6 Days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda
The 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari will take you to the two best visited national parks in Rwanda which include Nyungwe national park where you will visit the chimpanzees in their natural habitat and also participate in canopy walk which gives you an opportunity to view different tree species, bird species, primates among others. You will also visit Volcanoes national park which harbors the endangered mountain gorillas and during the safari you will visit and spend time with the mountain gorillas in their natural environment which gives you incredible and extraordinary experiences.
Highlights of the 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Kigali city
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Day 6: Golden monkey trekking and departure
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda
Transfer to Kigali, depending on the time of arrival you will be welcomed by our driver guide at Kigali international airport who will brief you about your safari and then start the journey to Kigali for the city tour. During the city tour you will visit the genocide memorial centre where you will see the graveyards of the victims who died during the 1994 Rwanda genocide , you will also visit Kandt museum of natural history, art and craft shops where they sell art pieces, handmade crafts like sandals, baskets, mats among others. After the city tour you will drive to the hotel check in, have dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
After breakfast on the second day of the 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda you will check out of the lodge, meet up with your driver guide and start the journeys to Nyungwe national park in the south western part of Rwanda. On the way you will have a stopover at the King’s Palace and Museum in Nyanza which formerly acted as the residence of King Mutara 111 Rudahigwa. The King’s palace is a beautifully crafted thatched dwelling shaped like a beehive and offers great views of long horned Inyambo cattle at the back which descended from the king’s heard, the cows played an important role during ceremonies in honour of the king. You will also visit the museum where you will view collections of Africa’s tradition materials. After the tour at the king’s palace you will have lunch and proceed with the journey to Nyungwe national park and upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on the third day of your 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee group to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the forest. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. Once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to know more about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors, take photos and record videos which gives you unforgettable experiences on your safari. After the one hour encounter with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk, after lunch you will go for a breathtaking canopy walk which is 90meters long above the forest. The canopy walk is an amazing activity that was opened in 2010 and Nyungwe national park is the only forest offering canopy walk in East Africa. The activity starts at Uwinka visitor’s center and goes through huge trees across the steep and deep valley filled with thick forest. The exciting canopy walk takes about 2 hours and offers you with spectacular views of the bird species, butterflies, primates like blue monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, tree species among others. After the canopy walk you will trek back to the starting point where you will meet up with your driver guide to drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
On the fourth day of your 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Kivu where you will have great views on the shores of the lake. From Lake Kivu you will proceed with the journey to Volcanoes national park with en-route lunch. The journey takes about 4 to 5 hours drive and upon arrival you will check into the lodge have dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on the fifth day of your 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who will be sharing information about the gorillas as well as conversant with the trails in the jungle.
Trekking of the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of the gorillas and once found you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. During the one hour with the gorillas you will have an opportunity of learning about their habits, behaviors, take photos, record the moments among others and after you will trek back to the park headquarters meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Golden monkey trekking and departure
Golden monkey trekking, on the last day of the 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda you will have an early breakfast meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of golden monkey trekking. The golden monkeys are active and interesting primates that live in the bamboo vegetation in groups of more than 8 individuals at the base of Volcanoes national park.
Trekking of the golden monkeys takes 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on their location and once found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them which gives you an opportunity to watch them jump from one tree to another, learn about their lifestyle, behaviors, take photos and record videos. After the one hour encounter with the golden monkeys you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch you will check out of the lodge, meet up with your driver guide and transfer to Kigali where the driver will drop you off at the airport for your next flight.
End of 6 days gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda
Tour includes
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Canopy walk
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Golden monkey trekking permit
- Kigali city tour
- Services of an English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.
Chimpanzee and Gorilla trekking tips
- Hiking shoes
- Garden gloves
- Long sleeved shirt and trouser
- Insect repellent
- Water proof rain jacket
- Warm sweaters
- Cotton long stockings
- Water proof back pack to carry your equipment’s
- camera
- Drinking water and packed lunch from the lodge
- Walking stick
- Hiring a Porter who will help you carry your equipment’s and gives you a pull or a push in steep and slippery areas.
