5 DAYS VOLCANOS AND NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARKS

Safari highlights

This safari explores the Rwanda enclosed wildlife settings. We start the tour from the Kigali City central plateau region, slope south into the montane Nyungwe region, explore and discover wildlife in the Nyungwe forest. The safari then explores the west of Rwanda borderline dominated by Lake Kivu and aquatic lifestyle onto the north into the Virunga volcanic region. The natural set up is completely different with very high rainfall and larger plant and vegetation cover. The visit to the Gorilla guardians’ village on the edges of Volcanos gets the travelers experience firsthand what was previously learn at the Royal Palace and National Museum at Nyanza. The traveler on this safari gets the experiences of interacting with three of the most intelligent and closely related apes on African continent; Mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and man.   

Safari activities

Nyungwe National Park

  • Chimpanzee tracking
  • Canopy walk
  • Tour of King’s palace / cultural museum

Volcanoes National Park

  • Mountain gorilla trekking
  • Visit to gorilla guardian’s village
  • Golden monkey tracking

Day 1: Travel to Nyungwe

The safari guide will pick you up from Kigali International Airport upon arrival in the morning or your address and begin your travel south. You travel is halted briefly to make a visit to either the royal palace or the Rwanda National Museum at Butare and lunch break. You will resume your travel and check into your hotel overlooking the Nyungwe rainforest.

Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking, canopy walk

Rise up at first light and make final preparations for the chimpanzee tracking expedition in the Nyungwe National Park. Your safari guide will escort you to the assembly and pre tracking briefing point. Soon a team of ranger escorts lead you into the forests to interact with lots of different wildlife species. You soon catch up, interact with family of feeding chimpazees and spend maximum one hour with them. You will re enter the forest soon after your lunch break for an exciting canopy walk along a bridge suspended 70m above ground and explore wildlife in the forest canopy. Relax rest of the evening and relive the Rwanda safari dreams.

Day 3: Travel to Volcanos national park

This is a day of travel, traversing Rwanda from south to north and exploring the beautiful countryside. You will set out shortly after breakfast traveling towards west of Rwanda along the shores of Lake Kivu. You will have a lunch break in Gisenyi a lakeside down on Kivu, freshen up and explore the real life experiences of Rwanda countryside. You will resume your travel to Musanze town with clear views of the forested Volcanos National Park and check into your hotel for the rest of the night.

Day 4: Gorilla trekking/ gorilla guardians’ village visit

Take an early breakfast and meet up with your safari guide on tour of Rwanda who will escort you to the Rwanda gorilla trekking assembly point. You interact with fellow gorilla trekking members and shortly team of rangers escorts you into the thick forests. You will wander into the highlands and explore all corners following traces of recent gorilla presence. You will locate them shortly, interact with them for an hour and descend out of the forests to reunite with your safari guide. Later you will visit the Gorilla guardians’ village and interact with the indigenous people. Each individual has unique gorilla experiences to tell. You will retreat to the comfort of your hotel and celebrate your successful gorilla trekking expedition in Rwanda and share experiences with friends online.

Day 5: Golden monkey tracking, departure

You will take your breakfast at dawn and make final preparations to return to the Volcanoes National Park visitor assembly point in the morning. Golden monkeys are a unique primate species sharing same habitat with the gorillas, equally endangered but easier to track unlike the Mountain gorillas. The team of rangers will escort you into the forests, follow all the leads of golden monkey presence and soon get closer to their feeding areas. Shortly after an hour, you will return to the assembly point, reunite with your safari guide and embark on travel back to Kigali Capital City. You will have lunch in a restaurant with traditional food buffet and international cuisine. At an appropriate time, the safari guide will escort you to Kigali International Airport to catch up with your departure flight and end of your safari into Rwanda.