Epic scenery

The mountain scenery of Rwanda is very impressive, dominated by scenic upland farmlands, dotted with dense forested peaks. To the east there are some limited areas of open savanna.

           Gorillas

The gorilla experience really does involve up-close encounters with these powerful primates. It is very definitely not for the faint-hearted.

          Chimps

People tend to underestimate the chimp experience, but these guys are not only also very powerful, but they are also much more active and certainly more like us.

          Savanna safari

The savanna safari in Rwanda is not strong, which is why most people combine with Serengeti. As a result, these areas feel pleasantly raw and off-the-beaten-track.

          Local cultures

The indigenous tribal cultures of Rwanda are easily accessible to visitors, especially in the farming communities that surround the tropical forests.

         Low key feel

In recent years, Rwanda has specifically targetted the high-end safari market, with the development of a handful of extremely elegant properties.

            3-5 nights

If you only want to visit Rwanda for gorillas, then you can get in and out in as little as 3 to 5 nights. However, it is usually best to spend at least four nights in the Virunga Mountains area and do two gorilla treks, to ensure good sightings.

           6-10 nights

Most people undertaking a trip of this duration visit the gorillas and then fly across Lake Victoria to the Serengeti region of Tanzania.

If you want to stay in Rwanda, then you can combine Virunga Mountains with the chimpanzee area of Nyungwe Forest, which inherently means driving around the country. You may make it a complete circumnavigation by adding a few nights in the savanna reserve of Akagera.

             11-15 nights

It is extremely unusual to spend this long in Rwanda, so whichever combination of places you choose, you will most likely be combining with other countries, probably in East Africa, but possibly in Southern Africa.

The cost of safari in Rwanda

Safari in Rwanda ranges from pricey to very pricey. There are too many costly structural elements that cannot be avoided, like gorilla and chimp permits, internal flights and private vehicles. You can expect to spend USD 400 to 3500 per person per night

We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.

The two dominant price factors are the length of time that you spend on safari and the specific lodges that you choose to include in your trip. Deploying more time in town locations can bring the total cost down dramatically.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which lodges do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles etc.

If you have a medium budget, the best ways to keep a lid on costs are to keep your trip short, to deploy nights in Entebbe and to carefully choose lower-cost lodges. We will help you understand where to trim and where to splash in order to achieve the best overall experience.

If you have a lower budget, then we can always look at other fundamentally less pricey safari countries, although this would inherently mean scrapping the gorilla experience.

Serengeti

Given the inherent weakness of savanna safari in Rwanda, most visitors combine with the fabulous Serengeti region, which is easily reached by light aircraft from Kigali.

Maasai Mara

We are also commonly asked to combine with Maasai Mara in Kenya, although connections by air via Nairobi area a lot more complicated.

Zanzibar

If you are looking for tropical beaches, then it is relatively easy to fly down to the tropical coastline of East Africa, most commonly the island of Zanzibar.

The best lodges in Rwanda

Rwanda has only around 15 safari lodges, over two thirds of which are in the Virunga Mountains area. The Nyungwe and Akagara areas only have a couple of useable lodges each.

If you are looking for high-end lodges, which are in the very best locations and offer the highest levels of guiding, hospitality and consistency, suitable for demanding guests, then there are options in all three main areas.

The other option is to go for relatively good value camps, which are also in excellent locations and also take their guiding very seriously, but which typically offer lower levels of luxury and have the potential to be slightly less consistent in their delivery, suitable for more easy-going guests. This type of option is unusual in Rwanda, where lodges tend to be very high-end of rather too simple. It might be better to look at Uganda.

You can always expect absolute honesty from us when describing the various lodges and camps. Our primary motivation is simply to figure out which ones will suit you the best.

Luxury trips

Our luxury trips to Rwanda combine lodges which are in prime locations, where high levels of comfort and service are guaranteed. This does not necessarily mean infinity pools and spa facilities, but it does always mean that you will be hosted and guided by the very best people in the country. That is how to truly guarantee the quality of a safari.

Adventure trips

In our adventure trips to Rwanda, we use a much wider range of lodges, still in fabulous locations and offering authentic safari experiences, but often at considerably lower cost. More strenuous activities, like walking safari, are likely to feature more prominently. These cool, sometimes edgy lodges tend to be best suited to guests who are a little more outdoorsy and forgiving. The range of options for this level of trip are relatively limited in Rwanda and we often end up steering towards Uganda for gorilla trips.

When to go on safari in Rwanda

The safari areas of Rwanda are mostly less seasonal than those in other parts of Africa, since the tropical rainforest climate is more-or-less stable year-round. However, there are still seasonal changes that need to taken into account if we are to properly plan a great safari.

When thinking about seasonality it is important to consider the four aspects of weather, wildlife movements, visitor traffic and prices.

Mar-Apr : Main rainy season

The Mar-Apr season is a period when Rwanda usually experiences its highest rainfall of the year.

It tends to rain every day and there are commonly torriential downpours and prolonged periods of overcast skies. However, there continues to be a good deal of sunshine and the temperatures remain warm.

Safari and trekking conditions are likely to be much more challenging, as the tracks and trails become slippery and impassable.

Visitor traffic tends to be very light at this time, although can rise slightly over Easter.

May-Sep : Winter dry season

The May-Sep dry season is a period when Rwanda experiences its lowest rainfall, often with lots of completely dry days Jul-Aug. However May and September can often slide into their respective rainy seasons.

Trekking conditions are good.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively high at this time, typically peaking at around August, so it's best to book well in advance in order to ensure gorilla permits and rooms at the best lodges.

Oct-Nov : Short rainy season

The Oct-Nov season is a period when Rwanda usually experiences a surge in rainfall, again with regular daily showers, although not usually quite so torrential as earlier in the year.

Prolonged periods of overcast skies are again possible. However, there continues to be lots of sunshine and the temperatures remain warm.

Safari and trekking conditions are likely to again be more challenging, as the tracks and trails become slippery and impassable.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time.

Dec-Feb : Summer dry season

The Dec-Feb dry season is a period when Rwanda usually experiences slightly less rainfall than during the two wetter periods either side, although at best this tends to be more of a lull than a proper dry season.

 To be honest it might be better to consider it as a continuation of the preceding rainy season.

Trekking conditions are generally good, but can become more challenging.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although peaks during the two weeks of the Dec-Jan holiday season, for which it's best to book well in advance in order to ensure gorilla permits and rooms at the best lodges.

Expert

Our safari experts are uncommonly knowledgeable and experienced

765,000

The number of superb safaris we have  so far created

Seamless

Arranging your trip should be almost as much fun as actually going on safari  

Value

Your trip should cost you no more than if you booked all the components directly

Tailored

Your trip will be perfectly tuned to meet your requirements

What our guests say

“We’ve used many different travel organizers and agents, but one truly stands like a giraffe, head and shoulders above all others.”

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1999

The year that we started to build great safaris

Virunga Mountains

Set in the northwest of Rwanda, Virunga Mountains is one of the prime locations in Africa for viewing mountain gorillas, plus options for other primates and cultural interaction. Guest accommodation is in a very wide range of lodges, some of which are extremely high quality.

The most significant downside for Virunga Mountains is the unavoidably high cost of visiting and the potential shortage of gorilla permits during peak seasons.

Nyungwe Forest

Set in the southwest of Rwanda, Nyungwe is an important tropical forest reserve, the best location in the country for viewing chimpanzees, plus a wide range of hikes through the forests and and tea plantations. Guest accommodation is in just a handful of lodges, one of which is genuinely high quality.

The most significant downside for Nyungwe Forest is that there’s only one higher quality lodge, which is prohibitively expensive for most people.

Akagera

Set in the northeast of Rwanda, Akagera is a scenic savanna reserve, subject of a major conservation and restoration project, now quite advanced and notably including the reintroduction of lions and other animals. Guest accommodation in a handful of rather cool pioneering camps, offering a wide range of safari and conservation activities.

The most significant downside for Akagara is that the wildlife viewing is nowhere near as reliable as in more established safari areas like Serengeti.

           Expensive lodges

The higher quality lodges that have come to dominate the scene in Rwanda are incredibly expensive, trying to maximise the revenue generated by small flow of visitors.

           Population density

 Rwanda is very fertile and heavily populated. The protected areas are very much islands in a sea of farmland, which can make them feel rather less wild than would be ideal.

           Lack of availability

Given the limited number of habituated gorilla families, permits are inherently in short supply and tend to be snapped up in advance by the high-end lodges.