Luxury Complete Rwanda Safari

Akagera National Park

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our local representative who will arrange your 30-minute helicopter transfer to Akagera National Park. Head off on your first full-day game drive with packed lunches in tow. Although established in 1934 and reduced somewhat from its former size, Akagera National Park has a rapidly increasing wildlife population and still boasts 900 square kilometres of scenic savannah and lakes. The park takes its name from the Kagera River that runs along its eastern boundary before emptying into a series of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Ihema. Over 30% of the park is made up of these lakes and interconnected papyrus swamps, which together form one of the largest protected wetlands in Africa. You’ll be able to enjoy an afternoon boat ride through this area today in search of wallowing hippos, crocodiles, and birdlife.

Volcanoes National Park

After an early breakfast at your lodge, you’ll drive the short distance to Volcanoes National Park HQ for your first day of mountain gorilla tracking. Depending on the location of your assigned family group, it may take hours to reach the gorillas, but the ascent in altitude and trek through often dense vegetation will be entirely worth it when you discover the apes and spend an hour in their presence. After leaving the gorillas to their foraging and grooming, you’ll then be able to visit the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in Musanze. Also known as Gorilla Doctors, this centre cares for orphaned and injured gorillas found in the wild or those resident at the Senkwekwe Centre in the DRC’s Virunga National Park.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Enjoy a scenic helicopter transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park, on Rwanda’s southwestern border. Look out for one of Africa’s Great Lakes, Lake Kivu, stretching out to the west. You’ll set off early in the morning for a 1-hour drive to Cyamudongo Forest, where you’ll have your third primate tracking excursion of the safari – this time, with chimpanzees. Often raucous and boisterous, your experience with the chimps will likely be markedly different than with the more docile gorillas. In the afternoon, take to the trees and enjoy an exhilarating trip across the 250 ft-high canopy walkway, gazing out at the sea of green below you.

One & Only Gorillas Nest

Gorilla's Nest is a luxury lodge located at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes and only a 5 minute drive from the park headquarters. Fit with 5-star treatment, rooms are styled like treehouses up stilts, and with a design that draws the outside in. The hotel was imagined by interior designer Hubertus Feit to give a subtle sense of Africa while taking nothing away from the true emphasis of the place: the surrounding landscape. One&Only Gorilla's Nest is a place that encourages you to gaze into the mirror through eye-opening encounters with majestic mountain gorillas and experience the story of Rwanda.