Overview
Immerse yourself in Rwanda’s hidden treasures on a 7 days primates and wildlife of Rwanda. This adventure safari brings you up-close with various primates, such as mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, and golden monkeys on a trekking experience. Venture into Akagera National Park for a game drive and boat cruise for a wildlife expedition.
A cultural tour at Iby’iwacu cultural village will expose you to culture at its best. Explore the Ruhondo and Burera twin lakes as you proceed for a city tour in Kigali with a lunch of a local dish in the city. Below is how your 7 days primates and wildlife of Rwanda adventure will go.
Full itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Nyungwe National Park
By the time you land at Kigali International Airport, our driver guide will usher you into the country with a highlight of your trip. The driver later transfers you to Nyungwe National Park, where you arrive by evening and check into your booked lodge, dinner, and rest.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Chimpanzee trekking is the major activity in the park that you can engage in immediately after your breakfast at the lodge. The rangers guide you through the pre-trekking briefing at the park offices, as it is always the norm before any trekking activity.
Nyungwe National Park hosts several chimpanzees to begin the trekking adventure, you are taken through the rules and regulations, grouped in groups of 6 people, and assigned a chimpanzee troupe. After this, explore the Nyungwe Forest while keeping a look out for the primates. Within 3-5 hours, arrive at the location of the chimpanzee troupe territory and spend an hour in their presence.
Head back to your lodge for lunch after exhausting your hour in the presence of these primates. Chimpanzees are playful and entertaining and you are assured of a fascinating time in their presence. In the afternoon, take on a canopy walk experience on the high canopy trail suspended over 45 meters from the ground. The canopy walk assures you of incredible scenes of the park by giving you a bird’s eye view of the whole park. Enjoy the evergreen landscape of the park as it stretches across the horizon. At dusk, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 3: Drive to Akagera National Park and afternoon boat cruise
Enjoy an early breakfast at your lodge in Nyungwe National Park. Check out of the lodge immediately after your breakfast. Our driver guide will then transfer you for approximately 5-6 hours to Akagera National Park on the eastern part of the country. Arrive at your booked lodge in Akagera National Park in time for lunch. In the afternoon, venture out to the southern part of the park to Lake Ihema.
Upon arrival, take on a boat cruise experience on the tranquil waters as you explore the aquatic life of the park. Be sure to encounter large schools of hippos as they relax in the water, as the shores host busking Nile crocodiles. Expect to witness several other wildlife species like elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, and zebras as they quench their thirst on the lake. Watch the sun as it sets on the lake, giving you incredible scenes for a story book. Travel back to the lodge for dinner and rest for the night ahead.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 4: Game drive and travel to Volcanoes National Park
At day break, enjoy a delicious breakfast served at your lodge and prepare for the day’s activity. Our guide driver will be on time to take you on this exploration and exhibition adventure safari of a game drive. Akagera National Park is an epic savannah park that hosts a variety of animal species from the Big 5 animals like lions, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes, and elephants to other species like antelopes, warthogs, hyenas, hippos, giraffes, zebras, etc.
Expect to spot these wildlife species while in the safety of your 4×4 safari vehicle, which gives you a chance to come close to the species. Journey back to the lodge for lunch and check out. Embark on a journey to Volcanoes National Park, where you will enjoy the scenic views of the landscape of hills and valleys. Check into your lodge in the park in the evening in time for dinner and rest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 5: Gorilla trekking and cultural visit at Iby’iwacu
In the morning, you will be served an early breakfast, and our guide driver will transfer you to the park head offices. While here, you will be briefed on the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking and grouped in groups of 8 people. Gorilla trekking involves traversing through the thickets of Volcanoes National Park searching for mountain gorillas. Later, head into the forest searching for the assigned gorilla family. Mountain gorillas don’t move for long distances, thus can easily be encountered after a short time of trekking for just 4-5 hours.
Spend an hour with these endangered primates watching them play, rest, and groom their young. Head to the park offices where our driver guide will drive you back to the lodge for lunch after your hour with the gorillas.
Embark on a cultural visit at Iby’iwacu cultural village located close to Volcanoes National Park. While at this village, you will enjoy the cultural practices of the Rwandans and get entertained by their traditional songs and dances. In the evening, you will head back to your lodge for dinner and sleep.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 6: Golden monkey trekking and visit the twin Lakes Ruhondo and Burera
Volcanoes National Park does not stop at gorilla expedition only, but also golden monkey trekking, which you can experience immediately after your breakfast. As it is the norm, trekking always begins with a briefing about the rules and regulations. Lead rangers after this briefing, guide your way to the primate habitats at the base of the highlands, following the bamboo shoot leftovers. In just a few hours into your trekking experience, encounter the golden monkeys as they feed and play in the bamboo plantations, as others rest their full bellies.
You can also spot mothers grooming their young ones. Travel back to the park offices, finding our driver guide who will take you back to the lodge for lunch. After a relaxed, delicious lunch, head west close to the border with Uganda for a visit of the twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Burera. Witness the beautiful scenes of the twin lakes as they blend perfectly with the surroundings. The lakes are separated by a stretch of a kilometer of land, offering epic views with backdrops of the Volcanic Mountains. Spend the entire afternoon exploring the lakes and by evening return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Day 7: Drive to Kigali for a city tour and departure
The last day of your 7 days primates and wildlife of Rwanda will kick off with a delicious breakfast at your lodge in Volcanoes National Park. After your breakfast, check out and drive to Kigali city. While in here, embark on a city tour across Kigali as you interact with the locals and spot their businesses.
Visit the Kigali genocide memorial and learn about the untold stories of the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Explore the Rwanda Art Museum for artifacts and crafts that are of huge significance to the Rwandan people. Take a walk across the beautiful and clean streets of Kigali as you head for your lunch. Interact with the locals as you enjoy your local cuisine before proceeding to the airport. After your lunch, head to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight back home.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
