This 7 Days Rwanda Great Apes Tour takes you to Volcanoes National Park where you will be trekking Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys. You will then transfer to Lake Kivu where you will enjoy a boat ride in a traditional canoe and later transfer to Nyungwe forest national park where you will be doing Chimpanzee trekking, canopy walk and also hike to Kamiranzovu waterfalls. Later you will drive back to Kigali with a stopover visit to the King’s Palace in Nyanza and national Museum in Butare.
7 Days Rwanda Great Apes Tour
Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking Volcanoes NP Rwanda.
Day 3: Golden Monkey Trekking and Transfer to Lake Kivu (Kibuye)
Day 4: Morning boat cruise and Transfer to Nyungwe Forest national park
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy Walk.
Day 6: Hike to Kamiranzovu Waterfalls
Day 7: Transfer Back to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 7 Days Rwanda Great Apes Tour
Day 1: Transfer to Volcanoes National Park.
Following your arrival, you will be welcomed by our company representative/driver guide and transfer you to your hotel in Volcanoes national park arriving Ruhengeri for dinner and overnight stay at Virunga Resort Inn & Spa (Luxury)/Tiloreza Eco Lodge (Midrange)
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking Volcanoes NP Rwanda.
Wakeup to an early morning breakfast and report to the park headquarters for briefing and allocation of Gorilla trekking groups. Later, you will head into the cold and misty forested slopes of Volcanoes national park for your Gorilla trek.
The trek can be anywhere between 2 to 6 hours depending on the movement of the Gorillas and upon finding them, you will be allowed 1 hour to see and take photos after which you exit the forest.
Meet your driver / guide and transfer back to the lodge. If you feel strong, you may opt for a cultural tour at Ibyi’wacu Cultural tour. Dinner and overnight stay at /Tiloreza Eco Lodge (Midrange)
Day 3: Golden Monkey Trekking and Transfer to Lake Kivu (Kibuye)
Breakfast will be served early and drive back to the park headquarters for briefing and Golden Monkey trekking. The procedure is the same as Gorilla trekking but lasts only 3 to 5 hours and return to the lodge for lunch and to freshen up and later transfer to Lake Kivu for dinner and overnight at Comoran lodge (Midrange)/ Moriah Hill Hotel (Luxury)
Day 4: Morning boat cruise and Transfer to Nyungwe Forest national park
Wake up to a tasty breakfast and meet up with your driver guide. You will head out for a morning boat cruise on Lake Kivu where you will get a chance to explore the lake and also get to view bird species like the White-breasted Cormorants, African Fish Eagles and Pied Kingfishers among others. You will then transfer to Nyungwe national park arriving in time for lunch at the lodge. Spend the rest of your evening relaxing at the lodge/hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at Gisakura Guesthouse (Budget)/ Nyungwe Top Hill View Hotel (Midrange).
Day 5: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy Walk.
Enjoy breakfast and go for briefing before entering the forest, searching for the active and playful fellows in Nyungwe forest. The Chimpanzees are the easy to spot, as they jump from one tree to another, chattering and laughing. Chimp tracking usually takes about 3-4 hours or more depending on their location. After your trek, you will embark on a 2 hours Canopy walk a swing bridge 50 meters in length that is suspended from large trees. You will be able to see the amazing rainforest with a bird’s eye view, spotting wildlife moving about below you. Before night fall, you will return to the hotel for dinner as above. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top hill view hotel (Mid-Luxury).
Day 6: Hike to Kamiranzovu Waterfalls
Start your day with breakfast at your lodge. Drive to the park briefing point where you will be briefed by the park ranger. You will then commence your hike to Kamiranzovu waterfalls which is about a 4-6 hours hike depending on your hiking pace. After you hike, drive back to your lodge for lunch and spend the rest of your afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight stay at Nyungwe Top hill view hotel (Mid-Luxury).
Day 7: Transfer Back to Kigali
This will be a more leisurely drive back to Kigali with the visits enroute that you may have missed that is the King’s palace, Butare museum and connect to Kigali for drop off. This day you may opt to include an optional city tour in Kigali if you may have some time to spare. Drop off will be at Kigali international Airport or as you will advise.
