Overview

The 7-day Rwanda safari is the most complete Rwanda experience available — a full circuit of Rwanda’s four extraordinary wildlife destinations that leaves no highlight unexplored and no experience unvisited.

In seven days you will trek face to face with mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park track golden monkeys through the bamboo forest search for lions and black rhinos on Akagera’s open savanna walk among chimpanzees and 13 primate species in ancient Nyungwe Forest swim and kayak on the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu and experience Kigali — one of Africa’s most vibrant and most remarkable capital cities.

The 7-day Rwanda safari is our flagship Rwanda package — the itinerary we recommend above all others for travellers who want to experience Rwanda’s full depth and who leave with a genuine understanding of why this small extraordinary country is one of Africa’s greatest destinations.

Safari Highlights: 7-Day Rwanda Safari

✅ Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park — one hour with mountain gorillas
✅ Golden monkey trekking — Rwanda’s most joyful primate encounter
✅ Big Five game drives in Akagera National Park — lions black rhinos elephants leopards buffalos
✅ Akagera boat safari on Lake Ihema — hippos crocodiles waterbirds
✅ Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest — 500 chimpanzees in ancient rainforest
✅ Nyungwe canopy walkway — 90 metres above the forest floor
✅ Lake Kivu — swimming kayaking sunset cruise
✅ Kigali city tour — Genocide Memorial vibrant city life
✅ Private 4×4 safari vehicle and expert driver-guide throughout
✅ All permits included

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive Kigali → City Tour

Your 7-day Rwanda safari begins at Kigali International Airport where your Go Safaris Africa driver-guide meets you and transfers you to your Kigali hotel.

After checking in spend the afternoon on a Kigali city tour visiting:

Kigali Genocide Memorial — one of the most important and most moving sites in Africa. The memorial honours the approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu killed during the 1994 genocide. Visiting is a profound and essential part of understanding Rwanda’s extraordinary journey from tragedy to the confident inspiring nation it has become. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

Kimironko Market — Rwanda’s largest and most vibrant local market. Fabrics spices vegetables crafts and the extraordinary energy of Kigali’s daily life. The best place in Rwanda to buy authentic local crafts at local prices.

Inema Arts Centre — a world-class contemporary African art gallery celebrating Rwanda’s vibrant creative scene. Extraordinary paintings sculptures and mixed-media works by Rwanda’s finest artists.

In the evening dinner at one of Kigali’s excellent restaurants — your guide will recommend the perfect spot based on your preferences.

• Accommodation: Kigali — Lemigo Hotel / Hotel des Mille Collines / Radisson Blu (depending on package level)
• Meals: Dinner

Day 2 — Kigali → Akagera National Park → Big Five Game Drive

After an early breakfast depart Kigali and drive east to Akagera National Park — approximately 2.5 hours through Rwanda’s rolling eastern hills.

Arrive at Akagera in time for a full afternoon game drive — Rwanda’s only Big Five safari park managed by African Parks since 2010. Akagera is the site of one of Africa’s most celebrated conservation recovery stories — lions reintroduced in 2015 and black rhinos reintroduced in 2017 and 2019 have transformed the park into one of East Africa’s most exciting safari destinations.

Your afternoon game drive explores the open savanna and acacia woodland in search of:

• Lions — multiple prides established since the 2015 reintroduction
• Black rhinos — one of East Africa’s most significant populations
• Elephants — large herds in the northern park
• Buffalos — enormous herds on the open savanna
• Giraffes — Masai giraffes throughout the woodland
• Hippos — concentrated in the lakes and channels
• Zebras topis elands and abundant plains game

In the evening dinner at your Akagera lodge — listening to lions calling across the savanna as you eat.

• Accommodation: Akagera — Ruzizi Tented Lodge / Magashi Camp (depending on package level)
• Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 3 — Akagera Full Day — Game Drive + Boat Safari

A full day in Akagera National Park — Rwanda’s most wildlife-packed day.

Dawn game drive (5:30am–9:00am): The most productive game drive period — lions returning from night hunts predators active in the early morning light. Your guide knows the most reliable lion and rhino zones in the park.

Lake Ihema boat safari (9:30am–11:30am): A 2-hour boat cruise on Lake Ihema — Akagera’s largest lake — revealing extraordinary concentrations of hippos Nile crocodiles waterbirds and occasional elephants at the lake edge. The hippo pods on Lake Ihema are among the largest and most accessible in Rwanda.

Afternoon game drive (3:00pm–6:30pm): A second game drive focusing on different park zones — the northern Mutumba Hills for black rhinos the southern savanna for cheetah and wild dog sightings.

• Accommodation: Akagera — same as Day 2
• Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 4 — Akagera → Kigali → Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast depart Akagera and drive back through Kigali (brief stop for any supplies or shopping) then continue northwest to Volcanoes National Park — approximately 4.5 hours total.

Arrive at Volcanoes National Park in the late afternoon. Check into your lodge and attend the evening briefing — your guide explains what to expect tomorrow for gorilla trekking including the terrain the gorilla family you will visit and the photography opportunities.

Optional afternoon activity — Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village visit ($15 per person) — meeting former poachers who now protect gorillas through community tourism. One of the most fascinating and most meaningful cultural experiences in Rwanda.

• Accommodation: Volcanoes National Park area — Mountain Gorilla View Lodge / Virunga Lodge / Bisate Lodge (depending on package level)
• Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5 — Gorilla Trekking + Golden Monkey Trekking

The most extraordinary day of your 7-day Rwanda safari — and quite possibly the most extraordinary day of your life.

Morning — Gorilla trekking:
Transfer to Kinigi Park Headquarters for the 7:00am briefing. Your group of maximum 8 people is assigned to one of the 12 habituated gorilla families and your armed ranger guide leads you into the ancient Virunga rainforest.

Finding the family takes between 30 minutes and 4 hours — your trackers have been monitoring their movements since before dawn. When you arrive everything changes. A silverback the size of a small car sits just metres away — calm unhurried completely at ease in his world. Around him his family goes about their morning — mothers nursing infants juveniles wrestling and chasing adults feeding on wild celery and bamboo shoots.

Your one hour with the gorilla family will be the most powerful wildlife encounter of your life. Almost every first-time trekker is surprised by their emotional response — the intelligence the presence and the profound sense of connection are impossible to anticipate.

Afternoon — Golden monkey trekking:
After lunch and a brief rest your guide leads you back to Kinigi for the golden monkey trek — a completely different but equally wonderful primate encounter.

Trek into the bamboo forest zone to find a troop of 60–80 vivid gold-and-black golden monkeys leaping through the bamboo with extraordinary speed and energy. Spend one hour watching feeding grooming playing and the extraordinary acrobatic leaping that makes golden monkey photography so spectacular.

Two completely different primate encounters in one day — the most concentrated wildlife day Rwanda offers.

• Gorilla permit: $1,500 USD — included
• Golden monkey permit: $100 USD — included
• Accommodation: Volcanoes National Park area (same as Day 4)
• Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 6 — Volcanoes → Nyungwe Forest → Canopy Walkway + Chimp Trekking

After breakfast depart Volcanoes National Park and drive south to Nyungwe Forest National Park — approximately 3 hours through some of Rwanda’s most beautiful highland scenery.

Arrive at Nyungwe in time for lunch then spend the afternoon on two of the forest’s greatest experiences:

Nyungwe canopy walkway (2:00pm–4:00pm):
A 160-metre suspension bridge suspended 50 metres above the ancient forest floor — swaying gently as you walk through the upper canopy of one of Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse forests. The views from the walkway across the forest canopy and to the distant hills are extraordinary. Colobus monkeys often pass through the canopy at walkway level — extraordinary close-range encounters.

Optional afternoon chimpanzee trekking ($90 per person additional):
If your fitness allows afternoon chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe after the canopy walk — tracking a community of 500+ chimpanzees through the dense forest. Read our Nyungwe Forest complete guide for full Nyungwe details.

• Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest — Nyungwe Forest Lodge / One&Only Nyungwe House (depending on package level)
• Meals: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 7 — Nyungwe → Lake Kivu → Kigali → Depart

Your final day begins with a morning activity in Nyungwe — either a guided forest walk targeting colobus monkeys and forest birds or an early morning chimpanzee trek if not done the previous afternoon.

After lunch depart Nyungwe and drive to Lake Kivu (1 hour) for a beautiful final afternoon on Rwanda’s most scenic lake. Swim kayak or simply sit on your lodge terrace watching the fishing boats and the DRC mountains across the water.

If time and your flight schedule allow enjoy a brief sunset boat cruise on Lake Kivu before the final 2.5-hour transfer back to Kigali International Airport.

Your driver-guide transfers you directly to the airport for your departure flight — or to a Kigali hotel if your flight departs the following day.

• Meals: Breakfast Lunch

Safari Inclusions

✅ Rwanda gorilla trekking permit ($1,500 per person)
✅ Golden monkey trekking permit ($100 per person)
✅ Nyungwe canopy walkway permit ($60 per person)
✅ Nyungwe National Park entry fees ($100 per person)
✅ Volcanoes National Park entry fees
✅ Akagera National Park entry fees (2 days)
✅ Lake Ihema boat safari ($30 per person)
✅ All accommodation (6 nights as per itinerary)
✅ All meals as specified
✅ Private 4×4 safari vehicle throughout
✅ Professional English-speaking driver-guide throughout
✅ Kigali city tour (Day 1)
✅ All park briefing and ranger guide fees
✅ Bottled water throughout
✅ All airport transfers

Safari Exclusions

❌ International flights to/from Kigali
❌ Rwanda visa ($50 USD — most nationalities)
❌ Travel insurance (mandatory)
❌ Optional Dian Fossey tomb hike ($75 per person)
❌ Optional Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village ($15 per person)
❌ Optional chimpanzee trekking Nyungwe ($150 per person)
❌ Personal expenses and souvenirs
❌ Tips for guides rangers and lodge staff
❌ Alcoholic beverages

Pricing

Prices are per person based on double occupancy. Solo traveller supplement applies. All permits included in all package levels. Contact us for a precise quote.

What Our Clients Say

“Seven days was exactly the right amount of time for Rwanda. The gorilla trek on Day 5 was indescribable — I have been on safari many times and nothing has come close to that hour with the gorilla family. The Big Five in Akagera the day before made the perfect contrast. Go Safaris Africa planned every detail perfectly.”
— David and Caroline H. Canada

“We did the 7-day Rwanda safari for our anniversary. The guide was extraordinary — he knew every gorilla family by name, every bird in Nyungwe, every lion pride in Akagera. Lake Kivu on the final day was the perfect ending. We are already planning our return.”
— Marco and Giulia B. Italy

“I was nervous about visiting Rwanda — I didn’t know what to expect from a country with such a difficult recent history. What I found was the most welcoming most beautiful and most extraordinary country I have ever visited. The Kigali Genocide Memorial on Day 1 gave everything that followed a depth and meaning I will never forget.”
— Jennifer W. United States

Extend Your 7-Day Rwanda Safari

Add Uganda Gorilla Trekking (+3 days)
Cross the Cyanika border after Volcanoes National Park and add a second gorilla family encounter in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest at $800 per person. Two gorilla treks in two countries — the ultimate primate safari experience.

Add Zanzibar Beach (+4 days)
Fly Kigali → Kilimanjaro → Zanzibar for the perfect Indian Ocean finale after your Rwanda circuit. Read our Zanzibar travel guide.

Add Kenya Maasai Mara (+4 days)
Fly Kigali → Nairobi → Maasai Mara for lions cheetahs and the Great Migration after Rwanda. Read our Maasai Mara complete guide.

Contact us to customise your 7-day Rwanda safari →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 7-day Rwanda safari suitable for first-time visitors?
Absolutely — it is our most recommended package for first-time Rwanda visitors who want to experience the country fully. Read our first African safari guide.

Are all permits included?
Yes — the Rwanda gorilla permit ($1,500) golden monkey permit ($100) Nyungwe canopy walkway ($60) and Akagera boat safari ($30) are all included. Optional activities (Dian Fossey hike chimpanzee trekking Nyungwe) are available at additional cost.

When is the best time for the 7-day Rwanda safari?
Year-round. June–September and December–February are the best trekking conditions. Read our best time to visit Rwanda guide.

How fit do I need to be?
Moderate fitness for gorilla trekking and forest walks. The canopy walkway and game drives require no physical exertion. Read our gorilla trekking packing guide.

Can the itinerary be customised?
Absolutely — we tailor every itinerary to your specific dates budget accommodation preferences and interests. Contact us to discuss your perfect Rwanda safari.

How do I book?
Contact us by WhatsApp email or phone. We check gorilla permit availability send a personalised quote and handle all bookings. Read our How It Works page.

Book Your 7-Day Rwanda Safari Today

📞 Call or WhatsApp: +250 788 365 595
📧 Email: info@gosafarisafrica.com
👉 Contact us for availability and pricing

Go Safaris Africa Ltd — Licensed safari operator based in Kigali Rwanda
📍 Prince House Second Floor Office #5 Kigali Rwanda