By length · 14 days
14 days in Rwanda
Two weeks buys the parks, both ends of the lake, the southern museums and the thing most itineraries never include: rest days in places you like.
Length
14 days
Destinations
6 stops
From
$1,257 per person
Best for
Slow travellers, families and returning visitors.
01 — The route
Where this trip actually goes
- 1
Kigali
Three days across the trip, front and back.
- 2
Volcanoes National Park
Three nights: a trek, Bisoke and the Twin Lakes.
- 3
Rubavu, Karongi, Rusizi
The whole Kivu Belt with time to swim.
- 4
Nyungwe
Two nights, so chimpanzees and the canopy both fit.
- 5
Nyanza and Huye
Royal history and the national museum.
- 6
Akagera
Two nights inside the park, dawn and dusk drives.
The route on the map
Numbered pins follow the order of the route above.
Map of the 14 days in Rwanda route
The interactive Google Map loads on the live site.
02 — Highlights
What you will remember
Bisoke's crater lake, a hard six hours and the best view in the north
A rest day on Lake Kivu with nothing scheduled
Chimpanzee tracking at 04:30 from Gisakura
Two nights inside Akagera, when the park empties at dusk
03 — Day by day
14 days, priced honestly
Every figure below is per person and covers the room, the food, local transport, the intercity leg and any fixed fee that day. Switch the travel style to reprice the whole route.
Trip total, per person
$2,731
about $195 a day · mid-range
Comfortable en-suite room, a mix of local and tourist restaurants, occasional private transfer.
Day 1
Arrive Kigali
Muhanga (Gitarama) · Southern province
Transfer and an early night.
Day cost
$83
- Room, food, local transport
- $81
- Intercity leg
- $1.5
- Airport → Kigali · 1,300–2,200 RWF
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Muhanga
Prices for Muhanga: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 2
Kigali day
Muhanga (Gitarama) · Southern province
Memorial, Nyamirambo, galleries.
Day cost
$81
- Room, food, local transport
- $81
- Intercity leg
- —
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Muhanga
Prices for Muhanga: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 3
North to Musanze
Musanze (Ruhengeri) · Northern province
Coach north, caves, briefing.
Day cost
$174
- Room, food, local transport
- $172
- Intercity leg
- $2.4
- Kigali → Musanze · 2,400–3,500 RWF
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Musanze
Prices for Musanze: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 4
Volcanoes National Park
Musanze (Ruhengeri) · Northern province
Dawn at Kinigi for the park activity.
Day cost
$272
- Room, food, local transport
- $172
- Intercity leg
- —
- Permits and fees
- $100
- Golden monkey permit
- Sleeping in
- Musanze
Prices for Musanze: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 5
Bisoke or the lakes
Musanze (Ruhengeri) · Northern province
Crater-lake climb, or a slow day on Burera and Ruhondo.
Day cost
$247
- Room, food, local transport
- $172
- Intercity leg
- —
- Permits and fees
- $75
- Bisoke hike
- Sleeping in
- Musanze
Prices for Musanze: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 6
Musanze to Rubavu
Rubavu (Gisenyi) · Western province
Mountain road, hot springs, beach evening.
Day cost
$155
- Room, food, local transport
- $151
- Intercity leg
- $4.5
- Musanze → Rubavu · 4,700–6,500 RWF
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Rubavu
Prices for Rubavu: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 7
Rest day on the lake
Rubavu (Gisenyi) · Western province
Nothing scheduled. Congo Nile Trail by bike if the mood takes you.
Day cost
$151
- Room, food, local transport
- $151
- Intercity leg
- —
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Rubavu
Prices for Rubavu: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 8
Rubavu to Karongi
Karongi (Kibuye) · Western province
Belt road, island boat at dusk.
Day cost
$166
- Room, food, local transport
- $137
- Intercity leg
- $3.8
- Rubavu → Karongi · 4,000–5,500 RWF
- Permits and fees
- $25
- Island boat
- Sleeping in
- Karongi
Prices for Karongi: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 9
Karongi to Rusizi
Rusizi (Kamembe / Cyangugu) · Western province
Belt road south, tea estates by evening.
Day cost
$155
- Room, food, local transport
- $148
- Intercity leg
- $6.5
- Karongi → Rusizi · 7,500–9,500 RWF
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Rusizi
Prices for Rusizi: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 10
Nyungwe forest
Nyamagabe (Gikongoro / Nyungwe gateway) · Southern province
Canopy walkway and the waterfall trail.
Day cost
$257
- Room, food, local transport
- $197
- Intercity leg
- —
- Permits and fees
- $60
- Nyungwe park fee
- Sleeping in
- Nyamagabe
Prices for Nyamagabe: Operator fare boards at Nyabugogo (Ritco, Volcano, Virunga Express, Horizon) · checked September 2026
Day 11
Chimpanzees
Nyamagabe (Gikongoro / Nyungwe gateway) · Southern province
04:30 start at Gisakura, afternoon in the tea estates.
Day cost
$447
- Room, food, local transport
- $197
- Intercity leg
- —
- Permits and fees
- $250
- Chimpanzee permit
- Sleeping in
- Nyamagabe
Prices for Nyamagabe: Operator fare boards at Nyabugogo (Ritco, Volcano, Virunga Express, Horizon) · checked September 2026
Day 12
Nyungwe to Huye
Huye (Butare) · Southern province
Ethnographic Museum, Murambi memorial, night in the student quarter.
Day cost
$103
- Room, food, local transport
- $100
- Intercity leg
- $2.9
- Nyungwe → Huye · 3,100–4,200 RWF
- Permits and fees
- —
- Sleeping in
- Huye
Prices for Huye: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 13
Huye to Lake Muhazi
Rwamagana · Eastern province
North through Nyanza and the King's Palace, tilapia on the lake shore.
Day cost
$118
- Room, food, local transport
- $109
- Intercity leg
- $1.4
- Huye → Rwamagana · 1,200–2,000 RWF
- Permits and fees
- $8.0
- Museum entry
- Sleeping in
- Rwamagana
Prices for Rwamagana: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Day 14
Akagera and out
Kayonza · Eastern province
Gate at opening, game drive, Ihema boat, evening flight.
Day cost
$322
- Room, food, local transport
- $210
- Intercity leg
- $1.8
- Rwamagana → Akagera · 1,700–2,600 RWF
- Permits and fees
- $110
- Park entry and boat
- Sleeping in
- Kayonza
Prices for Kayonza: RURA intercity tariff, in force 6 April 2026 · checked September 2026
Per person, priced in USD. Using a recent fallback exchange rate. Coach fares follow the current RURA intercity tariff.
04 — The big line items
What the day totals leave out
Park permits and vehicle hire are the two costs that decide a Rwandan budget. They are listed separately so you can add only the ones you will actually buy.
05 — Practical desk
When to go, and how to move
Best time to travel
Any dry-season fortnight. Two weeks absorbs weather better than any shorter trip, so the rains are a real option.
Getting around
Mix it: coaches on the trunk routes, a hired 4x4 for the parks and the belt road. Two weeks of full car hire is expensive.
Know before you book
- ·Build the rest days in and defend them — the temptation is to fill them.
- ·Two nights inside Akagera is the upgrade most people say they wish they had made.
- ·Laundry is easy and cheap; pack for seven days, not fourteen.
06 — Quick answers
Before you commit
Is two weeks too much for one small country?
Rwanda is small in kilometres and slow in hours. Two weeks is comfortable, not indulgent.
Could I add Uganda or Tanzania?
Yes — the East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda and Kenya, and the border crossings from Rusizi and Rubavu are straightforward.
Other Rwanda trips
Northern route · 4 days
Volcanoes and Twin Lakes
First-time visitors who want mountains without a long drive.
Western route · 6 days
The Kivu Belt
Travellers with a week and a taste for long, spectacular drives.
Southern route · 3 days
Southern heritage run
Students, researchers and anyone here for the history.
Get 14 days in Rwanda quoted properly
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