Our Rwanda gorilla safaris & holidays
Rwanda is renowned for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, and chimp tracking in Nyungwe Forest. When you buy a sought-after permit to do so on one of our holidays, your trip makes a huge difference not only to the protection of these animals, which are under constant threat of poaching, but also to local communities – through our holidays’ partnerships with local guides and porters. For many visitors, it is the people and culture of Rwanda that have the strongest impact. Moving reminders of the genocide are everywhere, as are signs of reconciliation that show Rwanda is determined to focus on the future.
Our top Rwanda holidays
Rwanda primate holiday, 6 days
From
US $4145 to US $6320
6 days
ex flights
Gorilla, Chimp, Colobus and Golden Monkey trekking in Rwanda
Tailor made
Primate tour in Rwanda and Uganda
From
£4595
11 days
ex flights
Track down mountain gorillas and chimps in Uganda & Rwanda
Tailor made
Rwanda kayaking holiday and gorilla safari
From
£6500
10 days
ex flights
A unique kayaking adventure on Lake Kivu
Tailor made
Rwanda luxury gorilla safari
From
US $5737 to US $8316
4 days
ex flights
Gorilla trekking with luxury lodge accommodation in Rwanda
Tailor made
Uganda & Rwanda wildlife holiday
From
US $4753 to US $8904
12 days
ex flights
The best primate & wildlife experiences across two countries
Tailor made
Rwanda primate safari holiday
From
US $3789 to US $6076
6 days
ex flights
Rwanda gorilla safari and Akagera National park
Tailor made
Rwanda and Tanzania tailor made holiday
From
US $6680 to US $9940
11 days
ex flights
No need to look further for a safari of lifetime memories.
Tailor made
3 Day Gorilla trekking holiday in Rwanda
From
US $4525 to US $5100
4 days
ex flights
A short but impactful gorilla safari in Rwanda
Tailor made
Rwanda bird watching holiday and gorilla trek
From
US $6351 to US $10614
12 days
ex flights
Birding Rwanda and gorillas safari
Tailor made
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Rwanda holiday highlights
Gorilla safaris
Rwanda is most famous for its gorilla safaris, and the country has a growing population of rare mountain gorillas. Many travellers have been inspired by the 1970s film Gorillas in the Mist to make their pilgrimage. What a pilgrimage it is; most trips involve a serious trek into the foothills of the Volcanoes National Park, and serious money too.
The American primatologist and conservationist Dian Fossey, who was murdered in 1985, is credited with bringing the plight of Rwandan mountain gorillas to wider attention, and possibly saving them from extinction. But there’s more work to do, and our holidays directly help protect gorillas and communities who live around the parks – whether that’s using local guides and porters, or visiting former poaching communities, or tea plantations right on the edge of the forest as part of your trip. The permit sales from our gorilla watching safari holidays contribute to research, conservation and local infrastructure.
Funding both community and conservation work, the going rate for a permit for a single gorilla trek is US$1,500. This experience is so extraordinary, however, that permits and therefore holidays, still sell out, and that means you’ll need to book up to 18 months in advance. You have a better chance of securing your place in the rainy months of November and March-May. If you get permits for September, try and coincide it with Kwita Izina, the annual gorilla naming ceremony and celebrations of mountain gorilla births in the past year.
The minimum age for gorilla permits is 15. Specialist tours are also available for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility.
Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is located in north-western Rwanda and covers the Rwandan section of the Virunga Mountains. This massif spreads its magnificence into Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo and is home to around 400 mountain gorillas. It’s one of only three places in the world where you can see them.Accompanied by guides, porters and armed scouts, you’ll be trekking through often thick undergrowth for several hours in each direction, depending on where the gorilla family is located. Each visit lasts one hour to minimise intrusion, but the experience of seeing the gorillas up close is so enthralling that it will feel like triple that. Of course, you can also go on a hiking trip in Volcanoes National Park without going on a gorilla safari. You’ll venture up the steep slopes around the forest’s edge to spot golden monkeys feeding, and you might also see colobus monkeys among the forest trees.
Wildlife safaris in Rwanda
Gorillas hog the limelight – ironically, given how shy they are – but once you’ve done a gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park turn your attention to Rwanda’s two other national parks. These are absolutely teeming with other wildlife, plus extraordinary hiking routes. Nyungwe Forest National Park protects the largest tropical rainforest in East Africa and is home to a colossal collection of chimpanzees and one of Africa’s highest canopy walks. Keen trekkers will want to hike the 7km Bigugu Mountain Trail up to the highest peak in Nyungwe National Park at 2,950m. Budding botanists will love the park for its flora, which includes wild giant lobelia and orchids. Akagera National Park, on the border with Tanzania, is a safari dream, with giraffes, zebras, hippos, crocodiles. The park has doubled in size in the past two decades, and has seen the reintroduction of lions and black rhino so that it is now host to the ‘Big Five’ – albeit in smaller numbers than across the border. Through our use of local guides and drivers, your wildlife watching holiday can provide a sustainable source of income for local communities.Rwandan Genocide Memorials
Between April and June 1994, nearly 70 percent of Rwanda’s Tutsi population was killed by Hutu extremists – an unspeakable horror that is explained across several deeply moving Genocide Memorials. The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre is on most itineraries but two other must-visits, under an hour from Kigali, are the Nyamata Genocide Memorial and Ntarama Genocide Memorial. Once churches where mass killings took place, they are now extremely moving, independent museums. These harrowing sites portray important stories while remembering the tragic loss of life. Visiting memorial sites around the country is an important reality check for tourists, in a country that is attempting to pull itself out of nationwide grief following the 1994 genocide. Our holidays are led by local guides who can deepen your understanding and ensure that you can explore modern Rwandan culture with sensitivity.
Lake Kivu
“Our night time fishing trip on Lake Kivu was one of the best surprises of our holiday," praises a traveller review. "There were lanterns to guide our way, and an unforgettable peaceful ambience.” Rwanda is an emotional and exquisite country, and there’s no better place to try and process it all than on one of its lakes. “Lake Kivu is very beautiful, quiet and peaceful,” says Kigali local Ninah Mutamuliza, who runs tours with our partner, Pioneer Expeditions. “There are several islands there – we take guests on motorboats and kayaks. You can have a simple lunch on the island – beautiful experience with views of the lake. Then you stay at a local lodge.”On Lake Kivu’s shores you’ll meet some of the Kivu fishing communities. There are feathered residents, too: birdlife is spectacular here, “Especially in the morning the sound of the birds is beautiful,” says Ninah. If you can bear to tear yourself away from Kivu, you could also explore the Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo on the outskirts of Volcanoes National Park, two very special places.
Our Rwanda holidays reviews
4.8
29Rwanda holidays reviews
Leanne Penrose11 Oct 2025
The gorillas were mesmerising, watching chimps play was a world of excitement, having a resident hippo at a beautiful riverside camp was a dream. Riding through a herd of zebra, walking alongside giraffes of all ages. Plus a day full of elephants and witnessing a lioness with tiny playful cubs.read more
Matt Brown04 Jan 2025
The whole trip was incredible, there was always something new and different each day. Overall the trip was fantastic, our host company was amazing at planning and organising the trip for us. Our guides were brilliant, friendly and helpful. We were mainly hoping to see animals including the Big 5 and the Gorillas and were incredibly lucky to see these and more. Highly recommended!read more
simon horner23 Jul 2025
Gorilla and Chimp tracking and spending an hour with each species close up truly amazing.
read more
Juliet Peugniez06 Oct 2024
Awesome! An incredible trip full of beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife and friendly welcoming people.read more
