Day 1: KIGALI – CITY TOUR – AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK (30 minutes)
09h00: Pick up at your hotel in Kigali and proceed on a morning tour of Kigali city that includes The Kigali Genocide Memorial Center and Inema arts center. (The overall tour will take about two and a half hours).
Highlight; Perhaps the city’s best-known landmark, and with good reason, is the very insightful and moving Kigali Genocide Memorial standing amid beautiful rose gardens and fountains. The memorial sets out the history leading up to the genocide in Rwanda and also explains other genocides around the world. It includes poignant displays of victims’ photographs and belongings, bringing the realities of the atrocities to life. While it might seem an unusual tourist attraction and can be upsetting, it does help to put into context how and why the genocide happened and to better appreciate just how far the country has moved on together in the intervening years. It also plays a vital role in educating Rwanda’s new and future generations about the genocide. BOOK NOW
12h00: Have lunch at Heaven Restaurant
13h00: Transfer to Kigali International Airport for your scenic helicopter flight to AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK, departing at 14h00.
After 30 minutes, you will land at the Akagera National Park airfield. Met by our driver guide and proceed to park headquarters where you will receive a briefing about the park by one of the park guides. Embark on a guided game viewing drive en route to Ruzizi Tented Camp where you will be assisted with checking in.
15h00: Proceed to Lake Ihema. 15h30: Arrive and have a boat ride at Lake Ihema.
Lining the lakes are some of the continent’s densest concentrations of water birds, while the connecting marshes are the haunt of the endangered and exquisite papyrus gonolek, and the bizarre shoebill stork – the latter perhaps the most eagerly sought of all African birds.
17h30: You will be back at the jetty. Join your driver-guide and proceed to the camp with a game drive en-route.
Arrive by sunset. Dinner and overnight stay.
RUZIZI TENTED LODGE (FB; – Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)
Day 2: AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK (Full day game drives viewing)
Breakfast at the camp then departs at 09h00 for a four-hour game drive in Akagera National Park/. The game drive in Akagera National Park provides you with the opportunity to view gentle hills blending beautifully with lowland swamps and water bodies. You will visit the Giraffe area in the south and the lakes road up towards Birengero. Akagera National park is a home for animals like elephant buffalo, Giraffe, zebra and more than a dozen types of antelope inhabit the park, most commonly the handsome chestnut-coated impala, but also the diminutive oribi and secretive bushbuck, as well as the ungainly tsessebe and the world’s largest antelope, the statuesque Cape eland.
13h00: Return to camp for lunch. The afternoon will be at leisure or you may opt for an afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight.
Nine tents are spaced widely apart on either side of a thatched reception and dining area, set back from the lakeshore and hidden among swaying palms and fruiting fig trees. With a maximum of 20 guests, the lodge is a quiet and intimate retreat. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold running water, a dressing area, and either comfortable queen or ¾ twin beds, with a small patio at the front and accessible by wooden boardwalks. Another boardwalk leads to a large deck with a fireplace sits under a shady fig tree overlooking Lake Ihema. Solar energy entirely powers the Lodge and the lodge prides itself on being environmentally conscious.
RUZIZI TENTED LODGE (FB; – Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast)
Day 3: AKAGERA (Behind the Scene tour) – KIGALI (30 Minutes)
Have breakfast late at the camp and check out. 08h00: Have a behind-the-scenes tour at the park offices. This tour explains the key partnerships of the park including the Law enforcement control room, patrol teams and the canine unit ‘dog show
12h00: Have lunch at the Akagera Game Lodge
14h00: Proceed to the Akagera Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Kigali, departing at 14h45. This is a 30 minutes flight. 15h15: Land at the Kigali International Airport . Connect with your International outbound flight back home. Wishing you an excellent tour!
5 Reasons to Visit Akagera National Park
•Akagera has an inspiring conservation story as it is now home to lions and rhinos, and is the only Big Five park in the country.
•Just two hours’ drive from Kigali, it is a beautiful and convenient savannah landscape to visit, and an easy site to add on to before or after visiting the gorillas.
•For one park, the diversity of habitats is unique including lakes, marshes, savannah, mountains, and woodland makes for spectacular scenery.
•A birders delight, Akagera offers an exceptional birding experience with more than 482 bird species documented including the rare and prehistoric shoebill and some Lake Victoria endemics
•Tourism is growing with a new day visitor complex and the opening of Ruzizi Tented Lodge and Karenge Bush Camp. Proceeds from tourism revenue are invested back into the park and the local community.
INCLUSIONS of Helicopter Safari Akagera National Park
-Pick up from the lodge on the day of the tour
-All transfers as indicated
-Exclusive use of 4WD safari land cruiser with WI-FI where receptive
-Services of professional, experienced English speaking Safaris driver-guide
-Return Schedule Helicopter flight (Kigali –Akagera)
-Park entrance fees
-Behind the scene tour
-Full board accommodation at the Ruzizi Tented Lodge /standard tents
-Bottled mineral water per person/day in the vehicle
-All other activities and extra meals mentioned in the itinerary
-Emergency Medical Evacuation Services
-Our assistance
EXCLUSIONS of Helicopter Safari Akagera National Park
• International and domestic airline tickets unless where indicated,
• Entry visa fees,
• Optional extras whilst in Kigali
• Drinks throughout the trip,
• Tips and gratuities, Personal expenses such as telephone calls, mini bar, porter-age, travel insurance, etc.