Rwanda: In the Kingdom of Gorillas

Day 1 – Hello Kigali!

Murakaza neza! A Rwandan welcome is never just formed of words; this Kinyarwanda phrase is always accompanied by a broad smile and bright eyes. You’ll hear it many times on this trip, even on your first day! Hear it at the airport arrivals hall, where our local representative will be waiting to meet you, and soon again over dinner as you get to know your guide and fellow Explorers over a rooftop welcome dinner for the crew. Between bites and excited introductions, take a moment to look out at this stellar view – it’s easy to see how Rwanda gets its nickname, “The land of a thousand hills”.

Accommodation: Mythos Boutique Hotel, Kigali (or similar)

Included: Dinner

Day 2 – Kigali

Is there any better place to get to know a city and its people than at a local market? Meet Kigali amid the heavily-laden market stalls of the Rwandan capital’s oldest and most vibrant neighborhood, Nyamirambo, for a crash course in culture. Together with a local chef, you’ll select the freshest local ingredients and bring it all back for a cooking class where you’ll learn all about Rwanda’s culinary influences before you get to dig in! 

In the afternoon, you’ll face Rwanda’s dark history head-on. Although a very different country now, Rwanda’s reputation is still overshadowed by the genocide of the 1990s. Visit the poignant Camp Kigali Belgian Memorial, dedicated to 10 UN peacekeepers murdered at the start of the conflict. Reflect and gain crucial context at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a difficult but essential visit if you’re to understand today’s Rwanda. 

We’ve left tonight free so you can digest the day. Rest, float in the pool or enjoy a sundowner on the hotel’s lawn with your Magnificent Explorer Crew.

Accommodation: Mythos Boutique Hotel, Kigali (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 – Into Akagera National Park

Today, you’ll leave the capital behind and wind your way toward the eastern plains. A stop at the Bashana & Imigongo Art Center breaks up the drive. It’s your front-row seat to watching artisans create amazing geometric paintings using traditional methods, with every purchase directly helping the local village. 

Thanks to a successful reintroduction and conservation programme, you can now encounter the iconic Big Five animals – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo – a two-hour drive from Kigali in Akagera National Park. The excitement mounts as you set off on an afternoon game drive. Who’ll be the first of the group to spot one of them?

Switch up the view as you board a small boat for an unforgettable sunset cruise. Eyes peeled for elephants, hippos, basking crocs and birds like cormorants and crowned cranes as you enjoy the peaceful surroundings of Lake Ihema. Top it off with a few nights at a panorama-powered lodge overlooking the whole park, and you’ll be floating on clouds!

Accommodation: Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Akagera National Park (or similar)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

AKAGERA’S REMARKABLE RECOVERY

It’s hard to imagine it now, but just twenty years ago Akagera was almost devoid of wildlife. Today, the park is home to around 13,000 large mammals, among them the iconic Big Five – lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. It’s a turnaround that still surprises many first-time visitors. Years of underfunding and poaching had taken a heavy toll, but carefully managed reintroductions of lions and both black and white rhinos have sparked an extraordinary recovery. Since then, the park has also seen a steady increase in the populations of zebra, hippo, giraffe, elephant, topi and roan antelope, not to mention almost 500 bird species, including the rare shoebill stork. It’s an extraordinary chance to see these animals far from the well-worn paths of Kenya, Tanzania or South Africa safaris. 

Day 4 – Safari Drive and Park Ranger Sneak-Peaks

You might not be an early riser – at least when you’re on holiday – but this is truly a case of if you snooze, you lose. Akagera’s animals are at their most active first thing in the morning, so it’s well worth setting your alarm and joining an Explorer-level game drive. You’ll want to charge up your camera batteries overnight, but remember to live in the moment, too! It’s so much more rewarding than looking through the lens. 

Later, while the animals are napping, go behind the scenes at the park’s HQ. You’ll be able to chat to those who work here and discover just what it takes to make Akagera the success story it has become.

Accommodation: Mantis Akagera Game Lodge, Akagera National Park (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5 – The Park Savannah and Bushland

This morning, set out on a full-day game drive that takes you to the furthest reaches of the park in search of Akagera’s predators – and their prey. You’ll break for lunch at a shaded picnic spot in the park, swapping stories from the morning with your ranger and maybe comparing snapshots with your Explorer friends. 

The afternoon teases more pulse-elevating sightings and more chances to be impressed by your guide’s tracking skills. As you eventually make your way back to the bright lights of Kigali, your mind will replay the wide variety of landscapes you’ve seen in Akagera. It’s only Day 5, yet you’ve already seen and done so much! What else awaits?

Accommodation: Mythos Boutique Hotel, Kigali (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 – Azizi Life

While Rwanda’s landscapes and wildlife often steal the show, today’s adventure takes a completely different turn. On the way to Butare, you’ll visit Azizi Life, a women’s weaving cooperative, where conversations will give your group a window into everyday life in rural Rwanda.  

Village chores are a communal affair, so roll up your sleeves and pitch in – whether it’s harvesting crops, feeding animals or collecting water from the nearby spring. You’ll soon discover what’s on the day’s to-do list. You’ll also have lunch with some of the women before heading for a meeting with some very regal cows on the way to your hotel. 

Accommodation: Centre d’Accueil Mater Boni Consilii, Butare (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 – Nyungwe National Park

Can you guess where you’d find the largest area of protected high-altitude forest anywhere in East Africa? No need, you’ll know it when you get there: Nyungwe National Park. Situated at the watershed separating the Congo and Nile rivers, Nyungwe is a biodiversity hotspot and you’re about to uncover its riches. Keep an eye and an ear out for birds and primates – maybe even spotting  a black and white Colobus monkey among the branches – as you follow your guide along its forest trails on a hike to the 15-metre high Ndambarare Waterfall, an elegant ribbon of water that pops against the dense vegetation.

Afterwards, enjoy a refreshing cuppa at Gisakura Tea Estate. Surrounded by sweeping slopes of green, you’ll unlock the secrets of producing Rwanda’s celebrated teas from those that pluck, ferment and package them. And don’t think you’re done with the views just yet: round off a special day with another show-stopping, mountains-beyond-mountains panorama from tonight’s lodge.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Nyungwe National Park (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 – Colobus Monkeys!

If you didn’t see any black and white Colobus monkeys on your way to Ndambarare Waterfall yesterday, you’ll get a second go today. With nearly 400 of these tree-leapers in the park, you might spot them bouncing off high branches, grooming one another or picking out the juiciest fruits in the trees. Regardless, it’s going to be a morning to remember – and with so many primates in Nyungwe, you never know who else might wander into your binocular view along the way. Eyes up! 

This afternoon, swap primate stories with your fellow Explorers as you hike up to Nyungwe’s 200-metre canopy walkway with a park ranger. From above the forest floor, there’s a good chance butterflies, orchids and even a hard-to-find Shelley’s Crimsonwing (any guesses as to what kind of animal that is?) might cross your path.

Accommodation: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Nyungwe National Park (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 – Lake Kivu

No more monkeying around: swap the forest for water at Kivu, Africa’s eighth largest lake. Take a boat to Nyamunini Island – and see if you can figure out why it’s nicknamed Napoleon Island! This island’s hilly terrain provides a perfect vantage point for taking in the lake’s landscapes without interruption… That is except for the near-constant chatter of the thousands of fruit bats that roost on the island.

Then it’s back on the water to join local fishermen in their traditional dugout canoes.In the absence of wind, sails are useless, so tethered in threes, the boatmen sing to ensure they row in unison. After dark, fishing for sardine-like sambaza involves luring the catch into nets with powerful torches – on a clear night, it’s hard to see where the stars end and their lights begin. You’ll want to wrap up well against the evening chill, prepare for the possibility of getting a little wet and get comfortable with  wooden plank seating. 

Accommodation: Rushel Kivu Lodge, Kayove (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10 – Crafts and Coffee

Get your creative juices flowing this morning with a visit to a local craft cooperative for a lowdown on wood carving and basket weaving using traditional techniques and tools. Then it’s over to you to try these crafts for yourself, but don’t worry if it doesn’t turn out quite good enough to display back home. The adjoining shop is brimming with expertly produced items ready to hop into your suitcase! 

In the afternoon, turn your attention to another of Rwanda’s celebrated crops: coffee. You’ll visit a plantation which provides sustainable livelihoods for local families and learn all about how coffee is produced – from the ripe cherries to the roasted beans. As you sip a cup of coffee with all this knowledge under your belt, you’ll have a deeper appreciation of the processes involved. Doesn’t it taste just a little better?

Accommodation: Rushel Kivu Lodge, Kayove (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 – Volcanoes National Park

Today you’ll say goodbye to Kinunu and spend the morning winding through the leafy,  mountainous roads of the region. The anticipation builds as you glide along on the Mukungwa River’s gentle current in a canoe, a can’t-beat-it-way to get up close to life along the shore. Expertly led by a local guide, you spend each moment absorbing the sights, sounds and smells beyond your paddles, even braving the thrill of a small rapid. 

As you close in on the dramatic peaks of Volcanoes National Park by early evening, let yourself get excited for what’s to come on tomorrow’s expedition. An inspiring evening talk with a gorilla expert drums up even more excitement, so you’ll be fully versed in the park’s wildlife conservation efforts by the time your head hits the pillow in your comfy highland retreat.

Accommodation: Ingagi Park View Lodge, Kinigi (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 12 – Gorilla trekking

It’s the day everyone’s been waiting for! Max out your memory cards with a wow-worthy trek into the forests of Volcanoes National Park in search of a habituated group of mountain gorillas, one of the world’s most endangered – and charismatic – species.

Remind yourself to breathe as your small group follows a local ranger into the mud-squelching, wildlife-sounding depths of the forest. There’s no knowing exactly which family members you’ll encounter, but the experience always leads to a very special hour just a few metres from the gorillas. You might find mothers and babies, tottering toddlers and playful youngsters – all under the watchful eye of a silverback in his prime. 

Tearing yourself away is hard, but vital to the species’ well-being. Chat away over a celebratory lunch to process the experience before heading over to Handspun Hope, a cooperative of talented shepherds and knitters that create beautiful garments from the wool of the merino sheep that graze on Mount Sabyinyo.

Accommodation: Ingagi Park View Lodge, Kinigi (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 13 – Golden monkey walk

Don’t waste a moment of your final day in Volcanoes National Park! Today, the focus is on another of the forest’s primates: the golden monkey, which you’ll spot as it flashes by you in its ‘jacket’ of burnished gold fur. Like yesterday’s gorilla trek, you’ll have around an hour to spend with these sublime acrobats, savouring every minute as they leap from tree to tree and go about their lives oblivious to your presence.

You’ll also get the chance to visit The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund for a crash course on gorilla conservation. After lunch, stay in that monkey life lane and mash bananas as you learn how to make traditional beer. Isn’t it made tastier by the accompanying rhythms of Rwandan song and dance? Then it’s back to Kigali for one last night together with your Explorer crew, and it’s a feast of a farewell dinner full of African flavours and heartfelt reminiscing. 

Accommodation: Mythos Boutique Hotel, Kigali (or similar)

Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14 – Farewell

If you have time before your flight this morning, join your guide for one last outing (and the perfect way to wrap up your Rwandan adventure) with a visit to Kimironko Market. It’s one more chance to learn something new – like what tree tomatoes are – as well as to pick up a memento or two to bring home. Then, there’s nothing left to do but bring out the hugs for reluctant goodbyes! Swap photos and contact info with your Explorer companions, wave farewell to Kigali – and spend your ride to the airport planning your next adventure.

Included: Breakfast