Christmas Rwanda Safari Packages: The 8 Best Festive Gorilla Trekking Tours
Spend Christmas and the New Year with mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Here are the eight best Christmas Rwanda safari packages for 2026, timed perfectly with Rwanda's short dry season.
Christmas falls squarely within Rwanda's short dry season, running December through February — genuinely the best time for gorilla trekking Rwanda has to offer, with firmer trails through Volcanoes National Park than the wetter months. The best Christmas Rwanda safari packages combine a $1,500 gorilla permit with Rwanda's celebrated luxury lodges — Bisate, Sabyinyo Silverback, Singita Kwitonda, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, and Mountain Gorilla View Lodge — and range from a fast 5-day festive escape to a full 12-day Christmas-to-New-Year Rwanda adventure holiday, with a genuine budget Rwanda safari option available too.
Why Christmas Is a Genuinely Good Time for Rwanda Safari Packages
December through February is one of Rwanda's two dry seasons, and coincidentally, it's also when most international travelers have the holiday time to actually take a Rwanda safari vacation. This overlap makes Christmas Rwanda safari packages some of the most popular Rwanda safari holidays of the entire year — trails through Volcanoes National Park are firmer and drier than during the long rains, and gorilla trekking tours Rwanda run at their most reliable during exactly this window.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda takes place exclusively in Volcanoes National Park, where habituated mountain gorilla families are tracked daily by expert rangers. A Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1,500 per person, covering park entry, professional guiding, and a full hour with a wild gorilla family — the centerpiece of every gorilla trekking Rwanda package below. Because December is peak demand for a Rwanda gorilla safari, booking your Christmas gorilla permit well in advance matters more than at almost any other time of year.
The 8 Best Christmas Rwanda Safari Packages
5-Day Christmas Gorilla Trekking Escape at Bisate Lodge
Festive Short BreakA fast, luxurious Christmas Rwanda safari built around a single gorilla trek and two festive nights at Bisate Lodge, set in a restored volcanic amphitheater beside Volcanoes National Park. Perfect for travelers with limited holiday time who still want a full gorilla trekking Rwanda package.
6-Day New Year's Eve Gorilla & Golden Monkey Safari at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge
NYE SpecialRing in the New Year at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, combining a gorilla trek with golden monkey tracking for two distinct primate encounters — one of the most memorable Rwanda guided tours to spend New Year's Eve on.
7-Day Christmas & Akagera Big Five Safari at Singita Kwitonda Lodge
Private SafariA genuine Rwanda wildlife safari over the festive season, opening with gorilla trekking from Singita Kwitonda Lodge before transferring to Akagera National Park for Christmas week Big Five game drives — see our Akagera wildlife safari guide. A fully private Rwanda safari from arrival to departure.
7-Day Festive Rwanda Honeymoon Safari at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge
HoneymoonA Christmas Rwanda honeymoon safari pairing gorilla trekking at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge with a relaxed festive close at the Lake Kivu Serena Hotel — a genuinely romantic way to spend the holidays together.
8-Day Christmas Family Safari at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
FamilyBuilt for school-holiday travel, this Rwanda family safari bases families at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, adding a festive cultural morning at Iby'iwacu Cultural Village and the King's Palace in Nyanza around your gorilla trek.
8-Day All-Inclusive Christmas & New Year Luxury Gorilla Safari
All-InclusiveSpanning Christmas through New Year across three of Volcanoes National Park's most celebrated lodges — Bisate, Sabyinyo Silverback, and Singita Kwitonda — with gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, private transport, meals, and park fees all included in this all-inclusive Rwanda safari.
12-Day Ultimate Christmas-to-New-Year Rwanda Adventure Holiday
Complete CircuitThe most comprehensive of these Rwanda safari holidays, spanning the entire festive season — gorilla and golden monkey trekking, a multi-day Akagera Big Five safari, Rwanda cultural village tours, and a closing New Year stay on Lake Kivu. Extend into a 12-day Rwanda and Uganda safari for an even fuller cross-border trip.
6-Day Budget Christmas Rwanda Gorilla Safari
BudgetA budget Rwanda safari doesn't mean missing out on the festive season — the same $1,500 permit and expert guiding, based at comfortable budget lodges in Volcanoes National Park, for travelers who want Christmas with the gorillas without the luxury price tag.
Rwanda Gorilla Permit Cost Over the Christmas Season
Every package above centers on the same core cost: the $1,500 Rwanda gorilla permit per person, covering park entry, ranger guiding, and one hour with a habituated gorilla family. Because December sits in peak season for a Rwanda gorilla safari, permits and lodge availability sell out earlier than at quieter times of year — our Rwanda gorilla permit guide covers current pricing and availability for travelers planning ahead for the festive season.
Planning Your Christmas Rwanda Safari
Before booking any of these Rwanda tour packages, our Rwanda packing list and East Africa safari packing list cover exactly what to bring for Volcanoes National Park's terrain and climate. International travelers spending the holidays in Rwanda can see our guides for French travellers, gorilla trekking from Paris, and a Rwanda safari from Belgium, since gorilla trekking remains the main reason most European tourists visit Rwanda over Christmas. Travelers comparing destinations can also see our Bwindi gorilla trekking and Congo gorilla trekking guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Book Your Christmas Rwanda Safari Package
From a fast 5-day festive escape to the full 12-day Christmas-to-New-Year adventure holiday — or the budget option in between — Trek Rwanda Gorillas builds every itinerary around your dates and travel style.
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