6 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Lake Kivu
This 6 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Lake Kivu takes you to some of the country’s best primate destinations, including Volcanoes National Park, where you will trek the rare mountain gorillas, and Nyungwe Forest National Park, where you will track chimpanzees. You will also spend time exploring the beautiful Lake Kivu in western Rwanda.
Highlights: 6 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Lake Kivu
Day 1: Pick-Up and Transfer to Musanze
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Day 3: Iby’iwacu Cultural Village Visit and Transfer to Lake Kivu
Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy Walk
Day 6: Transfer to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary: 6 Days Rwanda Gorillas, Chimpanzees & Lake Kivu
Day 1: Pick-Up and Transfer to Musanze
You will be met by our guide at your hotel, the Radisson Blu, and transferred into Kigali city for a short tour, including a visit to the Genocide Memorial site. Later in the afternoon, you will transfer to Musanze town for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Gorilla Lodge
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from Rwanda Development Board officials, you will set off for gorilla trekking, a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience. Rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search of the gorillas, and you will move up and down rugged terrain until you finally encounter these remarkable creatures, whose company you will enjoy for a full hour. The activity typically takes three to five hours, depending on the gorillas’ movement that day. In the afternoon, you may join an optional village tour for a cultural experience with a resident local guide. Return afterward for dinner and an overnight stay.
Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Gorilla Lodge
Day 3: Iby’iwacu Cultural Village Visit and Transfer to Lake Kivu
In the morning after breakfast, you will enjoy the Iby’iwacu cultural tour before transferring to Lake Kivu for a boat cruise on the lake. After the cruise, you will have lunch and settle in at your lodge. Dinner and overnight stay at Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.
Day 4: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Breakfast will be served early, and you will then set off on the drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park, with lunch en route. Dinner and overnight stay at Emeraude Kivu Resort.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking and Canopy Walk
Enjoy breakfast, then attend a briefing before entering the forest in search of Nyungwe’s lively, playful chimpanzees. They are relatively easy to spot as they swing from tree to tree, chattering along the way. Chimpanzee trekking usually takes about three hours, after which you will return to your accommodation for lunch.
After lunch, you will walk a forest trail leading to the Canopy Walk at Uwinka, a suspended swing bridge roughly fifty metres long. From here, you will take in sweeping views over the rainforest canopy and spot wildlife moving below. Before nightfall, you will return to your hotel for dinner, as above.
Day 6: Transfer to Kigali
Wake up to a good breakfast in the misty surroundings of Nyungwe Forest, then set off on the drive to Kigali, passing impressive tea plantations along the way, arriving in Kigali in the afternoon. You will be dropped at your hotel or at the airport for your onward flight.
