We were up at 0400 and away by 0500 in the Ole Sereni car to the airport for our flight to Kigali which left close to 0800. We had a very easy check in as few people were around.
We found the restaurant and had breakfast - I went for the fermented millet porridge - a slight mistake not to be repeated!
That said before embarking we found a nice coffee shop and that compensated for my breakfast choice.
At Kigali after buying our visas $30 each we collected our luggage and
met Charles our guide for the next 16 days. We drove to Akagera - arriving at noon after 1 stop enroute for coffee and toast.
As we arrived at Ruzzi tented camp there was a puff adder in the car park and Charles chirpily informed us that 1 bite & it's curtains! Luckily it slunk into the undergrowth.
The camp was on the edge of a lake - so when sitting on the terrace you could watch the hippos, crocodiles and bird life - black headed weavers, darters, green pigeon. There were also
vervet monkeys and olive baboons in the trees above eating the fruit and dropping half eaten fruits and occasionally dung on to unsuspecting people below. Luckily for us the dung landed on the fire place!
Today's photo is of a young winded olive sunbird which was recovering on s log after flying into a glass window at the front of the lodge.
After lunch we drove to see the large herd of elephants near main gate; in the group were a couple of large bulls. All were making their way from the dam where they had been drinking and bathing back up into the forest to eat.

The birds we saw on the drive included the white browed coucal, cape turtle dove, ashy flycatcher and European bee-eater.

We had dinner outside overlooking the lake watching - and a first for us we actually watched the moon rise - it was quite breathtaking.