This Rwanda safari is a really amazing opportunity for you to enjoy Rwanda, which will have to give you an opportunity to see the mighty Mountain Gorillas and visit all the three National Parks, enjoy the wildlife and chimps as well.
You will arrive at Kigali International Airport and transferred to Kigali City. Have an optional city tour in Kigali including a visit to the Genocide Museum, the Art and Craft Center, Local Markets, and more.
On proceed to Nyungwe Forest National Park, along the way, make stops at places of interest including local markets, the traditional palace of Rwanda’s Former King in Nyanza, visit the Butare’s Botanical Gardens in and a cultural museum. Drive past green fields of tea scattered across the hillsides.
Early start tracking for the chimpanzees, this can take anything from a few hours to a full day depending on where the chimpanzees are. It should be mentioned that it is not guaranteed to see the chimps as they are unpredictable and can move long distances in one day. There are several other primates in Nyungwe such as the Rwenzori colobus, L’Hoest’s monkey, Silver monkey, Owl faced monkey and the Grey-cheeked Mangabey.
Transfer to Gisenyi town which is located on the shores of Lake Kivu, go for relaxing activities like swimming, sport fishing and boat cruise. The cruise will provide you with a spectacular view of the Kibuye and Gisenyi towns.
Drive to Volcanoes National Park to participate in a quest tracking the “Little Primates” of the Virungas, the Golden Monkey, now listed as endangered because of their small numbers. You will have a chance to view other primate species like the Monkeys, bird species and so on.
Drive to the park headquarters and be briefed and assigned a gorilla group. The breathtaking trek, in which you follow in the footsteps of the rare and critically endangered mountain gorilla, the largest living primate on Earth, starts in the foothills of the Virungas with eye-catching views in all directions. Upon entering the national park, the paths are littered with fresh spoor of the elusive buffalo and elephant, and trekkers will be immersed in the mysterious intimacy of the rainforest, alive with lively birds and butterflies. Weaving through the forest the experienced trackers will soon bring you up close to one of the families of gorillas. During the 1 hour of interacting with the great apes, you will get to know about their daily life, and feeding pattern. After the trek, return to the lodge for relaxation OR a community walk.
You will participate in the trek to Karisoke Gorilla Research Centre which Dian Fossey, the famous primatologist set up. Because of her struggle to protect the endangered mountain gorilla in Rwanda, a voluntary project was found called; Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Please note that this adventurous activity also takes a full day.
Afterward, you will head to Akagera National Park, Eastern Rwanda which is approximately 2 and a half hours drive. The park has multifaceted Savannah ecosystems in Rwanda with beautiful landscapes, abundant birdlife and the big game animals. On arrival, you will carry out a nature walk. Have lunch and in the afternoon, go for the canoe ride on Lake Ihema. This will reward you with views of water loving animals like Hippos, out-sized crocodiles and water birds like the papyrus Gonolek, shoebill stork and African fish eagle.
After breakfast, you will go for full day game drive with packed lunch which will reward you with views of wildlife such as elephants, impala, black-tailed mongoose, hippos, oribi, bushbuck, antelope, zebra, cape eland, giraffe, buffalo, and also primates like the olive baboon, vervet monkey, bush baby.
