5 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee & Akagera Safari

5 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee & Akagera Safari – From Savannah to Forest

Rwanda wilderness strength is quiet—found in the rustle of papyrus along Lake Ihema, in the sudden laugh of a chimpanzee swinging overhead, and in the way the hills roll like woven baskets from village to valley.

This 5-day journey takes you from the lion-tracked paths of Akagera to the deep green breath of Nyungwe Forest, where chimpanzees still call from ancient trees. It’s not just a safari—it’s a conversation between the land and your footsteps. Between memory and the moment.

With Friendly Gorillas Safaris, you move gently, like the country itself—never rushed, always received.

Itinerary Overview

Day 1 – Arrival in Kigali & transfer to Akagera National Park
Day 2 – Big Five game drive & Lake Ihema boat safari
Day 3 – Scenic drive from Akagera to Nyungwe Forest
Day 4 – Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe & optional canopy walk
Day 5 – Return to Kigali

Safari Summary – Day by Day

Day 1: Welcome to the Land of a Thousand Hills – Kigali to Akagera

Upon your arrival in Kigali, your Friendly Gorillas Safaris guide greets you like an old friend. No rush. Just warm smiles, a comfortable seat, and the soft hum of the road ahead. You journey east through fields of cassava and tall banana trees, past roadside markets selling avocados the size of a child’s fist.

By midday, you arrive at Akagera National Park, Rwanda’s only savannah park—a land that nearly disappeared but came back, stronger. After lunch, you take a slow afternoon game drive. Zebras flick their tails in the tall grass. Giraffes sway above the trees. You might spot a lion resting in golden silence among other impressive sightings.

As the sky turns soft orange, you reach your lodge. The night is full of stars—and the distant laughter of hyenas.

Accommodation in Akagera:

• Budget: Akagera Rhino Lodge
• Standard: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
• Luxury: Magashi Camp
  Meals: Lunch & Dinner included

Day 2: Lions at Dawn, Hippos by Dusk – The Big Five in Akagera

You wake up with the sun—like the animals do and proceed for an impressive morning game drive that begins early, when the land is cool and movement is everywhere. During your game drive, be keen to sight elephants cross the road, slow and steady. Rhinos graze near the marsh. Buffalo raise their heads, watching.

Your guide doesn’t just point and drive. He tells stories. Reads tracks in the dust. Explains how the birds know things before we do. This is not sightseeing. This is a shared rhythm.

In the afternoon, you glide across Lake Ihema as you observe hippos rise and sink like moving stones. Crocodiles sunbathe without a care. A fish eagle cries from above. You don’t speak much—because here, the water talks for you.

Accommodation:

• Budget: Akagera Rhino Lodge
• Standard: Ruzizi Tented Lodge
• Luxury: Magashi Camp
  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Day 3: From Savannah to Rainforest – Akagera to Nyungwe

Today, you travel across the country—and yet, Rwanda is small enough that even crossing it feels gentle. After breakfast, you begin your scenic drive southwest, winding through villages, green hills, and tea-covered ridges. You stop when it makes sense: for a photo, for grilled maize on the roadside, or just because the view steals your breath.

By late afternoon, you arrive at Nyungwe Forest National Park—a dense, mystical rainforest where the air smells of moss and history. The forest feels alive in ways you can’t quite name.

You settle into your lodge tucked near the forest edge. Tonight, the soundtrack is frogs, wind, and something unseen moving through the leaves.

Accommodation in Nyungwe:

• Budget: EAR Guesthouse
• Standard: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
• Luxury: One&Only Nyungwe House
  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Day 4: Chimpanzee Trekking – Laughter in the Trees

Before the birds wake, you’re already on the trail. A flashlight beam. A warm cup of tea. Then, into the forest. Your guide leads you carefully—quietly. And then it begins.

A loud call from above. A rustle. Then many. The chimpanzees are near. You move quickly. Sometimes, you run. And then, you stop. They’re there—swinging, grooming, calling. A young one drums on a tree. Another one hangs upside down, watching you.

For a moment, you don’t feel like a visitor. You feel like you’ve returned to something older than memory.

Later, if you have the energy, you can take the canopy walk—a suspension bridge stretched above the trees, with views so wide they blur into sky. Or relax at your lodge with a local tea tasting—soft, slow, perfect.

Accommodation:

• Budget: EAR Guesthouse
• Standard: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
• Luxury: One&Only Nyungwe House
  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Day 5: One Last Look, One Long Goodbye – Nyungwe to Kigali

You wake up slowly today. There’s no need to rush but, after waking up, you shall have your final breakfast and start the drive back to Kigali which is long, but beautiful. You pass tea trucks winding through hills, women in bright kitenge dresses balancing baskets on their heads, and schoolchildren waving from dusty paths.

Maybe you stop for grilled goat in Huye. Maybe you don’t. But the country moves with you—and inside you now.

By late afternoon, you arrive in Kigali, your journey closing where it began. But something’s different. The road gave you lions. The forest gave you laughter. Rwanda gave you a piece of itself.

And you? You carry it quietly in return.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch included