rwanda
the country’s finest lodges
Eleven nights across Rwanda's three parks, from Akagera's savannah to Nyungwe's rainforest and the Virunga gorillas.
- Private Safari
- From $24,125 pp
- 2 guests
- 11 nights
trip highlights
- Boat safaris on Lake Ihema go out for hippo, crocodile and rafts of waterbirds in Akagera.
- Chimpanzee tracking on foot at Nyungwe, and a 160-metre canopy walkway around 70 metres above the forest floor.
- Lake Kivu has no crocodiles and no hippos, so you swim off the jetty, with fishermen singing at dusk.
- An early climb through bamboo and native forest to a habituated gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park.
Scroll for the full itinerary
Across Three of Rwanda's National Parks
The route begins in Kigali, Rwanda’s hill-spread capital at the centre of the country, then crosses east to Akagera, the only park built around savannah, lakes and wetland. It climbs south-west to the montane rainforest of Nyungwe, drops to Lake Kivu on the Congo border, and ends in the north at Volcanoes National Park, where the mountain gorillas live. A final night returns to Kigali.
You travel by road and, where it suits, by air, with boat safaris on Lake Ihema, tracking on foot in the rainforest, slow days and swimming on Lake Kivu, and an early gorilla trek in the Virungas. Accommodation runs from a sole-use villa and a solar-run tented camp inside a park to a rainforest lodge, lakeside cabins and a hotel minutes from the gorilla briefing.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Kigali on Arrival
You arrive in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, spread across ridges and valleys and widely regarded as the cleanest city in Africa. The first night settles you before the parks begin. On Rebero hill in Kicukiro, twenty minutes from the centre and thirty from the airport, a four-bedroom family home is taken on sole use, with a private chef, a butler, and a garden and pool. Built in 2014, it is never sold room by room.
- Accommodation at Villa Kigali
Akagera's Lakes and Plains
From Kigali it is a few hours' drive east to Akagera, Rwanda's only national park built around savannah, lakes and wetland. Lion and black rhino have both been brought back, and the park is once again home to the full set of large mammals. Boat safaris go out onto Lake Ihema for hippo, crocodile and rafts of waterbirds, while morning and night drives work the plains and woodland for elephant. Nine solar-run tents sit on the wooded shore about six kilometres inside the gate, with hippos surfacing within sight and sound of the deck.
- Accommodation at Ruzizi Tented Lodge
Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Rainforest
In Rwanda's mountainous south-west, Nyungwe is one of the oldest and largest mountain rainforests in Africa and the country's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. Days begin early for chimpanzee tracking on foot, with black-and-white colobus moving through the canopy, guided walks to the Kamiranzovu marsh and the waterfalls, and birding across close to 300 recorded species. The canopy walkway crosses a suspended steel bridge high above the valley floor. On the Gisakura tea estate, the lodge places you within walking reach of the forest, its villas each with an open fireplace, private terrace and deep soaking tub.
- Accommodation at Nyungwe House
Lake Kivu Between the Parks
Two nights on Lake Kivu, a stop between the parks rather than a base for exploring one. There are no crocodiles and no hippos, so you swim straight off the jetty into warm water that deepens quickly, take kayaks and canoes from the boathouse, or run out by boat to the islands. At dusk the wooden canoes push off for sambaza, the fishermen singing in unison to keep their strokes together. Above a private beach near Kibuye, timber cabins stand on stilts down a wooded slope, each facing west across open water toward the hills of the Congo.
- Accommodation at Cormoran Lodge
Gorillas in the Virungas
Volcanoes National Park in the north is where the mountain gorillas live, reached by road from Lake Kivu. Trekkers leave before sunrise and climb through bamboo and native forest to one of the park's habituated families, granted an hour in their company before the descent; the routes can run steep and muddy. A short drive from the trekking headquarters on the Kinigi road outside Musanze, the hotel spares the pre-dawn drive from Kigali. Return brings a hot shower, a sauna or a massage, then the pool terrace, with the Virunga peaks visible past the walled gardens on clear days.
- Accommodation at Five Volcanoes
Last Day in Kigali
Back in Kigali for a final night, the one full day can take in the Genocide Memorial at Gisozi, the Nyamirambo Women's Centre walking routes or the studios at Inema Arts Centre, all a short drive away and arranged for you. Downtown on KN 3 Avenue in Nyarugenge, the hotel's coffee and the baskets on its walls come from Rwandan women's cooperatives. Rooms are large and quiet, and the pool is a proper swimming pool, heated against the cool Kigali evenings.
- Accommodation at Kigali Marriott Hotel
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
looking for inspiration?
rwanda
a week of gorillas and rainforest
Seven nights across Rwanda, linking Nyungwe rainforest, Lake Kivu and the gorillas of Volcanoes National Park.
- Private Safari
- From $8,700 pp
- 2 guests
- 7 nights
rwanda & tanzania
gorillas, grumeti and zanzibar
Rwanda's mountain gorillas, private Serengeti reserves in Tanzania and a finish on the Zanzibar coast.
- Private Safari
- From $32,805 pp
- 2 guests
- 15 nights
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
remote, exclusive
& personal
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.