Our most frequently booked itinerary, and the one we most often recommend to first-time Rwanda travellers.
Seven days allows gorilla trekking to be paced properly, a genuine rest stretch at Lake Kivu, and a meaningful visit to Nyungwe Forest — without the compression a shorter trip requires or the extra length some travellers don't have.
Day by day
Day 1 — Arrive Kigali, transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Private transfer of 2.5 to 3 hours to your lodge, with an afternoon at leisure and a trek briefing.
Day 2 — Gorilla trekking
The 7:00 a.m. briefing at Kinigi, your guided trek, and one hour with your assigned family. Afternoon at leisure.
Day 3 — Transfer to Lake Kivu
A private transfer of roughly two hours through the tea-growing highlands, arriving for lunch and an afternoon at leisure.
Day 4 — Lake Kivu at leisure
A full free day — a private boat excursion, a coffee cooperative visit, or time at the lodge. The trip's deliberate pause between the trekking days.
Day 5 — Transfer to Nyungwe Forest
A private transfer of two to three hours from the Kivu shore, arriving in the afternoon with time to settle in.
Day 6 — Chimpanzee trekking and the canopy walk
An early start for chimpanzee trekking — sightings are common but genuinely less predictable than gorilla trekking. In the afternoon, the canopy walk along a suspension bridge roughly 70 metres above the forest floor.
Day 7 — Transfer to Kigali, departure
Return transfer of five to six hours by road, or a 40-minute flight from Kamembe near Nyungwe where schedules allow — genuinely useful for preserving time on departure day.
Wildlife expectations
Gorilla sightings are extremely reliable on a properly permitted trek. Chimpanzee sightings in Nyungwe are considerably less predictable — dense terrain and the chimps' greater range mean success is not guaranteed on every trek, and we set this expectation clearly rather than overpromise it. The canopy walk offers strong birdlife and forest views regardless of that day's chimp outcome.
Accommodation
Nights 1–2 near Volcanoes National Park; nights 3–4 at Lake Kivu; nights 5–6 at Nyungwe, most commonly One&Only Nyungwe House at the top of the luxury tier.
Optional additions
- Golden monkey trekking near Volcanoes as a lower-intensity second day
- A guided tea estate visit near Nyungwe's Gisakura sector
- The Isumo waterfall trail or extended nature walks within Nyungwe
- Add Akagera for the full three-park experience — see the 10-day journey
What's included
Private airport and inter-destination transfers, six nights' luxury accommodation, full board, one gorilla permit, one chimpanzee permit, canopy walk fees, a private guide throughout, and relevant park entrance fees.
What's excluded
International flights, the optional Kamembe–Kigali domestic flight (quoted separately), travel insurance, visas, gratuities, and alcoholic beverages beyond lodge inclusions.