Itinerary
Around Rwanda in About Ten Days, from the Volcanoes to the Savanna
Rwanda is small enough to be seen in one loop by road from Kigali, and about ten days take it through four landscapes: the volcanoes of the north-west and their mountain gorillas, the steep shore of Lake Kivu, the rainforest of Nyungwe and the savanna of Akagera. The gorilla permit is booked well ahead, before the rest of the trip is fixed: it is for one trek on one date, and the loop is planned around that day. A car with a driver, kept for the whole loop, links the stages, and every drive between towns is made by daylight. Treks run all year, and the dry seasons are the easiest on the paths.
Updated 2026-10-05
Days 1 and 2: Kigali
The airport lies at Kanombe, on the eastern side of Kigali, and the driver for the loop can meet the flight there. The first day is the arrival; the second goes to the capital on its hills: the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi, a memorial and burial ground with an exhibition, visited quietly; Kimironko market; the streets of Nyamirambo; and an evening view from one of the hills. The parks have no cash machines, so the francs for the days ahead are drawn in Kigali, or in Musanze, Rubavu and Huye on the way.
Days 3 and 4: Musanze and the gorilla trek
Day 3 takes the road north-west to Musanze, about two to three hours from Kigali on the plain below the volcanoes, and leaves the afternoon for the twin lakes Burera and Ruhondo, a short drive east. Day 4 is the date on the permit: the trek begins early with a briefing at the park headquarters at Kinigi, a short drive north, and the walk to the gorilla family can be short or take most of the day. Both nights are spent in Musanze or at a lodge near Volcanoes National Park, and the morning of day 5 has room for the golden monkeys, on a permit of their own, or the walk to Dian Fossey's tomb.
Days 5 and 6: Rubavu and the lakeshore road to Karongi
Rubavu, at the northern end of Lake Kivu, lies an hour or so beyond Musanze, and the rest of day 5 belongs to its lakefront: the avenue under the palms, the public beach and, at dusk, the fishing boats going out. Day 6 follows the lakeshore road south to Karongi, a slow morning's drive over the ridges and down into the bays, past banana groves and coffee washing stations. The afternoon goes out by boat to the wooded islands off Karongi, and the night is spent in the town on its hillside above the water.
Days 7 and 8: Nyungwe Forest
Day 7 follows the lake on south from Karongi and climbs to the tea estates on the western edge of Nyungwe National Park, a drive that fills most of the day. Most of the places to stay lie on the forest's edges, and two nights there give one full day in the forest. Day 8 begins before dawn with chimpanzee tracking, booked ahead through the park authority like the gorilla trek, and goes on to the canopy walkway, reached on a steep trail from the visitor centre at Uwinka, and a walk on one of the forest trails.
Days 9 and 10: back by Huye and Nyanza
Day 9 crosses the forest eastwards on its one main road and comes down to Huye and Nyanza, two towns a short drive apart on the road back to Kigali. Huye, the university town, has the Ethnographic Museum at its northern edge, and the night is spent there. On the morning of day 10, the King's Palace Museum at Nyanza shows the royal house rebuilt in reed and thatch and the long-horned inyambo cattle on its grounds; each of the two visits takes about an hour to an hour and a half.
Days 10 and 11: east to Akagera and back to Kigali
From Nyanza the road runs back to Kigali, about two hours, and on east to Akagera National Park, about two and a half hours more, reaching the southern entrance in the afternoon. Day 11 starts at first light, when the animals are most active, with a game drive among the southern lakes and the boat trip on Lake Ihema, and the drive back to Kigali and its airport sets off in the afternoon. A night in Kigali between Nyanza and Akagera breaks the long road, at the cost of a day.