Safari in Rwanda

very expensive gorilla safaris

Set just below the equator and surrounded by Tanzania, Burundi, DRC and Uganda, Rwanda is a highly populous little country best known for its mountain scenery, tropical forests and mountain gorillas.

Almost all of Rwanda is very hilly and quite heavily populated, with a good deal of commercial and small scale agriculture. Most of the country has a nice rural feel, but with an increasing network of fast-developing towns and new main roads.

The main attraction is a visit to the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Mountains area to the northwest, plus chimpanzees in the Nyungwe Forest area to the southwest.

There is also some modest savanna safari in Akagera to the northeast, a very interesting conservation project. However, because the safari here is relatively weak, many visitors combine with Serengeti in Tanzania or other more distant reserves.

From a cultural perspective, there are also some very poignant genocide memorials, especially in the capital Kigali.

The climate in Rwanda follows the same basic pattern as most other reserves in East Africa, but with the high altitudes ensuring greater rainfall and lower temperatures year round.

The biggest single factor determining when to travel is usually rainfall, since it has such a dramatic effect on the difficulty of gorilla tracking.

The Mar-May season is a period when Rwanda usually experiences its highest rainfall of the year, which makes it the most difficult time for gorilla tracking.

The Jun-Sep dry season is a period when Rwanda experiences its lowest rainfall, often with lots of completely dry days Jul-Aug.

The Oct-Nov season is a period when Rwanda usually experiences a second surge in rainfall, again with regular daily showers, although not usually quite so torrential as earlier in the year.

The Dec-Feb dry season is a period when Rwanda usually experiences slightly less rainfall than during the two wetter periods either side, although at best this tends to be more of a lull than a proper dry season.

Getting around

Considering the small size of Rwanda, getting around is surprisingly difficult. The main problem is that there are no scheduled light aircraft services between the key locations, meaning that connections almost always have to be done by private road transfers.

The three key areas of interest lie at the extreme opposite ends of the country, with the capital Kigali at the centre.

The road journeys out from Kigali to all areas typically take a half day, whilst those connecting the three main areas usually require a full day.

On all routes there are options to travel by helicopter instead, but this can get very expensive.

We always include all connecting transport in your trip unless you specifically ask us not to.

best during the Jun-Sep and Dec-Feb dry seasons