This 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari provides an excellent opportunity to see some of Africa’s most diversified animals, magnificent terrain and unforgettable cultural experiences. Grab this opportunity to explore Rwanda’s national parks including Volcanoes National Park, Akagera National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Highlights for 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Day 2: City Tour and Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
Day 3: Gorilla Trek and Visit Karisoke Centre
Day 4: Golden Monkey Trek
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Evening Game Drive
Day 6: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
Day 7: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 8: Chimpanzee Trek and Canopy Walk
Day 9: Waterfall Hike and Visit Gisakura Tea Estate
Day 10: Optional Coffee Tour in Huye and Transfer Back to Kigali.
Detailed Itinerary for 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari.
Day 1: Arrival in Kigali
Our company representative will pick you up from Kigali international airport. Depending on your time of arrival in Kigali, you will do a city tour if your flight arrives before 12pm. However, in case you arrive late in Kigali, you will simply drive to your hotel, check-in and have dinner. The city tour will be done on the next day if not possible today. Overnight stay at your selected hotel.
Day 2: City Tour and Transfer to Volcanoes NP- Iby’iwacu Village Tour.
On the second day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, your driver guide will meet you at your hotel in Kigali. Enjoy a brief tour of Kigali city including a visit to the local market and the Genocide memorial site. Later have lunch and transfer to Volcanoes national park for a cultural tour to Ibyi’wacu Village which is located near the national park. Get to watch dance and singing performances from the local intore dance troupe. Later drive to lodge for dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 3: Gorilla Trek and Visit Karisoke Centre
On the third day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, you will wake up early to have breakfast before heading to the park headquarters for a routine briefing about gorilla tracking. You will further be allocated a gorilla family to track. Your gorilla tour starts when you enter the forest on a gorilla trail, meeting the gorillas normally takes between 2 to 8 hours which is highly dependent on the movement of the gorillas.
After your gorilla trek, have your packed lunch and head back your lodge where you will refresh yourself and relax for a while. Later in the afternoon, you will drive to Karisoke center where you will take a tour of Dian Fossey museum and learn more about her contribution towards the conservation of Mountain Gorillas.
Day 4: Golden Monkey Trek
On the fourth day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, wake up in time to have breakfast at your lodge and drive to the park headquarters for your briefing. Your golden monkey trek will begin at 8 am and can take between 2 to 6 hours or more to locate a golden monkey family depending on their location. Once you have located at a family, you will then spend an hour with the golden monkeys. Later return back to your lodge for lunch and spend the rest of your evening at leisure.
Later have dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 5: Transfer to Akagera National Park and Evening Game Drive
On the fifth day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, have breakfast and check out of your lodge. You will then embark on about a 5 hours’ drive to Akagera National Park via Kigali. You will have lunch enroute to the park with a few stopovers along the way to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Upon your arrival in Akagera National Park, you will check into your lodge and later enjoy an evening game drive in the southern part of the park.
Later have dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 6: Morning Game Drive and Afternoon Boat Cruise
On the sixth day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, rise up early and go for a game drive with great anticipation of seeing the different animals which rise early to graze and predators looking for their early morning kill. Look out for wildlife like Elephants, Antelopes, Civets, Zebras, Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes and so many more. After the game drive, connect to your lodge for lunch and rest for a while.
After lunch, embark on the late afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you will see game-like hippopotamuses, Crocodiles, and many bird species that live around the lake and the surrounding swamps. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Day 7: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
On the seventh day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, wake up in time to have breakfast at your lodge. You will then meet up with your driver guide and drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park with a stopover for lunch enroute to the park. Arrive at your lodge/hotel in the evening, check in and refresh yourself.
Dinner and overnight stay at your selected lodge.
Day 8: Chimpanzee Trek and Canopy Walk
On the eight day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, enjoy breakfast and go for briefing about the endangered chimpanzees before entering the forest in search of the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees in Cyamudongo forest in Nyungwe National Park are much easier to spot as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing.
Chimpanzee trekking expeditions in Nyungwe Forest National Park usually takes about 3 hours. On finding them, spend an hour while taking pictures and videos. You will then return to your accommodation for lunch.
After lunch, you will go on a walking trail that will take you to the Canopy Walk-a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Before night fall, you will return to the lodge.
Day 9: Waterfall Hike and Visit Gisakura Tea Estate
On the ninth day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, enjoy breakfast at your lodge before heading to the park’s briefing point. You will next go on a 3- to 4-hour guided hiking tour in Nyungwe forest, exploring one of the park’s 19 nature paths. This walk will take you to one of the park’s most magnificent waterfalls, and you may observe a variety of primates on your journey, including vervet monkeys, black and white colobus, and blue monkeys, among others. If you’re lucky, you might run upon some chimpanzees in the wild. After your climb, you will return to the base where your driver guide will be waiting for you before driving to your lodge for lunch.
After Lunch, you will embark on a visit to Gisakura Tea Estate where you will be taken on a tea-making process. You will take a tour of the grand tea estate, and learn how tea is harvested, stored, processed and packaged for domestic sale and exportation. You will wind up your tour with a taste of Rwanda-made tea.
Later have dinner and overnight stay same as above.
Day 10: Optional Coffee Tour in Huye and Transfer Back to Kigali.
On the final day of your 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari, wake up at leisure and have a relaxed breakfast meal at the lodge. Later check out in time and meet up with your driver guide. If you wish to explore, you can do an optional coffee tour at Huye Mountain Coffee Co-operative where you will learn more about how coffee in Rwanda is grown, harvested and processed.
Later embark on your return journey to Kigali with a lunch en route and a stopover at the King’s Palace in Nyanza. Upon your arrival in Kigali, your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali international airport as you will advise.
End of 10 Days Rwanda Budget Safari!
