11 Day Remarkable Rwanda Primates Trek And Safari
- Customisable itinerary
- Private departure
Trip overview
Remarkable Rwanda is one of the world’s most captivating and sort after destinations. From near destruction in the tragic 1994 genocide to a never-before-seen reconciliation, recovery and period of peace and stability, Rwanda is now considered a leader in the region and an innovative developing country which bans plastic bottles, is the 6th safest place to walk alone at night in the world and has the world’s highest representation of women in Parliament.
Home to some of the most special animal encounters on the planet you will get to trek and spend time with rare and critically endangered Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Golden Monkeys as well as go spotting the big 5 on a safari drive.
If getting you to all 3 National Parks wasn’t enough on this tour you get to spend a night overlooking Africa’s sixth largest lake, Lake Kivu and participate in multiple cultural, historical and coffee experiences that Rwanda is world renowned for. All whilst staying at best-in-class accommodation to suit your budget and lifestyle.
Rwanda truly earns its title of being Remarkable
Customise this trip for a perfect match
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Private and tailor-made Your own vehicle, driver guide and pace. Nothing on this page is fixed — days can be swapped, added or dropped.
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Routed by people who drive it Every itinerary here was planned by someone who has driven the road, and the planner who answers you is the one who builds it.
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Licensed and accredited Registered with the Rwanda Development Board and a member of the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association.
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Support while you travel One number reaches the Kigali office around the clock for the whole time you are on the ground.
A draft itinerary costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Tell us what you would change and a planner rewrites it as many times as it takes.
The route
- Countries
- Rwanda
Itinerary
Day 1
Welcome to Kigali, Rwanda!!! On arrival, we have organized a meet & greet service at Kigali Airport to express you through immigration and then be escorted and introduced to your private expert driver/guide who will transfer you your accommodation.
Day 2
After having breakfast, your driver guide will meet you at the Hotel Reception at 7:00 am and provide you with a detailed briefing of your day itinerary before we begin our 3 hour scenic drive to Akagera National Park in the eastern part of Rwanda.
Akagera NP Game Drive. We will arrive mid-morning at around 9:30 am at the park reception for registration and proceed for the southern sector game drive. This circuit is particularly known for its Giraffes, Zebras, Baboons, Waterbuck, and Buffalo. After this morning session, we will driver to our lodge for lunch and check in.
Afternoon by 3:00 pm we will embark in our vehicle with enroute game drive towards Lake Ihema Boat Safari.
Lake Ihema Boat Safari. At 4:30 pm we will head to Lake Ihema within the park for a 5 o’clock Boat Safari and sundowner. This is an opportunity to get up close from a whole new perspective and see hippos, crocodiles, and many of the 423-bird species of Akagera, all whilst watching the sunset over this magical first day.
We then return to our accommodation for dinner and overnight:
Day 3
Full day Game drive from South to North and Exit.
Then we are off on a full day’s game drive as we make our way from the southern part of Akagera NP all the way to the northern sector via a stop at Hippo’s Beach viewpoint for your packed lunch and good shorts for Hippos on the beach sunbathing. After lunch we proceed to the northern sector.
Akagera National Park Northern sector.
The northern sector has wide savannahs and is where we are most likely to spot Lions and Rhinoceros’. The lions have introduced about 7 years ago and their numbers are increasing very healthily and the Rhinos are only less than a year in the park so it will be a great day if we manage to spot them.
This is a big savannah country with several lakes dotting the landscape creating further opportunities to spot birdlife and hippos.
Late in the afternoon we will return to south to our accommodation and relax with our lodge facilities.
Day 4
After breakfast at the hotel, you will check out at 7:30 am for your 5 hours scenic transfer to Volcanoes NP via Kigali city. You will have a stopover at Sooko Restaurant for washrooms and cold drink and lunch before we proceed to Volcanoes NP.
We will arrive at the lodge around 2:00 pm, have lunch and check in. In the afternoon, you will visit the nearby Ellen DeGeneres campus of the Dian Fossey Fund.
Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Fund. This is extraordinary new campus was Elen’s wife, Portia’s birthday gift to Ellen to permanently connect Ellen’s passion for Wildlife Conservation with her childhood hero Dian Fossey. This start of the art center has enabled the temporarily housed Dian Fossey Fund to find a permanent home and expand education and research into Mountain Gorilla Conservation. This campus will make an everlasting positive contribution to the communities of Volcanoes National Park and the future of Mountain Gorillas.
After this great experience, we will return to our accommodation for drinks with a great intore dance (Rwandan traditional dance.
Day 5
After your early breakfast you will be transferred from your accommodation around 6:30 am to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters and meet with excellent and well-informed local guides who keep in touch with the advance group (trackers). The guides will give a talk on the etiquette of gorilla tracking basing on their experience with gorillas.
We then hike into the forest to where the gorillas were seen the night before and track from that point with the communication of the advance group.
The trek can take from 2-6 hours and climb to altitudes not in excess of 7,500 feet. The terrain is rough and at times muddy. Although the hike is physically demanding, the beauty of the forest and surrounding scenery make the trekking worthwhile.
Once the gorillas are located all fatigue is forgotten, as the experience is often described as being one of the most profound natural animal encounters in the world. Remember it’s a good idea to hire a porter to help you carry your backpack or bag and can give you a hand during hiking.
After the trek, you will come back to the lodge to freshen up and have lunch. In the afternoon, you can do extra optional activities such as the Community Village Walk or relax with accommodation facilities.
Day 6
This morning after an early breakfast your driver guide will pick you up at reception at 7:00 am for your Golden Monkey Trek.
Golden Monkey Trek. It’s a short drive to the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters to register and receive your briefing for the trek. Then you will be transferred to the starting point of the trek. Golden Monkey’s on average are a much easier trek than the Mountain Gorillas, but of course occasionally nature doesn’t cooperate. Like the Mountain Gorillas you will get to spend an hour with these active, unique and beautiful monkeys which are quite rare. Rwanda has probably the most accessible troops of Golden Monkey’s in East Africa.
Return to the lodge for freshen up, lunch and check out by 2:00pm for your 3.5-hour scenic transfer to Kibuye to check in to our accommodation.
Day 7
Today after breakfast, we will jump on our Lake Kivu today’s activities which is swimming cows and Napoleon Island.
The Swimming Cows Experience. The farmers around Karongi use the islands as grazing pasture for their cattle. They do not transport the cows there by boat but rather let the cows swim there. In this experience you will join the cattle and their herdsmen as they herd their swimming cows from one island to another in a dugout canoe.
Those who have visited Rwanda’s Royal Palace in Nyanza will know of Rwanda’s history and special bond with cows. The swimming cows experience is a very unique experience which you are unlikely to encounter elsewhere but is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.
You will start the day by being picked up in one of the cooperatives tour boats and head out into the archipelago outside Karongi. The landscape is breathtaking and the many green islands outside Karongi give the area a very beautiful and tropical feeling.
Once you reach the island where the cows are kept at the moment, the herdsmen will start to usher the cows into the water. From the comfort of the boat you watch as the herdsmen herd the swimming cows in their dugout canoes towards another island. The tour ends once the cows have safely reached the destined island we will get out and we explore the historical Napoleon Island experience.
Napoleon Island. Napoleon Island is one of the most popular and most visited islands on Lake Kivu. Napoleon Island is located outside Karongi. The island may not be the one of the largest in Lake Kivu but it is one of the tallest. The elevation from the water’s edge to the summit is just over 100 meters giving visitors a spectacular view of the surrounding lake, islands and shoreline.
The real name is Nyamunini island, but as you approach Napoleon Island from the distance you immediately see from where it gets its name. The profile of the island closely resembles
the historical hats which were popular in European army uniforms at the end of the 18th century and Napoleon is commonly seen depicted in this kind of hat. Hence the name Napoleon Island.
Napoleon Island has been declared a conservation area. There is no development, services or construction on the island. All food and drink need to be brought with you and make sure that you leave no trash behind on the island.
One of the most popular activities on Napoleon Island is hiking. A hiking trail runs from one side of the island to the other side of the island. This hiking trail will take you to the highest point of the island. The highest point of the island is a bit over 100 m over the level of the lake and highest point on any of the islands of Lake Kivu. From here you have a magnificent view of the lake, landscape and surrounding islands.
Napoleon Island is not developed and there is no infrastructure at all on the island. This also includes the hiking trail so do not expect any signs benches or stairs. The trail has been formed through by visitors walking the same path to the top of the island over many years. The rock landscape of Napoleon Island makes it quite easy to walk.
The island is steep to climb, but people with normal level fitness should easily manage to hike to the top of the Napoleon Island and to the other side in about one hour.
Day 8
Today we will have a relaxed breakfast as we enjoy the panoramic views and sea breeze of the Lake Kivu as we will not check out untill 10:00 am. Then we depart for 2 hour scenic transfer along way Kivu and on to Nyungwe Forest NP.
On arrival, we will take the parked lunch at Uwinka NP reception. After lunch, we will enjoy a Canopy walkway experience amongest the ancient temperate rain forest of Nyungwe.
Canopy Walkway. It’s suspended above ravine amidst the lush vegetation and montane forest of the Ngungwe National Park, Canopy Walk offers participants an exhilarating perspective atop the ancient treetops and wildlife. The 160 meters long suspended bridge is accessible as apart of a guided hike along the Igishigishigi trail or those hiking the Imbaraga and Umuyove trails.
After we will embark in our vehicle and transfer to your accommodation to check in and relax with the accommodation facilities.
Day 9
Wake up very early in the morning at 5:00 am, take a cup of tea or coffee as at 05:30 am, we will pick our packed breakfast to be eaten on the way to the starting point of your Chimpanzee Trek by 6:30 am. At the park offices you will be briefed about the chimpanzees and the other primates in this forest and after entering into the forest searching for the shy chimpanzees and you may have a chance to see other primates on your way.
There are around 500 chimpanzees in this region of Rwanda making it an extremely important region for conservation of this rapidly declining relative. Depending on the trackers information you may get on of the larger troops of around 60 or a more intimate troop of 20-30.
Either way chimpanzees are usually much more active than the Mountain Gorillas and are truly amazing to watch and try keep up with. Sharing 98.7% of human DNA you will be astounded by their intelligence, confidence and traits.
After the experience, return to Uwinka visitor center for a break with a hot lunch at Uwinka café before we proceed with the Canopy walkway.
Day 10
This morning after your breakfast, you will depart Nuyngwe National Park for our scenic transfer to Kigali.
Transfer to Kigali (6 Hours)
At 7am depart Nyungwe National Park and take the scenic 6-hour scenic drive back to Kigali with enroute lunch and Kings Palace Museum.
Nestled atop one of the scenic hills in Nyanza, the King’s Palace Museum offers visitors a unique and immersive experience of Rwanda’s royal history. Opened in 2008, the museum showcases the country’s monarchical heritage, spanning from the 15th century until the monarchy’s dissolution in 1961. With a harmonious blend of traditional and colonial architecture, as well as captivating cultural performances, the King’s Palace Museum is one of Rwanda’s most significant cultural attractions.
A major highlight in Nyanza is the reconstructed King’s Palace, a replica of the traditional royal residence.
Visitors begin their journey at the replica of the traditional royal palace, a large, thatched structure designed in the style of the late 19th century. This impressive building was constructed using traditional materials and methods, reflecting the architectural style employed by King Musinga when he first established his court in Nyanza. The palace compound includes beehive-shaped huts where milk and beer were traditionally prepared. This replica palace provides a glimpse into the past, allowing visitors to imagine life at the royal court during Rwanda’s monarchical era.
Behind the traditional palace lies the Inyambo cattle enclosure, where visitors can see the magnificent long-horned cows, descendants of the king’s herd from the 1950s. Known as Inyambo, these cows are a symbol of Rwanda’s cultural heritage, bred and cared for by the Rwanda Agriculture Board. The cattle trainers maintain customs that were integral to royal ceremonies, such as adorning the cattle with jewelry and singing to them. These performances, which include traditional songs and poems, are a nod to the ceremonial parades held during the monarchy.
After the museum experience and lunch, we will jump on our 2.5 hor scenic transfer to Kigali. On arrival, you will check in and relax with the accommodation facilities as you prepare for your flight the next day.
Day 11
After breakfast, your driver guide will be at the hotel reception ready for your transfer to Kigali Airport for your flight home.
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