7 Day Rwanda Primates Safari

Your 7 Day Rwanda Primates Safari begins when you arrive at Kigali International Airport. A private guide will welcome you and transfer you to your selected city hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you can either relax after your international journey or begin exploring Kigali.

Rwanda's capital provides an excellent introduction to the country. Visitors may choose to explore local markets, art galleries, cultural centers or other city attractions. Spend your first night in Kigali and prepare for the journey into the Virunga Mountains.

After breakfast, your guide can take you on a short Kigali city experience before beginning the scenic drive north. The road toward Volcanoes National Park passes through Rwanda's famous rolling hills, farmland and small towns.

As you approach Musanze, the enormous volcanic peaks of the Virunga Mountains begin appearing on the horizon. Arrive at your selected lodge near the park and check in. Your guide will explain the following morning's gorilla trekking schedule and help ensure you have the appropriate clothing and equipment.

Enjoy dinner and an early night.

Today brings one of Africa's most extraordinary wildlife encounters. After an early breakfast, transfer to the gorilla trekking briefing point. Park personnel explain conservation regulations and appropriate behavior around mountain gorillas before assigning visitors to habituated gorilla families.

You will then enter the forest with experienced guides, trackers and ranger personnel.

Trekking Through the Virunga Forest

The length of your trek depends on the location of your assigned gorilla family. Mountain gorillas move continuously through their habitat, so trekking conditions vary from day to day. You may walk through bamboo forest, dense vegetation, muddy trails and steep mountain terrain.

Hiring a porter is strongly recommended. Porters carry backpacks and equipment while also assisting on difficult sections of the trail. Eventually, the trackers will locate your gorilla family. The regulated encounter allows you to watch the gorillas in their natural environment.

You may observe a dominant silverback resting nearby, adult females feeding, mothers caring for young gorillas and juveniles climbing or playing in the vegetation. After the encounter, trek back to the starting point and return to your lodge. Spend the afternoon relaxing.

After breakfast, return to Volcanoes National Park for a different primate experience. Golden monkeys inhabit the bamboo forests of the Virunga Mountains and are known for their striking coloring and energetic behavior. Unlike mountain gorillas, golden monkeys frequently move rapidly through vegetation.

The tracking experience can therefore be lively and particularly rewarding for photographers. After the briefing, enter the forest with guides and trackers. Once the troop is located, observe the monkeys as they feed, leap between bamboo stems and interact.

Following the experience, return to your lodge, check out and begin the journey toward western or southwestern Rwanda. Depending on the selected routing, you may overnight en route or continue toward the Nyungwe region.

Continue into the Nyungwe Forest region and settle into your selected accommodation. Nyungwe is one of Africa's most important surviving montane rainforests and provides habitat for an impressive variety of primates, birds and other wildlife.

Depending on arrival time and your interests, this day can include a relaxed forest activity, scenic experience or simply time at the lodge. An optional canopy walk can also be considered where it fits the itinerary.

The elevated walkway offers a different perspective of the rainforest environment and surrounding landscape. Spend the evening preparing for the following morning's chimpanzee trek.

Wake early and transfer to the designated chimpanzee trekking starting point. After registration and a briefing, enter the forest with experienced trackers. Chimpanzee trekking provides a completely different experience from gorilla trekking.

Tracking Rwanda's Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees are highly intelligent, social and energetic animals. They can travel rapidly through the forest, feed high in the canopy and communicate using loud vocalizations. Your guides listen for calls and search for signs that indicate the chimpanzees' location.

When the community is found, you may observe individuals feeding, grooming, resting or interacting. Their expressive faces, complex social relationships and energetic behavior make chimpanzee tracking one of Rwanda's most fascinating wildlife experiences.

Nyungwe also supports numerous monkey species, so additional primate sightings may occur during the trek or other forest activities. Return to your lodge after the experience and spend your final evening in the rainforest region.

After breakfast, check out and begin your private drive back to Kigali. The journey passes through attractive countryside and provides opportunities for stops depending on your schedule. Arrive in Kigali and transfer to your city hotel or Kigali International Airport.

This concludes your 7 Day Rwanda Primates Safari.

Primates You May Encounter

The safari concentrates on Rwanda's remarkable primate diversity.

Mountain Gorillas

Mountain gorillas are the flagship species of Volcanoes National Park. Their family structure and calm, powerful presence make them one of the world's most compelling wildlife attractions.

Golden Monkeys

Golden monkeys occupy bamboo-dominated habitats within the Virunga Mountains. Their constant movement and distinctive coloration make them an excellent complement to gorilla trekking.

Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees are among our closest living relatives and exhibit complex communication, social behavior and tool use. Their energetic nature makes tracking them quite different from observing mountain gorillas.

Other Monkeys

Nyungwe supports numerous other primate species. Depending on the route and activities, travelers may encounter colobus monkeys and various other forest monkeys. Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed, but the park's diversity makes almost every forest outing interesting.

Gorilla, Golden Monkey and Chimpanzee Permits

Separate permits are required for the major primate activities. Mountain gorilla permits are especially limited, so advance reservations are strongly recommended. Chimpanzee and golden monkey permits should also be coordinated before travel.

Permit prices, procedures and availability can change. Current information should therefore be confirmed when booking. Once the activity dates are secured, accommodation and transfers can be arranged around them.