Family Rwanda: Safari, Lake Kivu & Gorillas

Today the family enjoys an easy, engaging day in Kigali, one of the safest and cleanest capitals in Africa. A relaxed city tour takes in the leafy hills, lively markets and craft cooperatives, where children enjoy the colour, music and friendliness of the city. You might visit hands-on cultural experiences, a coffee roastery, or the excellent Inema Arts Centre, where local artists work and children can join creative activities, and older family members may choose to visit the moving Kigali Genocide Memorial, which is sensitively presented. There is time to relax, swim at the hotel and enjoy the city's family-friendly cafes and restaurants. The energy, safety and warmth of Kigali are captivating. As the day ends, everyone gathers for dinner, excited for the safari to come. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow the family drives east to the Big Five country of Akagera National Park.

Today the family drives east from Kigali to Akagera National Park, through the rolling green hills of eastern Rwanda, with plenty of stops along the way. Akagera is a beautiful mosaic of savanna, lakes and swamp, triumphantly revitalised by African Parks, with lion and rhino reintroduced to complete the Big Five. On arrival you settle into your family-friendly safari lodge overlooking the plains or lakes. In the afternoon you set out on your first exciting game drive in your comfortable 4x4, the whole family searching for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, antelope and, with luck, lion, and ticking off each animal together amid classic African savanna. As the sun sets over the acacias, you return to the lodge for dinner under big African skies. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow brings a full day of game drives and a fun family boat safari on Lake Ihema.

Today the family enjoys a full day of wildlife in beautiful Akagera. A morning game drive is the best time to search for lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and countless antelope across the rolling savanna, with children thrilling at every sighting. Later, a fun family boat safari on Lake Ihema takes you gliding among great pods of grunting hippos and enormous basking crocodiles, while the papyrus shores teem with colourful birds, an exciting, relaxed change from the drives that children love. You might enjoy a picnic lunch amid the wildlife. Back at the lodge there is time to relax and swim before dinner. The adventure and fun are captivating. As the day ends, the family shares stories of the animals spotted, under a sky full of stars. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow you head to the fun and relaxation of Lake Kivu.

Today the family makes the scenic drive across Rwanda to beautiful Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes, through the glorious Land of a Thousand Hills, past endless terraced slopes, banana groves and busy roadside markets. On arrival at a lakeside town such as Kibuye or Gisenyi, you settle into your family-friendly lakeshore lodge, trading the savanna for the warm, easygoing atmosphere of the lake. Crucially, Lake Kivu is free of crocodiles, hippos and bilharzia, so its warm water is genuinely safe and lovely for children to swim in. In the afternoon the family can splash and swim from the beach, relax by the water, or take a short boat trip as fishermen paddle their graceful boats home at dusk. As the day ends, you dine on fresh lake tilapia by the shore. Rest well tonight, ready for a full, fun day on safe Lake Kivu tomorrow.

Today is a relaxed, fun-filled family day on beautiful, safe Lake Kivu. Everyone can swim and play in the warm, safe water and on the sandy shore, take a boat excursion to the lake's little islands, kayak along the shoreline, or cycle a gentle, scenic section of the Congo Nile Trail past coffee farms and welcoming villages, where children love the friendly greetings along the way. You might visit a coffee estate to see how Rwanda's celebrated beans are grown and picked, a fun, hands-on experience for all ages. There is plenty of time simply to relax and recharge together between adventures. As the afternoon fades, the family watches a magical sunset over the water, with the hills glowing on the horizon. As the day ends, you share a relaxed lakeside dinner. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow the family heads north to the misty volcanoes and the golden monkeys.

Today the family drives north from Lake Kivu to Volcanoes National Park, through more glorious terraced scenery, arriving at the forest edge near Musanze with the misty Virunga volcanoes rising above the farmland. In the afternoon the whole family enjoys a gentle, joyful trek to find the rare and playful golden monkeys, endemic to these volcanoes, leaping through the bamboo in flashes of amber and gold fur, chattering and feeding right around you; rangers help everyone spot and photograph the lively troop, a wonderful, active and photogenic experience suitable for all ages. You might also visit a local community or cultural village, where children are warmly welcomed. As the day ends, you settle into your family lodge and dine in the cool mountain air. Rest well tonight; tomorrow, older children and parents may take the great gorilla trek, while younger ones enjoy alternative fun.

Today offers the crowning experience for older children: for teenagers aged fifteen and over, an unforgettable morning tracking wild mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, setting out with rangers and trackers to sit among a family of wild gorillas, meeting their calm brown eyes just metres away, a profound, once-in-a-lifetime encounter in Dian Fossey's landscape. Meanwhile, younger children and any non-trekking family members enjoy alternative activities with a guide, such as a nature walk, a visit to the community-run cultural village, a coffee experience or the interpretation centre. The whole family reunites in the afternoon to share their morning's adventures over lunch. In the afternoon you begin the scenic drive back towards Kigali. As the day ends, you arrive in the capital, the family full of stories. Rest well tonight, reflecting on an extraordinary family journey through Rwanda.

After a final morning in clean, calm, family-friendly Kigali, perhaps a last swim, a coffee for the grown-ups or some souvenir shopping in a craft cooperative, the family is transferred to Kigali International Airport for your onward departure. You leave having shared a safe, varied and thrilling family adventure: an exciting Big Five safari and boat trips in revitalised Akagera, fun and relaxation on safe Lake Kivu, the playful golden monkeys of the Virungas, and, for older children, the great mountain gorillas, all amid the emerald scenery of the Land of a Thousand Hills. The images stay vivid long after you land: giraffes on the savanna, hippos in the lake, golden monkeys in the bamboo, and the smiling faces of the children you met. Rwanda offers adventure, wildlife, safety and warmth in abundance, and your family departs already dreaming of a return.