First, communicate with your tour operator about what you require and any schedule adjustments while booking a winter trip safari. Also, check for limits and modifications and what to expect from your destination. Your tour planner can provide all this for a well-organized safari.

Easy safari planning involves a few steps. These include choosing your safari destination, tour operator (read and investigate the company to avoid scammers), packing list, and destination.

What to know before a winter holiday safari in Rwanda

Rwanda safari transportation
Safari vehicles

Those who purchase through a tour operator will be transported in 4×4 safari vehicles. After payment, these well-maintained vehicles are hired. It is the most private way to safari in Rwanda, but it can be pricey.

Matatus

Yellow or green minibusses that locals take across the country. Even isolated Rwandan locations are accessible via good transportation. Kigali rents well-maintained matatus for large groups. Many buses go between Kigali and the rest of the country every 30 minutes.

Taxis

Common in Rwanda and Kigali provinces, these can be found at taxi stands. The most expensive way to get across the country is by taxi, which can be contacted or requested from your accommodation.

Money
Safari guests should bring Rwandan Franc (RWF) for smooth transactions. Exchange cash dollars or Euros at the airport, banks, or forex offices. Cash advances are available at Banque de Kigali, and some luxury establishments accept credit cards. ATMs are everywhere, especially in Kigali. Rwandan banks are closed on Sundays and the last Saturday of the month during Umuganda (until 11:00 am).

Safari tipping, shopping, and other activities benefit from local currency. Tipping is traditional and shows appreciation for services. Restaurant and hotel servers, potters, and drivers must be tipped.

The Rwandan language
Locals mostly speak Kinyarwanda. French is also widely spoken as the office language. English and Swahili are taught in schools and utilized nationwide.

Visas
Tourists to Rwanda need visas and passports. East Africans only need a passport and national ID because Rwanda no longer requires visas for all Africans. Tourists can seek visas online or upon arrival. Please book your visa at least three months before your trip. A new East African tourist visa lets you visit Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.

The Rwandan food
Rwanda may not be the food basket, but it cooks indigenous and world foods. Starchy cassava, beans, and fresh fruits including papayas, avocados, mangoes, watermelons, pineapples, and others make up Rwandan cuisine. Local cuisines like isombe use spinach, cassava leaves, eggplants, Mizuzu (plantain), and others.

Rwandan culture and people
Before a safari, learning about Rwanda’s culture and people is one of the greatest methods to fit in. Rwandans are friendly but pack carefully because provocative clothing is prohibited. The country bans polythene bags to keep cities clean.

Safari locations in Rwanda
We recommend the following safari destinations for your winter holiday safari. This helps you plan your safari early, but you do not have to visit them all.

Rwanda’s main safari location is Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking. Trekking mountain gorillas is only allowed in Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC. About 400 gorillas live in Rwanda, including ten habituated ones. The principal activity at Volcanoes National Park is gorilla trekking.

Also available are bird watching, guided nature walks, hiking the Volcanoes mountains in the park, the Batwa trail, the Kwita Izina ceremony where infant gorillas are named, golden monkey trekking, and cultural tours. A Volcanoes gorilla trekking permit must be purchased six months in advance. These are always popular, so book early.

Despite animal migration and poaching during the genocide, Akagera National Park is Rwanda’s largest. Refugees returned and encroached. Since reintroducing extinct animals like lions and rhinos, Akagera now has lions, antelopes, elephants, bush duikers, hippos, crocodiles, black rhinos introduced in 2017, zebras, buffalos, rare hyenas, and giraffes. It has over 408 bird species. Safaris offers birdwatching, wildlife drives, and guided nature hikes.

Lake Kivu, on the Rwanda-DRC border, is a winter tourist safari destination in Rwanda. Small Lake in the Great Rift Valley has Kinyarwanda settlements where you can learn about their culture. Boat cruises on Lake Kivu, cycling along the shores, bird watching, and guided cultural and ecological walks are available.

Nyungwe Forest National Park is Rwanda’s greatest chimpanzee trekking and habituation spot. Vervet monkeys, olive baboons, Mangabeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys exist in the national park. Chimpanzee trekking is the best way to learn about them and may be done year-round in the park. Canopy walks, bird watching, nature walks, and cycling are other Nyungwe safari activities.

The Genocide Memorial Centers in Rwanda remind people of the 1994 genocide and teach them about Rwandan history and culture. The Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, Nyamata Memorial Site, Murambi Memorial Center, Ntarama Memorial Center, and Gisozi Memorial Site are all worth seeing.

Bugarama and Nyamyumba hot springs in Cyangugu and Rubavu districts are among Rwanda’s most popular. Gisovu hot springs near Lake Kivu are also worth seeing. The water boils to 100 degrees Celsius to boil an egg. Locals think water heals most ailments.

Winter holiday safari packing

To have the finest Rwanda safari, you must carry the appropriate things. A holiday packing list has been created to help you prepare efficiently. Strong hike boots, neutral-colored clothes, long-sleeved shirts, and trousers (avoid jeans if trekking), insect repellent, gadgets like binoculars and cameras (including camera equipment), refillable water bottle, waterproof backpack, sunscreen, snacks (all meals will be provided at your accommodation facility, but you can still pack favorite snacks), garden gloves, sandals, sneakers, waterproof rain jacket, warm sweater, medical first

Safari lodges in Rwanda

Rwanda is a luxury safari destination, although there are budget-friendly accommodations across the safari regions. Accommodation has improved, from luxurious to mid-range and basic. Rwanda Safaris offers a variety of comfortable hotels for guests.

Akagera National Park: Rusizi Tented Camp and Akagera Game Lodge

Volcanoes National Park: Go, Lux Lodge, Sabinyo Silver Back Lodge, Villa Gorilla, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Hotel Muhabura, Wilderness Bisate Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, One & Only Gorilla’s Nest, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, and others

Gisenyi Town: Galaxy Kivu Hotel, Lake Kivu Serena Hotel Gisenyi, Hill View Hotel, Hakuna Matata, Paradis Malahide, Wind Land Hotel, The Palm Beach Resort Lake Kivu, Kivu Paradis Resort, and Umbwe Hotel.

Nyungwe Forest National Park: Guest House Igishigishi, One&Only Nyungwe House, Ken Barham Guest House, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, Chimpanzee Lodge, Nyungwe Nziza Eco Lodge.

Kigali Hotels: Five to Five, Kigali Serena, Onomo, Hotel De Mille Collines, 3000, Heaven Retreat, Flame Tree Village, Marriot, Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Iris Guest House, The Manor, and Lebanon Hotels.

Rwiza Village, Comoran Lodge, Hotel Golf Eden, Moriah Hill Resort, Bethany Hotel, Kibuye.

When should you plan your Rwanda winter holiday safari?
Due to the dry season and Christmas holidays, December to February is one of the busiest months for tourism. We recommend scheduling 4–6 months before the winter season to receive the best safari bargains and avoid last-minute bookings, which may cost more.

After gathering all the information, start planning your Rwanda vacation safari. Plan your winter holiday safari with a trustworthy licensed tour operator like us to ensure the greatest safari in the country and first-hand knowledge about your trip. Safari planning entails choosing the finest destinations, accommodations, and permits, and meeting all requirements.

Contact us for details.