5 Days Gorilla and Chimpanzee safari in Rwanda

Our 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda will take you to Volcanoes national park which is the only destination in Rwanda harboring the endangered mountain gorillas. During your safari in Volcanoes national park you will participate in gorilla trekking which will give you extraordinary experiences as you spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The safari will also take you to Nyungwe national park the largest montane forest in Rwanda harboring chimpanzees and other primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys among others. During your safari you will participate in chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk which will offer you will great views and breathtaking experiences.

Highlights of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda

Day 1: Arrive at Kigali international airport and transfer to Volcanoes national park

Day 2: Gorilla trekking

Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk

Day 5: Departure to Kigali international airport

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda

Transfer to Volcanoes national park, depending on the time of arrival on day 1 of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda you will be welcomed by our driver guide at the airport, be briefed about your safari and then start the journey to Kigali fir the city tour. Kigali is one of the best cities in Africa in terms of cleanliness and attractions therefore during your tour you will visit Kigali genocide centre where you will know more about the 1994 Rwanda genocide. After the city tour you will have lunch in one of the hotels and then start the journey to Volcanoes national park. On the way you will have beautiful views of the rolling hills, scenery, landscape, homesteads among others and upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park

Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on day 2 of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee 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 grouped into 8 people, allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who will be showing you the trails to follow as well as sharing information about the gorillas.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park starts at around 8:00am and takes 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of the gorillas because the like to move from one place to another in search of food and once found you will be allowed to spend one hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat learning about their habits, behaviors, lifestyle, taking photos and recording videos with a flash less camera to show people back home after the safari. After the one hour with the gorillas you will trek back to the park headquarters meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park

On day 3 of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Volcanoes national park. On your way you will have a stopover at Lake Kivu where you will take pictures of the lake, sunrise, landscape among others. After that beautiful moment at the lake you will proceed with the journey to Nyungwe national park with en-route lunch and it takes about 4 to 5 hours drive. Upon arrival in the park you will continue to the lodge where you will check in, have dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk

Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on day 4 of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of chimpanzee trekking. Nyungwe national park is the best destination for chimpanzee trekking which starts at 8:00am and takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours. During trekking you will have great views of bird species, plants, primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys among others and once the chimpanzees are found you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural environment which gives you an opportunity to take photos, record videos, watch chimpanzees feed, breastfeed, hunt, play, learn about their lifestyles among others. After the encounter with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the starting point, meet up with your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for lunch.

Canopy walk, after lunch you will go for a canopy walk which is a 160m long and 70 m high bridge. 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 reception center and goes through huge trees across the steep and deep valley filled with thick forest. The breathtaking canopy walk takes about 2 hours and offers spectacular views of colorful birds, 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 5: Departure

On day 5 of the 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda you will have breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kigali. You will have a stopover at the king’s palace and museum of Nyanza where you will view different African materials. You will have en-route lunch and proceed with the journey where your driver guide will drop you off at Kigali international airport in case you have a flight to catch.

End of 5 days gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Rwanda

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