A country known for its rolling hills full of green vegetation and beautiful lakes and jungles!
She longed to travel to Africa, specifically Rwanda where she discovered a pearl on the continent. Known for its rolling hills full of green vegetation and beautiful lakes and jungles, Rwanda is a safe, clean, and vibrant country where the resiliency of the people and communities is felt ever since the devastating 20th century genocide. Rwanda has reached a point of political stability and wishes to put itself on the international map as a tourist-friendly location that offers a wide range of amazing activities. Our budget for the whole trip was around $ 5320 per person for 10 nights (including food and activities for 3 nights – excluding food and activities for 7 nights). The 3 nights will be spent in a very high end safari lodge. A cheaper alternative is proposed in the trip description.
Kigali
Kigali
Akagera NP
Musanze
Nyungwe
Kibuye (Karongi)
AIRPORT TO
KIGALI
10 km / 20 min
Kigali
3 NIGHTS-
We slept at Hotel des Milles Collines. A traditional hotel in the center of Kigali. Comfortable and well located with all amenities of a big city hotel. Don’t miss the swimming pool and a massage in a gazebo.
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We had dinner at Poivre noir & Sol y Luna
We visited Inema (art gallery) – fun party setting at night with locals
We walked in the city and went to food markets
We visited the Kigali tower (shopping mall)
KIGALI TO
AKAGERA NP
120 km / 2h30
Akagera NP
DAY TRIP-
We went for a wildlife drive in Akagera National Park. The drive was safe and scenic with a spectacular morning sunrise. We saw a variety of wildlife animals from elephants, zebras, crocs, impalas, and lions. It was amazing! Bring bug spray, may be a long day for young kids. Here are 3 alternatives if you want to stay there overnight: Ruzizi Tented Lodge or Magashi Camp.
KIGALI TO
MUSANZE
120 km / 3h
Musanze
3 NIGHTS-
We stayed at Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel. Great boutique hotel, perfectly located for all our planned activities OR if you reserve in advance/higher budget: BISATE ECO LODGE is extraordinary.
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Gorillas and Golden Monkey tracking in Volcanoes NP. No park entry fees but you need to book an activity to enter the park. Learn more about this here
Gorilla tracking – you must get Visa in advance, cost of $1500 but worth every penny – profit goes to gorilla preservation.
Cheaper option: Golden Monkey Tracking – $1oo or Hiking the volcanoe trails – $75
Visit of the Gorilla Guardians cultural village
MUSANZE TO
NYUNGWE NP
300 km /6h
Nyungwe
3 NIGHTS-
We stayed several days at my friend’s home in Kibuye and traveled from there to NYUNGWE NP. We would not have stayed in Kibuye but rather closed to the NP if we had not been at our friend house. We had looked at this newly open hotel. It has already 3 amazing reviews. One and Only NYUNGWE HOUSE This house is set amongst the rich tea-plantations of Gisakura, on the edge of the iconic Nyungwe National Park. The park itself covers approximately 1020 km² of rainforest, bamboo, grassland, swamps and bogs, and is one of the last mountain rainforest habitats on the planet. Their room price include, breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, beverages and two on-site activities per person per day .
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Scenic Drive to Nyungwe National Park
Many activities to be done: Canopy walk, Chimpanzee trekking, Bird watching, Tropical waterfall guided hike….
Lunch at Gisakura Guest house
NYUNGWE NP TO
KIGALI
200 km / 4h
Kigali
1 NIGHT-
Same hotel as beginning: Hotel des milles collines (traditional)
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Stopover before taking our flight back to New York
GOOD TO KNOW
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Mountain gorillas can only be found in 3 countries on the planet: Uganda, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo. These three countries share the Volcano Park. There are 20 families in total and only 800 mountain gorillas in the world. We saw the Muhoza gorilla family which is led by the largest silverback in the world.
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The gorilla tracking activity is very expensive but beware that part of the money will go to the gorilla preservation. The $ 1500 is worth every penny.
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We felt very safe during the whole trip and people are really friendly. However, check your embassy/consulate recommendation before booking your trip to be updated on the country specific situation.
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The hotel offer is very limited in the national parks and therefore prices are very high. In return, you will enjoy your trip without the tourist crowd.
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The best season to visit Rwanda is December until March & June until August.
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This trip includes a very high-end safari lodge, unique and fantastic. This increases drastically the price of the lodging for the trip. An alternative would be Nziza eco lodge that proposes rooms and tents ranging from $ 90 to $ 200 per night with shared bathrooms.