7 Day Primate Tour Rwanda leads you to Rwanda's primates and a touch of wildlife, offering the best of the country in the shortest time possible. Rwanda is famous as the land of a thousand hills because of its hilly landscapes that are very rich in biodiversity such as the endangered mountain gorillas, abundance of lush and vibrant flora and fauna. The 7 day primate trekking safari will lead you to the 970 km2 Nyugwe Forest National Park, which contains 13 primate species (25% of Africa's total), 275 bird species, 1068 plant species, 85 mammal species, 32 amphibian and 38 reptile species. While here, you will do chimpanzee trekking with rewards of nature's scenic views during the canopy nature walks within the park. You will see the chimpnazees play and make their mind-blowing moves within the trees. From Nyungwe, you will be transferred to Lake Kivu from where you'll have boat cruises during which you'll witness a variety of bird species and water loving animals on the lake shore. You'll also visit a number of fishing villages on this gorilla, chimps trekking tour.

Finally, the 7 Day Primate Tour Rwanda will bring you to the Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking, the most popular tour in Rwanda. The Mountain Gorillas are unique to only three countries including Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Each of these three countries offers the trekking experience but Rwanda is by far the best country for the gorilla trekking adventures. Volcanoes National Park is home to a population of over 400 mountain gorillas, including the 10 families that are habituated for tourism. Each of these gorilla families can be tracked everyday within the forests.Only 8 people are allowed to track each gorilla group everyday. The rangers will locate your assigned gorilla group by finding where the gorillas built their night nests and then following the trail of crushed vegetation left behind as the group moved away in the morning. It is a very humbling experience as you reach them and watch them eat and play. Besides the mountain gorillas, the park is also home to the endangered golden monkeys, buffalos, black-fronted duiker among others. Therefore, you should also prepare for golden monkey trekking! For bird enthusiasts, Volcanoes National park is an Important Bird Area and hosts an estimated 200 species of birds with 12 endemics. 

This 7 Day Primate Tour Rwanda, involving chimpanzee and gorilla trekking safaris  will reward you with memorable nature experiences in Rwanda's lush mountain rainforests where you trek to see the gorillas and golden monkeys in Volcanaoes National Park, and chimpanzees as well as several species of monkeys in Nyungwe Forest National Park. In between trekking you will spend some quality relaxing with boat cruises at Lake Kivu, one the most beautiful lakes in Central Africa!

Activities

  1. Kigali
  2. Nyungwe Forest National Park
  3. Volcanoes National Park

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival

Arrival in Kigali

  • Accommodation: Kigali Serena Hotel (Luxury), Haven Boutique Hotel (Midrange), Gloria Hotel (Budget)
  • Meal Plan: Dinner

  • Arrival at Kigali International Airport, meet the tour-driver and transfer to your hotel in Kigali. Depending on your arrival schedule, we can do a short our of Kigali City, one of Africa's cleanest and fastest growing cities.

Day 2

Transfer to Nyungwe

Museum visit

Transfer to Nyungwe National Park

  • Journey time: 5 hours
  • Accommodation: One&Only Nyungwe House (Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (Midrange), Gisakura Guesthouse (Budget)
  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • After breakfast your tour driver shall pick you up from the hotel at 7am and drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park which is located in the south west of Rwanda. Along the way we shall visit the ethnographic museum in Huye district. The ethnographic museum is popular for its collection on Rwanda's rich cultural history and way of life.

Day 3

Chimpanzee tracking

Canopy walk

Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy walk

  • Accommodation: One&Only Nyungwe House (Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (Midrange), Gisakura Guesthouse (Budget)
  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  • After early breakfast we shall transfer to the ranger station at Gisakura at 4.30am to meet the park guides for briefing and thereafter drive to the starting the point of your trek into the forest to find the habituated chimpanzees. About 500 chimpanzees are said to inhabit the Nyungwe Forest, and two groups have been habituated for the chimpanzee trekking experience. After a couple of hours trek in the jungle you will find chimps and spend one hour them. We shall drive back to the lodge for lunch.
  • In the afternoon we shall transfer to the park's head office at Uwinka and set out for the canopy walk hike. The canopy walk is one of the highlights of Nyungwe Forest National Park. Suspended 60 meters above the ground, the canopy walkway offers breathtaking views across the forest and chances of sighting monkeys at the eye-level in the forest canopy.

Day 4

Morning forest hike

Transfer to Kibuye

Nature walk in Nyungwe and transfer to Lake Kivu kibuye

  • Journey time: 2 hours
  • Accommodation: Kivu Lodge (Luxury), Cormoran Lodge (Midrange), Home St. Jean (Budget)
  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  • After breakfast, we shall have a 3+ hour hike in Nyungwe Forest National Park to observe array of nature including several species of monkeys, rare endemic birds, beautiful plant life, sparkling waterfalls, and stunning views of the forest. Upon return from the hike we shall depart to Kibuye and check into your hotel at the edge of Lake Kivu one of the most beautiful Cetral Africa lakes and relax away the rest of the day.

Day 5

Boat excursion

Transfer to Volcanoes N.P.

Boat excursion on Lake Kivu and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park

  • Journey time: 4 hours
  • Accommodation: Kivu Lodge (Luxury), Cormoran Lodge (Midrange), Home St. Jean (Budget)
  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

  • We shall set out for an early boat ride on Lake Kivu to explore the beautiful scenery. We shall visit some of the islands where you shall observe some nature including bats and several species of birds. We shall check out and depart to Volcanoes National Park in the north of Rwanda

Day 6

Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking

  • Accommodation: Virunga Lodge (Luxury), Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Upmarket) Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge (Midrange), Garden Place Hotel (Budget)
  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
  • We shall wake up quite early, have breakfast and transfer to the park office at 7am. We shall take lunch boxes as we cannot predict how long the trek may take. At the park office we meet the park guides to allocate you to a gorilla group you are going to track in Volcanoes National Park, and thereafter we shall drive to starting point of trek located just outside the park, and off you shall trek up the volcano to find the gorillas. More than 400 gorillas live in the Volcanoes National Park and ten families have been habituated for the trekking experience. A hiking a stick will be provided free of charge, and a porter can be hired at only $10 to carry your backpack and provide support. After you find the gorillas you will spend one hour following these incredible apes! After the gorilla trek you will spend the rest of the day relaxing at the lodge.

Day 7

Golden monkeys trek

Departure

Golden monkeys trekking and transfer to Kigali

  • Journey time: 2.5 hours
  • Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

  • Depending on your flight schedule we may do another trek in the Volcanoes National Park to see the stunning golden monkeys. This is a light trek and the monkeys are easy to find because they in the bamboo forests in the lower zones of the mountains.
    We shall depart to Kigali for flight back home.

General Tips:

  • Please note the age limit of 15 years and above for gorilla tracking.
  • Book your permits well in advance as only 8 permits are issued per gorilla group in a day.
  • You should be free from infectious diseases such as Flue which can be passed to the gorillas since humans share 98% DNA with gorillas. If you are found to carry an infectious disease you will not be allowed to track.
  • Every participant has the chance to hire a trekking assistance (porter) who will help carrying the bags and support whenever it is needed. For the trekking assistant an additional fee of US$ 10 is charged.

What to bring:

  • Walking boots, long trousers and rain gears as you will be hiking through the forest.
  • Sun screen is recommended.
  • Mosquito repellant is advisable.
  • At least 1-2 liters of drinking water per person during the trekking.
Fishing on lake Kivu Taken by Ellington Safaris
View of the volcano range Taken by Ellington Safaris
Chimpanzee trekking Nyungwe Forest Taken by Ellington Safaris

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