Gorillas and a lakeside escape: trek a mountain gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park, then unwind on the sandy shores of Lake Kivu with a boat trip and a coffee tour.
This four-day safari pairs Rwanda’s gorillas with a restful night on Lake Kivu, one of Africa’s Great Lakes. After two nights near Volcanoes National Park, including your gorilla trek, you drive just over an hour to the lakeside town of Rubavu for a boat trip, a coffee tour and a sunset by the water.
Volcanoes is cool, misty and green; Lake Kivu is warm, bright and relaxed. The contrast makes this a satisfying short trip. The drive from the volcanoes to the lake descends through farmland and eucalyptus with views over the water, and the lake itself is perfect for doing very little after the effort of trekking.
Your driver-guide meets you at Kigali International Airport or your hotel. Drive north-west through Rwanda’s famously green, terraced hills, about 2–2.5 hours on a good winding road, with viewpoints over the valleys and, as you approach Musanze, the line of Virunga volcanoes on the horizon. Check in at your lodge and spend the afternoon relaxing, visiting the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund campus in Musanze or walking in the farmland at the park edge.
Leave your lodge early for the 7:00am briefing at the Kinigi park headquarters, where traditional dancers often perform while guides assign visitors to the habituated gorilla families according to fitness. Each family is visited by a maximum of eight people a day.
Drive to the trailhead at the edge of the park and walk through farmland to the stone wall that marks the forest boundary, then into bamboo and hagenia woodland on the slopes of the volcanoes. Some families are reached in under an hour, others take three or four. When you find them, you spend one hour watching the gorillas feed, rest and play, keeping a respectful distance, before walking back down to receive your certificate.
The rest of the afternoon is free. Optional activities include a visit to the Gorilla Guardians Village or a walk to the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo viewpoint.
After a relaxed breakfast, drive west to Rubavu (Gisenyi) on the shore of Lake Kivu, about 1–1.5 hours. In the afternoon, take a boat trip on the lake past fishing villages and islands, and visit a coffee washing station or farm to see how Rwanda’s speciality coffee is processed. In the evening, watch the fishermen paddle out in their three-hulled boats, singing as they go. Read our Lake Kivu guide.
Enjoy a final morning by the lake, perhaps with a swim or a walk along the beach, before driving back through the hills to Kigali, arriving in the afternoon in time for an evening flight.
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Yes. Lake Kivu is generally considered safe for swimming, with no crocodiles or hippos.
It is the closest lake town to Volcanoes National Park, with sandy beaches and good hotels. Karongi is quieter and more scenic but further away.
Yes, on day three before driving to the lake, with a later arrival in Rubavu.
June to September and December to February for drier trekking; Lake Kivu is pleasant all year.
Yes. Drive south along the lake to Nyungwe for chimpanzees and the canopy walk.
Yes. The drive from Rubavu takes about 3–3.5 hours, so evening flights from Kigali work well.
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Change the dates, add a night, upgrade a lodge or combine it with Rwanda or Kenya. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll send a revised plan and price.
