10 Days Essence of Rwanda

After being greeted at Kigali International Airport by a Luxury Africa Tours Representative. You’ll transferred to The Retreat, the finest luxury stay in the city that offers the perfect combination of leafy tranquility, Rwandan flair, and contemporary buzz. Go for a massage and rejuvenate the jetlag in the salty  pool

Over the last two decades, Rwanda’s lush, hilly capital has developed into a vibrant cosmopolitan destination, teeming with art, culture, and cuisine. Plus, the attractive urban center is one of the cleanest and safest cities in all of Africa. Sip bold, sustainable java at Question Coffee Café and venture into the first modern building (Kandt house Museum) was built, which laid the foundations for Rwanda’s capital city; Kigali. Pay an emotional visit to the Genocide Memorial Site and learn how the country has dealt with its past and recovered to stand today as a testament to humankind’s resilience. The memorial serves as the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide. Next, journey through bustling neighborhoods for an authentic taste of Kigali life and go for a lunch buffet. Later, you will transfer to the beautiful Akagera National Park, covering 1122 sq. km.  Estimated distance is 2-3 hours’ drive via the fascinating landscape of Rwanda.  the diversity of habitats is unique including complex network of lakes and channels, marshes, savannah and rolling hills to make a spectacular scenery. You will quickly find the majestic panoramas sweeping from white thorn acacia to papyrus rising out of the vast savanna supporting the likes of elephants, zebra, buffalo, and approximately 500 different bird species. Proceed to the lodge to unwind before heading out into the park for a night game drive. During the night game drive in AKagera National Park, the bushes are different with reflection of the star and moon, seeing the eyes of the animals reflect the car light gold. End your day in the superb Magashi tented suite overlooking lake Rwanyakizinga .

You will have an early morning breakfast followed by a day game drive, As the sun sets fire to the savannah, you’ll have the chance to view more animals around the park include lions, elephants, giraffes, leopards, zebras, hippos, some antelope enthusiastic in the morning ambiance among many others with your guide coming in hand to give you all the details of the fauna you will have spotted plus their ways of life and later drive back to the lodge. Take a sunset boat ride on the lake; unwind as you enjoy a sundowner before another incredible dinner at Magashi Camp.

This being your last day of this 4 days Akagera safari, you will have to a leisurely breakfast, and later you will carry on with your journey to Volcanoes National Park with a stop for lunch in Kigali. Proceed to the north, weaving through beautiful terraced hillsides, culminates at the base of the awe-inspiring Virunga volcanoes and arrive at the magnificent One &Only Gorilla Nest suite

After an early breakfast, head out to the park Headquarters where you will register for the your gorilla trekking experience .Once you’ve been divided into parties of 8, assigned a group and have had a briefing from your guide you will be driven to the trailhead where you will start the walk to reach your mountain gorilla group. Your experienced trackers use their knowledge of the gorillas’ habitats to locate their whereabouts. Upon sighting the gorillas, you stay with them for a magical hour, admire the behavior of the gorillas as they go about their daily lives feeding, youngster playing and picking open fruit and throwing it through the air, resting and raising their young. Occasionally one, often a playful youngster, will approach you with curiosity, sometimes coming so close that you’ll have to move away. Afterward, go for lunch and later you will visit the Gorilla Guardians. A fascinating village with a variety of cultural experiences; it offers the best way to get to know the local people, their culture, and their ways of living. Drive back to the lodge for a highly specialized massage that will leave you feeling refreshed and renewed .

On this day, spend the morning searching the lush vegetation at the foot of Mount Sabyinyo for a beautiful little creature found only in the high-altitude forests of Virunga Mountain Chain. You will track the monkeys with a guide and you will spend an hour once you locate the monkeys (a Troup of 50 or more  members), you will often need to follow them as they are often on the move jumping from tree to tree with their long tails which is really entertaining but a little difficult to photograph! We recommend setting your camera to a fast shutter-speed to allow for low light in the dense undergrowth and to better your chances of capturing the golden monkeys on film. From here, we will set out for a breezy night Kivu Serena Hotel.

After breakfast, Embark on 5-6 picturesque journey along the shores of lake kivu to Nyungwe forest check-in at One & Only one Nyungwe House where the wild secrets of nature come to life before your eyes. The lodge’s aesthetic pays homage to the country, its traditions and all its natural beauty, while the architecture maximizes the spectacular scenery and mountain vistas at every opportunity. Relax and in the evening, go for a nature walk around the lodge.

Nyungwe Forest National Park protects the largest single tract of Montana forest remaining in Africa and the heart of the forest is like a scene from a fairy tale. Tall old mahoganies, ebonies and giant tree ferns tower above you, whilst orchids and other epiphytes cling to every branch. Brightly coloured birds flit around, butterflies are everywhere. With an expert guide leading the way, venture deep into the heart of the forest, traversing leafy, mountainous terrain until you find a group of chimps. Once you find chimpanzee, spend one hour simply watching quietly as they dash through the foliage, hooting and playing as they go. From here, you will head back to the lodge for relaxation.

After breakfast, you will go for waterfall hike. The trail is 10.6km taking 4 hours to trek. This trail takes hikers through verdant tea fields, steep rainforest ravines and to top it off, the biggest waterfall in the Nyungwe National Park. After lunch, spend the afternoon as you please, in the comfort of your luxury lodge surroundings. At 4 pm, you will go for a tour in tea plantation; you walk into the tea estate to adventure close the variety of parallel ridges of tea plus the attractive mountains that provide a beautiful back drop for the plantation.

After a  leisurely breakfast, we will drive you to Kigali via the King’s Palace Museum; a reconstruction of the traditional royal residence, a King’s Mutara III Rudahigwa’s Palace that offers a detailed look into the Rwandan monarchical system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. and then venture into the grounds to meet the long-horned cows, known as Inyambo, they descended from the king’s herd, whose keepers carefully tend and sing to them, keeping alive a unique tradition. You will proceed to Kigali for your flight back home .