Tour Highlights of the 7 Day Highlights of Rwanda

• Gorilla Trekking in the thick Jungles Volcanoes National Park,
• Forest Hikes in beautiful fauna Gishwati-Mukura National Park 
• Chimpanzee Tracking in Gishwati-Mukura National Park
• Relaxation at Lake Kivu
• Sightseeing in the historical Kigali City

Let us take you on a 7-day Highlights of Rwanda you’ll experience close encounters with the primates of Rwanda and the beautiful people from the Land of A Thousand Hills.

This incredible 7-day Highlights of Rwanda Tour offers the opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounters. You’ll track chimpanzees and spot monkeys, baboons, and other wildlife in Nyungwe National Park and embark on the Canopy Walkway,  Trek deep into the forests of Volcanoes National Park, you’ll search for endangered mountain gorillas with expert local rangers. Take in the sights of Kigali and its colorful markets, and kayak on Lake Kivu.

7 Day Highlights of Rwanda Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali, Rwanda

The 7-day highlights of the Rwanda Tour begin with your arrival at Kigali Airport in the morning where you will be welcomed by a company representative and transferred to your accommodation.

You’ll have an opportunity to visit the bustling local markets and the Caplaki Craft Co-operative where you’ll find local craftsmen in wooden huts.

Look out for handicrafts, including jewelry, paintings, batik, fabrics, wood carvings, traditional masks, baskets, bags, scarves, and beading.

Accommodation and Meals at Mille Collines Hotel

Day 2: Kigali – Volcanoes National Park- Gorilla Guardians Village

Today you will have a picturesque drive to Volcanoes National Park in Musanze province. This is roughly a three-hour hour drive passing through breathtaking scenery. You will head out to the Gorilla Guardians Village where you will get to experience Rwandan village life.

Participate in the grinding seeds, firing bows and arrows, taking part in a traditional intore dance, and even partaking in the marriage of a king to his queen, listening to interesting cultural stories about traditional medicine from a local traditional healer and getting to know how medicinal trees, shrubs, grass are used to cure local patients.

Accommodation and Meals at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.

Day 6: Volcanoes National Park – Gorilla Trekking

After breakfast, prepare for an unforgettable encounter with the gentle giants of Volcanoes National Park, the Mountain Gorillas! At the national park offices, you will be allocated a gorilla family in group 8 and a gorilla tracking guide.

After a pre-tracking briefing by your guide and a gorilla group assigned to you,  as well as appropriate safety precautions, you head to the trailhead for the start of a thrilling adventure.  The time taken can be quite unpredictable taking anything from 2 to 5 hrs or longer.

You will have a packed lunch from the lodge for this hike. Upon sighting the primates, you spend the allowed one hour with them as they go about their daily life; grooming, feeding, and moving about. Later head back to the trailhead on the 7 day Highlights of Rwanda.

Accommodation and Meals at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.

Day 4: Volcanoes Park – Gishwati-Mukura Park

Today you head to Gishwati-Mukura National Park which demonstrates how dedicated human efforts have reversed the damage caused by deforestation, flooding, subsistence hunting, overgrazing, soil erosion, illegal mining activities, and irresponsible farming.

President Paul Kagame established the Gishwati-Mukura National Park in February 2016, with the assistance of the American research institution Great Ape Trust, based in Des Moines, Iowa. The resilience of Rwandan nature has been proven once more in Gishwati-Mukura National Park.

Accommodation and Meals at Forest of Hope Guest House and Camp Site.

Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Birding

This day starts with a chimpanzee and primate trekking in this part of Rwanda and you may spot a family of endangered eastern chimps,  L’Hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue or diademed monkeys, and golden monkeys. Other animals present here include the black front duiker, serval, red river hog, and southern tree hyrax.

After a picnic lunch, the reserve of Gishwati-Mukura is home to more than 130 species of birds, 14 of which are native to the Albertine Rift region. Birdwatchers to Rwanda will enjoy spotting the grey-crowned crane and martial eagle, along with the white-headed wood hoopoe, mountain yellow warbler, and old world warbler.

Accommodation and Meals at Forest of Hope Guest House and Camp Site.

Day 6: Gishwati -Mukura Park – Lake Kivu

After an early morning breakfast, we proceed to Lake Kivu, Gisenyi, the largest lake in Rwanda located amid mountains and green hills. At Lake Kivu, you can relax on the stunning palm-fringed beaches, kayak on the calm waters of the lake, or take a boat tour to the nearby islands or coffee and banana plantations. You can also hike in the surrounding hills.  Accommodation and Meals at Mantis Kivu Marina Bay Hotel.

Day 7: Lake Kivu – Kigali – Departure

Spend the early morning relaxing at the hotel or head back to Kigali for your onward international flight back home.

Included in the 7-day Highlights of Rwanda

Ground transportation in a safari customized 4WD Toyota Landcruiser with gasoline/fuel, Mineral water in the vehicle, services of an English-speaking Driver/guide, Activities, Batwa Trail, Nature walks, Boat cruises, Accommodation, Meals, all Park Entrance Fees, Statutory Taxes where applicable.  

Excluded in the 7-day Highlights of Rwanda

International Airfares; Excess baggage charges; Ugandan and Rwanda Entry Visa Fees USD 30 Room service, Alcoholic drinks, and Beverages, Laundry, Tips, and Gratuities for your Driver/guide and Hotels staff, International Airport Departure Taxes, Optional activities unless specified as included, Any other services not expressly shown in the itinerary or indicated as included.