Walking Safaris in Rwanda

Walking safaris in Rwanda take nature lovers on a perfect option to immerse themselves in the wilderness to explore and experience Rwanda’s diverse ecosystems. Experience the best of the Rwanda walking safaris from the Akagera National Park savanna plains to the lush rainforest-dominated Nyungwe National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Walking safaris in Rwanda involve trekking through the wild with the lead of an experienced guide. The guided nature walking excursion take about 2-3 hours or more, depending on what your targets are. The unique bit about walking safaris is that they offer the best intimate nature experience –you have a chance to penetrate deeper in the corners hardly reached by safari vehicles. This is slightly different from the normal game drives that focus on the main game tracks.

Experience the pristine landscapes- Rwanda features distinct landscapes characterized by vast savannas, forests, and rolling hills. In terms of wildlife encounters, guided nature walking safaris never disappoint. Expect to come across a diverse list of wildlife, including monkeys, antelope families, and bird species in their different habitats.

Best Places to go for Walking Safaris in Rwanda

The best places to explore during walking safaris in Rwanda include Akagera National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, and Nyungwe National Park.

Akagera National Park

Guided walking safaris in Akagera takes you to the savanna plains, and this Park is famous as the only place to see the Big 5. The key highlights of Rwanda walking safaris in Akagera include walking through the enriching savanna plains, woodlands, and wetlands. Encounter a wide range of small mammal species, including bushbucks, warthogs, and diverse bird species. Visitors can also explore the scenic Lake Ihema to enjoy great sights of species of some of the species of freely roaming wild animals.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe is largely dominated by ancient tropical rainforest and offers amazing hiking and trekking experiences in its available trails. The best trails to hike in Nyungwe include Isumo waterfall, Congo Nile trail, Igishigishigi hiking trail, Ngabwe, Buhoro trail, Rukuzi, Bigugu, Irebero trail, and more. Nyungwe walking trails can get you exposed to diverse primates, including the red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, halmy’s monkeys, Mona monkeys, and blue monkeys.

Nyungwe also supports over 310 species of birds, inclusive of 27 Albertine rift endemic species. On walking safaris, expect to come across a wide range of birds, including the Albertine Owlet, red-collared babblers, yellow-eyed black flycatchers, regal sunbirds, Rwenzori turacos, handsome spurfowl, red-faced woodland, and many more.

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park offers more than gorilla trekking adventures. Visitors can also be part of the guided walking experience. The various walking opportunities here include the Ngezi Lake trail, which takes about 3-4 hours. Along the Ngezi Lake trail, expect to come across amazing birds, including Grauer’s swamp warblers, papyrus gonoleks, and many more.

You can also embark on walking excursions in the Buhanga sacred forest, Musanze caves, Twin Lakes (explore Lake Burera and Ruhondo), and more. Volcanoes National Park walking safaris come in varying forms, including gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, mountain climbing, and birding.

Volcanoes National Park is a naturally endowed destination. The 160 sq. km Park holds a diversity of wildlife in its varied habitats, including buffaloes, black-fronted duikers, forest elephants, buffaloes, and over 200 species of birds. Among the interesting birds in Volcanoes National Park are the Grauer’s rush warblers, Rwenzori turacos, Archer’s ground robin, collared apalis, and many others.

Walking safaris in Gishwati-Mukura

Embark on a guided nature walking tour in Gishwati-Mukura, which involves on-foot exploration of the park’s diverse forest. Gishwati-Mukura National Park is blessed with abundant primates, butterflies, birds, and many floral species. Different birds in Gishwati-Mukura include the Rwenzori batis, Grauer’s swamp warblers, Grey crowned crane, Dusky crimson wing, Martial eagle, Purple-breasted sunbird, mountain yellow warblers, wood hoopoe, strange weaver birds, and many more.

Primates of interest in Gishwati-Mukura include olive baboons, golden monkeys, chimpanzees, blue monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys. A variety of primates and birds can be explored during the guided nature walk in Gishwati-Mukura with the local expert.

What to expect on walking safaris in Rwanda

The Rwanda walking safaris primarily offer a guided on-foot walk experience. Visitors have complete immersion in the wild on foot rather than a 4×4 safari vehicle. You get to connect with the natural environment while unearthing the wonders of the various destinations with a guide. Nature walking safaris in Rwanda offer more of educational experiences, and guests get a chance to reach the sites not accessible on a game drive. You spend quality time navigating through the trails while observing your favorite wildlife and birds.

Walking safaris combined with other experiences

Visitors can combine guided walking excursions with several activities depending on the destination they visit in Rwanda. Tourists can have gorilla trekking, chimpanzee, and golden monkey tracking combined with walking safaris, game drives, and boat cruise in Akagera, combined with walking excursions, canopy walk, volcano hike, and birding tours.

The best time for Rwanda walking safaris

If you plan to embark on a walking safari in Rwanda, then consider booking your vacation around June to September or from December to February. These are the two useful phases of the dry season, and they are characterized by drier, less muddy trails and clearer skies. A visit to Rwanda during the dry season allows you to experience most of the walking excursion in the country’s premier destinations like Nyungwe, Volcanoes, and Akagera.

Preparation for walking safaris in Rwanda

Consider organizing your walking safari in Rwanda in advance, and this should include securing the right items. Pack lightly, considering only essentials such as neutral-colored clothing like long trousers, long-sleeved shirts, insect repellents, sun protection gear, a pair of binoculars, a wide-brimmed hat, bottled drinking water, a rain jacket, and many others.

Choose the right tour operator to plan and book your safari in Rwanda. A recognized or registered tour company is ideal to work with when organizing a walking safari or any vacation to Rwanda –the Land of a Thousand Hills. Contact Maranatha Tours and Travel to book your Rwanda safaris.