10 days Rwanda Birding Safari

Our 10 days Rwanda Birding Safari is the perfect option for you to watch birds in their natural Habitats. Rwanda on the African continents is one of the best places to spot birds. With over 700 different species of birds.

Rwanda has seven important birding Areas. These include; Rugezi Swamp, Akanyaru, Nyabarongo, Cyamudongo, Akagera, Volcanoes park and Nyungwe park.  During the 10 Days Rwanda Bird watching safari, look out for birds like red-Faced Barbet, Bennett’s woodpecker, Miombo Wren-Warbler and Shoebill stork.

Tour Highlights

• Day 1; Arrival at Kigali Airport.
• Day 2; Transfer to Akagera national park
• Day 3: birding in Akagera the whole day.
• Day 4: Birding in Nyungwe National Park.
• Day 5: Chimp tracking.
• Day 6: Drive to Parc national des volcans
• Day 7: Parc National des Vulcan’s; Gorilla tracking and birding
• Day 8: Bird watching in and around Volcanoes
• Day 9: Bird watching at Twin Lake.
• Day 10: Bird watching / Transfer Back to Kigali.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1; Arrival at Kigali Airport.

You will be received by the company representative who will give you  a short briefing about the tour before transferring you to the hotel. Your birding adventure will start right away as you drive to the hotel, you will be able to see different birds therefore preparing you for what’s yet to come.

Day 2; Transfer to Akagera national park

You will drive to Akagera national park which is an open savannah. The  park is Rwanda’s hot Birding spot in the savannah, relatively open grassland and Papyrus swamps. In eastern Rwanda, the acacia savanna supports many broadly distributed African birds. These include;  the Bennett’s Woodpecker, headed Black Chat, White-Black-collared Barbet, Tabora Cisticola and Miombo Wren-warbler and it’s likely to be the best  place from where you can find the rare Ring-necked Francolin. The highly localized acacia specialist Red-faced Barbet can be sought around the Akagera Game Lodge grounds. This afternoon you will go birding and retire at your lodge.

Day 3: Whole day birding in Akagera.

After breakfast, enjoy Bird watching the whole day in the park. You will have a picnic lunch and later return to the lodge. Expect African birds like the Bennett’s Woodpecker, headed Black Chat, White-Black-collared Barbet, Tabora Cisticola and Miombo Wren-warbler. Further still, you can look out for the Barefaced Go-away Bird, Brown Parrot, White-winged Black Tit and Sooty Chat. One of Africa’s most sought-after birds, the enormous and bizarre Shoebill, may be present in the Papyrus swamp habitat. Other Papyrus swamp specialists include; the Swamp Flycatcher, Carruther’s Cisticola, the elusive White-winged Warbler, and the stunning Papyrus Gonolek. You will drive to Nyungwe later on in the day where you will spend your night.

Day 4: Birding in Nyungwe National Park.

This park is Rwanda’s best birding shelter with about 13 species of resident Primate. It is a beautiful and ancient tropical evergreen forest with variety of birds thus making it one of the best places for the birders. There are birds like the Rwenzori Turaco, Handsome Francolin, Mountain Black Boubou, Ruwenzori Batis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Archer’s Robin-chat, the rare Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Neumann’s Warbler, the Purple-throated, Blue-headed and the stunning Regal Sunbird. Stripe-breasted Tit and Strange Weaver can also be seen. Nyungwe Forest park is now the only site in which the sought-after Red-collared Mountain Babbler is  found. You will have packed lunch but your dinner will be at the lodge when you get back.

 Day 5: Chimp tracking.

Have breakfast very early in the morning then report for briefing about Chimpanzee tracking. Then transfer to the park headquarters for breifing. After you will be assigned a ranger to guide you on your search for the chimpanzee. Watch out for other primates along the trek. Nyungwe forest is a home to humankind’s closest living relative which is the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome L’Hoest’s monkey plus hundred-strong troops of the delightfully acrobatic Angola colobus. Furthermore, in the afternoon you will go for  nature walk in the forest searching for birds and then return to your lodge in the afternoon. Overnight at previous lodge.

Day 6: Drive to Parc national des volcans

After breakfast, drive through market town of Ruhengeri / Musanze which has a memorable setting at the foot hills of the Virunga. Parc national des volcans is in the far northwest of Rwanda, a home to Mountain Gorillas, Golden Monkeys that have been recently habituated as well as over 180-bird species in this park. Well placed in the Virunga volcano chain, the terrain consists mainly of steep volcanic slopes. Unfortunately, much of the Afro-montane forest has been cleared for agriculture. Higher up, there is moorland, marsh and grassland with Giant Lobelias a prominent feature in places. Midst 2,500m and 3,500m, the habitat mainly consists of dense bamboo stands and Hagenia woods. Resident birds with many of the Albertine Rift Endemics, such as the Handsome Francolin, the highly sought-after and spectacular, ‘painted’ Rwenzori Turaco; Archer’s Robin-chat and both Dusky and Shelley’s Crimson wings.  Five Volcanoes Hotel, or Sabyinyo silverback lodge.