Rwanda Nyungwe Chimpanzee Tracking Tour-6 days.
To enquire about rates, availability or to make a booking for this Rwanda Chimpanzee tracking safari , please email us at tours@tourseastafrica.com or telephone/watsapp +44790.863.9450.
A safari holiday in Rwanda is a travel experience that offers visitors to this beautiful country, with a tragic but healing history, the opportunity to explore a tour destination with rare culture, traditions, a resilient people as well as the rare endangered mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, birds, and a whole number of primate species found in Nyungwe Forest. Rwanda has it all, lakes rivers, savannah, forests, gorillas, primates, volcanoes, beautiful gently rolling hills, dramatic views, genocide memorials and so much more. This is a destination waiting to be explored and leave with fond lifetime memories.
This 6 days’ tour will mesmerize you with viewings of rare wildlife, treks in forests, walking safaris, canopy walks over a Nyungwe forest. You will get a chance to participate in traditional local Rwanda cultural activities including dance, dress, tasting local food, beer, coffee and tea. You will visit local markets, local schools, local villages and local factories. You will learn firsthand how your travel makes a significant difference to the local communities, to conservation efforts to save the gorillas, wildlife and their habitat, but most importantly you will get to see how your travel helps improve the welfare of the local communities.
Nyungwe Forest is the only travel destination where you will get sightings of over 13 primate species from Chimpanzees, Colobus Monkeys, Blue Monkeys, L’Hoest Monkeys and the Angolan Black and White colobus monkeys among others. Nyungwe is a rare home to primates with its massive concentration of habituated primates’ species whose troops can be as high as 500 in number. Nyungwe is also enviably a unique hole to almost 300 species of birds some of them endemic to Nyungwe, making it an avid birder’s must visit destination.
Day 1: Depart Kigali & transfer to Butare.
You will be met on arrival by your expert driver guide who will brief you about your safari. Thereafter, we shall depart from Kigali and drive to the 2nd largest Rwanda city of Butare. This used to be the capital city of Rwanda before it was transferred to Kigali. Butare remains the education capital of Rwanda and hosts a number of institutions of higher learning. Enroute we shall pass through beautiful rolling hills, with dramatic views of what characterize much of Rwanda, fondly called The Land of a Thousand Hills. We shall have a scheduled stop-over in Nyanza for lunch and for a visit to the King’s Palace of Nyanza. While in Nyanza, we shall also visit with the art museum at Rwesero in Nyanza to appreciate and learn about Rwanda’s traditional and modern art. After lunch in Nyanza, we shall proceed to Butare where you will get a chance to visit the National Museum of Rwanda for a deeper intellectual understanding and appreciation of Rwanda’s history, culture and traditions.
We later check into your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Nyungwe Forest.
On day 2 we continue with our enchanting exploration of Rwanda, a beautiful small country but packed with so much to offer a visitor. Today we depart from Butare and continue to Nyungwe Forest National Park. Our journey will take us through the middle of this Afromontane forest of Nyungwe that boasts of hosting 13 primates species including the chimpanzees, the blue monkeys, L’hoest monkeys,, Angolan black & white monkeys and the colobus monkeys. Nyungwe Forest is also home to an enviable number of bird species making it a birder’s paradise.
You will continue to your Nyungwe hotel, passing through beautiful tea plantations. You will check into your hotel for lunch and relaxation, before heading out for a canopy walk experience over the forest or tracking of colobus monkeys.
You will return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Track chimpanzees in Nyungwe.
It is an early rise today at around 05am and you transfer to the chimpanzee tracking trailheads. The chimps can be elusive especially on rainy days as they tend to range far into the forest. You will be led into the forest by experienced ranger guides who will assist you track the chimpanzees. When you locate the chimps, you will have a chance to observe them as they play and swing from tree to tree, feed and simply go about their daily life.
You will later return to the lodge, spend the evening at leisure or go for a canopy walk.
Day 4: Nyungwe Nature Walk.
Today, you will have a chance to go for a guided nature walk in the forest to explore Nyungwe Forest’s rare flora & fauna as well as waterfalls. During the hiking trail, you may have a chance to see a variety of primates and birds along the way.
In the afternoon, you will get a chance to choose from either participating in tea harvesting with the locals. You may also visit a local tea factory for a first -hand experience of “from crop to cup” tea production process. You will pick your own tea leaves and witness as they get turned into some of East Africa’s best tea which you will have a chance to taste as a brewed cup of coffee. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Kibuye a town on the shores of Lake Kivu.
Today morning after breakfast, we leave beautiful and magnificent Nyungwe Forest and head to Kibuye on a scenic drive along the shores of Lake Kivu. We shall stop enroute and visit a local village with a local school and market. This will give you a chance to interact with local Rwandans as they go about their daily lives and hustling to earn an income. We shall then continue our tour to the lakeside town of Kibuye in time for a late lunch.
Lake Kivu is the largest fresh water in the great rift valley region. A boat ride on the lake in a dug-out canoe is a beautiful experience that is worth undertaking after checking into Cormoran Lodge which is perched on the shores of Lake Kivu. You would not be blamed for wishing to spend more days in the serene town of Lake Kivu and its environs.
Kibuye is Rwanda’s most attractive city given its location on the shores of Lake Kivu. Kibuye is situated in between gently rolling hills and offers visitors dramatic views of the Lake Kivu, its islands and a beautiful countryside that could pass for Switzerland. Kibuye is truly one of Rwanda’s hidden gems and a truly stunning lakeside resort.
Dinner and overnight at Cormoran Lodge.
Day 6: Transfer to Kigali and Kigali City Tour
Morning transfer to Kigali. Upon arrival, you will be given a brief tour of Kigali which is Rwanda’s capital city. Kigali was named in 1907 by Dr. Richard Kandt in 1907. Dr Kandt was the first colonial governor of Rwanda. The Kigali city tour will take you to visit the Gisozi Genocide memorial site. You will visit an artisan shopping centre to purchase local Rwanda arts and crafts as memorabilia of your Rwanda safari or as safari presents to loved ones back home . You will also visit the Kigali museum to learn about the history of Rwanda, its cultures, traditions and peoples.
You will later transfer to airport or hotel.
Safari Price will Include:
Services of a professional, French/English-speaking driver guide, his meals and accommodation.
A fueled safari 4×4 vehicle.
Airport transfer
Accommodation in comfortable lodges/hotels
Park entrance fees where applicable.
Entrance into King’s Palace at Nyanza
Entrance into Rwanda’ National Museum
Entrance into the gencide memorial site in Gisozi
Chimpanzee permit
Colobus Monkey permit
Canopy walk permit in Nyungwe.
Kigali City Tour.
Local community visits.
Tea/coffee plantation/factories visits
Prices Exclude.
Boat rides on Lake Kivu
Meals at restaurants
Visas
Giving back to the community: Through our corporate social responsibility, we give back 10% of our revenues to the community through direct funding of community-based projects. The charge per person ($60.00 USD) for the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village visit goes directly to the Local Community Trust Fund, which supports community projects to increase both incentives for conservation and linkages to community social-economic development.