Ultimate Rwanda with One&Only

This short 7--night safari is a perfect introduction to some of the highlights of Rwanda: Kigali, the Nyungwe Forest and of Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park as the highlight at the end. It uses both of One&Only's properties in Rwanda: Nyungwe House and Gorilla's Nest.

Number of nights: 7

Price Per Person From: ₤ 11,174

Enquire About This Tour

Overview

Kigali * Nyungwe Forest National Park * Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)

This incredibly designed safari combines two of Rwanda’s most compelling regions, the ancient rainforests of Nyungwe and the slopes of Volcanoes National Park. With time in Kigali adding some extra culture and variety, this trip offers a great introduction to Rwanda. It uses both of One&Only’s properties in Rwanda: Nyungwe House and Gorilla’s Nest.

It combines some 2- & 3-night stays with two scenic road transfers so that, unlike some shorter Gorilla safaris, you really get to see the beautiful landscapes and people of Rwanda. This relaxed pace means that you can add in optional excursions and activities to suit your interests. Enjoy road transfers between destinations, including a scenic journey via Lake Kivu.

Ultimate Rwanda Safari with One&Only at a Glance

2 nights in Kigali, The Retreat by Heaven, Bed & Breakfast
2 nights in Nyungwe Forest National Park, One&Only Nyungwe House, Fully Inclusive
3 nights in Volcanoes National Park, One&Only Gorilla’s Nest Fully Inclusive

Safari Description

Your trip begins in Kigali, where you have time to explore the city’s cultural and historical highlights, including the Genocide Memorial. From Kigali, travel south-west to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Over the two night stay at Nyungwe House, explore one of Africa’s oldest rainforests. Activities include chimpanzee trekking and forest walks, with the option of a canopy walkway suspended above the treetops.

Continuing north, enjoy a scenic drive along the shores of Lake Kivu, before reaching Volcanoes National Park. Here, you spend three nights at One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, set in the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes. Gorilla trekking is the centrepiece of your stay, and is always complimented by the opportunity to track golden monkeys or other guided experiences in the area. For Gorilla trekking, your day starts bright and early. You are given a full briefing, assessed and put into small groups for the gorilla trek. This can take between two and six hours depending on the movements of the gorillas and the number of rests and photo stops that you may need. After the trek you return to the lodge for lunch & overnight.

Gorilla Permit Included

One Gorilla Trekking, one Chimpanzee Trekking permit and one Golden Monkey permit have been included. Note that these are at a lower price from November to May if we book them together.

Other optional tours or permits:

Nyungwe Colobus Monkey permit – $40 per person
Nyungwe guided bird walk – $40

Good to Know

Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking require a moderate level of fitness
Permits are limited and should be booked well in advance
This is a premium safari using some of Rwanda’s top lodges
Scenic road transfers are an integral part of the experience

Tour Video

Day to Day Itinerary

Link to our Digital Itinerary

On arrival in Kigali, you are met and transferred to your hotel.

Explore Rwandan art, history and culture on a full day tour. Discover the old city of Kigali, tour a local market, stop by a milk bar, taste Rwandan coffee, enjoy local art and a visit to an entrepreneur’s workshop.

Refuel with a selection of local Rwandese traditional food at Heaven Restaurant. Then visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial in the aftermoon. This the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Your stay at The Retreat includes:

One 30 minute welcome massage per person (subject to availability) at The Retreat
One 30 minute on-site cultural activity: cocktail making / banana wine making demonstration/ local culinary demonstration or neighbourhood walk (subject to availability)

Scenic road transfer to Nyungwe via Butare. Arriving around lunchtime.

Afternoon at leisure.

Two activities per person per day at One & Only Nyungwe House are included: archery, mountain biking, bird watching, guided nature walk, spear throwing and star gazing

Today you enjoy an early morning breakfast at the lodge followed by a hike in search of chimpanzee communities.Prepare to hear these excitable primates before you see them, as their hoots travel through the deep forest. During your hike you may also spot migratory birdlife including the Ross turaco, grey-cheeked hornbill, red-breasted sparrow hawk and the regal sunbird.

In the afternoon you’ll visit the Canopy walk bridge to enjoy the thrilling Nyungwe Canopy experience. This is one of its kind in Rwanda and offers impressive views of the forest.

Besides being so high in such a picturesque location, the 1½ to 2 hour walk allows you to witness the upper parts of the forest. Here you can see some unique ‘canopy’ species; apes, birds, butterflies, plants and insects, flowers, leaves and other animals that live in the roof of the forest.

Scenic transfer by road to Volcanoes National Park via Lake Kivu (5hrs)

Your stay at Gorila’s Nest includes two activities per person per day: Choose form guided nature walks, gorilla talk at the Jack Hanna Cottage, coffee tasting, local community performances (organised weekly), mountain biking, running, drumming with the locals, exploring the chef’s garden, archery, open air yoga and meditation.

We recommend that you acclimatise by doing a Golden Monkey trekking (less strenuous) before your Gorilla trek. This is included at this stage ($100 per person) but you could opt to do TWO gorilla treks.

Golden Monkey trekking

There are two groups of golden monkeys in the Volcanoes National Park, each of about 50 to 60 in size. The overall experience from start to finish takes approx 3½ to 4 hours. It is wonderful to see the Golden Monkeys interacting with each other. They are very active, peeling the bamboo like a banana, to eat its insides, grooming each other and swinging from tree to tree. They’re also very pretty. Golden monkeys are also territorial and enjoy a different terrain to the mountain gorilla. The bamboo forest here is quite different to the terrain of the gorilla trekking.

In Volcanoes National Park, twelve gorilla groups are now habituated for tourism and offer one of the world’s most awe-inspiring natural experiences. To be in the presence of these gentle giants at such close quarters is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

So today you’ll have the rare opportunity to observe the famous Rwandan mountain gorillas! Tracking the gorillas through the forested slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience. Return to the Lodge a late for lunch followed by leisure in the afternoon.

Depending on your flight time, there may be time to do an optional excursion in the morning. (See included activities above.)

Return to Kigali in time for your onward flight.

MAKE AN ENQUIRY

PRICE FROM ₤ 11,174

An idea of price

This is a sample itinerary using specific hotels and lodges. However most of these sample tours can be adapted to suit you. If applicable, it includes domestic seat-in-charter flights. But it excludes any regional and domestic scheduled flights (as these are subject to change and specific routing). These are added to a specific quotation once we have your dates.

INCLUDES

Accommodation as in the itinerary, (Bed & breakfast in Kigali, Fully Inclusive at One & Only Nyungwe House and One & Only Gorilla's Nest), Park fees, conservancy fees and all trekking permits, Full day Kigali City Tour, One golden monkey experience and one gorilla trekking experience at Volcanoes National Park One 30 minute welcome massage per person (subject to availability) at The Retreat

EXCLUDES

Additional meals, drinks & laundry at The Retreat, Champagne, cellar wines and premium spirits at safari lodges, Additional activities not mentioned in inclusions, Spa treatments, International flights and visa fees, Gratuities and items of a personal nature

Jun 2026 - Oct 2026

PP SHARING FROM ₤ 15,640

Nov 2026 - Dec 2026

PP SHARING FROM ₤ 11,174

In Pictures

Cedarberg Travel | Ultimate Rwanda with One&Only

Accommodation

Hemingways Retreat Kigali

Tucked away in Kigali’s leafy Kiyovu neighbourhood, Hemingways Retreat Kigali is Rwanda’s first eco-conscious luxury boutique hotel, an elegant urban sanctuary where sustainability and hospitality ...

RATING Luxury

BOOK NOW

One&Only Nyungwe House

Nyungwe House blends in with the natural environment, situated in a tea plantation on the edge of the Nyungwe rainforest in Rwanda. Nyungwe is home to 14 primate species including chimpanzees. ...

RATING Luxury

BOOK NOW

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest

Located in a forest of eucalyptus trees, a couple of kilometres from the Park Headquarters in Kinigi, Gorilla’s Nest has great views of the Volcanoes National Park and is a great base for gorilla ...

RATING Luxury

BOOK NOW