RWANDA SAFARIS & TOURS

TOUR RWANDA ON SAFARI, THE LAND OF 1,000 HILLS

A destination literally at the heart or center of the African continent, Rwanda has much to behold. A Rwanda safari offers her visitors some unique wildlife and a nature sighting experience to remember for a lifetime. Among the unique things you will get to do here is seeing the rare golden monkeys and yes, encountering the breath-taking mountain gorillas that find their home in bamboo forests of the Volcanoes NP.

Dubbed “the land of a thousand hills”, Rwanda’s scenic setting is mind-blowing. A haven for any scenery lover! If interested, there are also some volcanoes to explore while on a Rwanda tour, including crossing border into the famous Nyiragongo craters.

It’s really not just about the safari and savannah here, but the warmth of people you meet as well. Rwandese people are endlessly kind and caring, and the culture is captivating, whether that’s delivered through traditional dance (itore), unique architecture or works of art.

Top Rwanda Safari Tours

Here are our recommendations for a Rwanda safari to get close to this country, its wildlife and its people. All completely customisable to your needs of course!

9-Day Trip into Rwanda – Exploring Akagera, Volcanoes & Nyungwe

7-Day Tailor-Made Holiday and Tour in Rwanda, and Uganda

10-Day Trip into Rwanda – Exploring Nyungwe, Volcanoes & Akagera

18-Day Rwanda-Uganda Wildlife Safari Including Gorilla Trekking

REVIEWS OF OUR RWANDA SAFARIS

RossW

2023-04-01

The Best Tour/Safari I've Ever Taken In short, this was the best tour/safari I've ever taken in 20+ years of traveling! We debated different tours/operators, but after completing the '10-Day Tailor-Made Holiday & Tour in Uganda –Big 5 Safari' tour, I can't image there being a better option.From the beginning when we first made contact with 'Home To Africa' to the end of the tour, everything went as smoothly as possible. Communication with the company was excellent and we didn't experience a single issue during our 10-day tour. Everyday was a new adventure and the daily events kept us busy (but we weren't overly rushed). The itinerary was well thought out as it did a good job balancing game drives, boat rides, treks, rest time, eating, shopping and driving between destinations.Our guide for the tour, Amos, was simply outstanding. His vast knowledge of African wildlife and his passion for being in the wilderness is unbeatable, and it really added to our experience in Uganda. He was flexible when needed, but he kept us in line to make sure we stayed on schedule. He kept the conversation going when appropriate, but he would also allow us to enjoy the peacefulness/quietness of the wild.The lodges which were selected for the tour were also top notch. With a mix of tents, lodges and hotels, I feel that we got to experience a nice range of accommodations in Uganda. Not to mention the meals served in these places were of excellent quality. And they provided so much food...hunger was never a concern!All-in-all, I couldn't provide a higher recommendation for this company. Simply put, everything was perfect, and we hope to use 'Home To Africa' once again in the future.Thanks for a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

joan a

2023-03-30

Viaje al centro de la Selva Muy buena experencia con gorilas y chimpances ,muchas fotos, el trato excelente y muy seguroMuy agradecido a Lili la guia nativa con un perfecto castellano y a Derek el conductor que estuvieron a tope con nosotros muy amables y atentos en todo momento haciendo del viaje una gran aventura ,gracias

reeeto

2023-03-29

Amazing time in Uganda! I spent 8 days on tour through Uganda with my wonderful guide, driver, and in the meantime friend, Karim. He is a very safe and cautious driver and explains very patiently everything about the country, the animals, the culture and so on and he answered all of my questions. I really enjoyed to travel with him.The booking process with Home to Africa was super friendly and they were very flexible with accommodating many wishes from my side. So in the end I had a tour tailored exactly to my wishes.I thank Karim and the entire company so much for this incredible time, that I could spend in beautiful Uganda!

Lukas123456810

2023-03-28

Fantastic Tour! The communication while booking the tour was great. The team is very responsive and also flexible regarding the tour planning. We even planned an extra stop in Kampala, which was no problem at all. The tour was fantastic! We had an excellent guide Peter, who was very kind and made a lot of effort to show us the country. We booked the budget accomodations which were still very much above our expectations. During the safaris, we saw the Big 5. Also the Chimp and Gorilla trekking was successful. The vehicle was a land cruiser - great for the long rides. Highly recommend this tour agency!

Gorazd D

2023-03-23

We had a great time Iztok M wrote perfectly in previous review. It was great experience and we had a great time. Thanks to Home of Africa and our guide Benon. He was great! We saw lions, leopard, hippos, elephants, gorillas and much more. Thank you again

Iztok M

2023-03-21

Great trip We had "5-Day Pearl of Africa Chimps and Gorilla Trekking Safari" tour and it was very well organised and with a good "off season" price. The choice of the lodges was very good and more than we expected from a budget offer. Our driver/guide Benon was kind, planned everything perfectly, listened to our wishes and he was a good resource of many information about Uganda. He also managed one critical situation very good: There was a truck stucked sideways on our way to Bwindi and he payed some local guys to dig the hill for like 2 hours so we could drive around that truck. All the daily experiences were amazing with gorillas to be the best of all. It was such a good experience to see those endangered animals just living their lives, eating, playing. It was magical. Thanks again to Home of Africa for such a good vacation.

Carol P

2023-03-20

Perfectly organized splendid experience in the Beautiful National Parks of Uganda I did 7-Day tour and Vacation in Uganda with Gorilla Trekking with Home to Africa. It was just me and my delightful competent guide/driver Karim. Seeing Chimps and Gorillas so close in their natural habitat was the obvious highlight, but the boat ride in the channel between the lakes in Queen Elizabeth National Park was very enjoyable, especially seeing elephants wading into the water. I loved the safari drives in Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo National Park. Lake Mburo was like I had read a strategic stop between Bwindi and Entebbe, AND it really had a lot of animals. One thing about safaris is that with every additional drive and every additional place, you see something new or in a different way. Also, the Eagles Nest Lodge had the most incredible views. A perfect place to sip wine and reflect on all you experiences.I chose budget accommodations and the cabins were all pleasant, hot water, comfy beds and beautiful surroundings. The food was pretty good and they all had a bar of some sort.My experience was so much better because of Karim. He was a perfect handler. He spoke very clear English and had a funny sense of humor. He made sure I knew what was expected and what I should wear and have with me. He made sure I did not forget anything anywhere. He advocated for me. His driving skills kept me calm and he was great company; a curious intelligent person. If I saw a rare bird, Karim did not rest until that bird was identified. In addition, he also did not rest until I was safely out of Uganda. It was clear that with Home to Africa I was important and in good hands. I always felt my safety, comfort and quality of experience were top priority.

Holly R

2023-03-13

Uganda at its best Our experience with Home to Africa was exceptional. Hedmond in the front office was easy to work with, responding to all our questions and supplying us with numerous suggestions and solutions for our 12 day safari .Our personal guide and driver, Derrick, was excellent. He gave us a wealth of information on the culture, sights, and animals of Uganda. Derrick speaks 7 languages and was able to converse with everyone we encountered. He went above and beyond to make this our very best vacation.Each day was a new experience: visiting national parks, walking in the bush, and taking river boat rides or night game drives.If you intend to visit Uganda, this is the company to contact.

Ayala and Yizhar

2023-03-12

Very well organized trip with an excellent guide We had a 8 day safari trip of bird watching and primates. It was very well organized. Our guide-driver, Amos, was amazing: fluent in English, highly intelligent, knowledgeable, kind and patient, He took care of everything and was just fun to hang out with. The amount and beauty of the species we encountered went beyond our expectations - a new wonder every day. We saw many of the Albertine Rift endemic birds and unique mammals (chimps, gorillas, lion etc.) with the help of excellent local guides. The activities were varied: game drive, hiking and boat ride. Communication with Hedmond, the sales manger was very good and everything went as planned. The service at the lodges was also very good. We highly recommend this company and guide.

Gertrude R

2023-03-07

Expérience inoubliable, un voyage de rêve Nous venons d'effectuer un circuit inoubliable de 12 jours dans tout l'Ouganda incluant des treks pour aller voir les chimpanzés et gorilles. Tout était parfaitement organisé, et notre guide Vianney, parlant un excellent français et toujours à notre écoute et disponible, a su nous faire découvrir une diversité de la faune et de la nature incroyable. Un grand merci à lui. Nous tenons à préciser que tous les lodges étaient magnifiques, dans un cadre somptueux, et le personnel d'une grande gentillesse.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT RWANDA

Warm and friendly, Rwandese are captivating, whether through traditional dance (itore), unique architecture or works of art. A mushanana is a traditional dress that women wear during important traditional ceremonies like marriage. You will be treated to Itore dance that is unique to Rwandese. In fact, you’re not typical Rwandese unless you know how to dance itore.

Weaving is one of the specialty of Rwandese. You will find baskets of all kinds of style and shapes in homes, market place, artwork shops etc. Rwandese food are mostly fresh from farm to the table including other favorites like chicken. Steamed plantain (matooke) is a favorite dish to many served along other staples like groundnut sauce. If you’re a coffee lover, get yourself set for one of the finest taste.

The best time to visit Rwanda is during the dry months of July to September, when the temperatures are cooler and the possibility of rain is very low or non-existent. Then the months of January, February and first half of March are also fine although with slightly higher temperatures.

Rwanda has a temperate climate with temperatures of 25 – 30 degrees Celsius during day and 15 degrees Celsius at night throughout the year. Nights can be chilly in Nyungwe and the Virunga area.

Most parts of the country receive rainfall in excess of 1,000mm. Rwanda experiences two rainy spells i.e. long rains from March to May, and short rains in November and the first half of December. Dry months are July to September, last half December to February.

Start in (1) Kigali, widely regarded the cleanest city in Africa. Nestled between the rolling hills, Rwanda’s capital is friendly, welcoming and with a host of great dinning and some of the world’s best coffee, this African capital is building a reputation with tourist.

Drive to (2) Volcanoes NP for a rare encounter with the breathtaking mountain gorillas. You can also climb up to the top of one or more volcanoes before setting out. Your next destination should be

(3) Nyungwe NP. One of the oldest rainforests in Africa, Nyungwe is rich in biodiversity and spectacularly beautiful. Memorable and photogenic moments include walking up to the Isumo waterfall or along the Canopy Walk suspension bridge.

From Nyungwe, you surely need to connect to (4) Akagera National Park. Akagera is a true success story of conservation effort. With a family of lions from South Africa settled and breeding successfully and eastern black rhinos reintroduced, the park boasts of big 5 sighting.

Do you feel like going for a swim or relaxing at the beach? On the shore of (5) Lake Kivu – Rwanda’s largest lake, every season is good for swimming and sunbathing especially in Gisenyi – a town on the north shore of Lake Kivu, northwestern Rwanda’s Rubavu district. This is a country worth knowing and it is definitely worth seeing.

While on a trip in Rwanda, one may (depending on interest) you can undertake any of the following activities: gorilla and golden monkey trekking, hiking the volcanoes and crater lakes, game drives in Akagera, boat safaris, kayaking in Lake Kivu, chimp tracking, birdwatching, local community & cultural encounter, beach relaxation in Gisenyi, attend meeting & conferences in Kigali.

If coming only for gorilla trekking, at least 2 days. However, you may need at least 5 Days if you would like to explore a bit more of Rwanda.

From experience, most people incur no health problems during their visits but rather enjoy themselves during the time on Safari. Nevertheless, you may consider the following in your packing:

– Anti-malaria medicines, pain reliever, insect repellent. Simple first aid kit won’t be bad at all.
– Pack your necessary sunscreen, hand sanitizers, sun-hat plus glasses, body creams/lotions of your choice among others.

IMPORTANT: Ask your medical insurance provider if your policy applies overseas for any emergencies.

The main entry point into Rwanda is through the Kigali International Airport. You have to present your identification documents like passport and depending on the country of origin, a stamped visa. The visa must be obtained prior to the arrival.

IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months and has several clear pages for visas prior to the departure to Rwanda

National Parks in Rwanda

Volcanoes

Akagera

Nyungwe

Lake Kivu

Kigali City

Discover Rwanda Today

Forget about the country’s sad past. Rwanda is (now) one of the safest destinations to visit in Africa. This article could go on and on but only a visit into Rwanda can best reveal to you what an endearing destination it is! We look forward to welcoming you to Rwanda.

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