5 days Chimpanzee trekking and Wildlife safari in Rwanda
The 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda is an amazing safari that takes you to Akagera national park where you will participate in an interesting game drive and boat cruise which give you an opportunity to view abundant wildlife species including lion, leopards, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, elands, topi among others. From Akagera national park you will connect to Nyungwe national park in southwestern Rwanda where you will engage in chimpanzee trekking an incredible activity that allows you to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their natural environment and canopy walk which offers spectacular views of the tree species, birds, primate species among others.
Highlights of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda
Day 1: pick up and transfer to Akagera national park
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Day 5: Departure to Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda
Transfer to Akagera national park, depending on the arrival time on the first day of your 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda you will be welcomed by our driver guide at Kigali international airport who will later brief you about your safari and then start the journey to Akagera national park in the eastern part of Rwanda. On the way you will drive through Rwamagana or Kibungo towns and then to the park which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive. You will have en-route lunch and great views of the beautiful landscapes, rolling hills, traditional homesteads, local people among others which make the journey interesting and upon arrival you will continue to the lodge check in and have lunch.
After lunch you will relax at the lodge and later go for an evening game drive in the savannah vegetation where you will view animals like giraffes, elands, elephants, rhinos, lions, buffaloes, warthogs, wild dogs, zebras, topi, impala, bushbucks, baboons, vervet monkeys, waterbucks, oribi, roan antelopes, reedbucks among others. After the evening game drive you will drive back to the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on the second day of your 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda you will be pick up by your driver guide to go for a morning game drive where you will view and experience variety of animals such as elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, wild dogs, impalas, oribi, bushbucks, waterbucks, topi, elands, duikers, Bohor reedbuck, sitatunga, klipspringer, black tailed mongoose, warthogs, bush pigs, predators like leopards, lions and hyenas if you are lucky, primates like vervet monkeys, bush babies, olive baboons, blue monkeys, bird species like lesser kestrel, Hadada ibis, cattle egret, grey backed fiscal, pied crow, long crested eagle among others. You will also be able to enjoy great views of the beautiful landscape and flora where after you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for a scheduled boat cruise on Lake Ihema which starts at around 3:30 pm and takes about 2 hours. Lake Ihema is the biggest lake in Akagera national park and it’s known for harboring large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles which will be seen in water. During the boat cruise you will chill, enjoy the breeze and take great pictures as you cruise near animal species like elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, waterbuck along the lake shores drinking water, water birds such as the prehistoric shoebill stork, papyrus Gonolek, African wattled plover, malachite kingfisher, cormorants, bee-eaters, African fish eagle, open billed stork, herons, egrets among others. After the exciting boat cruise you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
After breakfast on the third day of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer Nyungwe national park which is situated in south western part of Rwanda. The journey takes about 7 hours drive with en-route lunch and great views of the landscape, hills among others. You will reach early evening and then continue to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Chimpanzee trekking, on the fourth day of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda you will have an early breakfast and then meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park is done in groups of 6 people where each group is allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who will be sharing information about the chimpanzees and also showing you trails to follow during trekking. Trekking of chimpanzees in Nyungwe national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. When the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to take photos, record the moments, learn more about their lifestyle, behaviors, watch them feed, play, breastfeed among others. After the one hour encounter with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk, after lunch you will go for a breathtaking canopy walk which is one of the most done activities in the park. The canopy walk starts at Uwinka reception centre and Nyungwe national park is the only destination in East Africa offering the 200m canopy walk which was opened in 2010. It takes about 2 hours from Uwinka visitors centre to the canopy, the bridge is 90 m long, 60m high above the forest floor and goes through huge trees across steep and deep valleys filled with thick forest. The canopy walk takes about 2 hours and offers you with great views of the bird species, butterflies, primates like vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, tree species like orchids among others. After the amazing experience you will trek back to the starting point, meet up with your driver guide to drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Departure to Kigali
On the last day of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda you will check out of the lodge and start the journey to Kigali for a city tour. During the Kigali city tour you will visit Kigali genocide memorial center where you will know about the 1994 Rwanda genocide, visit the craft centers where you will buy some souvenirs and then go for lunch in one of the restaurants in Rwanda which gives you an opportunity to taste Rwanda food. After the city tour you will drive to Kigali international airport for your international flight.
End of 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda
Inclusions of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Canopy walk
- Kigali city tour
- Park entrance fee
- Boat cruise fee
- Services of an English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Exclusions of the 5 days chimpanzee trekking and wildlife safari in Rwanda
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.
