This 5 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee Trek, Karisimbi hike and gorilla trekking safari gives you the opportunity to explore two of Rwanda’s top primate national parks. During this safari, you will journey to Nyungwe Forest National Park for chimpanzee trekking and then drive to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking and hike Mount Karisimbi.
Highlight for 5 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee Trek, Karisimbi Hike and Gorilla Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali, transfer to Nyungwe Forest national park.
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
Day 4: Hike up to Mount Karisimbi
Day 5: Reach the summit, descend and return to Kigali
Detailed Itinerary for 5 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee Trek, Karisimbi Hike and Gorilla Safari
Day 1: Pickup in Kigali, transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park.
You will be met by our company representative from Explore Rwanda Tours. You will take a brief city tour as you set off for a longer safari to Nyungwe Forest, taking the southern direction. You will make stop over at the traditional king’s palace at Nyanza and later National Museum at Butare for lunch, if time allows.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge in Nyungwe.
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking and Drive to Volcanoes National Park
Begin your Rwanda safari day with an early morning breakfast to warm up your body from coldness of the night and boost your body into chimpanzee-tracking moods. The safari guide will escort you to ranger guides’ office by 7.45am to formalize the forest procedures. You will then be led into the forest on the dot of 8.00am for an exciting chimpanzee tracking expedition that averagely takes 4 hours.
Once sighted you will spend an hour with them and watch them interacting with each other, take photos and share lots of wilderness information with the ranger guides, transfer to Volcanoes Nationals National Park.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 3: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.
Early in the morning after breakfast and a briefing from the park officials, set off for the gorilla trekking. This experience of gorilla trekking is a once in a life time adventure. The rangers will lead you deep into the forest in search of the Gorillas.
You will move up and down the rugged terrain until you finally meet these harmonious creatures whose company you will cherish for 1 hour. The activity in Rwanda can take 3-5 hours depending on the movement of the gorillas. In the afternoon you may go for an optional village tour for a cultural experience with a resident local guide. Return for dinner and overnight stay as above
Day 4: Hike up to Mount Karisimbi
Wake early, have breakfast and drive to the park headquarters for a briefing about the activity as early as 7 am, you will then be allocated the ranger guides and you head for the hike. Karisimbi volcano is the highest of the 8 mount peaks of Virunga conservation region.
The hike to the summit offers spectacular and magnificent views of different volcanoes including Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira volcanoes. The hike is strenuous and challenging so you need to be physically fit to do this hike. This is a 6 hours hike with great views different bird species and primates. On reaching at an altitude of about 3700m, you will stop at the first camping site where you will spend a night.
Day 5: Reach the summit, descend and return to Kigali
After early morning cup of coffee, embark on an hour’s hike to the summit. At this level the hike is very steep going through trials of thick jungles surrounded by stunning scenery. On reaching at the summit, enjoy amazing views of the surrounding areas like mount Muhabura. After enjoying your time at the summit descent to the starting point where you will meet your driver readily waiting to receive you and connect for late lunch.
Depart to Kigali reaching in afternoon, explore Kigali city if the first day, you had not visited, visiting the Kigali genocide, craft shops, markets and the Kigali art gallery. And later connect to the airport to find your scheduled flight back home.
End of the 5 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee Trek, Karisimbi Hike and Gorilla Safari.
