Rwanda Safari Guide
An hour with a gorilla family changes the way you think about Africa.
Why Rwanda
A Rwanda trip turns on a single hour. The hour you spend in the bamboo forest with a family of mountain gorillas, watching a silverback eat thistles two metres from your feet, watching the youngsters tumble off their mothers and into the leaves. There are roughly a thousand mountain gorillas left in the world. Half of them live on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes that straddle Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. The Rwandan side, Volcanoes National Park, is where Dian Fossey worked, where the modern science of gorilla conservation began, and where most of the world's gorilla trekking now happens.
What surprises most travellers is how organised it all is. Permits are capped at 96 visitors per day across twelve gorilla families. Treks are guided by rangers who know these families individually. The funds raised flow directly back into the park and the surrounding communities. The mountain gorilla is the only great ape whose population is growing, and Rwanda is the reason.
Beyond Volcanoes, the country has quietly built a proper safari country. Akagera in the east has been restored to a Big Five park, with rhino and lion both returned. Nyungwe Forest in the southwest holds chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and a canopy walkway that runs sixty metres above the rainforest floor. Lake Kivu sits in between, a long, deep freshwater lake that feels more like the Italian lakes than the African Great Lakes. We rarely send anyone on a Rwanda trip that is only about gorillas.
Rwanda also pairs naturally outward. With Tanzania for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, the strongest East African combination we plan. With Kenya for plains game alongside the rainforest. With Uganda for repeat gorilla travellers who want a different forest and a tougher trek. Most of the Rwanda journeys we plan run six to nine nights, or twelve to sixteen nights when paired.
What this country does best
The headline. Habituated families on the slopes of Bisoke, Karisimbi and Sabyinyo. Trek lengths vary from an hour to a full day depending on where the gorillas are feeding. The hour with them is fixed at sixty minutes by the park rangers, and that hour is the one most travellers remember above all else.
Africa's oldest rainforest, sixty kilometres of dense evergreen on the Burundi border. Tracked chimpanzee groups, troops of Rwenzori colobus, and a 160-metre suspension walkway that crosses the canopy at sixty metres up. Two nights does it justice.
On the Tanzanian border, fully fenced, properly run by African Parks. Lions returned in 2015, rhino in 2017. The plains game is strong, the lake system is good for boat safaris, and you have it almost to yourself.
Rwanda's western edge, a long, deep, mountain-rimmed lake. We use it as the soft pause between Volcanoes and Nyungwe. Swimming, paddleboarding, slow lunches by the water. Two nights at the right lodge resets the trip.
The cleanest, safest capital in Africa. The Genocide Memorial is essential and emotionally heavy. The food scene is excellent. We always build in a full day at the front or back of a Rwanda trip rather than treating Kigali as a transit.
A handful of lodges built on the volcanoes' edge, with one more deep in Akagera and another in the Nyungwe rainforest. Some of the most considered safari lodges built anywhere in the past decade. All run their own conservation and community programmes.
Where, specifically
01 · The gorilla park
The headline park on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Twelve habituated gorilla families, golden monkey trekking as a side activity, and the Dian Fossey grave hike for those wanting more time on the mountain. Three nights is right.
02 · The rainforest
Africa's oldest rainforest, in the country's southwest. Chimpanzee tracking, colobus troops in the hundreds, and the canopy walkway sixty metres above the forest floor. A single rainforest lodge anchors the park. Two nights does it justice.
03 · The plains park
The country's plains park on the Tanzanian border. Restored by African Parks over the past fifteen years. Lions returned in 2015, eastern black rhino in 2017. Boat safaris, walking, classic East African game viewing. Two to three nights.
04 · The lake pause
The western edge of the country, a long mountain-rimmed freshwater lake on the DRC border. We use it as the soft pause between the bush and the rainforest. Two nights at the right lodge resets the trip.
01 · The gorilla park
The headline park, on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes in the country's northwest. Twelve habituated gorilla families, golden monkey trekking as a side activity, the Dian Fossey grave hike for those wanting more time on the mountain. A handful of considered lodges sit on the park's edge. Three nights is right. Two treks is what we recommend, because the second one is usually the more relaxed.
02 · The rainforest
Africa's oldest rainforest, in the country's southwest. Chimpanzee tracking, colobus troops in the hundreds, the canopy walkway sixty metres above the forest floor. A single rainforest lodge anchors the park. Two nights gives you the canopy walk plus a chimp trek, and a strong contrast to the gorilla days at the other end of the country.
03 · The plains park
The country's plains park on the Tanzanian border, restored by African Parks over the past fifteen years. Lions returned in 2015, eastern black rhino in 2017. The flagship lodge sits on Lake Rwanyakazinga inside the park. Boat safaris, walking, classic East African game viewing, and you will rarely see another vehicle. Two to three nights.
04 · The lake pause
The western edge of the country, a long mountain-rimmed freshwater lake on the DRC border. We use it as a soft pause between the bush and the rainforest. Swimming, kayaking, slow afternoons. Two nights at the right lodge resets the trip and gives the rest of the week a different texture before Volcanoes or Nyungwe.
When to be here
Rwanda sits on the equator, so the seasons are about rain rather than temperature. Four ways to think about it.
For the easiest trekking
June – September
The driest months. Trails firm underfoot, visibility good, mornings cool and clear. Peak season for gorilla trekking and the strongest window for photographers. Permits sell out twelve to eighteen months ahead.
For the green and quiet
March – May
Daily afternoon showers, lush forest, wildflowers and birding at their richest. The trekking is wetter and slower but the gorillas tend to feed lower down the slopes, which often means shorter walks. Lower rates, fewer trekkers.
For the second dry
December – February
A second dry window between the two rainy seasons. Warmer, drier, less crowded than the long dry season because it is shorter and less well known. We often steer first-time visitors here.
For the shoulder
October – November
The short rains. Brief afternoon storms, mornings usually clear, the bush at its greenest. Strong value, good gorilla viewing, and the country at its quietest before the December peak. Often our recommendation for repeat African travellers.
A signature Rwanda itinerary
One night in Kigali at the Serena to acclimatise and ease into the country, then four at Singita Kwitonda on the edge of Volcanoes National Park for the gorillas. The trek is the heart of it, but Kwitonda itself, the views across the Virunga, and the slow pace of evenings at the lodge are why people come back.
View sample itinerary →A starting point, not a fixed package. We rebuild every Rwanda itinerary around the traveller and the season.
What it costs
Per person, per night, sharing. All-inclusive of accommodation, meals, drinks, twice-daily activities and park transfers. Gorilla permits are an additional $1,500 per person per trek. Most travellers do two treks, some do three. Light-aircraft and road transfers between regions add to the total.
4-star plus
From $850 to $1,400
per person, per night, sharing
5-star
From $1,400 to $2,800
per person, per night, sharing
5-star premium
From $2,800 to $5,500
per person, per night, sharing
Rwanda is the most expensive gorilla destination in Africa, and the country has chosen this on purpose. The high permit price funds the conservation that has brought mountain gorillas back from the edge. Costs spike around the dry seasons (June to September, December to February) and ease in the long rains (March to May). A typical six-night Volcanoes-plus-Nyungwe trip with two gorilla permits runs $14,000 to $26,000 per person all-in at the 5-star tier.
Is Rwanda right for you
Typical length: 6 to 9 nights, across two or three regions.
Most trips are not one country
Tanzania is the natural neighbour. The northern circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro) sits a short flight from Kigali, and the combination of gorillas with the Great Migration is one of the strongest East African trips we plan. Twelve to fifteen nights covers both countries well. We tend to send clients to Tanzania first, then finish on the gorillas, because the hour with the gorillas tends to be the harder act to follow.
Kenya is the other obvious pairing for plains game alongside the rainforest. Uganda makes sense for repeat gorilla travellers wanting a different forest and often a tougher trek. South Africa works as a long-haul bookend for travellers who want a soft city-and-winelands stop before or after the bush. Twelve to sixteen nights covers most pairings comfortably.
Questions we hear most
June to September is the long dry season and the easiest trekking conditions. December to February is a shorter dry season and often quieter. The two rainy seasons (March to May, October to November) bring lush forest and lower rates. Gorilla viewing is good year-round because the gorillas do not migrate. Permits sell out twelve to eighteen months ahead for the dry seasons.
$1,500 per person, per trek. Permits are sold by the Rwanda Development Board and are non-refundable inside thirty days of the trek date. Most travellers do two treks on the same trip, which we recommend, because the second one is usually the more relaxed.
Reasonably. Treks range from one to six hours of walking on uneven, often steep terrain at altitudes between 2,400 and 3,500 metres. The park rangers do their best to match trekkers to families based on fitness on the morning of the trek. Porters are available and recommended. Most travellers in normal walking shape manage well.
Three nights is the minimum if you only want gorillas. A typical Rwanda trip runs six to nine nights and combines Volcanoes with Nyungwe and Akagera, with Lake Kivu as the pause. Adding the trip to Tanzania, Kenya or Uganda is straightforward. We plan combined trips often.
Yes. Rwanda is one of the safest countries in Africa for travellers. The capital is clean and orderly, the parks are well-managed and well-guided, and the country has invested heavily in tourism infrastructure. We follow current advice from SATSA, the British and US embassies, and our on-the-ground partners.
Volcanoes National Park sits at high altitude and is generally considered low risk for malaria. Akagera, Nyungwe and Lake Kivu are lower-altitude areas where prophylactics are recommended. Your travel doctor will advise on the right tablets for the specific regions on your itinerary, and we confirm the conversation in the pre-departure briefing six to eight weeks before the trip.
From the journal
From the journal
Stories, guides and voices from the African bush, written by the people who plan these trips.
Plan it properly
Tell us roughly what you are thinking. We come back within a working day, often sooner.
One of us will write back.
