5 Days Rwanda Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Golden Monkey Tracking Safari.
This 5 Days Rwanda primate safari is a Rwanda tour offering travellers an encounter with mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Highlights of the 5 Days Rwanda Primate Safari
Day 1: transfer to Nyungwe Forest
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking
Day 3: transfer to Volcanoes National Park
Day 4: Gorilla trekking and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
Day 5: Golden Monkey Trekking
Detailed itinerary of the 5 Days Rwanda Primate Safari
Day 1: transfer to Nyungwe Forest
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport or after breakfast at your hotel of residence in Kigali City, you will be met by our guide and given a short briefing about what to expect on the Rwanda safari. You will drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park, situated in the southwestern region of Rwanda.
Along the way, you will have a lunch stopover and visit the Butare Museum and the former presidential palace in Nyanza. Arrive in Nyungwe in the evening and check in at your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Half Board
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking
Wake up early for breakfast and head to the park’s starting point for a briefing session. A ranger guide will take you through the rules and regulations to be followed while in the presence of the chimpanzees and in the forest.
Alongside the ranger, you will enter the forest for a chimpanzee trek. When you locate chimpanzees, you will spend one hour in their presence watching them play on tree branches, groom each other and pick fruits and leaves, which they eat.
Also, while in the forests of Nyungwe, you will be able to see colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and a variety of birds.
Return to the lodge for lunch, and in the afternoon, you will go for the amazing canopy walk experience, which starts at the Uwinka reception centre. As you walk on this amazing 90-metre-long bridge, you will enjoy scenic views of the landscape, primates such as black-and-white colobus monkeys and many birds. Later return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: One & Only Nyungwe House
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After your morning breakfast, you will check out of the lodge and embark on a journey of 6 hours to Musanze, Volcanoes National Park, where you will see the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Along the way, you will have lunch and expect to see the rolling hills and take great photos.
Upon arriving at the park, you will check in at your lodge and spend the evening at your leisure. Later, have dinner and stay overnight.
Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Lodge.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Gorilla trekking and Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
Have an early breakfast and head to the park’s headquarters for a briefing about mountain gorilla trekking. A ranger guide will take you through the rules and regulations to follow on the gorilla trekking experience and while in the forest.
In groups of 8 people, you will be assigned a gorilla family to trek into the forests of Volcanoes National Park, looking for mountain gorillas. The trek takes approximately 2 to 6 hours, depending on the movement of the mountain gorillas and where they spent their previous night. When you locate the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas, observing them go on with their daily life, groom each other, watch babies play on tree branches, and more.
Then trek back to the park’s headquarters to collect your gorilla permits and head to the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village for a cultural encounter where you will interact with the local people and be entertained by local dances and drama, among others.
Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Lodge.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Golden Monkey Trekking
After breakfast, you will head back to the park’s headquarters for golden monkey trekking. You will join other visitors at the park’s headquarters for a briefing about golden monkey trekking. Heading into the forests of Volcanoes looking for golden monkeys, the trek normally takes approximately 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on their location.
Once you locate the golden monkeys, you will be allowed to spend an hour in their presence, taking pictures and watching them play on bamboo trees.
Return to the lodge for lunch at your lodge, then check out and embark on a drive back to Kigali City, where you will be dropped off either at your hotel or at the airport for your flight back home.
End of the 5 Days Rwanda Primate Safari
