9 days cultural tour Rwanda and gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park: just like any other East African country, Rwanda has its own rich cultures that have been upheld for centuries and are worth learning about. These 9 day cultural tours will take you through Akagera National Park for an adventurous cultural encounter and so much more that you will find in this one safari package.
Highlights for 9 days cultural Rwanda tour and gorilla trekking in Volcanoes
- Airport Pick Up.
- Enjoy a city tour.
- Transfer to Akagera National Park.
- A game drive and a village visit to Rwanda
- A boat ride and an evening game drive.
- Visit the Twin Lakes found in Akagera.
- Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Community cultural Tour excursion with transfer to Lake Kivu
- Butare to Kigali with airport drop-off
Detailed itinerary for 9 days cultural Rwanda tour and gorilla trekking in Volcanoes
Day 1: Airport pick-up
You will be welcomed by your guide or driver upon your arrival at Kigali International Airport. Your driver will help you with your luggage and give you a short briefing about the safari on your way to your booked hotel. Upon your arrival, check in for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: F/B.
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Kigali Serena Hotel
- Mid-range: Classic Hotel
- Budget: Flame Tree Village, Kigali
- Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2: Enjoy Kigali City Tour
After your breakfast, you will travel to Kigali to explore the various historical sites. Visit different landmarks of colonial post-independence and transfer to Bugesera in the afternoon to visit the reconciliation village, the, Nyamata and Ntarama genocide era and how the church played a big role in ending this great evil. Return to the hotel for your dinner and overnight.
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Kigali Serena Hotel
- Mid-range: Classic Hotel
- Budget: Flame Tree Village, Kigali
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 3: Transfer to Akagera National Park
Transfer to Akagera National Park after your breakfast and check out of the hotel. On your way, visit Imigongo, learn about the ancient art, and watch the beautiful waterfalls in Rusumo, on the border of Tanzania and Rwanda. After lunch, proceed to Akagera National Park and check into your booked safari lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation options
- Upmarket: Akagera Game Lodge
- Mid-range/budget: Golf Hills Residence
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 4: Akagera game drives and Rwanda village visit.
This will be quite an early morning; wake up to a delicious cup of tea or coffee and head out for an early morning game drive. There is a good chance to see lots of wild animals as they will be arising from their slumber. Return to your lodge for a full breakfast and get some time for relaxation before your next activity later in the afternoon. You will get to visit the pastoralist heritage and experience their daily duties. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Akagera Game Lodge
- Mid-range/budget: Golf Hills Residence
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 5: Boat ride and Evening Game drive
After having your breakfast, you will get an awesome experience on Lake Ihema, a great opportunity to see lots of aquatic wildlife like crocodiles, hippos, and over 50 species of water birds as well. Return to your lodge for your lunch, and later in the evening, you will set out for an adventurous evening game drive, a good chance to catch up on the action you might have missed in the morning game drive. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: F/B.
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Akagera Game Lodge
- Mid-range/budget: Golf Hills Residence
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 6: Visit the twin lakes found in Akagera National Park
After breakfast, check out of the safari lodge and head out to Ruhengeri for an ethnobotany tour, an excellent experience that will expose you to different plant species and so much more. After lunch, you will visit the beautiful twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. You will also get involved in different community projects like brick making, collecting honey from beehives, and so much more to help you familiarize yourself with the way the local communities go about these economic activities, which are quite different from the way they’re done in your home country. After your exhausting but fun-filled day, you will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Meal plan: F/B.
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
- Mid-range: Le’bambou gorilla lodge
- Budget: Kinigi guest house
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 7: Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Set out to the park headquarters after breakfast for a short briefing about the gorilla tracking activity. Learn about the family you will be trekking with and, generally, what to expect and what is expected of you as a tracker. After the briefing, you will be ready to penetrate the thick canopies of volcanoes to look for the gentle giants. When you finally meet them, you will be allowed one full hour to observe them and takeasy many pictures as you like. Return to the lodge for a hot lunch and enjoy an afternoon of relaxation, enjoying the beautiful scenery around you. Meal plan: F/B
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
- Mid-range: Le’bambou gorilla lodge
- Budget: Kinigi guest house
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 8: Community cultural tour excursion with transfer to Lake Kivu
You will check out of the safari lodge after breakfast and set out to Lake Kivu, a perfect way to end your safari relaxed and winding down from the last few days’ hard adventure, enjoying the peace and serenity on this beautiful lake. You will get to swim and have enjoyed some fried tilapia fish for lunch. Check into your booked lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation Options
- Upmarket: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel
- Mid-range: Paradise Malahide
- Budget: La Petite Colline Guest House
- Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 9: Butare to Kigali with Airport Drop off.
Check out of the safari lodge after your breakfast and transfer to Butare to visit the Basilica of Kabagayi, the ancient King’s palace at Nyanza, the National Museum, and Butare, “the intellectual town of Rwanda.” After lunch, you will stop at the craft center and get some souvenirs to take back home to family and friends. You will then continue to the airport to catch your flight back home. Meal plan: H/B at the end of a 9-days cultural Rwanda tour and gorilla trekking safari
9 days cultural Rwanda tour and gorilla trekking in Volcanoes include:
- Airport transfers
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Transportation by safari vehicle
- Game drive
- Boat ride
- Park fees
- One gorilla trekking permit
- One chimpanzee trekking permit
- Nature walks
- Visit Lake Kivu and take a boat ride.
However, 9 days cultural Rwanda tour and gorilla trekking in Volcanoes exclude:
- Airfare
- Rwanda Visa
- Luxury drinks
- Laundry
- Tips for local guides
- Telephone fee
- Porter’s fee while touring
- Personal Insurance
- Personal shopping bills and any other item not mentioned above.