Tour Overview.
4 Days Rwanda chimps and gorilla tour is one of the best primate safari packages that is worth booking. It includes chimpanzee tracking and a canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park and mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. The two primate adventures offer you a lifetime opportunity to interact with distinct primates in their natural habitat.
Chimpanzee trekking involves exploring more about how chimpanzees behave and taking photos. Nyungwe Forest National Park chimp treks start from Uwinka or Cyamudongo sector. Overall, Nyungwe is home to 13 primates which include more than 500 chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, crowned monkeys, Dent’s Mona monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and olive baboons.
Volcanoes National Park presents you a chance to track a habituated gorilla family. About 13 habituated families of mountain gorillas survive in this park. Each group of gorillas will be visited by a maximum of 8 (eight) guests and the park ranger guide will be available to lead you through.
At Volcanoes National Park, you will pay a visit to Iby’Iwacu village. Combining a cultural/community tour on your primate adventure perfectly spices up your holiday. This short primate tour will begin and end in Kigali with Nyungwe being the first destination to be explored.
Detailed Itinerary.
Day 1: Leave Kigali for Nyungwe Forest, enjoy afternoon canopy walk.
Meet your experienced driver guide at the hotel or respective pickup location in Kigali capital city. Your driver guide will take you through a short briefing providing insight into what your 4 day tour in Rwanda is all about. After the briefing, expect to set off from the heart of Kigali for Nyungwe Forest National Park which is about a 6-7 hours’ drive.
Enroute, you will have a stopover at Butare where you will explore sites like the Ethnographic Museum and Nyanza King’s Palace. Depart from Butare for Nyungwe where you will check in your lodge for a short rest and also for lunch.
Later in the afternoon, you will catch up with a guided canopy walk in Nyungwe and this will begin from the Uwinka area along the Igishigishigi trail. The Nyungwe Forest canopy walk involves navigating via the 200-meter walkway set about 60km from the forest floor. As you walk, expect to spot some of the Nyungwe Forest’s diverse primates, birds, and other floral species. Enjoy the rest of the evening at the lodge, have dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking & drive to Volcanoes National Park in Ruhengeri.
Enjoy a hefty breakfast and after, you will assemble at Uwinka to get briefed on chimpanzee tracking guidelines. Today’s chimpanzee trek will take about 2-4 hours of searching for a chimpanzee community with a guide. It includes one hour for up close and personal encounters with chimpanzees as well as taking photos.
Expect to also enjoy the sight of other primates like baboons, grey-cheeked mangabey monkeys, colobus monkeys, and others. You will get back to have an early lunch and proceed to Volcanoes National Park. En route, you will be amazed by the breathtaking view of Lake Kivu. On arrival at Volcanoes National Park Rwanda, expect to check in your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking in the morning & late afternoon visit to Iby’Iwacu Village.
Today mainly involves you embarking on a guided gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park in Ruhengeri. Your day will include a briefing about gorilla tracking guidelines, allocation of gorilla families and experienced park ranger guides.
The actual trek with Volcanoes National Park mountain gorillas will commence at 8:00 am and expect to spend around 2-6 hours. The long trek covers an hour to be spent with a family of mountain gorillas and taking pictures. After your 1 hour with gorillas, expect to return to enjoy the rest of the afternoon at the lodge.
Leave the lodge for a cultural tour in Iby’Iwacu village. At Iby’Iwacu, you will be interacting with the ex-poachers who now advocate for wildlife conservation in their area. Expect to learn unique cultures and traditions of Rwandese. After the cultural interaction, you will get back to your respective gorilla lodges to have dinner, then overnight stay.
Day 4: Return to Kigali, enjoy a city tour.
Get up early and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Later, expect to check out of your hotel and today, you will be transferred back to Kigali. At Kigali city, you will have a short Kigali city tour which includes visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center (a designated UNESCO Site in Rwanda) plus other sites.
End of tour.