7 days Rwanda Primates and Dian Fossey safari
This 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari is an extraordinary safari that will take you to Nyungwe national park where you will engage in interesting activities like chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk, Volcanoes national park where you will participate in gorilla trekking an adventurous activity that gives you an opportunity to spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. You will also participate in cultural tour, Dian Fossey hike and a tour to the twin’s lake.
Highlights of the 7 Days Rwanda Primates and Dian Fossey safari
Day 1: Transfer to a hotel in Kigali
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes
Day 5: Gorilla trekking
Day 6: Dian Fossey and cultural tour
Day 7: Twin lakes tour and departure to Kigali
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 7 days Rwanda Primates and Dian Fossey safari
Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Kigali, upon arrival on the first day of the 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to Kigali for a city tour. During the city tour you will visit interesting areas like the genocide memorial centre where you will know about the 1994 Kigali genocide between the Hutus and Tutsi, visit Kimironko market where you will interact with venders in the market, museum of natural history among others. After the city tour you will transfer to a hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe national park
After breakfast on the second day of the 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel and start the journey to Nyungwe national park in south western part of Rwanda. On your way you will have a stopover at Nyanza kings palace where you will learn about Rwandas cultural history and royalty, visit Gikongoros genocide memorial among others. Upon arrival you will check into the lodge, enjoy the evening with great scenic views, have dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on the third day of the 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who will be sharing information about the chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one area to another. During trekking you will have great views of plant species, birds, primates among others and once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat and during the one hour you will be able to learn more about their lifestyle, behaviors, take photos, record videos among others. After spending time with chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for lunch.
Canopy walk, after lunch you will go for canopy walk one of the fascinating activities carried out in Nyungwe national park after chimpanzee trekking. The canopy walk in the park was established in 2010 and Nyungwe forest is the only place in East Africa offering this amazing activity. The walk is about 160m in length and can be categorized into three trails with the smallest walk that stretches to 25meters long, second walk stretching to 45meters long and the longest trail which stretches to 90metres long. The canopy walk starts from Uwinka visitors center and during the walk you will have spectacular views of Nyungwe national park, primates like chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, bird species such as Rwenzori batis, handsome francolin, Dwarf honey guide, white tailed crested flycatcher, red throated alethe, blue turaco, butterflies, mammals like duikers, bush pigs among others. After the canopy walk you will walk to the starting point where you will meet with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Volcanoes national park
After breakfast on the fourth day of your 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Volcanoes national park in the north western park of Rwanda. On your way you will pass via Lake Kivu where you will have great views of hills, terraced farmlands, beautiful landscape among others on the shores of the lake. From Lake Kivu you will proceed with the journey to Volcanoes national park with en-route lunch and upon arrival you will check into the lodge have dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on the fifth day of your 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking rules and regulations. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park is done in groups of 8 people where each group is allocated a gorilla family to trek. After the briefing therefore you will be allocated a park guide who is well conversant with the trails in the jungle and then start trekking which takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the gorillas are located.
During trekking you will have views of primates like vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, bird species, mammals, plant species among others. Once the gorillas are found you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their habits, behaviors, take photos, watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breastfeeding, record the moments to show people back home among others. After the one hour encounter with the mountain gorillas you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide to transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Dian Fossey hike and cultural tour
Dian Fossey hike, after breakfast on the sixth day of your 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari your driver guide will pick you up and transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about Dian Fossey hiking. After the briefing you will drive to the trail head where you will start hiking through the forest which takes about 3 hours depending on your physical fitness. During Dian Fossey hiking you will have view of the bird species, animals, primates among others and when you reach at the research centre you will be able to learn more about the Dian Fossey a primatologist who dedicated and left behind a legacy to conserve the mountain gorillas and other animals. While at the research center you will see the house where she was murdered in 1985, her graveyard which is close to that of her beloved gorilla Digit and other 20 gorilla graveyards some of which were killed by poachers and natural reasons. After the Dian Fossey hike you will descend back to the park headquarters where you will meet your driver guide and drive to the lodge for lunch.
Cultural tour, after lunch you will go for a cultural tour in the neighboring communities for example visiting Ibyi’wacu cultural village, one of the interesting cultural villages around Volcanoes national park. During the cultural tour you will have an opportunity to interact with the local people where you will know more about their culture, way of living, taste different Kinyarwanda dishes, learn how local beer is made from bananas, be entertained inform of Kinyarwanda dance, songs, music and drama by women, listen to traditional stories among others. After the cultural tour you will transfer back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Twin lakes tour and departure
Twin lakes tour, on the last day of the 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari you will have breakfast and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the twin lakes of Lake Burera and Ruhondo. The twin lakes are located at the foot of mount Sabyinyo, Muhabura, Bisoke and Gahinga and they act as fishing grounds to the neighboring local communities, offer spectacular views of bird species, terraced farmlands, hills, enjoy the cool breeze and take great pictures. After the twin lakes tour, you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
After lunch you will check out of the lodge and your driver guide will pick you up to start the journey to Kigali international airport for your departure flight.
End of 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey safari
Tour includes
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Canopy walk
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Kigali city tour
- Dian fossey hike
- Cultural tour
- Services of an English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, tips among others.
