This 4-Day Rwanda Gorilla and Golden Monkey Tour includes up to three nights in Volcanoes National Park, where you’ll track two primate species: mountain gorillas and the endangered golden monkeys. A stop at the Twin Lakes adds a strong dose of Rwanda’s scenery to the trip.
A Kigali city tour rounds out this short trip, taking in historical sites, a craft market, and the Genocide Memorial, all part of the Land of a Thousand Hills.
4-Day Rwanda Gorilla Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Travel to Volcanoes National Park
- Day 2: Gorilla trekking encounter
- Day 3: Golden monkey trekking
- Day 4: Transfer to Kigali and departure
Detailed 4-Day Rwanda Gorilla Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Travel to Volcanoes National Park
On arrival at Kigali International Airport, meet one of our experienced driver guides, then head to a nearby restaurant for coffee while your guide briefs you on the trip ahead.
Continue on to Volcanoes National Park, in Rwanda’s northern Virunga region, known for its population of endangered mountain gorillas.
In the evening, take a walk through the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, a living museum on the edge of Volcanoes National Park that shows traditional and present-day Rwandan life.
Overnight stay at your pre-booked lodge on the edge of the park.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking Encounter
Have an early breakfast, then drive with your guide to Volcanoes National Park headquarters for the briefing session, where a ranger guide explains the rules for gorilla trekking in the park.
During the briefing, specific gorilla families are assigned to groups of up to eight trekkers, accompanied by armed rangers, trackers, and porters, who can be hired separately.
The trek begins right after the briefing, moving through farmland before entering dense forest. The difficulty of the hike depends on the assigned gorilla family’s location, generally between 1,500 and 2,000 meters above sea level.
After about 2 hours, you’ll come across your gorilla family, with the dominant silverback watching over the group. You get one hour with them to take photos and observe their behavior before descending back to the starting point to meet your guide for the transfer to your lodge.
Spend the rest of the afternoon resting, or take an optional tour to Musanze Caves, or a hike to the Karisoke Research Center and Dian Fossey’s grave to learn about her work protecting mountain gorillas in the Virunga region.
Day 3: Golden Monkey Trekking
Have breakfast, then head out for golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park, another highlight of the park alongside gorilla trekking.
The golden monkey, scientifically known as Cercopithecus mitis kandti, is a subspecies of the blue monkey found in the Afro-montane forests of the Virunga region, primarily in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
Trekking begins at 8:00 am with a briefing, followed by the search through the forest. Trekking time runs 2 to 7 hours, and once you find a troop, you get one hour to observe them.
Afterward, return to the trailhead and then to the lodge for lunch and rest. The afternoon is dedicated to visiting the Twin Lakes, Ruhondo and Bulera, at the foothills of the Virunga Mountains.
Day 4: Transfer to Kigali and Departure
Have breakfast at the lodge, then depart the Virunga foothills for the drive back to Kigali. Take an optional city tour to see the Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, historical monuments, the Presidential Palace Museum, and the Kigali craft market for souvenirs.
Continue to Kigali Airport for your onward flight. An evening flight after 6:00 pm is recommended.
End of 4-Day Rwanda Gorilla and Golden Monkey Tour.
