Akagera Big Five Safari

Welcome at Kigali International Airport by your Vines representative. Afternoon Kigali city tour beginning with a moving visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial — where the remains of over 250,000 victims are interred. It is emotionally intense but essential context for understanding modern Rwanda. Continue to the Kimironko Market, the Nyamirambo neighbourhood, and dinner at a modern Rwandan restaurant showcasing contemporary local cuisine.

After breakfast, drive 2.5 hours east to Akagera National Park — Rwanda's only savannah park. Lunch at your lodge overlooking Lake Ihema, then afternoon game drive. Under African Parks management since 2010, Akagera has been remarkably rewilded: lion returned in 2015, black rhino in 2017, and elephant and buffalo populations are thriving again after years of neglect.

Full morning game drive covering the northern part of the park — best territory for lion, elephant, and (with luck) the elusive black rhino. Return to camp for lunch. Afternoon boat safari on Lake Ihema — the park's largest lake, home to enormous numbers of hippo, crocodile, and one of the finest African fish eagle populations you'll ever see.

Final morning game drive, brunch at camp, then the 2.5-hour transfer back to Kigali. If time permits, stop at the Presidential Palace Museum en route for insight into the events leading up to 1994. Evening international departure.