Description
Rwanda Gorilla and Chimps trip, Nyungwe and Volcanoes trekking
Day one: Rwanda gorilla and chimps tour begins in Rwanda following a morning flight arrival. Meet your gorilla trekking guide and later, start your trek out of Kigali. Travel through the Mountain Gorilla country referred to as the land of one thousand hills. Later, heading to the edge of the Nyungwe Forest for check in in the late evening. Dinner and overnight at the Nyungwe Lodge. Meal plan – Dinner.
Day Two: Morning breakfast before the morning Rwanda gorilla and Chimps trekking expedition in search for a troop of Chimpanzees. This walk is also famous for spotting some rare Colubus monkeys, as well as some very rare species of birds. After the trekking of the Chimpanzees, have a picnic lunch and return for dinner and overnight at the Nyungwe Lodge. Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day Three: Breakfast early then transfer again to the misty forests to another area of the Nyungwe forest where we will be trekking on the Canopy high up in the dense jungle. On the trek, see other primates, birds and animals that live at tree level . We have lunch and later check out before heading northwards towards the gorilla trekking sanctuary of Volcanoes park. The drive along some winding roads gets us to Kibuye Beach area where dinner and overnight will be at the Morial Hill Resort or similar Hotel. Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day Four: Morning breakfast before driving further up to the Mountain base in Kinigi to prepare for the next day’s golden monkey trekking in the Volcanoes. The evening would be free to participate in the visit to the local Batwa communities or simply trekking around the base of the Volcanoes. Meals and overnight at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge.
Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day Five: Breakfast early, before heading out in a group for a trek in the Bamboo forest. The guides will lead you on a trek to find colonies or the Golden Monkeys which inhabit parts of these forests. Eventually, have an hour of gorilla viewing before returning to base for lunch, dinner and overnight at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge in Kinigi.
Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day Six: Breakfast in the morning, then report to the park offices where the gorilla trekking guides and trackers will conduct a gorilla safari briefing. The gorilla trek then resumes after allocating the different gorilla groups to Individuals. Track the Mountain gorillas and the trekkers called forward for viewing and photographing. Later, heading back to the safari vehicle and depart to the hotel for a late lunch. Spend the evening at the accommodations before dinner and overnight at the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge. Meal plan – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day Seven: Rwanda Safari Tour
Finally, conclude The Rwanda Gorilla and Chimps safari with a 2 hour drive to Kigali for the departure flight. Alternatively, shop for crafts and souvenirs if departing on a later flight.
Price per person sharing starts at USD2,100 + US$750 gorilla permit
Rwanda gorillas and chimps tour includes:
- Airport transfers
- Accommodations in lodges as per budget
- Park entrance fees
- Trekking permits for the chimps
- Gorilla ticket as priced above
- Transport to the Batwa communities, if required
- Canopy walk in search of some of the rare species of wildlife
- Rwanda Gorilla and Chimps permits
Gorilla safari general information and rules
- Mountain gorillas are wild animals, habituated to tolerate the presence of humans, on their turf. One is advised, to keep a submissive posture whilst in the presence of the gorillas.
- You shouldn’t have a battle of the (eyes)with the Silver-back, as this may be mean a challenge for dominance. In other words, you should avoid prolonged, direct eye contact with the gorillas.
- For reasons of safety, you are advised to avoid standing over the Mountain Gorillas. Instead, you can follow them on the gorilla trek in a crouching position as you take pictures, and follow them as they feed.
- During conversations in the presence of the gorillas, you should keep the voices as low as possible. Actually, speaking in whispers is advisable, as the gorillas are gentle animals, and the only sounds they emit are usually soft grunts and murmurs as they feed. Being loud on the gorilla trek, may agitate them.
- Taking pictures of the Mountain gorillas is allowed, however, you should avoid using flash for better pictures. This usually makes them uneasy and may lead to mock charges from the Silver-back. You may consider using a reflector to brighten the pictures.
- The distance allowed between the gorilla family, and the gorilla trekkers is 7 metres. This is for the reasons of minimizing contact with the endangered animals as they can easily pick up human borne diseases. Mountain gorillas share over 98% DNA with humans, and so, can easily catch cold or skin diseases.
- In case of illness, due to a cold or a severe influenza attack, the gorilla trek is omitted and a refund processed.
- people younger than 15 can not visit the gorilla family or take part in the gorilla trekking experience. Reason is, their immunity levels are not fully developed and this could endanger the mountain gorilla health.
- Mountain gorillas are 98% vegan and mostly feed on the leaves and other plants in the forest. At no time, should you try to feed them.
- Do not eat in the vicinity of the Mountain gorillas. This may explain why animals sometimes do raids into homes.
- For conservation reasons, do not litter in park. Should by any chance one wants to use the washrooms in the jungle, the gorilla guide will provide a machete to ease in the digging of a hole in the ground.
