Einstein 01
Kigali to Kinigi
Four days, one gorilla trek, one golden monkey trek, and Kigali done properly.
4 days
Rwanda
from USD 8,940
Open
Rwanda
The shortest distance between an international arrivals hall and a mountain gorilla anywhere on earth. Two and a half hours of tarmac from Kigali to the trailhead.
-1.9403, 29.8739
Rwanda has built its tourism around one decision: charge more, admit fewer, and make everything work. A gorilla permit is USD 1,500 against Uganda's USD 800, and the country makes no apology for it. What you buy is proximity and reliability. The park sits close to the road, the Virunga slopes drain better than Bwindi's, and a four-day trip is genuinely viable.
It is also more varied than its reputation suggests. Nyungwe is ancient montane forest with chimpanzees and a walkway strung seventy metres above a ravine. Akagera is lake and papyrus country on the Tanzanian border with lion and eastern black rhino both returned and doing well. Lake Kivu has warm water and nothing dangerous in it.
Where we take you.
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Volcanoes National Park
-1.4833, 29.5333
Gorillas in open bamboo and hagenia at altitude, with cleaner sightlines than Bwindi's closed canopy. Also golden monkeys, the Bisoke crater climb and Dian Fossey's grave at the old Karisoke site.
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Nyungwe Forest
-2.4667, 29.2000
One of Africa's oldest montane rainforests. Chimpanzee tracking at Cyamudongo, the Igishigishigi canopy walkway, and colobus troops running into the hundreds.
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Akagera
-1.8833, 30.7000
Managed by African Parks. Lion and eastern black rhino reintroduced, boat safaris on Lake Ihema for shoebill, and the country's only night drives.
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Lake Kivu
-2.0600, 29.2700
One of the few large African lakes with no crocodile, no hippo and no bilharzia. Swimming, kayaking and the Congo Nile Trail along the shore.
6 journeys through Rwanda.
Single-country routes and the cross-border circuits that pass through here.
02
From Volcanoes to Kivu
The full western spine, gorillas to Lake Kivu to Nyungwe's chimps, tea and canopy.
10 days
Rwanda
from USD 18,650
Open
03
Big Five and Silverbacks
Akagera's Big Five by boat and vehicle, then the Virunga gorillas, plus Kigali.
8 days
Rwanda
from USD 15,290
Open
04
Four Borders, One Rift
Bwindi, the Virungas, Laikipia, the Mara and the Serengeti in one continuous arc.
20 days
Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania
from USD 38,940
Open
05
Mist Into Grassland
Two Rwandan gorilla families and Nyungwe chimpanzees, then the Serengeti at full flood.
13 days
Rwanda, Tanzania
from USD 26,480
Open
06
Apes of the Albertine
Both gorilla populations, a chimpanzee habituation day, and golden monkeys in ten days.
10 days
Rwanda, Uganda
from USD 15,620
Open
Planning Rwanda
Prices and rules here were checked against the park authorities in August 2026. We reconfirm every figure before it goes on a quotation.
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How much is a Rwanda gorilla permit in 2026?
USD 1,500 per person for a foreign non-resident, USD 500 for foreign residents and USD 200 for Rwandan and East African citizens. Capacity is capped at 96 permits a day. June to September and December to February sell out nine to twelve months ahead. Rwanda has at times run a low-season reduction for itineraries that add Nyungwe and Akagera, but it is not published on Visit Rwanda's own permit page, so we confirm it with RDB before putting it on a quote.
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Is the Rwanda permit worth twice the Uganda price?
It depends entirely on how many days you have. Rwanda saves you one to two travel days, its trails are shorter and better drained, and a four-day gorilla trip works. Across a whole trip that can be worth more than the USD 700 permit difference. If you have ten days or more, Uganda's lower permit, lower ground costs and wider range of wildlife make it the better value.
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What else is there to do in Rwanda besides gorillas?
Golden monkey trekking in the Virunga bamboo, chimpanzee tracking and the canopy walkway in Nyungwe, Big Five game drives and night drives in Akagera, swimming and kayaking on Lake Kivu, and a full day in Kigali covering the Genocide Memorial at Gisozi, a coffee cupping and the Inema Arts Center. Ten days fills comfortably.
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Do I need a visa for Rwanda?
Rwanda grants a visa on arrival to every nationality, USD 50 for 30 days, at Kigali International and at land borders including Cyanika and Katuna. No pre-approval is needed. If you are combining Rwanda with Uganda or Kenya, the East Africa Tourist Visa at USD 100 is better value and is applied for through the Irembo portal if Kigali is your first entry.
Start with a month.
Tell us when you can travel and we will tell you honestly whether Rwanda is the right country for those dates, or whether one of the others would serve you better.