Many travelers have a safari on their bucket list, and Kenya is a great place to experience one. But I encourage all visitors to East Africa consider adding one week in Rwanda to their Kenyan vacation! There are so many reasons to visit remarkable Rwanda! If you are convinced, let’s start planning!
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One Week Itinerary
For one week in Rwanda, here’s the itinerary I recommend:
Sunday
Plan to depart from the U.S. on Saturday for a Sunday arrival. Most flights originating in the U.S. will arrive in the evening. This is great because you can get a taxi or book an airport transfer to your hotel, have a quick dinner, and go to bed!
Monday
Start your week in Rwanda with a walking tour given by the Nyamirambo Women’s Center. This is a great orientation to Rwanda as you immediately interact with native Rwandans going about their daily life. Not only will you learn a few words in their native language, Kinyarwanda, you will also hear about the impact of the genocide and all of the progress Rwanda has made in overcoming it. The tour culminates with a delicious meal at the home of a Nyamirambo resident.
In the afternoon, it’s time to shop! One of the best places to go shopping is Kimironko Market. It’s a market for both tourists and locals. You can buy all of your souvenirs here (remember to haggle!). But you can also see the merchandise locals buy such as housewares, clothing, and food. Best of all, you can have one of the many seamstresses custom design a shirt or dress for you in colorful cotton fabrics!
After shopping until you drop, stop by the Women’s Bakery for some pastries and bread. The bakery provides training, employment and empowerment for impoverished women. You can load up on carbs and support a good cause!
Tuesday
Now that you have interacted a bit with the Rwandan people, it’s time to learn more about their painful history with a visit to the Genocide Memorial & Museum. Plan to spend several hours here, and prepare yourself for some very sad stories. But take heart – the overall message of the museum is forgiveness. You will find it a powerful reminder that nothing is insurmountable when people work together.
After you visit to the museum, head to Hotel des Mille Collines for lunch. This is the hotel featured in the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda about the true story of a hotel manager who shelters over 700 Tutsis during the genocide. This is a good place to reflect on what you saw and heard at the museum while enjoying a delicious lunch.
After an emotional morning, let’s use the afternoon for some lighthearted fun! I recommend choosing one of three options. The first option is coffee tasting at Question Coffee. This activity teaches you how coffee beans are grown and processed as well as how to evaluate brews using your senses. Another option is taking an Imigongo class. Imigongo is the process of creating molded shapes using cow dung. The dung is mixed with ash and then pressed onto wooden boards in various designs. In a class, you learn the history of the art form as well as paint your very own creation to take home. If you aren’t into coffee or art, then a third option is a Rwandan dancing and drumming class where you can learn more about the culture and burn a few calories!
Wednesday
Today is the big day – it’s time to go gorilla trekking! If you have deep pockets, definitely stay in Rwanda for your gorilla trek. If you prefer a less expensive option, you can read all about my experience trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda, as well as some general tips on planning your trek.
Thursday-Friday
It’s time for more animals! Today you will depart Kigali to spend a few days in Akagera National Park. It’s easiest to book this two-day tour so that you have your very own driver and safari guide for your time in the park. During your two-day safari, you will enjoy a boat ride on Ihema Lake and safari drives through diverse wildlife. Don’t forget to bring your camera – you won’t believe how close you can get to some of the animals!
Saturday
It’s time to depart Rwanda. No matter where your itinerary takes you next, I hope you are as inspired by the people of Rwanda as I was during my week there!
Travel Logistics
Accomodations
This itinerary features 5 nights in Kigali and 1 night in Akagera National Park. For a more relaxed pace and with a Sunday departure, you could also do this with 5 nights in Kigali and 2 nights in Akagera National Park. If you are gorilla trekking in Uganda, you may consider adding a night there as well. It just depends on your travel pace and willingness to change hotels.
Kigali
I highly recommend staying at the Kigali Marriot Hotel. This is an extremely reasonably priced 5-star hotel that is centrally located. It has a delicious free breakfast buffet, a beautiful pool, and all of the amenities you would expect from a Marriott. You may want to consider upgrading to a room with lounge access. For as little as $20 more a night, you can enjoy free food and drinks in the lounge. They serve hearty enough appetizers to serve as your dinner. This is ideal when you have a busy itinerary!
If you want a more affordable option, you can’t go wrong with staying at the historic Hotel des Mille Collines. As mentioned above, this is the setting of the true story shown in the movie Hotel Rwanda. It’s an upscale hotel without a high price tag. Reviews report that the public areas are wonderful but the rooms could use a refresh. Still, it’s definitely an option if you are on a budget and enjoy historic places.
Akagera National Park
Overnight visitors to Akagera National Park stay at Mantis Akagera Game Lodge. This 3-star hotel was designed to help guests have great views of the beautiful national park. The lodge serves free breakfast and has two restaurants on-site, making it easy to grab a good meal between or after safari drives.
Transportation
Within Kigali
This itinerary assumes that you are comfortable navigating around Kigali on you own. And you should be comfortable. Rwanda is very safe and welcoming to tourists!
Unfortunately, Uber and Lyft aren’t available in Rwanda, so the best way to get around Kigali is in a private taxi. Taxis are safe and reliable, but not readily available on the street. Go into a busy place like a museum, shop, hotel, restaurant, etc. and ask someone to call one for you. If you are not at your hotel, you can always call your hotel concierge, tell them where you are, and ask them to call you a taxi. Make sure to negotiate your fare in advance, and know that most rides should cost less than 15,000 Rwandan Francs (approximately $15 USD).
Outside of Kigali
When you are headed outside of Kigali, you could rent a car and drive yourself. But road conditions vary greatly and it’s likely you won’t always be on paved roads. Plus there are scores of people walking along the sides of the roads at all times per day. All paved roads are two lanes only – there’s no passing lanes. Night driving is almost impossible due to lack of street lights. Finally, your trusty map app that works so well in the U.S. might not serve you well in Rwanda.
For these reasons, I highly recommend booking a private car and driver. You can relax while someone else dodges the pedestrians and passes the slow trucks while playing chicken with oncoming traffic! And most of the time you will have a driver that can communicate with you in English, so you can learn more about Rwanda from a local!
What African countries are on your bucket list?
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