9 Days Rwanda and Burundi Primates Big five and cultural tour

Day 1: Kigali City Tour

1. Kigali Genocide Memorial
   3h
   After your breakfast at your hotel, embark on a Kigali City Tour, visit Kigali Genocide Memorial, A solemn and moving site dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Visitors gain insight into Rwanda’s tragic history and its journey of reconciliation and recovery.
   Belgian Peacekeepers Memorial: A tribute to Belgian soldiers who lost their lives during the Rwandan crisis, highlighting Rwanda’s history of international involvement in peacekeeping.
   After the city tour, enjoy a scenic drive to Volcanoes National Park, a lush area in northern Rwanda famous for its volcanic landscapes and primate trekking.

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking Experience

1. Volcanoes National Park
   5h · Admission ticket included
   After an early breakfast, transfer to the park headquarters for a comprehensive briefing about the trekking guidelines and allocation of your gorilla family. Accompanied by experienced park rangers, you will begin your hike through the forest in search of a habituated gorilla family, where you may encounter playful infants, juveniles, adult females, and the dominant silverback.
   
   The trek can take approximately 2–6 hours, depending on where the gorillas nested the previous night and the pace of the group. Once the gorillas are located, you will spend one hour observing them.
   
   After the trek, drive approximately 3 hours to Lake Kivu – Kibuye for the Night.

Day 3: Boat Excursion on Lake Kivu

1. Lake Kivu Rwanda
   6h · Admission ticket included
   After breakfast, begin your day with a scenic boat tour on Lake Kivu. Visit Napoleon Island, named for its distinctive shape and home to fruit bats. You will also visit a nearby traditional fishing village to observe local fishing methods.
   
   Afterwards, enjoy an optional guided hike along a section of the Congo Nile Trail. This short hike of approximately 2 hours offers scenic views of the lake, surrounding hills, and rural countryside. After lunch, drive 2 hours to your lodge at Nyungwe forest.

Day 4: Chimpanzee Tracking Experience

1. Nyungwe National Park - Rwanda
   6h · Admission ticket included
   Embark on a morning trek in Nyungwe to observe chimpanzees in their natural environment. The forest offers a thrilling experience with lush vegetation and diverse wildlife.
   In the afternoon, experience Nyungwe’s famous canopy walk—a 90-meter-long suspension bridge above the forest floor, offering stunning aerial views of the rainforest and its wildlife.

Day 5: Transfer to Akagera National Park

1. Akagera National Park
   6h · Admission ticket included
   Travel east from Kigali towards Akagera National Park, a scenic journey of approximately 6 hours. Along the way, enjoy breathtaking views of Rwanda’s famous rolling hills, rural villages, and lush farmlands that gradually transition into the open savannah landscapes of eastern Rwanda.
   
   As you approach the park, the terrain becomes flatter with expansive grasslands, acacia woodlands, and beautiful lakes that form part of the Akagera ecosystem. This drive offers excellent opportunities to observe local life, traditional homesteads, and stunning countryside vistas before arriving at the park for your wildlife adventure.

Day 6: Big Five WIldlife Safaris

1. Akagera National Park, Rwanda
   6h · Admission ticket included
   Spend the day exploring Akagera National Park, a beautiful savannah and wetland reserve in Rwanda. The park is home to the Big Five—lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino—along with giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and abundant birdlife thriving around its lakes and papyrus swamps.
   
   Enjoy an exciting game drive through open plains, acacia woodlands, and scenic lakeshores where wildlife sightings are frequent. After the safari, return to your lodge for a relaxing evening, dinner, and overnight stay.

Day 7: Cultural Drums experience

1. Gishora Drum Sanctuary
   7h · Admission ticket included
   Depart Akagera and journey south toward Gitega, Burundi, crossing two international borders — Rwanda–Tanzania and Tanzania–Burundi — on an approximately 8-hour drive including border formalities. Arrive late evening for cultural drums experience at Gishora Drum Sanctuary, a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage that plays an important role in Burundi’s history and ceremonies. After check in at your hotel

Day 8: Forest Nature Walk

1. Kibira National Park
   2h
   After your early breakfast, drive 3 hours to Kibira National park for a 2-3 hour forest hike through the forest, enjoy watching birds, waterfalls and primates ( Black-and-white colobus monkeys
   Blue monkeys and other primates). After the hike enjoy a batwa community experience before driving 2 hours to Bujumbura city

Day 9: Bujumbura City Tour and Departure back home

1. Bujumbura
   2h
   Explore the city’s highlights including markets, the lively waterfront, and local cultural sites.
   
   Return to your hotel for lunch and prepare for your flight back home.(late check out of hotel to be requested)

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels