How many days do you need for gorilla and chimp trekking in Rwanda?
Gorilla and chimp trekking: Rwandan gorilla and chimpanzee hikes: how long? Rwanda attracts travelers year-round for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. Nearly 90% of Rwandan safari travelers visit Volcanoes National Park for mountain gorillas and Nyungwe National Park for chimpanzees.
Visitors often question how long itu takes to view both species in one trip. A combined gorilla and chimpanzee trek safari should last at least four days, but five is better to allow for additional safari activities.
Schedule a 5-day Rwandan hiking trip with Gorilla and chimp trekking
Trek through Rwanda’s woods for five days to see gorillas and chimpanzees. First, we’ll pick you up at the airport and take you to Nyungwe Forest National Park for canopy walking and chimpanzee trekking. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park will conclude our trip.
What safari fees cover
Accommodation
Bottled water
Transfers from/to the airport
Chimpanzee and gorilla trekking and 4×4 permit.
Driving companion who speaks English
The park charges admission.
Items not included in safari pricing.
Getting dressed Insurance Visas
Expensive drinks
Individual purchases
Tips
Flight vouchers
Kigali-Nyungwe Forest National Park: Day One
Our driving guide will pick you up from Kigali International Airport after a brief welcome and safari area orientation. A stop at Kigali’s Genocide Memorial Centre will precede your transportation to Nyungwe National Park.
After arriving in Nyungwe in the afternoon, explore the Gisakura Tea Estate after lunch and check-in. At the tea estate, you may drink fresh coffee and learn about coffee cultivation, harvesting, and processing. After seeing Gisakura, we’ll eat and stay at the lodge.
Day 2: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk
After a full breakfast, you’ll be taken to the park headquarters for a briefing and separated into eight groups to hike with the chimpanzees. Make sure you’re on time to start the walk at 8:00 am with a lead guide. The family’s travel to Nyungwe’s 80 habituated chimpanzee groups may take one to six hours, depending on their location.
You spend an hour with the chimpanzees after finding them. You could witness baboons, red-tailed monkeys, colobus monkeys, and L’Hoest monkeys. Before the next activity, you will be taken to a safe place to have your lunch or rest at the lodge.
After lunch, go to the Uwinka center for our canopy stroll. Nyungwe’s canopy walk, East Africa’s longest at 160 meters and 70 meters above sea level is thrilling. The trip has three phases, so height-phobics may start slowly. This walk offers aerial views of Nyungwe.
Return to the resort for dinner and overnight after the climb.
Day 3 Volcanoes National Park Transfer | Gorilla and chimp trekking
On Day 3, our last day in Nyungwe, we will check out of the lodge and visit Volcanoes National Park after breakfast. In Volcanoes National Park, have lunch at our resort and then climb to Twin Lakes with a guide. After that, we’ll have dinner and stay at the lodge before hiking the next day.
Day 4: Gorilla hiking and Iby’iwacu culture.
A morning meal at the lodge will allow us to visit the national park. After learning about the trek’s rules, you’ll be assigned to gorilla families and separated into eight groups. The park hikes depend on your family.
The duration of the trip depends on numerous factors, including walking speed and gorilla tracking time. You discover the gorillas, spend an hour with them, then return to headquarters. After lunch and leisure, you may get your gorilla trekking and conservation certificates.
Our gorilla expedition ended with an Iby’iwacu culture visit. Near the national park, the hamlet helps rehabilitate poachers and offers them alternate means of livelihood. Meet the people, get to know them, and return to the lodge for dinner and the night after viewing ethnic dances and listening to traditional music.
Day 5: Kigali Transfer/Departure
After breakfast, your guide will drive you to Kigali. Your five-day Rwanda gorilla and chimpanzee tour ends with transport to the airport or your hotel.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda’s lone gorilla trekking destination is Volcanoes National Park, a two- or three-hour drive from Kigali International Airport. Over fifteen habituated families and 400 gorillas live in the national park. Volcanoes gorilla trekking is available year-round, however December–February and June–September are the driest.
Mountain gorilla hiking requires a permit since no other identification will get you in. Whoever buys permission sets the price. Non-resident foreigners pay $1500, Africans $500, and EAC nationals $300. Visitors who register in advance for Nyungwe Forest National Park and Akagera National Park get a 10% discount, while conference attendees who book in bulk enjoy savings.
Two to six hours may be needed to hike gorillas, depending on the family. However, you must first attend a lecture where they explain trekking rules, including the fact that no more than eight people may visit a gorilla family each day. No sick people should go gorilla trekking. If you see gorillas, stay seven meters away and don’t ruin the national park. You’ll spend an hour with them, so remain calm. You may eat and drink at certain places, but not near the gorillas.
Gorilla and chimp trekking: Other activities on a Volcanoes National Park gorilla trek safari include:
Visiting the Iby’iwacu village: This community was founded to protect and employ former poachers who now conserve gorillas. Friendly villagers will help you carry your things while you tour the hamlet. They’ll also demonstrate Kinyarwanda music and dancing.
The president of Rwanda and other dignitaries attend Kwita Izina annually. Founded to preserve gorillas from poaching and increase their number, it names baby animals.
Golden monkeys and birds are abundant at Volcanoes National Park, making it an excellent site to view them. Just follow the bamboo shoots left behind to trek them. Birdwatching during the rainy season is an excellent method to view migratory species.
Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park chimpanzee hike
Nyungwe Forest National Park is Rwanda’s most popular chimpanzee trekking destination, second only to gorilla trekking. Chimpanzee tracking involves traveling through the jungle for one to six hours to discover habituated groups. Chimpanzee walk safaris in Nyungwe allow visitors to see thirteen primate species. At Nyungwe Park’s chimpanzee habituation experience, you may observe them more.
When arranging a Nyungwe chimpanzee trek safari, consider the permit costs, trip rules, and ideal timing.
Rwanda Development Board hike permits are the only way to see chimpanzees. Tourists must buy permits in advance to climb the two chimpanzee families. EAC citizens pay $25, non-residents $250, and international residents $75. Entering the park costs $60 for foreign residents, $10 for East African Community members, $60 for African nationals, and $100 for non-resident foreigners.
You should also know trekking tips. While trekking with chimpanzees, you must keep a 7-meter distance, not eat or drink, not touch or smoke them, not use all-flash photography, not trek if you’re sick, cover your nose and mouth if you sneeze or cough, spend no more than an hour with them, and trek in groups of no more than eight people.
The following activities are available at Nyungwe National Park. | Gorilla and chimp trekking
Visitors visiting the country for chimpanzee treks increasingly look forward to the canopy walk. The canopy trek is unsurpassed in East Africa at 160 kilometers and 74 meters above sea level. The canopy walk, which gives you a bird’s-eye view of the national park and lets you observe baboons, chimpanzees, monkeys, and birds, takes two to three hours.
The Gisakura tea estate outside the national park is a famous Rwandan attraction. Touring tea plantations lets you experience the whole process from seed to completed product. A hot cup of tea will be served along the route.
You may hike around Nyungwe Forest National Park on one of its numerous pathways. The waterfall walk is the most popular hike since it takes you through the forest to numerous beautiful waterfalls with spectacular views. Longer, half-day guided nature tours allow you to see numerous birds and primates.
Safari necessities for Rwandan gorilla and chimpanzee trekking
When trekking around chimpanzees or gorillas, pack similar gear. Because you will be trekking through nearly identical terrains filled with bushes and trees, a first aid kit, neutral-colored clothing, long-sleeved shirts, pants, ankle-length hiking boots, sunscreen, insect repellent, a sunhat, sunglasses, a camera, a flashlight, a waterproof backpack, a waterproof raincoat, a poncho or warm sweater, additional batteries, and snacks are essential.
Contact us for a customized itinerary and more information on our ultimate Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee trek safari. Questions? Our staff can assist.
