10 Days: The Grand Rwanda Loop

Every corner of the country at a relaxed pace: savannah, volcanoes, lake and rainforest.

1. Day1

   Kigali → Akagera

   Drive east for an afternoon game drive.

   • ≈ 2.5 hrs
   • Overnight: Akagera
2. Day2

   Akagera

   A full day on the savannah and the lakes.

   • Game drives
   • Overnight: Akagera
3. Day3

   Akagera → Musanze

   Cross the country to the volcanoes.

   • ≈ 4.5 hrs
   • Overnight: Musanze
4. Day4

   Gorilla trekking

   Leave around 6:00 am for park headquarters at Kinigi, about 30 minutes from Musanze. The briefing starts at 7:00. Treks take three to five hours, and you spend a full hour with the gorilla family. Rest in the afternoon.

   • Permit: US$1,500
   • Overnight: Musanze
5. Day5

   Musanze → Rubavu

   Golden monkeys or the twin lakes in the morning, then on to Lake Kivu.

   • ≈ 1.5 hrs
   • Overnight: Rubavu
6. Day6

   Rubavu → Kibuye

   The lakeshore road south through tea and coffee hills.

   • ≈ 2.5–3 hrs
   • Overnight: Kibuye
7. Day7

   Kibuye → Nyungwe

   South along the lake and up into the rainforest.

   • ≈ 4 hrs
   • Overnight: Nyungwe
8. Day8

   Nyungwe

   Chimpanzee tracking in the morning, the canopy walk in the afternoon.

   • Chimp permit
   • Overnight: Nyungwe
9. Day9

   Nyungwe

   A day for forest trails and waterfalls, or tea plantations on the park's edge.

   • Free day
   • Overnight: Nyungwe
10. Day10

    Nyungwe → Kigali

    Drive back to Kigali through Huye, with a stop at the Ethnographic Museum.

    • ≈ 5–6 hrs
    • Car return: Kigali