Big Five Akagera & Mountain Gorillas

Today you drive east from Kigali to Akagera National Park, on the Tanzanian border, through the rolling green hills of eastern Rwanda. Akagera is a beautiful mosaic of savanna, forest-fringed lakes and papyrus swamp that has been triumphantly revitalised since 2010 by African Parks and the Rwandan government, with lion and black rhino reintroduced to complete the Big Five. On arrival you settle into your safari lodge overlooking the plains or lakes. In the afternoon you set out on your first game drive in your 4x4, searching for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, antelope and, with luck, lion, amid classic African savanna scenery. As the sun sets over the acacias, you return to your lodge for dinner under big African skies. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow brings a full day of game drives and a boat safari on Lake Ihema.

Today you enjoy a full day of wildlife in beautiful Akagera. An early-morning game drive is the best time for predators, and you search for lion, leopard and the reintroduced black and white rhino, along with elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, topi and countless antelope across the rolling savanna. Later, you take a memorable boat safari on Lake Ihema, gliding among great pods of grunting hippos and enormous basking crocodiles, while the papyrus-fringed shores teem with birdlife, from fish eagles and kingfishers to herons, storks and, with luck, the rare shoebill. You might enjoy a bush lunch or picnic amid the wildlife. As the day ends, you return to your lodge for a final Akagera dinner beneath the stars. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow you cross the country to the misty gorilla volcanoes of the north.

Today you make the scenic cross-country drive from the eastern savanna of Akagera to Volcanoes National Park in the north-west, a journey through the heart of the Land of a Thousand Hills. Skirting or passing through Kigali, you climb through endless terraced slopes, banana groves and neat villages, the landscape growing greener and more mountainous as the misty Virunga volcanoes rise ahead. On arrival near Musanze you settle into your comfortable lodge at the forest edge, the peaks towering above the emerald farmland. In the afternoon you might visit a local community project, a coffee cooperative or the interpretation centre, learning about the gorillas and Dian Fossey's Karisoke legacy. As the day ends, you dine at your lodge in the cool mountain air, filled with anticipation. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow brings an unforgettable morning with the mountain gorillas.

Today brings the extraordinary counterpoint to your savanna safari: tracking wild mountain gorillas. After an early breakfast and a briefing at park headquarters, you set out with expert rangers and trackers into Volcanoes National Park, climbing through bamboo, nettles and dripping montane forest on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. The trek can be short or strenuous depending on where your gorilla family is feeding, and a porter is a worthwhile hire. When you reach the group, your permitted hour begins: a mighty silverback at rest, mothers cradling infants, youngsters tumbling and playing just metres away. To sit quietly among these gentle giants in the wild, meeting their calm brown eyes, is one of the most profound wildlife encounters on earth. As the day ends, you return to your lodge, elated. This evening, celebrate an unforgettable day among the volcanoes.

This morning, with an optional gentle golden monkey trek for the keen, you descend from the volcanoes to Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes, through more beautiful terraced scenery. You arrive at a lakeside town such as Gisenyi and settle into your lakeshore lodge, trading the cool mountain air for the warm, easygoing atmosphere of the lake. In the afternoon you unwind on the beach, swim in the warm, bilharzia-free water, or take a short boat trip among the little islands, watching fishermen paddle their graceful boats home at dusk to the sound of their singing. As the sun sets over the water, with the hills glowing on the horizon, you savour a well-earned rest after the intensity of the safari and gorilla trek. This evening, dine on fresh lake tilapia by the shore. Rest well amid the beauty of Lake Kivu.

After a relaxed final morning by Lake Kivu, perhaps a last swim or a lakeside coffee, you begin the scenic drive back to Kigali through the Land of a Thousand Hills, winding past terraced ridges, misty valleys and busy roadside markets, a final immersion in Rwanda's glorious green scenery. On arrival in the capital you have time to explore a little more, revisiting the craft markets for souvenirs, gifts and Rwandan coffee, or relaxing at your hotel. This evening you might enjoy a final dinner in one of Kigali's excellent restaurants, reflecting on the Big Five, the boat safari, the mountain gorillas and the beautiful lake you have experienced. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of this remarkable, welcoming country. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying warm memories of the wild variety of Rwanda.

After a final morning in clean, calm Kigali, perhaps a last coffee or some souvenir shopping in a craft cooperative, you are transferred to Kigali International Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the full sweep of African wildlife in one compact, beautiful country: a classic Big Five savanna safari and a boat cruise on Lake Ihema in triumphantly revitalised Akagera, an unforgettable morning among wild mountain gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes, and restful time on beautiful Lake Kivu, all amid the emerald scenery of the Land of a Thousand Hills. The images stay vivid long after you land: elephants at the water in Akagera, the calm eyes of a silverback in the volcanoes, and the singing fishermen on the lake. Rwanda offers extraordinary wildlife, beauty and warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return.