of Rwanda before approaching the relative lower lying landscapes of eastern Rwanda where Akagera National Park is situated. You will arrive early for lunch and short relaxation after which you will embark on the relaxing boat cruise on Lake Ihema which is the second largest Lake in Rwanda. The sights of Nile crocodiles and Hippos not forgetting wild game drinking on the Lake side will combine your boat trip rewarding.
Accommodation: Akagera game Lodge (Upmarket/Luxury), Ruzizi Tented Camp (Mid-range/Standard) or Dereva Hotel (Budget/basic).
You will wake up early enough for a cup of coffee before embarking on the game drive in the National game park of Akagera. The early departure gives you chances of spotting early risers and night hunters retreating to their hiding places. The drive will expose you to wildlife like Zebras, giraffe, elephants, Antelopes like Impala, water-buck among other wildlife. The scenic landscapes of the Akagera plains and overlooking Tanzanian plains also make sightseeing rewarding on this trip. Return to the lodge for relaxation till lunch after which you will embark on the transfer to Butare 247km approximately 4 hours’ drive for overnight.
Accommodation: Barthos Hotel (Upmarket/Luxury), Hotel Faucon (Mid-range/Standard) or Shalom Guest House (Budget/Basic).
After breakfast, embark on the tour of the Butare area. You will pay a visit to the Nyanza palace which was a home of King Musinga and his successor King Rudahigwa. The site has a unique hut crafted in traditional architecture while the traditional Inyambo cows are around the site thus can be seen on this Rwanda safari. You can also visit the Ethnographic museum which is the largest in Rwanda with over thousands of artifacts and the genocide memorial sites in the area. You will have lunch in Butare after which you will transfer to Nyungwe forest National Park 155km about 3 hours’ drive. Arrive in the evening for overnight.
Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Hotel (Upmarket/luxury), Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel (Mid-range/standard) or Gisakura guest House (Budget/Basic).
After breakfast, embark on the Chimpanzee trekking experience that starts at 08:00am. You will set off to the montane forest of Nyungwe which is praised to be among those few forests that survived the last ice age in search of man’s close relative – common chimpanzee. The 2 -5 hours trek is very interesting as it involves passing through the jungle, hiking steep landscapes and descending on the same terrain amidst bird sights and other wildlife including monkeys. Upon encountering Chimpanzees, you will marvel at their intelligent tactics, how they gather fruit, swing in tree branches, socialize and their general characteristics for one full hour. After this, you will return to the lodge for relaxation. In the afternoon, you will embark on the rewarding Nyungwe canopy walk that takes you through the views of the Nyungwe forest canopy that is filled with birds and primate species like monkeys. The 90m long and 40m high Nyungwe canopy is an exciting adventure to undertake on Rwanda safari.
Accommodation: You will have dinner and overnight at your previous lodge.
After a relaxed breakfast, embark on the drive back to Kigali city. You will stop in Nyanza to visit the Rwesero National Art gallery – the proposed palace of the former King Rudahigwa that did not materialize after his death. The Rwesero Art gallery features a range of Art collections thus will make your stop memorable. You will continue to arrive in Kigali in the afternoon.
Cate
Samuel
Robert
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