8 Day Rwanda Big 5 & Primate Adventure

8 Day Rwanda Big 5 & Primate Adventure (Gorilla, Golden monkey, Chimpanzee & Akagera Safari)

In this 8 days Rwanda safari, discover the hidden Rwanda treasures in layers. At first, you’ll meet the lion’s stare in Akagera’s golden savannah. Then deeper still—where Nyungwe’s forest echoes with chimpanzee laughter. And finally, among the clouds, she gives you her oldest secret: mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

This 8-day Big Five and primate safari is more than a trip—it’s a slow unravelling of wonder. It offers both thrill and stillness, fire and mist. And through it all, Friendly Gorillas Safaris walks with you—not to guide you away from yourself, but back into something wild and real.

Itinerary Overview

Day 1 – Arrival in Kigali & transfer to Akagera National Park
Day 2 – Full day Big Five safari + Lake Ihema boat safari
Day 3 – Morning game drive & return to Kigali
Day 4 – Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 5 – Chimpanzee trekking + optional canopy walk
Day 6 – Scenic transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 7 – Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 8 – Golden monkey trekking & return to Kigali

Safari Summary – Day by Day

Day 1: Welcome to Rwanda – Kigali to Akagera National Park

Your Friendly Gorillas Safaris guide meets you in Kigali, either in Kigali International Airport or at your Kigali accommodation. After a warm welcome, you begin the drive east as you observe the road softening as banana groves and cattle trails replace the cityscape.

By midday, you arrive at Akagera National Park, a quiet miracle of restoration and hope. Lions, rhinos, elephants—the Big Five are home again here. After lunch, you enjoy a light afternoon game drive, catching your first glimpse of giraffes silhouetted against the acacia trees. The air shifts. The silence deepens. Tonight, you sleep to the soft music of distant wildlife.

Accommodation in Akagera:

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

Day 2: Big Five Safari & Boat Ride on Lake Ihema

You rise with the sun and after breakfast, your morning game drive follows the pulse of the land. Take a keen look as you see lions stalking the grasslands. Elephants crossing in front of you, unhurried and mighty. Rhinos keep to themselves until they don’t. You don’t chase. You witness.

In the afternoon, you board a small boat on Lake Ihema, drifting past papyrus beds. Hippos grunt nearby. Crocodiles sunbathe like statues. A fish eagle screams across the sky. Water, wind, and wing—this is Akagera’s heartbeat at dusk.

After the encounter, proceed to your previous accommodation to have dinner, overnight and relaxation.

Accommodation:

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

Day 3: One Last Look – Morning Game Drive & Return to Kigali

Today, you enjoy the final game drive in the morning when the air is still and golden. You take one last drive through the park, letting the silence stretch a little longer. Maybe today’s the day the leopard appears, or maybe not. Either way, you’re here—and that’s enough.

By midday, you exit Akagera and begin your return to Kigali. Along the way, the conversation flows easy. The hills roll by like waves. You reach the city in time to rest, reflect, and enjoy a peaceful evening.

Accommodation in Kigali:

• Budget: Step Town Motel
• Standard: Heaven Boutique Hotel
• Luxury: The Retreat Kigali
  Meals: Breakfast & Lunch included

Day 4: Kigali to Nyungwe – Across the Heart of the Country

After breakfast, you begin the scenic drive south. It’s not just transit—it’s part of the adventure. The road takes you through vibrant towns, roadside fruit stalls, and long green stretches of tea plantations swaying in the breeze.

By afternoon, you arrive near Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of Africa’s last untouched rainforests. You check into your lodge tucked in the forest’s edge, where monkeys might pass outside your window and the trees seem to breathe with memory.

Accommodation in Nyungwe:

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

Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking – Into the Forest’s Wild Song

Before light breaks, you’re already on the move. You go to the Chimpanzee tracking headquarters for a briefing about the dos and dont’s of chimpanzees, you are later grouped and then, you follow your ranger into Nyungwe. The air is wet, alive, humming. A sudden crack in the canopy. A high-pitched call. And then the chimpanzees come.

They crash through branches, chase one another, pause just long enough to meet your gaze. One youngster beats his chest. A mother nurses, eyes half-closed. You’re not watching a show. You’re in the middle of it.

Later, if your energy allows, you can take the canopy walk—a bridge suspended above the forest with endless views—or visit a tea plantation where every sip feels earned.

Accommodation: Same lodge as previous night

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

Day 6: Nyungwe to Volcanoes – From Echoes to Mist

After a slow breakfast, you begin the drive north along Lake Kivu’s shoreline, where fishermen paddle long wooden canoes, and villages bloom between banana trees.

The hills steepen. The air cools. By afternoon, the Virunga volcanoes rise ahead—wrapped in mist, impossibly quiet. You arrive in Musanze, near Volcanoes National Park, where tomorrow’s giants await. Tonight, you sleep closer to the clouds.

Accommodation in Volcanoes National Park:

• Budget: La Locanda
• Standard: Le Bambou Lodge
• Luxury: Bisate Lodge / One&Only Gorilla’s Nest
  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Day 7: Gorilla Trekking – One Hour That Changes Everything

Today begins in hushed anticipation. Wake up early and transfer to the gorilla trekking headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking – the do’s and don’ts of gorilla trekking. After a short briefing, you’re assigned a gorilla family. Then the climb begins—through thick bamboo, slippery trails, deep green silence.

Then—you see them. A silverback, shoulders wide as a boulder, glances toward you with calm command. Infants tumble playfully. A mother shifts her baby beneath her chest. You stand still. You breathe slowly. One hour. Just one. But it feels like forever, and not nearly long enough.

After the trek, you return to your lodge. You are tired. And you are full—in a way few journeys can deliver.

Accommodation:

• Budget: La Locanda
• Standard: Le Bambou Lodge
• Luxury: Bisate Lodge / One&Only Gorilla’s Nest

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner included

Day 8: Golden Monkey Trekking & Return to Kigali

Your final morning takes you back into the forest—but this time, for something playful. The golden monkeys of Volcanoes are fast, curious, and full of laughter. You follow them through bamboo, camera in hand, trying to keep up as they leap from branch to branch like sparks.

After the trek, you begin your return to Kigali, passing the same hills—but now they feel different. You carry the forest in your breath. The lions in your memory. The gorillas in your bones.

By evening, you arrive back in Kigali. The city lights glow. The journey ends. But the story stays.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch included