Rwanda: The Land of a Thousand Hills with Mike Planeta

Touch down at Kigali International Airport (KGL), where a friendly Just On Safaris representative awaits to greet you. Enjoy a smooth transfer into the heart of the capital and settle into your stylish hotel. Take time to refresh and ease into the rhythm of Rwanda’s gentle hills and warm hospitality.

As the evening unfolds, gather for a welcome dinner with your host, Mike Planeta, and your fellow travellers. It’s the perfect chance to get acquainted over delicious Rwandan cuisine and toast to the adventures that await.

🏨 Accommodation

• Urban City Blue Hotel or Similar (4 Star)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Group Arrival Transfer
• Check In and Downtime
• Welcome Dinner in Kigali

After breakfast, discover Rwanda’s dynamic capital on a guided Kigali City Tour. Explore its new districts, clean streets, and sleek architecture, which reflect the nation’s remarkable progress. Then, visit the deeply moving Kigali Genocide Memorial – a place of remembrance and education that honours the resilience of the Rwandan people.

Following lunch, trace the roots of the “Old City,” visiting key neighbourhoods that tell stories of Rwanda’s past and present. Cap the day at a breathtaking viewpoint, watching the sun sink behind Kigali’s rolling hills before returning to your hotel for dinner and reflection.

🏨 Accommodation

• Urban City Blue Hotel or Similar (4 Star)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Kigali New City Tour
• Kigali Genocide Memorial Visit
• Old City Drive
• Sunset Viewpoint Stop

Leave the city behind and journey east through Rwanda’s countryside to Akagera National Park – the country’s only protected savanna reserve. Watch the scenery shift from lush hills to golden grasslands, and enjoy lunch at Imigongo Café, a unique restaurant known not only for its delicious food but also for its commitment to supporting local artists. After lunch, we’ll check in at our lodge, which boasts panoramic views over Lake Ihema.

This afternoon, head out on your first safari adventure. Feel the excitement build as you search for lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards, alongside giraffes, zebras, and antelope grazing in the wild. As the sun sets, soak in the serenity of Akagera with a sunset boat safari on beautiful Lake Ihema.

🏨 Accommodation

• Mantis Akagera Game Lodge or Similar (4 Star)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Scenic Transfer to Akagera
• Lodge Check In with Lake Views
• Akagera NP Afternoon Game Drive
• Sunset Boat Safari on Lake Ihema

Wake early for a full-day game drive through the park’s varied ecosystems – open plains, wooded hills, and lakes dotted with hippos. With luck, you might tick off the full Big Five before lunch, enjoyed picnic-style or at the Mihindi Café overlooking the water.

In the afternoon, journey north toward Kinigi, gateway to Volcanoes National Park. The drive reveals the dramatic transition from open savanna to misty mountains, where the air grows cooler and the volcanic peaks rise ahead. Check in at your boutique mountain lodge and unwind under a blanket of stars.

🏨 Accommodation

• 5 Volcanoes Boutique Lodge Kinigi or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Full Game Drive in Akagera
• Picnic or Café Lunch Stop
• Scenic Transfer to Kinigi
• Mountain Lodge Check In

This is the day you’ve been waiting for. After a morning briefing at Volcanoes National Park Headquarters, meet your trekking guide and porters and begin the climb into the lush Virunga forest. The trek can be challenging, but every step is worth it. When you find your assigned gorilla family, you’ll spend one magical hour watching these gentle giants – a rare privilege and a memory that will last a lifetime.

In the afternoon we’ll start by visiting the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund – a world-class conservation and research center located just outside Volcanoes National Park in Musanze. We’ll then continue to the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Center (Gorilla Guardians Village). Engage with local communities through dance, music, and storytelling that highlight Rwanda’s traditions and conservation efforts.

We’ll end the day with a transfer to our lakeside lodge in Karongi.

🏨 Accommodation

• Cormoran Lodge or Similar (Lakeside)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Gorilla Trekking Briefing
• Guided Mountain Gorilla Trek
• Visit to Ellen DeGeneres Campus of Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
• Cultural Visit at Gorilla Guardians Village
• Transfer to Karongi

ℹ️ Notes

• We kindly ask that you make a USD $20 donation at the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

After breakfast at the lodge, enjoy a relaxed morning city tour of Karongi before sitting down to lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, set out on a scenic boat ride across Lake Kivu, where you’ll stop to hike Napoleon Island – home to colonies of fruit bats and stunning lake views. Afterwards, experience one of Rwanda’s most unique traditions: swimming cows, guided by local herders who have maintained this age-old custom for generations.

As the day draws to a close, travel onwards to Nyungwe National Park, where you’ll check in at Munazi Lodge and unwind for the night surrounded by the sights and sounds of the forest.

🏨 Accommodation

• Munazi Lodge or Similar (Nyungwe National Park)

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Karongi City Tour
• Lake Kivu Boat Ride
• Napoleon Island Hike
• Traditional Swimming Cows Experience
• Transfer to Nyungwe National Park

After breakfast, we head out in to the Ngungwe Forest for a trek in search of chimpanzees, the perfect way to start the final day of this adventure.

Afterwards, we’ll return to the lodge for lunch before beginning the scenic return drive to Kigali, retracing the rolling hills that give Rwanda its poetic nickname.

If time allows, browse a few local markets or coffee shops for souvenirs before your airport transfer. Depart with a full heart, countless photos, and memories of a country whose beauty, warmth, and resilience stay with you long after you’ve left.

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

✅ Activities

• Nyungwe Forest Chimpanzee Trekking
• Scenic Drive to Kigali
• Optional Shopping Time
• Airport Departure Transfer