7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian fossey hike
7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike: On week adventure in Rwanda takes you on this 7 days Dian fossey hike and Rwanda Primate safari to hike the Grave of the primatologist Dian Fossey who was murdered by the poachers in process of trying to protect the endangered mountain gorillas from extinction. You will also spend an hour with the endangered mountain gorillas and another hour with golden monkeys in Volcanoes national park then trek chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest national park without forgetting a thrilling canopy walk. This 7 days Dian fossey hike and Rwanda Primate safari is indeed one of the best Rwanda trips that is usually booked by primate lovers and adventurous travelers.
Highlights of 7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike
- Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National park
- Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park
- Day 3: Hike Dian Fossey tomb and visit Ibyiwacu cultural village
- Day 4: Golden Monkey trekking and visit twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo
- Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
- Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park
- Day 7: Transfer to Kigali for departures
Detailed Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Volcanoes National park
Arrival and Transfer to Volcanoes national park: On day 1 of 7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike, you will be welcomed in Rwanda by our company representative who will be available to pick you from Kigali international airport upon landing. You will then be briefed about this 1 week Rwanda adventure as you head to a hotel in Kigali for a meal. After lunch, embark on the road drive to Volcanoes national park in Ruhengeri where you will arrive in evening, check in your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Lunch and dinner
Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park
Mountain gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park: Enjoy an early breakfast on day 2 of 7 days Dian fossey hike and Rwanda primate safari, pack drinking water, some snacks and wear your gorilla trekking gear then be driven to the park headquarters for a pre gorilla trekking briefing where you will learn more about gorillas, the dos and don’ts during gorilla trekking and the possible encounters in the habitat of gorillas among others. You will then be led into forest to start the really adventure of looking for a habituated gorilla family allocated to you and your group of maximum 8 trekkers. Once you land on the gorilla family, you have an hour of close interaction taking photographs and watching gorillas as they go on with their daily activities in the forest. After an hour elapses, you will exit the forest and return to your lodge for lunch in case you never moved with a packed lunch. Spend your evening at leisure.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Hike Dian Fossey tomb and Visit Ibyiwacu cultural village
Hike Dian Fossey’s grave: After breakfast on day 3 of 7 days Dian fossey hike and Rwanda Primate safari, your safari driver will be ready to pick you up from you lodge once again and be driven to the park headquarters to engage in a briefing before setting off on a fascinating hike to summit the grave of Dian Fossey. After briefing, you will start the hike alongside armed rangers and local guide as you hike to Karisoke research center where Dian Fossey was buried after being murdered by the poachers in 1985 during her mission to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that were almost at a point of total extinction in the wild. There are alot of encounters during Dian fossey hike including primates, mammals, birds, and stunning view of volcanoes such as Bisoke and Karisimbi. After the hike, you will descend back to meet your safari driver and be returned to the lodge for lunch.
Visit Ibyiwacu cultural village: After lunch, you will have some rest then embark on an evening cultural tour to the Ibyiwacu cultural village which is one of the most fascinating cultural tour that shouldn’t be missed out while on a Rwanda safari in Volcanoes national park. You will be rewarded with thrilling cultural entertainment of traditional dance and drama, storytelling and other cultural practices by the local Rwandese. Remember to return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Golden Monkey trekking and visit twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo
Golden Monkey trekking in Volcanoes national park: After breakfast on day 4 of 7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike, pack your backpack and meet your safari driver to be transferred to park headquarters for a briefing and finally start the walk deep into the bamboo forest to search for the habituated troop of golden monkeys. Trekking golden monkey is more fun as you are free to take your photographs with the flash light on and even golden monkeys will be freely jumping over your shoulders cheerfully swing their tails. You will spend only one hour with these beautiful and cheerful primates after walking for about 30 minutes to 5 hours. Return to your lodge for lunch.
Visit twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo: After enjoying your relaxed lunch, embark on a walk to visit the twin lakes of Burela and Ruhondo that offer stunning views of different wildlife species such as primates, mammals, birds, butterflies and many more. The strategic location of these twin lakes also offers stunning view of some of the volcanoes with in Virunga massif such as Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, Mount Bisoke and Mount Sabyinyo. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight rest.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park
Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park: Wake up for an early breakfast on day 5 of 7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike, check out of the lodge and meet your safari driver to start the journey from Ruhengeri to Nyungwe forest national park. The journey is long but so rewarding with lots of attractions along the way including local Rwandese in their farms, coffee plantations, stunning view of Mount Nyiragongo, rolling hills of Rwanda, Museum, craft shops and stunning view of Lake Kivu. Lunch will be enjoyed enroute and upon arrival at the lodge you will check in for dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park: Have your breakfast served as early as possible on day 6 of 7 days Dian fossey hike and Rwanda Primate safari then be transferred to the park headquarters for a briefing where you will get all the basic information about chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda. Once briefing is done, you will be led into the forest to trek chimpanzees that have been habituated and used to humans. During the trek, look out for other wildlife species including primates since the park is a home to 13 primates species so be sure to spot other primates during chimpanzee trekking, mammals, birds, and the flora of the forest among others. The entire trek takes about 30 minutes to 5 hours but once you find the chimpanzees, you will spend one hour in their vicinity then return to the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk: After enjoying your lunch at leisure, embark on an evening canopy walk since Nyungwe forest has several walking trails but canopy walk leads and other follow as it’s the most preferred walk by several tourists while on a Rwanda safari to Nyungwe forest national park. This canopy walk is the best in the entire East African region. During the canopy walk, you will have a stunning encounter with several wildlife species including primates such as Chimpanzees, monkeys and several mammals, birds and many more. You will also be rewarded with a view of Nyungwe forest national park at a raised elevation of 50m high almost equivalent to a tree top height. After the walk, return to your lodge for a relaxed dinner and overnight.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Transfer to Kigali for departures
Transfer to Kigali for departures: On day 7 of 7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike, depending on your flight details, you will be served with breakfast then check out and meet your safari driver to start the journey from Nyungwe forest national park to Kigali with an enroute lunch. In case you have a night flight, you will then enjoy a brief Kigali city tour taking you to Kigali Genocide Memorial sites where several hundreds of Rwandese were murdered during the Rwanda genocide in 1994, explore the market centers including kimironko markets, craft shops and many more. Once you are done with the city tour, you will then be transferred to Kigali international airport for departures.
Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch
End of the 7 Days Rwanda Primates & Dian Fossey hike
