Rwanda on the Run

If you can walk in Rwanda, you can run in Rwanda. This is the ultimate running holiday.

Our Rwanda on the Run itinerary is for those who run simply for the love of running – no start banners or timed events, just you and miles and miles of beautiful, remote trails. Running is the new frontier of active travel. Engagement with local communities while running is remarkably more rewarding than it is while biking or walking. It seems that a hundred cheering souls recognize both the sport of what you are doing and the clear pleasure you derive from it.

We cover the icons of Rwanda, but running offers the chance to cover more ground and to get under the skin of the country. From the forests of the volcanoes to the shores of Lake Kivu, we encounter rural villages, small farmsteads and tea plantations. Along the lake shore our routes take us past coffee plantations and washing stations. And the climax is an exclusive marathon over the watershed of the Nile and Congo Rivers.

This is operated as a custom trip but keep a look out for scheduled small group departures in 2021.

If running holidays are what keep you travelling, take a look at some of our other running itineraries.

Highlights

Run

a thousand hills

High Five

a thousand hands

Explore

remote hilltops and inlets

Taste

brochette, Primus, tea, coffee

Access

remote areas of national parks .. on foot

Experiences

Day One

Arrival in Kigali

Meet at your guide crew at the hotel this evening for a trip briefing and dinner.

Day Two

Kigali

Greet the day with a pre-breakfast city run through the back streets of Kigali (10-15km / 6-9 miles)

Enjoy lunch in the home of a local Kigali resident

Gain insight into the cause and effect of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 with a moving experience at the Kigali Genocide Memorial

Transfer by road to your lodge in Kingi, in the shadow of the volcanoes.

Learn about the challenges of primate conservation with a Gorilla Doctor before dinner this evening.

Day Three

Volcanoes National Park

Spend a morning on an acclimation hike on the dense slopes of Bisoke volcano. We summit the volcano and spend time appreciating its crater lake before the descending. (7km / 4 miles)

As we exit the park, opt for a transfer to the hotel or follow your guides and run out the climb on an easy downhill route through the local villages (14km / 8.5 miles)

Day Four

Gishwati Forest to Rubona peninsula

Transfer to the start of the run after breakfast. Our route takes us through the Gishwati forest to the shores of Lake Kivu (16km / 10 miles).

This afternoon, enjoy a bean-to-cup experience of the local coffee culture.

Toast the sunset over the lake from the deck of your lodge.

Day Five

Lake Kivu

Today’s run departs from the lodge and follows a series of trails along the shores of the lake. These are paths used by local fishermen and farmers, offering runners an authentic rural experience of this region.

Enjoy lunch at the end of run in a small market village, before boarding a local boat to your guesthouse for the night.

Day Six

Lake Kivu

The journey continues along the Kivu coastline, connecting villages along trails and pathways.

After 25 km /15.5 miles, our boat meets us and transfers us to our lodge for the evening.

Day Seven

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Our road transfer leaves early this morning to Nyungwe Forest National Park.

We run our first trail to a waterfall deep in the forest (10km / 6 miles), before checking into our lodge for a late lunch.

An easy jog through the tea plantations bring us to a local tea factory where we learn about the commercial production of Rwandan tea.

Day Eight

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Today’s run is the jewel in the crown. A full marathon on forest trails across the watershed of two of Africa’s greatest rivers: the Congo and the Nile.

If the legs are not up to the distance, we take in another loop through the forest, with a visit to the skywalk through the forest canopy.

Whichever your choice, either trail is a unique experience and fitting end to an incredible journey across Rwanda.

Day Nine

Return to Kigali

A domestic flight from Kamembe returns to you Kigali today and the end of your epic running holiday

Please contact us for a detailed itinerary!

We make use of premium or classic lodges/hotels where they are available. In the more remote areas, we select the best available accommodations amongst local guesthouses and camps

HOTELS & LODGES
Active Africa offers a selection of preferred hotels and lodges that are designed to fit your budget and travel style. However, often there are many places where we travel where options are very limited, or where we feel either the location or the experience offered by a particular property is quintessential to the experience, in which case we use these properties across both Premium and Classic itineraries.

Premium

Our Premium range of properties offer a stylishly unique African take on modern lodgings. From city hotels to countryside lodges, think African chic with expansive rooms, slick service, creative cuisine, engaging wine lists, high thread counts, and all the other modern conveniences associated with the luxury lodging experience.
- Kigali (1 night) : Kigali Serena – Prime Rooms
- Volcanoes National Park (2 nights): Wilderness Bisate Premier Camp
- Lake Kivu – Kigufi (1 night): Kivu Paradise Resort
- Lake Kivu – Kinunu (1 night): Kinunu Guesthouse
- Lake Kivu – Kibuye (1 night): Cormoran Lodge
- Nyungwe National Park (2 nights): One & Only Nyungwe House
Classic

Often selected more for their regional character and location than as a cost-effective alternative, our Classic range of properties tick all the boxes associated with good lodgings. Expect great service, character filled comfortable rooms and delicious locally sourced meals to weave a common theme, while the stunning African landscape elevates your stay from the memorable to the sublime.
- Kigali (1 night) : Heaven Boutique Hotel – Deluxe Rooms
- Volcanoes National Park (2 nights): Tiloreza Volcanoes Eco-Lodge
- Lake Kivu – Kigufi (1 night): Kivu Paradise Resort
- Lake Kivu – Kinunu (1 night): Kinunu Guesthouse
- Lake Kivu – Kibuye (1 night): Cormoran Lodge
- Nyungwe National Park (2 nights): Nyungwe Top View Hotel
PRICING
Premium priced from USD 9200.00 per person sharing

Classic priced from USD 4200.00 per person sharing
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Premium Itineraries
- Private 4×4 vehicle for the duration of the experience, including fuel & tolls.
- Dedicated service of professional trip crew: Active Africa Trip Leader/host, local English-speaking, professional driver/guide, experienced local running guides.
- Welcome cocktails and trip briefing on arrival night.
- 5 nights Premium & 2 nights Classic & 1 night Basic grade accommodation on a per person sharing basis
- All meals, hot beverages and bottled water.
- All entrance fees, national park fees and activity costs.
- General Hosting (bottled mineral water on activities & vehicles, activity associated refreshments and snacks, minor incidental costs while touring)
- Hotel porterage, event, local guide & meal gratuities as applicable
- Meal & accommodation per diems for the trip crew.
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
Classic Itineraries
- Private 4×4 vehicle for the duration of the experience, including fuel & tolls.
- Active Africa-approved local English-speaking, professional driver/guide, experienced local running guides.
- Welcome cocktails and trip briefing on arrival night.
- 7 nights Classic & 1 night Basic grade accommodation on a per person sharing basis
- All meals, including hot beverages and bottled water.
- All entrance fees, national park fees and activity costs.
- Bottled mineral water on activities & vehicles
- Meal & accommodation per diems for the guide.
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
ACTIVITY LEVEL
This trip is graded Hard to Challenging and is aimed at travelers with an existing fitness base for running – the distances vary between 10km /6 miles and 25km /15.5 miles per day, building up to the option of a 42km /26 miles forest marathon at the end of the trip.

Large sections of the route are often unsupported and as a result, guests need to be reasonably self-sufficient to get the best from the experience. In addition, note that both the Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe National Park are at an altitude of above 2000m asl. – participants should be aware of the physical requirements of this experience.
BEST MONTHS TO TRAVEL
This programme is best run between the months of February to March and June to September
PRIVATE AND GROUP TRIPS
All Active Africa Scheduled Departures require a minimum of 4 guests to operate.

Private Departures operate on a minimum of 2 guests and are tailored to your specific requirements.
YOU SHOULD KNOW
- We do not include primate tracking in this itinerary, but private departures can be modified to include gorilla and/or chimp tracking.
- In the current format, this programme is not suitable for children under the age of 18.
- We cannot control the weather – this is an outdoor, nature based itinerary and indoor alternatives are limited, if non-existent. Come prepared to be take on the elements if the weather is not playing fair.