Top Safari activities to do in Rwanda

Rwanda is one of the best destinations in Africa where to spend your holiday, commonly referred to as a “Land of a thousand hills” among the top safari activities to do in Rwanda is gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda is blessed with some of the most amazing and beautiful landscapes on earth, great for wildlife viewing and gorilla trekking experience you will indeed have a great time on your birthday when you choose to visit and spend it in Rwanda. Rwanda is home to the Big 5 animals and the most endangered primates in the world that is Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys. There are several activities to do and attractions that you can explore on your safari to Rwanda. Here are the 8 top safari activities to do in Rwanda.

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda is done in Volcanoes National Park. Gorilla trekking is an activity that involves visiting the habituated endangered mountain gorillas in their natural environment, as you view the way they feed, move, rest, and live in harmony. Volcanoes National Park has 10 habituated gorilla families for trekking every day, only 8 visitors per gorilla family are allowed to trek every day. The chances of seeing the mountain gorillas are 99% as you are guided by trackers, guides, and park rangers. Gorilla trekking starts every day in Kinigi at 7:00 am with a briefing on guidelines to follow while on the trek, even though the gorillas have 99% DNA as humans, they still remain wild and you are advised to follow the dos and don’ts from the guides. The gorilla trek can take 30 minutes to more hours depending on the movement and location of the gorillas in the forest. A gorilla permit costs USD1500 per person per trek.

Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Golden Monkey tracking refers to visiting the rare and very beautiful golden monkeys in their natural environment. Volcanoes national park has two habituated golden monkey communities for trekking every day, these communities have about 80 members each and the number of visitors is not limited. The golden monkey trekking permit costs USD100 for all nationals and can be obtained from the Rwanda development board to allow you to visit the endangered golden monkeys. The activity starts at the park headquarters at 7:00 am with a briefing on dos and don’ts by the park wardens and later the park guides and rangers lead you to the forest to find them, you can walk for 30minutes to hours depending on the location and movement of the golden monkeys, once you find them you are allowed to view and stay with them for only one hour and after you return

Iby’Iwacu cultural experience for Rwanda Cultural encounters

African cultures are very unique interesting and worth experiencing while you plan to visit Volcanoes National Park. The Rwanda culture is one that is most enjoyable and to Participate in, The locals used to stay in the forest and even participated in poaching of the endangered species, they were later evacuated and organized into a village, the Iby’Iwacu village is found in volcanoes national park in Nyabigoma, Kinigi, Musanze district, Northern Province of Rwanda. We always tailor trips with cultural experience to volcanoes national park for you to have an incredible time, visiting the Iby’Iwacu people, you will share with local people home and heritage treasures including lifestyles, activities, artifacts, dances, and ways of living of local people. Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village showcases the ways of life, traditional practices, and dances to Visitors.

Volcano Hiking in Volcanoes National Park

For those interested in Mountaineering, You will enjoy this in volcanoes national Park on your holiday in Rwanda, you can opt to climb Mountain Bisoke, Mountain, Muhavura, or mountain Sabinyo. They are all volcanic mountains with unique vegetation species, wildlife and paranomic views of the neighboring countries.

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest National Park starts in the morning and the activity is conducted in groups of a maximum of eight (8) people just as it is with gorilla trekking. The Nyungwe forest national park receives a very large number of tourists annually who come to meet face to face and spend time with the chimpanzees – man’s closest living relative observing them as they play, feed and move.

The Chimpanzee trekking permit cost $100 per person per trek. The chimpanzee permit fee includes park entrance, ranger and guide assigned to move with you and your group.  The permits are issued by the Rwanda development board which is in charge of all tourism activities in Rwanda. You will be required to show your chimpanzee tracking permit at the park headquarters just before proceeding to the beginning point on the date of trekking. Bookings are made directly through the Rwanda Development Board and you can only book in advance, chimp permits get sold out so quickly and you can always contact us to check availability for your desired dates and book your permits for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest National Park in Rwanda.

Canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park

Canopy walk is one of the ideal highlights to do in Nyungwe Forest National Park on your safari in Rwanda, Nyungwe forest is a hotbed of biodiversity. You will do hour’s walk to the canopy walkway from the Uwinka Reception Centre, you will see countless butterflies, orchids and colorful birds, including many endemic to the region. Thirteen species of primate live in Nyungwe, so a chance encounter isn’t out of the question. The steep forested slopes have well-maintained footpaths, which can become muddy, especially after rain.

Nyungwe Forest sits on a 1015sq Km making it the largest remaining area of Tropical Afro Montane rainforest in East Africa. The Canopy walk in Nyungwe forest is a 3 hour thriller on a 200 meters long trail located 50 meters above the forest cover. The view at the top of the trees gives you the eagle’s eye experience and great experience of Nyungwe forest National Park

Wildlife Safari tours in Akagera National Park

Akagera National Park is once again home to the Big Five, following the reintroduction of seven lions in 2015 – which bred successfully and doubled in number within a year as well as 18 Eastern black rhinos in 2017. Other animals found in Akagera include Leopard, hyena and side-striped jackal make up the larger predators in the park. Notable plains game includes elephant, buffalo, topi, zebra, waterbuck, roan antelope and eland. Other antelope are duiker, oribi, bohor reedbuck, klipspringer, bushbuck and impala. Primates can also be seen in the Park such as olive baboons, vervets, and the secretive blue monkey are seen during the day, with bushbabies often seen on night drives.

Boat cruise on Lake Kivu in Gisenyi

Going on a boat cruise is one of the top safari activities in Rwanda, this gives you an opportunity to visit Islands such as Serene Islands and Amahoro Island, tea Plantations, Visit the coffee station, Fishing landside, and the Hot springs. You will also see birds on the shores as you transverse the Lake. The lake has no hippos and crocodiles.

What is the best time to visit Rwanda?

Rwanda can be visited throughout the year. During Dry season from June to September and December to February every year is the best time to visit Rwanda National parks. The parks can as well be visited all year around and you will be able to see the wildlife, dry seasons offer great sighting of wildlife compared to wet seasons. Mountain Gorilla, Golden Monkeys and Chimpanzee trekking is best done in the dry season and birding is best in wet seasons.

Why book your safari to Rwanda with Eco Adventure Safaris?

Eco Adventure Safaris boosts of a professional office and field team that takes care of all your requests and inquiries. We are highly recommended on TripAdvisor. Our website is one of the best and most reliable points to help you start preparing for your tour, we have the best and updated information that you can rely on. Eco Adventure Safaris is owned and run by Ugandans who have well explored Uganda for many years and as such, you will be dealing with a team that sells what they know. Please feel free to contact us here about the top safari activities to do in Rwanda.