The best of Rwanda: 11-day discovery tour

On arrival into Kigali International Airport, make your way through passport control and collect your luggage. We'd recommend withdrawing some local curreny before heading to the arrivals hall to meet your representative, who will guide you to your rental vehicle.

From there, take a private 25-minute transfer to your accommodation in the center of Kigali, and spend the rest of the evening unwinding after your travels.

Good morning, Kigali! Wake up to a fascinating sightseeing program in the capital, starting with a trip to the Camp Kigali Belgian Monument, built in memory of 10 Blue Beret soldiers massacred in the area. From there, you'll continue to the Kigali Genocide Memorial for a sobering look into Rwanda's past, before venturing into the neighborhood of Nyamirambo for a walking tour to meet the community and learn about their day-to-day lives.

Beginning at the Women's Center, enjoy a traditional snack, a quick Kinyarwanda language lesson, and an introduction to the center and its activities. Next you'll visit a local hairdressing salon, a family compound to pound cassava leaves, two mosques, a lookout viewpoint over Kigali, and a tailor shop to dive into traditional Rwandan fabrics. End with an optional lunch served in a local's home, before returning to your hotel to relax.

Leaving Kigali behind, you'll take a trip to the Nyungwe National Park, stopping along the way for a two-hour traditional tea plantation tour in Gisakura. There you'll learn the art of picking tea leaes, wander through the lush estate grounds, and soak up the scenic mountain backdrop. Learn how tea is grown, harvested and processed, and enjoy a heartwarming tasting. You could opt to enjoy this tour by bike, another great way to explore the estate's trails.

From there, you'll continue your drive to your accommodation, where you'll sleep in a tranquil cottage - the perfect base from which to explore Nyungwe.

Early this morning, set out on a wonderful wildlife encounter: a chimpanzee tracking tour, where you'll spend an hour observing them in their natural habitat and the rest of the six-hour tour hiking through the Cyamudongo section of the Nyungwe Forest. This is a very special activity, and alongside chimpanzees you may even encounter red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys and more, alongside myriad colorful birdlife.

At 3pm, you'll continue the day's activities with a journey across the Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walkway, a 200m-long platform high above the forest floor. As you cross it, surrounded by the lush forest, look out for some of the 310 bird species, butterflies, orchids, centuries-old trees, and 75 mammals that call the forest home.

Begin your day with a 9am trekking tour in search of the unique, black-and-white colobus monkey in Nyungwe Forest National Park. These small primates are easily recognizable and a troop of nearly 400 of them have made the forest their home. While wild animal sightings are never guaranteed, you stand a good chance of finding them about an hour or so into the trek.

From there, carry on to your next accommodation, nestled on the shores of Lake Kivu. Check in, spend a moment relaxing on site, then head to the lakefront for a scenic boat trip to visit Rwanda's Bay of Islands. As part of the ride, you'll take an hour-long hike to the summit of Munini, popularly known as Napoleon Island, to encounter a colony of fruit bats as well as spectacular 360-degree panoramas of Lake Kivu.

Checking out of your accommodation, continue on to the north shore of Lake Ruhondo, where you'll enjoy a gentle and relaxing walk guided by an experienced activity leader. Hop onto a motorized boat to a local restaurant or a small island for a picnic lunch, soaking up all five of the Virunga Volcanoes while you're there. Spot waterfowl, watch local fishermen carrying out their activities on the lake, and pass by small and friendly communities on this unforgettable tour.

Afterwards, you'll take a canoeing trip on Lakes Ruhondo and Bulera, for a lovely chance to birdwatch and enjoy the bright orange sunset from a unique vantage point. This is a great time to relax and unwind between days of trekking, before heading to your next accommodation - the perfect starting point for exploring the Volcanoes National Park.

From your accommodation in the Volcanoes National Park, you'll set out for another exciting adventure: a six-hour mountain gorilla trekking excursion! Split up into groups of up to eight people, you and other visitors will be allocated a ranger before being taken to the starting point of a trail that leads deep into the forest. Walk for around one to three hours to find these mesmerizing primates, and enjoy the chance to observe them for an hour as they feed and interact.

The afternoon will then be spent returning to the tour headquarters, transferring back to your hotel for a celebration lunch, and spending the afternoon visiting a local cooperative: the Handspun Hope Community, whose work is dedicated to helping improve the lives of local women through wool production.

Today you will head into the forest to track endangered golden monkeys, and spend an hour watching them play in the forest. This makes for a truly wonderful day out, especially as all proceeds from the tour go towards research into the protection of the monkeys and the preservation of their natural habitat.

Afterwards, you'll leave your accommodation behind and make tracks for your next port of call, the wild and wonderful Akagera National Park. With an inspiring conservation story and home to more than 13,000 large animals despite its modest size, this is one of the must-visit parks in all of Africa. Here you may get to spot giraffes, leopards, lions, rhinos, elephants, and so much more. You'll also get to bed down in a luxury eco-lodge, which offers plenty of modern comforts while being designed in-keeping with its natural surroundings.

At 7am, set out on an early morning game drive, keeping an eye out for zebras, buffalo, impalas, and more as you journey across plains, savannahs, woodlands, and wetlands. From 3pm, you'll take a boat trip on Lake Ihema, a wonderful way to see the abundant wildlife of Akagera from a different angle. Marvel at unique birdlife and keep an eye out for crocodiles, hippos, and the occasional elephant, as the sun dips and casts a beautiful glow upon the landscape.

This morning, check out of your accommodation and embark on a full-day game drive, setting off early once again for the best chance of seeing the resident wildlife. Out on the plains, you'll probably see spotted hyenas, and you may also be lucky to spot lions, leopards, jackals, and several species of mongoose. Be sure to pack lunch and drinking water for the day out!

You'll then head to your next and final accommodation, a bush camp where you'll spend a magical night feeling connected with nature - leaving behind nothing more than a light ecological footprint.

Finally, you'll spend the evening enjoying a night drive through the park grounds, discovering some of Akagera's nocturnal wildlife - a very memorable way to end the last full day of your trip!

This morning, set out early for one very last game drive through Akagera, taking four precious hours to savor the park and look out for any residents you haven't yet had the chance to spot.

Then, check out of your accommodation, and take a private three-hour transfer back to Kigali's international airport, where your onward flight awaits. Safe travels!