An Adventure of a Lifetime
The Rwandan Cycling Adventure
This 5 day tour is a Rwandan Adventures creation!
Do it before OR after the 2025 UCI World Championships in Rwanda.
Our Adventures are designed to cater to all levels of cyclists, with options for both regular and electric bikes to ensure a comfortable ride. Along the way, you'll have opportunities to interact with local communities, visit coffee plantations, and enjoy the serene beauty of Rwanda’s most scenic routes. Join us for an unforgettable ride that showcases the very best of Rwanda’s natural and cultural heritage!
Important information:
• This tour is guided & available to couples, families (from the age of 13) and groups up to 12 people
• Groups with 3 or more people are required to include a support vehicle to carry your luggage, water, snacks etc.
• Accommodation mentioned in this tour can only be changed in Kigali or Rubavu
• Gorilla trekking is included (from the age of 14 – NO exceptions).
• Traditional dancers can be organised at most hotels
• Prices may vary depending on extra activities, bike choice (MTB or E-MTB), vehicle hire etc.
• This tour is 5 days of physical activity, E-MTB’s are recommended
• Please read our FAQ on the homepage for more information
Day 1 - Tea Plantations
Day 1: Kigali > Sorwathe (Tea Plantation)
Cycling Distance – 45 kilometres
Ascent – 1,250 metres; Descent – 1,330 metres
Surfaces – Dirt roads & paths
Duration (incl. breaks) – 6 to 8 hours.
Hotel: Sorwathe Guest House
Set off from Kigali hotel at 8am, you will be transported by taxi to the top of Mount Jali, a hill overlooking the whole of Kigali. Once there we will get you on the bikes, the guides will explain the day’s cycling and you can start the ADVENTURE! We ease you in as the day has more gentle descents and climbs. At the end of the day, there is a final climb up to the Sorwathe Tea Plantation, which is worth it for the astonishing views over lush green hills and your first glimpse of the volcanoes in the distance. You’ll spend the night at the guest house on the tea plantation.
Day 2 - Twin Lakes
Day 2: Sorwathe > Ruhondo / Burera
Cycling Distance – 47 kilometres
Ascent – 1,060 metres; Descent – 1,630 metres
Surfaces – Dirt roads & paths
Duration (incl. breaks) – 5 to 7 hours.
Hotel: Byiza Lodge
You can start the day with a tea plantation / factory tour, or you can sleep in just a little longer as this day’s cycling is little bit easier on the legs and lungs but just as spectacular. Enjoy the misty start at Sorwathe before heading back down into the valleys and cycling North towards the volcanoes mountain range and the Twin Lakes. You’ll cycle along a charming road separating Lake Ruhondo from Lake Burera, glimpsing both lakes along the way and witness Rwanda’s first hydroelectric dam. Byiza Lodge is up a steep ascent that you can do on your bike, not for the faint of heart, or your support vehicle can take you up. Once up, the views of the lake and Volcanoes are something you won’t quickly forget.
Day 3 - Five Volcanoes
Day 3: Ruhondo > Kinigi
Cycling Distance – 40 kilometres
Ascent – 950 metres; Descent – 740 metres
Surfaces – Dirt roads & paths
Duration (incl. breaks) – 7 to 9 hours
Hotel: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Today’s ride will begin on the northern shore of Lake Ruhondo, and it’s a tough morning, climbing steadily until lunch. You will ride west across volcanic plains and potato fields (the best in the region), with the mountain range to the North, towards Kinigi, an ever expanding town at the foot of the Volcanoes National Park. Your hotel is at the top of an ascent that we do not recommend doing by bike, so we will whisk you up by 4×4 to yet another hotel with amazing views of the volcanoes. In Rwanda there is a saying; “everywhere has a view”, and it stands true 99.9% of the time!
Day 4 - Gorilla Trekking
Day 4: Hotel > Volcanoes National Park + Gorilla Trekking > Hotel
Cycling Distance – 0 kilometres
Ascent – 0 metres; Descent – 0 metres
Surfaces – Jungle paths made by the park rangers
Duration (incl. breaks) – 2 to 7 hours.
Hotel: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel
Today is THE day. You will rise early, and leave the hotel by 4×4, no later than 530am to be at the main park entrance for briefings at 630am. The briefing will last no longer than 20 minutes, where you will meet your guide (and rest of the hiking group), as well as the family of gorillas you will be trekking up to see that day. Once everyone is up to speed, you will either begin your trek from the park entrance, but more usually you will go by 4×4 to the start point where you will begin your journey, for an experience of a life-time! You may also encounter golden monkeys, species of deer and even forest elephants! Remember to bring adequate hiking shoes, rain jackets (it is a rainforest) and trousers.
Day 5 - Lake Kivu
Day 4: Kinigi > Rubavu (Gisenyi)
Cycling Distance – 80 kilometres
Ascent – 1,390 metres; Descent – 1,550 metres
Surfaces – Volcanic roads, trails & tarmac
Duration (incl. breaks) – 6 to 8 hours
Hotel: Serena Hotel Rubavu or Inzu Lodge or Galaxy Hotel Rubavu
Leaving early from the hotel, as we will take vehicles up to the start point (unless you wish to add the ascent to your journey). This day follows the volcanic mountain range to get you to Gisenyi and the edges of Lake Kivu. This follows a simple gravel track most of the way with not so difficult climbs and nice easy downhill sections. Quite likely starting in the Mist of the volcanoes, you will then descend and ascend through a truly volcanic landscape to Rubavu that sits some 400m lower than Musanze. Upon arrival in Rubavu, you will go to your hotel to enjoy a thoroughly deserved beer (brewed just down the road) or cocktail on the beaches of Lake Kivu! We also recommend doing a visit to our partners at Young Women Destination, a local cooperative that helps young girls and mothers with healing through artisanry & basketry. You can learn more here: www.the-artisan-lab.com
Contact us for a quote today!
As a family-run company with over 15 years of experience, we specialise in creating unforgettable, personalised experiences that allow you to truly immerse yourself in the heart of Rwanda.
Our commitment to quality and safety is unmatched. We use only the best imported E-MTB’s & MTB’s, with brands such as Giant and Orbea, and equipment, meticulously maintained to ensure top performance on every adventure.
Our guides are highly trained, CPR certified, and deeply knowledgeable about the local areas, ensuring that you have both a safe and enriching experience.