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
- Akagera is Rwanda's only Big Five park, with boat outings on Lake Rwanyakazinga among one of Africa's highest densities of hippo.
- A permit in Volcanoes National Park grants one hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family, reached on foot from Kinigi Park Headquarters.
- Between December and March hundreds of thousands of wildebeest gather to calve on the Kusini short-grass plains, well away from the busier Ndutu tracks.
- The eastern Serengeti plains at Soit Le Motonyi were closed to tourism for decades for cheetah research, and vehicles here remain few.
Scroll for the full itinerary
From Akagera to the Eastern Serengeti
This 15-night route links four distinct landscapes in order. It opens in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, then crosses east to Akagera, the country’s only savannah and Big Five park, before turning northwest to Volcanoes National Park and its mountain gorillas. From there it moves into Tanzania, to the southern Serengeti’s Kusini calving plains and finally the secluded eastern plains at Soit Le Motonyi.
You travel by road and air transfer, with days built around game drives, boat outings and a gorilla trek on foot from Kinigi. The stays run from a boutique city hotel through tented camps on private concessions to a mobile camp that follows the herds, each chosen for its position and standard rather than its size.
Daily Itinerary Breakdown
Arriving in Kigali
You land in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, spread across ridges and valleys at the centre of the country and widely regarded as the cleanest city in Africa. A day here rewards the time you give it, from the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi to the textile stalls of Kimironko Market and the contemporary work at the Inema Arts Center. Hemingways Retreat is a 20-room boutique hotel of stone and teak in the leafy Kiyovu district, a calm base with a solar-heated saltwater pool and farm-to-table dining.
- Accommodation at Hemingways Retreat Kigali
Akagera Lakes and the Big Five
From Kigali you travel east to Akagera, Rwanda's only savannah and Big Five park, a restored landscape of lakes, plains and wetland along the Tanzanian border. Days run between game drives across open plains, acacia woodland and swamp, and boat outings on Lake Rwanyakazinga among hippo pods, basking crocodiles and waterbirds, with the chance of a shoebill. Lions returned here in 2015 and black rhinos in 2017. Magashi Camp holds the park's sole private concession, eight tented suites on the lakeshore with a lounge, pool and fire pit turned towards the water.
- Accommodation at Magashi Camp
Tracking Gorillas in the Virungas
You cross the country to Volcanoes National Park in the northwest, where mountain gorillas move through rainforest across five of the Virunga volcanoes. Trekking begins at Kinigi Park Headquarters by 7am; a permit grants one hour with a habituated gorilla family, and a trek can last two to seven hours depending on where the gorillas have moved. Farmhouse Rwanda is a working organic farm at the foot of the volcanoes, minutes from the trailheads, where mornings not spent tracking can go to the dairy, the gardens and meals that are around 95 percent farm-to-table.
- Accommodation at Farmhouse Rwanda
Kusini and the Calving Plains
You fly to Tanzania and the southern Serengeti, where from December to March the camp is pitched on a Kusini hillside above the short-grass calving plains. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest gather here to give birth within a few short weeks, and the open ground draws intense predator activity from lions and cheetahs, watched by far fewer vehicles than the busier Ndutu tracks. Ubuntu Migration Camp is a mobile tented camp that moves twice a year with the herds; ten canvas tents, spaced well apart with private verandas, keep it small and traditional, run for comfort rather than gloss.
- Accommodation at Ubuntu Migration Camp
Eastern Serengeti Cheetah Country
Staying within the Serengeti, you move to the eastern plains at Soit Le Motonyi, ground closed to tourism for decades for cheetah research. The density of predators that built up in those years is still the reason to come: lion prides hold territory, leopards move along the seasonal Ngare Nanyuki River, and cheetahs range across sightlines that run for kilometres. With the nearest neighbour over an hour away, drives often pass without another vehicle, so there is time to let a sighting develop. Namiri Plains is a secluded tented camp, its waterhole drawing elephants and giraffes in front of camp.
- Accommodation at Namiri Plains
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 & kenya
gorillas and a private beach house
Seventeen nights from Rwanda's gorilla forests through Kenya's conservancies to a private house on Kilifi Creek.
- Private Safari
- From $50,570 pp
- 2 guests
- 17 nights
rwanda
gorillas and the shores of lake kivu
Twelve nights across Rwanda, from Akagera's savannah to Nyungwe's rainforest, Lake Kivu and the mountain gorillas.
- Private Safari
- From $13,135 pp
- 2 guests
- 12 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.