7 Days Rwanda Gorilla & Chimpanzee Tracking Safari

7 Days Rwanda gorilla & chimpanzee safari offers a comprehensive exploration of Rwanda’s finest destinations. Delve into the depths of its historical sites, engage in enriching cultural activities, witness captivating wildlife, and truly savor the essence of Rwanda as a nation. This extraordinary journey will lead you to iconic destinations including Volcanoes National Park, the Dian Fossey research center, Nyungwe National Park, and the Genocide Memorial, a solemn place where the remains of more than 1500 individuals find their eternal rest.

• 01

  Day 1: Kigali to Nyungwe Forest National Park

  Your driver-guide meets you at your Kigali hotel, residence or the airport for a briefing before departure. The journey south passes through Rwanda’s famous landscape of steep hills, terraced farms, banana plantations, eucalyptus trees, villages and tea estates.

  Stop along the way for photographs, refreshments and lunch. As you approach Nyungwe Forest, the air becomes cooler and the vegetation increasingly dense. The forest supports chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys and numerous Albertine Rift bird species.

  Arrive at your lodge in the afternoon and spend the evening relaxing in the forest surroundings. An early night is recommended because chimpanzee trekking begins the following morning.

  Meal Plan: Lunch & Dinner

  Accommodation: Chimpanzee Lodge (Budget) | Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel (Mid-Range) | One&Only Nyungwe House

• 02

  Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy Walkway

  After an early breakfast, transfer to the park’s trekking meeting point for a briefing. Park guides explain the rules for responsible wildlife viewing before assigning visitors to a habituated chimpanzee community.

  The trek may last from less than an hour to several hours, depending on the location of the chimpanzees. Trackers look for feeding remains, calls, nests and other signs before directing the group through the forest.

  Once the chimpanzees are located, you may see them feeding, grooming, calling, climbing or moving through the canopy. Other possible sightings include black-and-white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and L’Hoest’s monkeys.

  Return to the lodge for lunch and rest.

  The afternoon excursion follows a suspended bridge above the rainforest canopy. From the walkway, you can look across Nyungwe’s forested ridges and observe birds and monkeys at treetop level.

  Allow approximately two hours for the canopy walkway experience, including the approach walk. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight accommodation.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  Accommodation: Same as Day 1

• 03

  Day 3: Nyungwe to Lake Kivu (Rubavu) and a Day of Rest

  After breakfast, leave Nyungwe and follow one of Rwanda’s most scenic routes through the western highlands. The road passes tea plantations, farms and ridgelines, with views of Lake Kivu appearing between the hills.

  Arrive at Rubavu, also known as Gisenyi, by early or mid-afternoon. The remainder of the day is free for relaxation after two active days in the forest.

  Possible activities include: Swimming or relaxing beside the lake, Kayaking or taking a boat excursion, Walking along the shoreline, Visiting a local fishing community, Enjoying a lodge massage, Watching the sunset over Lake Kivu.

  Rubavu is a convenient base because it is approximately 1.5–2 hours from Musanze, allowing an early start for the following day.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

  Accommodation: Paradise Malahide (Budget) | Palm Beach Resort or Paradise Kivu (Mid-Range) | Lake Kivu Serena Hotel (Luxury)

• 04

  Day 4: Lake Kivu to Volcanoes National Park and Dian Fossey Hike

  After an early breakfast, drive toward Musanze and the Virunga volcanoes. The Dian Fossey, or Karisoke, hike can take from half a day to a full day, so confirm the starting time in advance and leave Lake Kivu early.

  The trail climbs through farmland and forest toward the former site of the Karisoke Research Centre, where Dian Fossey conducted her pioneering mountain gorilla research. She is buried at the site beside several of the gorillas she studied.

  During the hike, your guide explains Fossey’s conservation work, the threats mountain gorillas faced and the continuing importance of research, anti-poaching initiatives and community-based tourism.

  After the hike, transfer to your lodge near Kinigi. Enjoy dinner and prepare your boots, rain jacket and gloves for the following day’s gorilla trek.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

  Accommodation: La Palme Hotel (Budget) | Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge (Mid-Range) | Mountain View Gorilla Lodge (Luxury)

• 05

  Day 5: Mountain Gorilla Trekking

  This is the centrepiece of the safari. After an early breakfast, drive to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi. Guides brief everyone on the trekking rules and assign gorilla families according to fitness, preferences and group size. The briefing often has a festive atmosphere, with traditional dancers performing as groups gather.

  You then drive to the trailhead and begin walking. The route starts across farmland, passes the park boundary wall, and climbs through bamboo and montane forest on the lower slopes of the volcanoes. How long it takes depends entirely on where your family has moved since the previous day: a short walk for some groups, several hours for others. Porters are available, and hiring one is a good way to support the local community and make the walk easier.

  When you reach the gorillas, you have one hour with them. Depending on the family, you may see: A silverback keeping watch over his group, Females with infants clinging to them, Juveniles tumbling and playing, Blackbacks at the edge of the group, Gorillas feeding on bamboo and leaves, or grooming each other

  Keep your camera ready, but make sure you spend time simply watching. Return to the trailhead, then to your lodge for lunch and a restful afternoon.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

  Accommodation: Same as Day 4

• 06

  Day 6: Golden Monkey Trekking & the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Experience

  Drive to the park headquarters for another briefing and the start of a golden monkey trek. These endangered primates, with their golden-orange backs and black limbs, live in the bamboo zone of the Virungas. Unlike gorillas, they are fast and acrobatic, leaping between bamboo stems and feeding constantly, so you will be moving around and watching closely. The hike is usually shorter and less strenuous than gorilla trekking.

  Return to the lodge for lunch and a rest.

  Afternoon: Iby’Iwacu Cultural Experience

  This community-run cultural experience introduces Rwandan life around the national park. Activities may include traditional dance and drumming, storytelling, craft demonstrations, traditional food and medicine, and a talk on how tourism income supports conservation and local development. It adds a human side to a trip that has been about wildlife until now.

  Return to your lodge in the late afternoon for a relaxed final evening in the Virunga region.

  Meal Plan & Accommodation: Same as Day 5

• 07

  Day 7: Volcanoes to Kigali, City Tour & Departure

  After a leisurely breakfast, drive back to Kigali through the highlands. In the capital, your city tour is adapted to your departure time. Options include:

  The Kigali Genocide Memorial, an essential and moving introduction to Rwanda’s modern history, Kimironko Market for fresh produce, fabrics and crafts, Kigali’s craft centres, for souvenirs, A local coffee stop, since Rwandan coffee is well regarded, Viewpoints over the city’s hills

  Your driver-guide then takes you to Kigali International Airport for your departure flight.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast and Dinner

  Accommodation: None unless requested