9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour

Some of the best wildlife parks and reserves found in East Africa

9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour

9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour is a long safari tour that takes you to Lake Kivu, Queen Elizabeth, Akagera national Parks for an amazing tour.

Highlights of the 9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour

  • Day 1: Pick up and transfer to hotel
  • Day 2: Transfer to Akagera national park and Ihema Boat Cruise
  • Day 3: Early morning game drive and evening game drive
  • Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth N.P via Kigali- Katuna border (7 to 8 hours drive)
  • Day 5: Game drive and Launch Cruise
  • Day 6: Explore Ishasha – Queen Elizabeth NP
  • Day 7: Optional Chimpanzee trek
  • Day 8: Connect back to Rwanda to visit Lake Kivu
  • Day 9: Transfer back to Kigali for drop off

Detailed Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to hotel

  • Arrival: You will be met by your driver-guide who will be waiting to pick you up and transfer you to your hotel with a brief city tour if time allows. Connect to your accommodation for dinner and overnight at Des Milles Colline hotel

Day 2: Transfer to Akagera national park and Ihema Boat Cruise

  • Transfer to Akagera: You will be met by your driver-guide after breakfast to transfer to Akagera national park where you will arrive in time for lunch.
  • Boat Cruise: Later embark on the afternoon boat cruise on Lake Ihema where you will see a game like hippopotamuses, Crocodiles and many bird species that live around the lake and the surrounding swamps. Dinner and overnight Akagera Game Lodge

Day 3: Early morning game drive and evening game drive

  • Morning Game Drive: Rise up early and go for a game drive with great anticipation of seeing the different animals which rise early to graze and predators looking for their early morning kill. After the game drive, return to your campsite to freshen up and spend the evening at leisure and relaxing.
  • Evening Game Drive: You may have an evening game drive then connect to your accommodation for dinner and overnight as the night before at Akagera Game Lodge

Day 4: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth N.P via Kigali- Katuna border (7 to 8 hours drive)

  • Transfer to Queen: You will rise and have a tasty breakfast and meet your driver guide who will drive you to cross from Rwanda into Uganda with an enroute lunch in Kabale. You will drive on the Mbarara Kasese road and connect to Queen Elizabeth National park though Ishaka arriving in the evening and check in to your accommodation. Dinner and overnight at Park View Safari Lodge

Day 5: Game drive and Launch Cruise

  • Game Drive: Have breakfast and go for a game drive where you will encounter lots of wildlife including elephants, lions, and buffaloes among others.
  • Visit Lake Katwe: You will also visit the Katwe salt pans where you will find locals engaged in salt mining – an experience for the kids!
  • Launch Cruise: Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, go for a launch cruise on the Kazinga channel famed for its highest concentration of hippos in Africa. You will also get to observe more game here, birds of different species and crocodiles. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay as above.

Day 6: Explore Ishasha – Queen Elizabeth NP

  • Ishasha Experience: Have to breakfast and go for a game drive in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park with chances of spotting the rare tree-climbing lions lounging in fit trees in the mid-morning. The Ishasha sector is still virgin and wild with more wildlife thus increased chances of game viewing. Explore Ishasha to the fullest and return to the lodge where you will unwind and spend the evening admiring the beautiful sunset. Dinner and overnight as above
9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour
9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour

Day 7: Optional Chimpanzee trek 

  • Chimpanzee Trekking: Have a tasty breakfast from your hotel and set out for your optional chimpanzee trek in Kalinzu forest. Chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu forest in the Queen Elizabeth park boundary lasts 3 to 4 hours. Connect back to your accommodation to spend the afternoon at leisure. You may opt for a village walk if you are feeling energetic. Dinner and overnight as the night before

Day 8: Connect back to Rwanda to visit Lake Kivu

  • Connect to Lake Kivu: This will be a day of a leisurely drive on the west side of Uganda and Rwanda with the rolling plains and the beauty and calm that the region offers. You will have lunch enroute or decide to reach the shores of Lake Kivu in Gisenyi for a late lunch at the lake. You will spend the evening relaxing or take on a boat trip if you are up for it. Connect to your accommodation before nightfall. Dinner and overnight at Paradise Malahide

Day 9: Transfer back to Kigali for drop off

  • Return to Kigali: This will be the last day of your trip where you will drive four hours back to Kigali from Gisenyi and connect for your flight back home or be dropped off at your hotel. You may take some time to pass by the Dian Fossey fund museum so as to get an impression of the Virunga mountains and some of the artifacts kept in the museum to give you a feel of the gorilla experience. 

End of  9 Days Akagera, Queen, & Lake Kivu Tour

See also: 6 Days Rwanda Gorilla & Wildlife Safaris