Rwanda Primate Encounter Safari (5days)

On your arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be warmly met by our company representative who will be your safari guide throughout your 5 Days best of Rwanda primate encounter safari to meet and greet and then drive to your booked hotel in Kigali city to check in, freshen up, relax for some time, have breakfast and then 10am, check out of your hotel and drive to the airport for your helicopter transfer to Nyungwe national park. On arrival at the park, check in at your booked lodge to refresh, have lunch and then spend the rest of your time at leisure until it is time to have dinner and an overnight. One&Only Nyungwe House offers an unparalleled blend of luxury, comfort, and immersion in nature. Situated within a working tea plantation, which provides breathtaking views of the lush jungle, rolling hills, and misty mountains, creating an ideal base for exploring the wonders of Nyungwe National Park. With its seamless blend of luxury and nature, One&Only Nyungwe House is more than just a place to stay but it is a transformative experience that allows you to explore Rwanda’s natural beauty in style and comfort.

Wake up very early in the morning to dress in a recommended style for the most memorable chimpanzee trekking experience, such as waterproof hiking boots, a long-sleeved shirt suitable for cold weather, a rain jacket, a round hut, and insect repellents. Have a hearty breakfast, leave your hotel and drive straight to the park information office for the pre-tracking briefings for the guidelines to follow during chimpanzee tracking, be allocated a chimpanzee family to track and then set off for a forest walk to search for the chimpanzees. On the planet, there is no other animal that reminds us so much of ourselves as the chimpanzee, and besides many common features and mannerisms, chimpanzees share 98.8% of our human DNA, which makes them our closest living relatives. While searching for chimpanzees, you will encounter other primate species such as L’hoest monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys and blue monkeys, as well as several bird species since Nyungwe National Park is a home to over 13 different primate species making about 20- 25% of all the primates of Africa. The forest walk in search of chimpanzees may take about 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on their location and once you encounter them, you will spend an hour observing their behaviors such as how they swing through the tree branches, groom each other, and feed, while the guides provide fascinating insights into their social structure and habits. After spending an hour with the chimpanzees, return to the park information center to meet your safari guide, and then return to the lodge for a well-deserved lunch, refresh and then spend the rest of your time at leisure while memorizing on your great moments during the forest walk while looking for chimpanzees. Have dinner and an overnight.

Today, wake up at your convenience to have breakfast, check out of your lodge, get onboard and then to the Volcanoes national park which is one of the only four protected areas in the world that inhabits the mountain gorillas. The Park covers an area of about 160 km² of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes found in the Virunga Mountains, namely Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo where it derived its name. The park is part of the Virunga Conservation Area, which includes Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Virunga national park in DR Congo and Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda. On arrival at the park, check in at your booked lodge to refresh, have lunch and later visit the Iby’ Iwacu cultural village commonly known as “Gorilla guardians’ village” for a cultural walk. The Gorilla Guardian cultural village is well known for combining all of Rwanda’s known cultural traditions, people and history into one place for display and a personal experience. This will get you to see what life was like in a typical African society setting such as the lifestyle, houses, traditional dances, dressing code, food, and herbs and how the ancient kingdoms were generally organized. In addition, you will have an opportunity to learn African ancient hunting skills, try weaving baskets/mats, carpentry that provides a unique experience and it is a great place for relaxation and purchasing some locally handmade craft souvenirs to keep your memories. Return to the lodge for dinner and an overnight

Today, wake up very early in the morning to have your backpack ready. Dress up in the recommended style for the best mountain gorilla trekking experience: long trousers, possibly khaki or jean, a long-sleeved shirt, water-proof hiking shoes, a water-proof jacket, a round hut, and heavy-duty gloves. This is due to the unpredictable weather conditions in the forest, it can rain at any particular time of the day and then, for protection. Later, you will be served breakfast, get boxes of your packed lunch, and meet your safari guide to drive to the park information centre for the pre-gorilla trekking briefing, where you will be informed about the dos and don’ts during gorilla trekking, what are the expectations during gorilla trekking, how to behave while in the presence of the gorillas, and many other things. You will be joined in groups of eight people per group and then be assigned a particular gorilla family for tracking, with two gun-baring rangers (for your security) and a tracker/guide with a machete to lead your way during the forest walk while searching for the magical mountain gorillas. After the pre-gorilla trekking experience, your group of 8 trekkers will continue into the dense forest, following various forest trails in search of the allocated mountain gorilla family. The time taken while searching for the mountain gorillas is not known, but it can be anywhere between 45 minutes and 6 hours depending on the location and the movements of your allocated gorilla family on that day. Therefore, you need to be mentally and physically fit and prepared for multiple hours of forest walking over uneven and steep terrain. So, it is better to ask to be assigned near a gorilla family if you are not fit to manage multiple hours in the forest. If you consider yourself fit, choosing a challenging family will be more fun and enjoyable because you will have the opportunity to encounter several wildlife species that live in this forest, and the longer you stay in the jungle, the more you will enjoy it and have opportunities to see many things.

During the forest walk in search of the mountain gorillas, you may encounter other wildlife species since Volcanoes national park hosts numerous species, including chimpanzees, African elephants, l’Hoest’s monkey, and many others, plus birds, and your forest guide will keep on giving you information regarding everything that you will encounter that will make you enjoy your forest time. Once you meet your allocated mountain gorilla family, you will have one full hour of interacting with the magical mountain gorillas. You will be required to keep a low tone and you will be free to take as many photos as you want as well as ask as many questions as you want to your guides regarding the gorillas. Get ready to encounter Mr. Silverback, who is the head and determines the movements of the entire family. Mothers nurse their babies and the juveniles entertain the family, which makes a stay with them so amazing. It is advisable to avoid looking directly into the eyes of the gorillas. In the event of a chance to be approached by the gorillas, it is always important to stay calm and quiet and let them pass because running away or making any kind of noise may disrupt the gorillas, causing them to behave wildly despite being habituated. The chances of seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda stand at 99% on any particular day. After an hour with the magical mountain gorilla, return to the starting point and meet your safari guide to have some refreshments, and then drive back to your lodge to have lunch, and then spend the evening at your own leisure until it is time to have dinner and an overnight.

Today, wake up at your convenience to have your travel bags ready, have breakfast and then at 10am checkout of your lodge for a transfer to Kigali city. On arrival at Kigali city, transfer to your booked to lunch, relax some time and later early evening visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Ground, where more than 250,000 Rwandan victims of the 1994 Genocide were laid to rest in a mass grave. Nearly one million Rwandans, predominantly Tutsis, were brutally murdered by Hutu extremists. The memorial center not only honors the lives lost but also educates visitors about the events leading up to, during, and after the genocide, fostering a message of peace, reconciliation, and hope for the future. As you enter the memorial center, the atmosphere is one of quiet reverence. The tour typically begins with a visit to the gardens surrounding the memorial center, where simple, solemn stones mark mass graves. Here, visitors are encouraged to pay their respects to the victims, often leaving flowers or messages of condolence and reflection. Inside the memorial center, the exhibits provide a comprehensive and harrowing account of the genocide. Through a series of photographs, videos, personal testimonies, and artifacts, you will be taken on a chronological journey that explores the historical context, the horrific events of the genocide, and the aftermath. After the Museum tour, return to your hotel to refresh, have dinner, relax for some time and then at 9.30pm be transferred to the airport to prepare for your return flight very early on Dec 23, 2024. This will mark the end of your 5-days Rwanda primate and wildlife encounter safari.