This 8 days Rwanda culture and primates safari adventure will take you to Volcanoes National park for mountain gorilla trekking, visit the Nyungwe Forest National Park where you will see the chimpanzees and exhilarating culture experiences at Lake Kivu. Enquire Now Expect to indulge in a variety of tourism activities such as Chimpanzee Tracking, Forest Walk and Gorilla Trekking adventure in the outstanding Rwandan Park. You will also visit the Akagera National Park to take part in the pastoral cultural home where you will engage in activities surrounding the cow.
Tour Highlights of Your 8 Days Rwanda Culture Safari
- The game drive Safari experience in Akagera National Park.
- Optional – Boat trip on Lake Ihema.
- Cultural and community experiences.
- Chimpanzee Trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
- Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
Your 8 Days Rwanda Culture & Primates Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Kigali International Airport for the 8 Days Rwanda Culture & Primates Safari
Today is your first day of the 8 Days Rwanda culture and primates safari adventure. As you take your last step off the airplane, you will meet a tour guide from Silverback gorilla tours company and after getting briefed about the tour highlights and tour plan, you will get transferred Kigali city to have lunch and rest before an evening journey driving to Akagera National Park, East of Rwanda. Alternatively, should you take a morning flight, you will have a chance to tour Kigali City before later getting transferred to the Akagera National Park in the late afternoon. The journey to Akagera National Park takes us only 2-5 hours. before traveling to Akagera National Park. If in the late afternoon, you will overnight in Kigali. Dinner and overnight at your booked hotel/lodge.
Day 2: Exploring the Wildlife Game in Akagera National Park
On this day, we set early in the morning for a wildlife safari game drive where we will look out for the big game including Elephants, Lions, Black Rhinos, Buffaloes, Zebras, Giraffes, Waterbucks, Bushbucks, and many more animals. The game drives in Akagera national park usually take place in the northern sector of the park. In the late afternoon hours, retire to the lodge for lunch after which you will go for a boat ride safari where you will see various water-loving mammals such as the Hippos and crocodiles. Retire in the evening at the lodge for your dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Rwanda Culture Experience in Eastern Rwanda
Akagera National Park’s nearby communities are mainly flanked by pastoralists who graze the Inyambo cattle. On this day of the 8 Days Rwanda culture tour, we will visit one of the homesteads of cattle keepers in Eastern Rwanda tp participate in the different local and cultural activities such as milking cows with hands as opposed to machines, feeding the cows with grass, among others. After the session, you set the cows for the days grazing. You also have lessons on how milk is converted traditionally into different products like ghee and yogurt. Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park in Musanze on day 4 of the 8 Days Rwanda Culture & Primates Safari
Wake up to an early breakfast to start a long hour journey driving to reach Volcanoes National Park in Ruhengeri (formerly known as Musanze). Enjoy the long hour as you reminisce the Rwanda culture experience of Eastern Rwanda people. Volcanoes national park is located in northern Rwanda about 2 hours from Kigali in Kinigi, Musanze. You have several photography opportunities as you travel north to the volcanoes. We will arrive at the lodge later that evening ready for the gorilla trekking adventure scheduled for the next day.
Day 5: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Meet the mountain gorillas in the dense jungles of the Virunga ranges. The trek to the gorillas starts with a briefing at the park headquarters in Kinigi where you are assigned a ranger and gorilla family to trek. The trek through the jungle of volcanoes national park is a fulfilling unforgettable experience that many people look to undertake. The trek can last from an hour or less to several hours later depending on where the gorillas nested the previous night – you need to be relatively fit to enjoy this experience and remember to pace yourself as you trek. Depending on the time the gorilla tracking lasts, you have opportunities for a cultural group performance by visiting a cultural village or take a community walk. Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
Day 6: Culture Experience at the Gorillas Guardian Village
Today as we set near to the end of our 8 Days Rwanda culture, we will transfer to the gorilla guardians village which was formerly known as Iby’iwacu cultural village. We will spend part of the day learning about how the Rwandan people lived in their community traditionally which is climaxed by the experience of having a King and Queen. Enjoy a traditional dance performed by the group, and learn about how they made traditional beer and local cuisines. The other part of the day will be spent in the community where you will visit a village home and be part of their daily life. You will prepare a meal together with them and after enjoy eating this same meal.
Day 7: Transfer to Lake Kivu, Relax and Rejuvenate Yourself
After a relaxed breakfast, we transfer to Gisenyi on the shores of Lake Kivu for relaxation and activities on the lake. Lake Kivu is a beautiful lake bordered between Rwanda and Congo in western Rwanda. On the menu today is taking a boat ride to the Napoleon island, take a visit to the hot springs or simply relax at the beach or by your hotel.
Today we spend the day exploring the Gisenyi area especially the fishing village. You learn and participate in the traditional fishing methods and fish preservation by the fishermen plying the waters of Lake Kivu.
Day 8: End of the 8 Days Rwanda Culture & Primates Safari, Transfer to Kigali City, Departure
Sadly, this is your last day of the 8 Days Culture Safari in Rwanda. Let’s hope you’ve enjoyed the exploration of our Rwandan cultural heritage and community experiences mixed up with a primates experience in Akagera and Volcanoes National Park. After breakfast in the morning, our driver-guide will definitely transfer to your hotel in Kigali or the airport for your flight back home.