Grand Rwanda: The Ultimate Primate & Wildlife Safari

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, lakes and papyrus swamp, triumphantly revitalised since 2010 by African Parks, 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, deep in this beautiful, restored wilderness in the east of Rwanda.

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 and, with luck, the rare shoebill. You might enjoy a bush lunch 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 from the eastern savanna to the misty gorilla volcanoes of the north, the next great chapter of your grand safari.

Today you make the scenic cross-country drive from the eastern savanna of Akagera to Volcanoes National Park in the north-west, 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 the profound centrepiece of your grand safari, an unforgettable morning with the mountain gorillas.

Today brings the profound centrepiece of your grand 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 of northern Rwanda.

This morning you enjoy a gentler trek to find the rare and playful golden monkeys, endemic to the Virungas, leaping through the bamboo in flashes of amber fur, a delightful and far easier walk than the gorillas. You might also visit a community project or coffee cooperative at the forest edge. In the afternoon you drive down to Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes, through more beautiful terraced scenery, arriving at a lakeside town such as Gisenyi. You settle into your lakeshore lodge as the sun sinks over the water and fishermen paddle home singing, trading the cool mountains for the warm, easygoing lake. As the day ends, you dine by the water, savouring fresh lake tilapia. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow is a restful day on beautiful Lake Kivu before you continue south towards the ancient rainforest of Nyungwe.

Today you relax on the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu at Gisenyi, the first of two restful lakeside interludes on this grand safari. This vast, calm and safe freshwater lake is fringed by green hills, sandy coves and easygoing towns, and its warm water is free of bilharzia and crocodiles, ideal for swimming. You take a boat excursion among the little islands, perhaps visiting a bird island or a fishing village, and can kayak, paddle or simply laze on the beach. You might follow part of the scenic Congo Nile Trail by bike or on foot, or visit a lakeside coffee estate. As the day ends, you watch a glorious sunset over the water, with the hills glowing on the horizon. This evening, savour the peace of the lakeshore. Rest well tonight amid the beauty of Lake Kivu, ready for the scenic journey south to Nyungwe tomorrow.

Today you follow the beautiful shore of Lake Kivu south and climb into the mountains to Nyungwe Forest National Park, one of Africa's oldest and richest montane rainforests. The scenic drive is a glorious journey through the Land of a Thousand Hills, past terraced ridges, fishing villages and, as you approach the forest, the vivid, geometric green of the great Gisakura and Pfunda tea estates that fringe Nyungwe. You might stop to visit a tea estate, seeing how Rwanda's celebrated tea is grown and picked, and tasting it at source. On arrival you settle into your lodge at the forest edge, surrounded by the sounds of the ancient rainforest. As the day ends, you dine amid the misty trees, filled with anticipation. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow you rise early to track wild chimpanzees and walk the thrilling canopy walkway deep in the ancient forest of southern Rwanda.

Today you rise before dawn to track wild chimpanzees in ancient Nyungwe Forest. Setting out with expert trackers, you follow the excited hoots and drumming of a chimp community through the dense, misty rainforest until you find them feeding, grooming and swinging high in the canopy, watching these intelligent, boisterous, endlessly expressive apes in the wild, an exhilarating and unforgettable encounter. The trek can be strenuous on steep, slippery forest trails, so reasonable fitness helps. Later, you experience Nyungwe's famous canopy walkway, a swaying suspended bridge 70 metres above a forest ravine, level with the treetops, for a breathtaking view over the endless green canopy, and you may spot great troops of black-and-white colobus monkeys. As the day ends, you return to your lodge, exhilarated. This evening, celebrate your day among the primates of the ancient forest of southern Rwanda.

This morning you enjoy a gentler forest experience in Nyungwe, perhaps tracking the great troops of Angolan colobus monkeys, sometimes hundreds strong, that cascade through the trees in flowing black-and-white, or walking a beautiful forest trail amid ferns, orchids, waterfalls and abundant birdlife, for Nyungwe is one of Africa's finest birding destinations. After a final immersion in the ancient rainforest, you drive north along the beautiful shore of Lake Kivu to the lakeside town of Kibuye, one of the loveliest spots on the lake, set among green hills and islands. You settle into your lakeshore lodge as the sun sinks over the water. As the day ends, you dine by the lake, reflecting on the primates and forests you have experienced. Rest well tonight amid the beauty of Kibuye, ready for a final relaxed day on Lake Kivu before returning to Kigali.

After a relaxed final morning at Kibuye, perhaps a last swim in the warm, safe water, a boat trip among the pretty islands, 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, the beautiful agaseke peace baskets and Rwandan coffee, or visiting the moving Kigali Genocide Memorial if you have not already done so. This evening you enjoy a final celebratory dinner in one of Kigali's excellent restaurants, reflecting on the epic journey you have made. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of this remarkable, beautiful country. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow, carrying rich memories of the whole of Rwanda.

After a final morning in clean, calm Kigali, perhaps a last coffee or some final souvenir shopping in a craft cooperative, you are transferred to Kigali International Airport for your onward departure. You leave having completed the definitive Rwanda safari: the Big Five and a boat cruise in revitalised Akagera, an unforgettable morning among wild mountain gorillas and the playful golden monkeys of the Virungas, restful days on beautiful Lake Kivu, and wild chimpanzees, the thrilling canopy walkway and cascading colobus troops in ancient Nyungwe Forest, all amid the emerald scenery of the Land of a Thousand Hills. The images stay vivid long after you land: elephants at Lake Ihema, the calm eyes of a silverback, chimps in the misty canopy, and the golden sunsets of Lake Kivu. Rwanda offers the full sweep of African wildlife, beauty and warmth in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this remarkable land.