5 Day Rwanda Safari and Gorilla Trekking

Arrive at Kigali International Airport. Transfer to Hotel des Mille Collines (Hotel Rwanda). Evening dinner overlooking Kigali's illuminated cityscape.

Drive 2.5 hours to Akagera National Park. Visit Urugo Women's Opportunity Center, a Bloomberg-funded vocational training project. Afternoon boat safari spotting 500+ bird species and hippos on Lake Ihema. Night game drive using spotlights to track leopards, hyenas, and nocturnal predators. Overnight at Ruzizi Tented Lodge.

Early morning game drive tracking giraffes, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, lions, and the massive hippo concentrations along the Akagera River—the Nile's most remote source. Traverse mixed savannah, mountains, and swampland bordering Tanzania. Overnight at Karenge Bush Camp.

Morning game drive spotting wildlife missed on previous drives. Return to Kigali. Overnight at Hotel des Mille Collines.

Visit Mayange village to experience the UN Millennium Villages Project firsthand. Learn about agriculture, healthcare, education, infrastructure, and microenterprise development from locals themselves. Witness how communities broke poverty traps in southeastern Rwanda. Evening dinner at Java House overlooking Kigali Convention Center.

Drive south toward Nyungwe, stopping at Butare's National Museum—Rwanda's most important historical site showcasing deeply embedded cultures, traditions, and history. Overnight at Nyungwe Top View Hotel.

Walk the 160-meter suspension bridge, 70 meters above the rainforest ravine. Experience ancient treetops and wildlife from an exhilarating aerial perspective. Afternoon visit to nearby tea plantation. Overnight at Nyungwe Top View Hotel.

Choose from multiple trails: Blue Trail (2.5km) for primates and birds, Red Trail (10km) for chimpanzees and waterfalls, Waterfall Trail (3-6 hours) through tea plantations and ravines, or Kamiranzovu Trail through orchid-filled marshland. Transfer to Kibuye on Lake Kivu's shores—the prettiest of the lake's three resort towns. Overnight at Cormoran Lodge.

Drive to western province bordering DR Congo. Experience "From Crop to Cup"—pick coffee cherries, follow washing processes, hand-grind and traditionally roast your own coffee with local hosts. Stunning Lake Kivu scenery throughout. Sunset dinner overlooking the lake. Overnight at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.

Full day in colonial beach resort Gisenyi on Lake Kivu's northern tip. Three sandy beaches lined with fading mansions and modern upscale hotels. Shop for Congolese antique masks and colorful African fabrics. Visit hot springs and local banana market. Overnight at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.

isit Batwa community for "Dancing Pots" experience—learn pottery and performing arts from historically marginalized people now fully integrated and thriving. Transfer to Musanze. Afternoon at Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum, site of the world's longest-running primate research. Overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.

Track critically endangered golden monkeys in bamboo forests. Watch them climb trees, feed, and play for one hour. Afternoon visit to Gorilla Guardians Village—former poachers now benefiting from tourism, showcasing traditional lifestyles, dances, and artifacts. Income-generating conservation initiative. Overnight at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.

Trek through Hagenia trees, bamboo forests, and flowering Lobelias to find mountain gorillas. Spend one hour face-to-face with humanity's closest relatives—over 400 of the world's 800 remaining gorillas live in Volcanoes National Park. Return to Kigali. Overnight at Grand Ubumwe Hotel.

Explore Nyamirambo, Kigali's bustling multi-cultural district. Guided by Nyamirambo Women's Center, visit West African tailors, hair salons, recording studios with local rap, Muslim quarter with Arab influences. Kinyarwanda language lesson, market shopping with locals, and home-cooked Rwandan meal. Authentic urban Rwanda experience.