Rwanda Safaris and Gorilla Trekking Tours

Rwanda packs an unusual amount into a small country. You can track mountain gorillas in the morning, walk a rainforest canopy the next day, and finish the week on the shore of Lake Kivu. Nothing is more than a few hours’ drive from Kigali, which is why it works so well for travellers who do not have three weeks to give.

Where our Rwanda trips go

Volcanoes National Park. The gorilla families live on the forested slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, about two and a half hours north of Kigali. Groups are limited to eight visitors per family per day and you spend one hour with them once you find them. Golden monkey trekking runs from the same park and is worth adding.

Nyungwe Forest National Park. One of the olDdest rainforests in Africa, in the southwest. Chimpanzee tracking, thirteen primate species, and a canopy walkway suspended sixty metres above the forest floor.

Akagera National Park. The savannah side of Rwanda, on the Tanzanian border. Lion and rhino have both been reintroduced, so Akagera is now a Big Five park, and the boat trip on Lake Ihema is one of the better ways to see hippo and waterbirds.

Lake Kivu and Kigali. Kivu is where most itineraries slow down, with quiet beaches at Gisenyi and Kibuye. Kigali is worth a full day for the Genocide Memorial and the craft markets.

When to go

June to September is the long dry season and the easiest time to trek. December to February is a shorter dry window and just as good. The wetter months of March to May are green, quieter and cheaper, and the trekking is still perfectly possible, just muddier underfoot.

Planning your trip

Gorilla permits are issued by the Rwanda Development Board and are limited in number, so we secure yours as soon as your dates are fixed. We are based in Kigali, so the person planning your trip is the same person who can reach your guide when you are in the country. Browse the itineraries below, or tell us your dates and we will build something around them.