4 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking & Akagera Safari

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Kigali Arrival & City Discovery

Kigali, as it turns out, is greener than you pictured, and more vibrant than you’d heard.

• Morning:

A boutique hotel offering clean lines and bright textiles along with a view over rolling hills awaits you right after your private transfer from Kigali International Airport.

A short overview briefing with your guide follows. This conductor seems to know every corner café in town.

• Midday:

Attend the Kigali Genocide Memorial. While somber, this helps you develop quiet appreciation for Rwanda’s resilience.

• Afternoon:

Stroll around Kimironko Market: marvel at wooden carvings of animals, women behind mounds of fabric sewing and laughing, and mango piles as tall as your shoulder.

Coffee stop at Question Coffee Café. Sip Rwanda’s bright, rich coffee for the first time.

• Evening:

You try tilapia for the first time at Heaven Restaurant and realize fish has been greatly underestimated.

Bedtime is early since gorilla trekking is planned for the next day.

Overnight

• Budget: Five to Five Hotel Kigali
• Standard: Heaven Boutique Hotel
• Luxury: The Retreat by Heaven

Day 2 – Volcanoes National Park: Gorilla Trekking

Expectations will surely be turned upside down on this day.

• Early Morning:

Drive to the park headquarters. Get a safety briefing after receiving your permits. (Words like “no flash photography” will be etched in your mind.)

Start your trek—boots caked with earth, dampened by the bamboo forests thickening around you.

• Trekking:

You are part of the group when suddenly a guide puts their hand in the air. A silverback is spotted silently looming nearby.

For one hour, there is no fence, no glass. Just you and them—one heartbeat away from the wild.

A baby gorilla staring at you with its side eye while gnawing on a vine clearly thinks you’re the oddest creature it’s ever seen.

• Afternoon:

You change out of your trekking gear only to realize that for two hours straight, you haven’t stopped grinning.

• Evening:

Dinner outside next to the fire, like the locals do. Beer served for all to help cool the heated moments after spotting the gorillas.

Overnight

• Budget: La Locanda
• Standard: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
• Luxury: Bisate Lodge

Day 3 – Akagera Safari Game Drive

All set to leave the rainforest behind and explore the wide-spread savanna.

• Early Morning:

Travel by vehicle to Akagera National Park. Soak in the sight of green hills transforming to broad lakes and golden grasslands.

Arrive at the safari lodge. Enjoy a light lunch overlooking the plains.

• Afternoon:

Game drive begins. Your guide scans the horizon through binoculars.

Day’s Possible Sightings:

Giraffes moving in a slow dance, slowly upwards on sticks, elephants taking dust baths beside the road, A pride of lions reclining in the tall grass as if languidly slothful, a golden-tinted landscape during sunset.

• Evening:

Dinner accompanied by the sounds of hippos snorting from the river below the lodge. Drift to sleep with the soft murmurs of the savanna.

Overnight

• Budget: Akagera Rhino Lodge
• Standard: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
• Luxury: Magashi Camp

Day 4 – Sunrise Safari & Departure

Spend some final hours in the wild.

• Early Morning:

Before-breakfast game drive. A cool light wind skims your face while the sun rises and pours over the grass.

You might encounter a leopard stealthily returning from a night hunt or a massive, sluggish buffalo.

• Midday:

Rest at the lodge for brunch—eggs, fresh fruit, and Rwandan coffee strong enough for your long flight home.

• Afternoon:

Return to Kigali. Notice the landscape change from savanna back to green hills.

One last chance to buy souvenirs at the roadside craft market.

• Evening:

Flight transfer. Your camera is full, your suitcase dusty, and your perception of Africa has changed for the better.

Overnight

Not applicable (departure day).

Important Trip Information

Fitness Level: Moderate trekking fitness. If you can climb stairs without cursing, you’re good.

Permits: High demand for gorilla trekking permits—book well ahead.

Packing Checklist:

• Jungle-sturdy boots
• Light clothing layers for cool mornings and hot afternoons
• Binoculars for safari spotting
• Spare camera batteries (you’ll use them all)
• Photography: No flash near gorillas.
• Timing: Best conditions for trekking are during the dry season (June–September).