Arrival in Kigali Rwanda for our Chimps, Gorillas and Golden Monkey Tracking Safari
Depending on the time of your arrival, we shall have a tour of Kigali city visiting the genocide museum, opened in 2004 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Whilst the genocide occurred as a result of a complex series of factors, it can only be seen as an absolute tragedy for Rwanda and its people. Time spent at the genocide museum will be emotionally moving and an important way to understand the absolute courage and resilience of this beautiful, tiny country. The tour will be concluded with a group transfer to the Kigali International Airport before midday.
- Main Destination:
- Kigali
- Accommodation:
- Nobleza Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Start after breakfast with a morning drive to the southern province of Nyanza, with different cultural stopovers, starting with the Royal Palace. After continuing to the best ethnographic museum in East Africa in Huye, formerly known as Butare, this will bring more light as you explore most of the sections in the museum on how Rwanda was made from the traditional setting to the current day. Time allowing, experience the amazing Intore dance troupe perform before heading out to Nyungwe Forest, the largest and oldest afro montane forest on the African continent. Enjoy the drive as the roads wind into and through the park to the beautiful and lush green tea plantations. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top View Lodge. FB.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe Forest National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Early Morning Chimp Tracking in Nyungwe National Park
Today, you will have an early morning breakfast then set off to discover the primates and scenic splendor of Nyungwe Forest. Primates' walks in this forest are a little challenging as the slopes are steep but all can be downplayed by the park rangers who are well trained, experienced and very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna in Nyungwe. The guides shall provide you with all the relevant information about the different primates, plants and other animals, and plenty of bird species in the Nyungwe forest. Among the primates, expect to see the L’Hoest’s monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey and chimpanzee. On lucky days, you can plunge into the golden monkeys, large troops of the Angola colobus, red-tailed monkey, silver monkey, Hamlyn’s monkey, Dent’s mona monkey, olive baboon, among other primates. We later get back to our lodge for dinner and an overnight stay. FB.
- Main Destination:
- Nyungwe Forest National Park (Chimps)
- Accommodation:
- Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Transfer to Musanze Near Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
In the morning, you will set off with a scenic drive northwards towards the Volcanoes National Park in current day Musanze. Depending on the road conditions, you can drive with great views of Lake Kivu which is one of the most beautiful and largest lakes in Rwanda, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo, or use the other optional route. The drive is long and the winding roads make it enjoyable, as you appreciate the formation of the Great East African Rift Valley giving you wonderful scenery, as your guide to stop for photos and whenever you feel like stretching your legs. This park is part of the Virunga Conservation Area which house 3 gorilla parks. This particular one is home to 360 mountain gorillas, some of which are habituated, and you will encounter them the following day. Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Gorilla. FB.
- Main Destination:
- Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Volcanoes Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Gorilla Tracking in Volcanoes National Park
You will start with an early breakfast before you set out for the long-awaited day. Our tour guide will lead you to the park headquarters for a briefing session before heading off with your ranger guides to the starting point, which might be a short driving distance. You will then commence with the memorable gorilla tracking experience, the most thrilling wildlife encounter Africa has to offer. You will hike to find the gentle and awesome mountain gorillas and after finding them, you will have a full hour with them, take photographs and enjoy the antics of baby gorillas as they swing from one tree to another as they tease each other, including the silverback. We later get back to where our hike started and drive to our lodge, probably in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we can choose to visit a cultural village. We will return to our lodge for dinner and an overnight stay at Hotel Gorilla. FB.
- Main Destination:
- Volcanoes National Park (Gorillas)
- Accommodation:
- Volcanoes Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Golden Monkey Tracking and Transfer to Kigali Onwards
In the morning, you will again drive to the park headquarters for a briefing, and later go for golden monkey tracking. Little is known about the mannerisms of the golden monkeys, except for the fact that they live in social groups near the foothills on the park ranges, mostly living in the bamboo shoots as it is their favorite meal. They usually number up to 30 individuals. It is an exceptional experience seeing them feed on fruits, leaves and insects. The trek is not as hard as that of the gorillas. Afterward, we return to our lodge, freshen up, check out after lunch and head to Kigali for our flight en-route. BL.
- Main Destination:
- Kigali
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks: