DAY 1: KIGALI AIRPORT

On arrival at Kigali airport, you will be met by our guide in 4WD vehicle and transferred to a hotel within the town. Later visit bustling local markets, get an overview with a city tour, relax by the hotel's pool, or head to the Kigali Memorial Centre, a moving and highly informative monument to the country's genocide. Maximize your one night here to explore the environs or to relax in its attractive surroundings. Overnight at a hotel in Kigali.

DAY 2-4: NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast drive to Nyungwe forest national park with a stop in Butare, for a tour of the national museum. Nyungwe Forest National Park is probably the largest tract of montane forest in central Africa. This feels like a rainforest and is home to 13 different primate species. Forest walks are the attraction here; they last from one to seven hours, depending on your energy.

There are options of strenuous treks to see chimpanzees, or more relaxed guided walks in search of some tropical birdlife, from regal sunbirds to strange weavers, and a variety of primates (grey-cheeked mangabeys, colobus and l'Hoest's monkeys are all common). Spend 3 nights at one of the lodges.  Meal plan: full board

DAY 5: LAKE KIVU

After breakfast, leave Nyungwe and drive northwest to the town of Kibuye on the shores of Lake Kivu. The lakeshores are covered by pine and eucalyptus trees, which lend an alpine air to the region. Dinner and overnight at a lodge of your choice. Meal plan: full board.

DAY 6: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Leave Kibuye after breakfast, either via Kigali or along the scenic road to reach Volcanoes National Park. Made famous by Dian Fossey, this park is home to six active and three extinct volcanoes. Tracking through its forests can be challenging: the air is a little thin, due to the altitude, the tracks can be steep in parts, and the foliage is usually thick. 

Dinner and overnight at a lodge of your choice. Meal plan: full board.

DAY 7: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, spend your first morning tracking the endangered golden monkeys. These beautiful primates live in bamboo thickets on lower mountain slopes, below the forest line. They can be elusive, but the search is good practice to acclimatize you to the altitude before you start on higher treks to find gorillas. Mountain Gorillas Nest (full board & activities)

In the afternoon, you can choose to explore the area with your private guide and vehicle, perhaps visiting nearby lakes and villages; go for a walk on your own in the farmland around the hotel; or just relax and enjoy the scenery. All meals and overnight at a lodge of your choice. Meal plan: full board.

DAY 8: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

Have an early breakfast and head for the park's headquarters for a briefing on the mountain gorillas. An experienced park ranger leads you up into the forest to view a troop of these playful primates, led by a huge male silverback. You have an unforgettable hour to observe them from close quarters – one of Africa's most amazing wildlife experiences.

Because of the close contact between gorillas and visitors which is often as little as a distance of 7m, and the risk of passing on infections which are fatal for them is high and as such travellers who are ill will not be allowed on gorilla-tracking trips. Spend the afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight at a lodge of your choice. Meal plan: full board.

DAY 9: VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast you have a choice between nature walks lasting from 2 hours to a full day, and can include a visit to stunning crater lakes, Dian Fossey's tomb and the gorilla cemetery. Alternatively have a supplement usually booked in advance which heads out for another morning tracking gorillas or golden monkeys. Dinner and overnight at a lodge of your choice. Meal plan: full board.

DAY 10-11: AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK

Have a heavy breakfast in readiness for your drive east to Akagera National Park which borders Tanzania and encompasses areas of low-lying grasslands, woodlands and swamps. It is named after the Akagera River, home to an enormous concentration of hippo and crocodiles. Due to its diverse landscapes, the bird-watching here is particularly good.

It is possible to organize boat rides or arrange for a national park guide to accompany you in your private 4WD vehicle during game drives through this interesting national park. All meals and overnight at a lodge of your choice. Meal plan: full board.

DAY 12 KIGALI
After your last morning on safari, drive west through Rwanda's lovely hills and rural towns for roughly 2 hours to Kigali Airport to catch your flight to Nairobi where you board a flight back home, marking the end of your safari.