This 8-Day Rwanda Primates Safari Package starts and ends in Kigali, Rwanda. On this trip, expect to track primates in Nyungwe Forest National Park, including chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, and several other primate species.
You will take in Rwanda’s hills and valleys, meet mountain gorillas face to face in Volcanoes National Park, and take part in cultural experiences at the Gorilla Guardians Village, Kigali city, and other stops along the way.
8-Day Rwanda Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival, city tour, and overnight stay in Kigali
- Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest
- Day 3: Chimp trekking and afternoon canopy walk
- Day 4: Drive to Lake Kivu
- Day 5: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Gorilla Guardians Village visit
- Day 6: Gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park
- Day 7: Golden monkey trekking and optional activities
- Day 8: Transfer to Kigali and departure
Detailed 8-Day Rwanda Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival, City Tour, and Overnight Stay in Kigali
Arrive in Kigali and meet your guide at the airport waiting lounge. Transfer to your hotel for check-in, a cup of coffee or juice, and a briefing on the trip ahead.
Depending on your arrival time, take a short city tour and visit sites of historical and cultural significance.
These include the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the Kigali craft market, the Belgian Memorial, the Presidential Palace Museum, and other historical sites around the city.
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest
Depart Kigali for Nyungwe after breakfast. Nyungwe Forest sits in Rwanda’s southwestern Ruzizi province, near the DRC border. En route, visit the Ntarama and Nyamata genocide memorial churches, about 20 km outside Kigali.
Continue to the Murambi Genocide Memorial and stop in Butare, Rwanda’s second-largest city, to visit the National Museum and Ethnographic Museum. Have lunch, then continue to Nyungwe Forest for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Chimp Trekking and Afternoon Canopy Walk
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest begins early in the morning after breakfast. Get pre-trek instructions from park rangers before heading into the forest to search for the chimpanzees.
Trekking time can run up to 5 hours depending on weather and the chimps’ movements, though experienced trackers work to find them as quickly as possible.
After the trek, return to the starting point for a packed lunch, then head off for the canopy walk.
The Nyungwe canopy walk is a guided experience, accessible only along the Igishigishigi Trail. It’s the only canopy walkway of its kind in East Africa, suspended 60 meters above the forest floor between large trees.
The walk gives close views of the forest’s wildlife, plant life, and birds from above the canopy.
Day 4: Drive to Lake Kivu
Have a relaxed breakfast and check out from your lodge in Nyungwe Forest. Transfer to Lake Kivu, Rwanda’s largest lake, known for its white sand beaches, islands, and lakeside resorts.
Arrive in time for lunch, then spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach or take a boat trip to explore the lake’s islands and meet local fishermen. Overnight at a resort on the lake shore.
Day 5: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park and Gorilla Guardians Village Visit
Leave Lake Kivu after breakfast and continue north to Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda’s most well-known park.
The drive passes through some of Rwanda’s finest hills and valleys, with the Virunga range marking the border between Uganda and Rwanda along the way.
On arrival, have lunch at the lodge and rest for the remainder of the afternoon.
In the evening, visit the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, on the edge of Volcanoes National Park. The village highlights traditional Rwandan life and gives visitors a chance to take part in local daily activities, including how Urwagwa, a local banana brew, is made from start to finish, with a chance to try it yourself. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 6: Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is a dense forest area known for its wide range of plant and animal life, and the former home of primatologist Dian Fossey.
Start the day with an early breakfast, then head into the misty alpine forest with rangers and trackers, who locate your assigned gorilla family by following nests and droppings.
The trek moves through thick rainforest, over mossy rocks and through dense undergrowth. It can be physically demanding at times, but the encounter with the gorillas makes it worthwhile.
Seeing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is one of the most memorable experiences of any trip to Rwanda.
After up to one hour with the gorillas, trek back to the trailhead, have a packed lunch, and meet your guide for the drive back to the hotel.
Spend the afternoon resting, or visit the Twin Lakes, Burera and Ruhondo, at the base of Mount Muhabura in northern Rwanda. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.
Day 7: Golden Monkey Trekking and Optional Activities
Have breakfast at 7:00 am, then transfer to park headquarters for the briefing before heading into the forest of Volcanoes National Park.
As with gorilla trekking, only 8 people are permitted to visit a specific golden monkey troop per day. The trek lasts 1 to 5 hours depending on the monkeys’ movements.
Along the way, you may see red-tailed monkeys, blue and black colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, and forest mammals such as buffalo, elephants, bush babies, and bush pigs, along with a wide range of bird species.
Return to the lodge for lunch after the trek. In the afternoon, choose an optional activity: hike to Dian Fossey’s grave to learn about her work, or visit Musanze Caves, on the edge of the park, known for their history and resident bats.
Day 8: Transfer to Kigali and Departure
Have an early breakfast, then transfer to Kigali through the hills of northern Rwanda. The drive takes about 2.5 hours. Once in the city, visit any historical sites you missed on day one, or shop at Kigali’s craft markets. Transfer to Kigali airport in the evening for your return flight.
End of 8-Day Rwanda Primates Safari.
