5 Days Nyungwe & Volcanoes NP safari is a complete primate adventure package designed for you to encounter the world’s great apes in the wild. It combines a chimpanzee trekking tour in Nyungwe Forest National Park and mountain gorilla trekking/tracking in Volcanoes NP.
Nyungwe Forest Park is a natural forest-dominated protected area located in the Southern province of Rwanda. It is the biggest afro-montane forest park, most popular for chimpanzee tracking and canopy walking. Nyungwe covers a land area of 1019sq.km, and it largely consists of grassland, rainforest, bogs, swamps, and bamboo.
Over 13 primate species are hosted within the extensive Nyungwe Forest N/Park including more than 500 chimpanzees, 450 colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, Angolan colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, Dent’s Mona monkeys, crowned monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons, and others.
Volcanoes National Park is a special home to over 30% of the remaining mountain gorilla population- 1063. Located in the Northern Province of Rwanda, Volcanoes NP is Rwanda’s only park where endangered mountain gorillas live and can be trekked. It has 12 fully habituated families of these amazing creatures, and during your gorilla tour, you will be allowed to visit only one as per gorilla trekking rules and regulations/standards/safety measures.
Details of the tour
Day 1: 6–7-hour road trip to Nyungwe Forest Park
After you have enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the comfort of your hotel in Kigali, meet a professional driver guide/tour leader in Rwanda for a warm greeting, and later, he will brief you about your 5-day Nyungwe & Volcanoes NP tour. This will be followed by boarding your 4×4 safari vehicle, ready to begin your 6-7 hours drive trip through the Butare route to Nyungwe Forest N/Park located in the Southern Province of Rwanda.
En route, make a stop visit at the King’s palace and other historical sites in Butare, then settle for lunch before you are dropped off at the lodge in or at Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Day 2: Trek Nyungwe chimps & canopy walk
After a heavy breakfast, leave your lodge for a briefing about safety measures for chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe Forest Park. You will be briefed at Uwinka reception, and the park official will assign you an experienced park guide to lead you through this 2–4-hour trek to see chimpanzees in the wild.
Visiting chimps in their natural habitat is an experience of a lifetime, and today, your trek won’t only allow you to enjoy the sight of chimpanzees, but also a variety of other primates including baboons, Angola colobus monkeys, the red-tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, plus birds. More primates and forest birds will be spotted even as you return for lunch.
After lunch, a canopy walk begins at 2:00 pm with a professional guide at Nyungwe Forest. Explore the 50m suspended bridge while keeping an eye on a diversity of primates, birds, trees, and more. The rest of the evening you will settle at the lodge, relax and have an overnight sleep.
Day 3: Nyungwe to Volcanoes NP
Enjoy a hot cup of tea/coffee, after you will be picked up by your driver guide and transferred to Volcanoes N/P. This involves crossing from the Southern Province to the Northern part of Rwanda, and you will be treated to incredible views of Lake Kivu en route.
Day 4: Tracking mountain gorillas in Rwanda
After breakfast early in the morning, all visitors will assemble at Kinigi where Volcanoes Park offices are. You will be allocated not only a gorilla family to visit but also the park guide, and ensure that you have some packed snacks, bottled water, a gorilla walking stick, and other essentials. Actual trekking with Volcanoes N/P begins at 8:00 am, and you will be accompanied by a guide, and this is expected to go for 2-6 hours inclusive of one hour for a close encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas in the wild.
Retreat from the mountain gorilla expedition, settle for late lunch at the lodge and in the evening, you will be led to Iby’Iwacu cultural village. At Iby’Iwacu village, you will have the best of Rwandese unique cultures, traditions, and great entertainment.
Day 5: Drive back to Kigali for a city tour
A hefty breakfast will be enjoyed at the lodge, after which, board your 4×4 vehicle and drive back to Kigali.
Arrive in Kigali early, and begin a city tour for not more than 2 hours which includes visiting Kigali/Gisozi genocide memorial, Kirimonko market, craft shops and so much more. You will be dropped off at a hotel or Kigali airport for departure in case your flight back home is scheduled for the same day.
End of tour.