Kayak and wild swim the emerald waters of Lake Kivu, before camping under the stars on a remote island
Trek through the lush rainforest of the Virunga Volcanoes National Park, and summit Mount Karisimbi (4507m)
Cruise down the flank of Mount Kigali by bike, fuelled by some of the freshest coffee in the world
Want to visit Rwanda’s enigmatic mountain gorillas? You can opt to add on this once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experience
Day 1
You will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your hotel, where you can meet up with your fellow travellers and get a good night's sleep before the action starts tomorrow.
Day 2
Your guide will meet you for a briefing before heading off to Question Coffee, one of the city's best coffee shops, to see how the brew is transforming lives in Rwanda. Wander the streets, meet some of the locals and visit the Genocide Memorial to learn more about the country's recent and often tragic history. Return to the hotel for some downtime, before meeting up with the rest of your team for dinner.
Day 3
Drive to the summit of Mount Kigali and take in the views, before climbing onto your bike for the cruise downhill – the roads are mostly dirt tracks and quiet lanes, so you’ll pretty much have them to yourself. After lunch, say goodbye to the city and head to Kibuye, reaching your lakeside hotel in time for sundowners and a spectacular view across Lake Kivu.
Day 4
Board your kayak and paddle across the clear waters of Rwanda’s ‘Bay of Islands’. The numerous islands of Lake Kivu are covered in lush vegetation and rich in flora and fauna, so keep an eye out for monkeys, fish eagles and Congo otters. Have lunch on Munini Island to the backdrop of a raucous colony of thousands of fruit bats roosting in the trees, then continue paddling as the sun starts to set. If you’re lucky, the local fishermen might join you, singing to help them paddle in unison. You’ll have exclusive access to the island tonight, so set up camp, buy some fish for dinner and sit down to a simple but delicious meal around an open fire, before falling asleep beneath a blanket of stars.
Day 5
Start the day with the dawn chorus and then navigate the headlands and islands of this incredible, never-ending lake. Pass through the narrow channel that seperates Bugarura Island from the mainland, meeting families making the short journey by canoe – a great way to connect with the local communities who share the resources of the lake. Spend the day island hopping and wild swimming – don't worry, Lake Kivu is the only Great Lake that doesn't have any crocodiles or hippos, so you can just enjoy the incredible views followed by another amazing sunset. As Rwandan coffee is considered some of the best in the world, visit a local cooperative and see how the beans are harvested, processed and roasted over an open fire – and of course, sample some of the finished product. You'll then bid goodbye to your kayaks and hop onto a boat for the transfer to Gisenyi, where you’ll spend the night.
Day 6
Pull on your hiking boots and explore The Congo Nile Divide trail – the watershed that separates two of the world's great rivers. Pass through the dense forest as you make your way to the summit of Muhungwe (2990m). This peak is set apart from the Virunga Volcanoes and provides a spectacular view of the challenge ahead – you can even see Mount Karisimbi looming on the horizon.
Day 7
Enjoy a slightly later start this morning, then begin hiking through the lush rainforest on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes. After an initial steep ascent, you’ll hike through dense bamboo thickets and alpine meadows with tantalising views of the summit ahead, before making a final ascent to the campsite at approx. 3750m. There's a lot of ascending today, but the pace will be steady and the drop in temperature will be well appreciated.
Day 8
Depart at first light for the final push to the summit of Mount Karisimbi – at 4507m it's the highest of all the Virungas and occasionally even sees snow. As you ascend you’ll notice the landscape change from tropical rainforest to vast volcanic vistas. Bag the summit, take in the incredible panorama over a rejuvenating brew and then descend to Musanze in time for a celebratory beer and a hot shower!
Day 9
Grab a mountain bike and cycle through the countryside along quiet dirt roads, passing through local villages and markets with views over Lake Ruhondo. Then hop into your canoe and paddle down the Mukungwa River through a fertile valley filled with birds and friendly farmers – a unique view of rural Rwandan life. Later, head back to Kigali for a final night in the city.
Alternatively, you can opt to visit the mountain gorillas – a wildlife encounter like no other. You’ll walk amongst these gentle primates and witness their lives up close. You can find more information about permit fees for this optional extra in the FAQ section.
Day 10
After a last Rwandan breakfast, check out and enjoy some free time exploring Kigali. Visit a local market for lunch, or relax your muscles at a nearby swimming pool, before making your way to the airport for your flight home.
Expert, English-speaking local guides
7 nights in hotels & guesthouses, 2 nights camping
Munch on tasty food throughout
To and from the airport and everything in-between
All your camping and kayaking equipment
All park permits and entry fees
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Rwandan cuisine uses lots of local ingredients, with sweet potatoes, corn, beans, fruit and millet making up most diets. A typical breakfast consists of corn, millet or sorghum porridge and sweet potatoes. The biggest meal of the day is dinner and th…
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room and tent can be booked for an extra charge, please see Optional Extras for the price. This will secure you a single room for hotel and guesthouse nights and a single tent on the island. Depending on the group size, it may not be possible to have a single tent at Karasimbi base camp as space is limited. Please request at the time of booking as all upgrades are subject to availability.
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
Kristine D. February 2024
Ben B. February 2024
Alexa December 2019
Ashlee December 2019
Thomas L. February 2024
“A really tough but great Journey. Our Guide Pax organized the trip perfect. The trip would benefit from extending it by at least 1-2 days to allow some time for rest inbetween activities. Add a day of Kayaking to really get into the vibe. Also some more time for acclimatization would be beneficial for example by climbing Mt Visoke or visiting Diane Fossey´s grave. All in all make it a whole 2 week trip by adding a few days and half day activities with some rest time in between.”
Julia G. January 2024
“It’s nice way to explore this beautiful country. It was indeed pretty challenging because of busy schedule: you go from one activity to other with no stop. I loved 1st cycling: proper off road mountain biking through the village and with great panoramic views. Kayak was really nice, simply relax and enjoyable. Hike was challenging and not only due to attitude, but also because of mud all the way up to the top. If you used to hike with rubber boots, probably would be best (all porters, guides, soldiers were in woolies). Additionally lack of proper sleep stopped people to go up (one night in camp, then very short night sleep, and again short night sleep on floor of basecamp). Packing list of bags was confusing: basically I could have one big luggage, that would stay or transferred to hotel, one bag for porter to carry to basecamp / or to ho on boat for camp on lake, and daybag. Would be great to add Safari, as otherwise there will be not much of wildlife. I would say it was a bit pricey.”
Polina I. January 2024
“This trip is more 3.5 Pros- Rwanda is clean, safe, fairly well organized, with some interesting spots. Good produce, though restaurants seem to be out of fresh fruits and veggies on a number of occasions. Lake Kivu was the highlight. Cons- overpriced for what it is. Hospitality is not at the level Rwanda charges. For the record this is my 10th country in Africa, 60th overall so some decent benchmarking. White person clearly means tips/money whether kids in villages who scream “money” every time they see us, even if we drive by not so subtle reminder to tip everyone everywhere. Other examples I won’t go into. Communication between the guides and office could be tightened too - the agenda was changed and we only received mid-trip, numerous requests we made about kayaks/sleeping arrangements were not passed down. Frankly, could be shortened by a couple of days.”
Jennifer January 2023
“Exceptional tour that truly gives you the unique and local experiences in the country. Definitely listen to the advice in the description - the activities are very challenging, but very rewarding. The group leads worked tirelessly to give us a smooth experience. Gorillas were an absolute top lifetime experience! Rwanda is a beautiful country we got to experience with a great set of guides and a fun group. Pax, Nshuti and Nina were exceptional guides and organisers!”
Stuart March 2020
“The trip was very enjoyable. Highlights included; golden monkey tour, kayaking and canoe trip. Description of hiking not reflective of difficulty, description suggested normal hike with some steep sections, the reality involved mostly steep hiking, lots of mud and fresh trail to be cut, at times lots of pulling with hands/trekking poles, probably amounting to a grade 1 or 2 scramble.”
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Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
While tap water is unsafe for drinking, please bring a refillable water bottle with you as a plentiful supply of filtered/treated water will be available during the trip.
During the trek you'll only need to carry your day pack containing lunch, waterproofs, camera, water etc. Your larger backpack will be carried by your porters.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so if you want to see these incredible animals in the wild this can be arranged for you on Day 8. Gorilla viewing permits are limited and the price is set by the Rwandan Government.
Gorilla permits are non-refundable and to secure one a USD618 deposit is needed upfront at the time of booking. Please let your host know in advance if you would like to arrange this experience.
Gorilla health is taken very seriously in Rwanda. This means that if you are ill (even the slightest of colds), you will be unable to visit them. The government does not offer refunds so if this was to occur you will need to try and claim this on your travel insurance (please check that you are covered for such an eventuality).
Adventure tourism is relatively new to Rwanda and the government is keen to ensure that it develops in the right way - i.e. with maximum benefit to the local communities and minimum impact on the environment.
To support this a permit system has been put in place: visitor numbers are restricted and conservation is funded, so that the park is protected and travellers must hire local government guides to guarantee employment. Trekking in the Volcanoes National Park comes with a permit fee of $300 per person (included in the trip price), but you can rest assured that you are creating a positive impact as you go!
Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip for good service. Your guide will help with advice, however, we'd suggest the folllowing as a guideline per person:
Guide: approx $25-50pp Driver: approx $15-30pp National park guide: approx $8pp Porters: approx $2pp Total: $50-90pp
Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
All foreign nationalities entering Rwanda require a valid visa. This can be obtained upon arrival in Kigali and in many cases, is free. The Visit Rwanda website provides more information. Please check the regulations for your nationality.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way. Check out our Community Values – a shared code to make sure that everyone's experience is safe, inclusive and brilliantly unforgettable.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Rwanda is warm and spring-like all year round. Temperatures average 24-34°C in the daytime and 17-20°C at night. Short thunderstorms that usually pass within an hour or so can occur at any time of year, but the main wet seasons are March to mid-May and September to mid-November.
Rain is unlikely in the main dry season from the start of July to mid-August but it can be a little more hazy due to the dust in the air. Rwanda is a great place to visit at any time of year however, December to January are the most popular as there's lots of sunshine and the landscape is lush and green.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 116kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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