2 Days Rwanda Chimpanzee trekking Safari Overview

This 2 days Rwanda Chimpanzee trekking safari in Nyungwe forest national park gives you the feel of an adventure experience of the wild primates in Rwanda’s largest montane forest. This is short 2 days chimpanzee trekking safari is an alternative to the 2 days gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes National Park. This safari is ideal for those who have a fixed time budget and also cannot take up the gorilla safari because of the high price of the gorilla permit. Here in Rwanda, chimpanzee trekking permits are sold at only $100 which is far less than the gorilla permit at $1500.00.

You have will have an enroute stopover on your way to Nyungwe Forest National park at the ethnographic museum of Rwanda to learn more about the cultural heritage and the historic background of the Rwandan people.

DAY 1 : DRIVE TO NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK (6 Hours )

Very early in the morning, we depart from Kigali for a 2 day chimpanzee trekking safari to Nyungwe forest national park. You can have a stopover in Huye at the ethnographic museum formerly the national museum of Rwanda if you have time. You will then have lunch after the stopover and proceed to the park. When you get to the National Park, you can take a canopy walk thru the forest. The drive to Nyungwe forest is interesting because you get to see several hills, Lake Kivu and Kibira national park in Burundi.
Meal plan – Lunch & Dinner. Accommodation: Upmarket – One & Only Nyungwe Lodge, Mid-range – Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Budget – Gisakura Guesthouse

DAY 2 : RWANDA CHIMPANZEE TREKKING IN NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

You will set out at 5:00 am to go to the park headquarters in Uwinka for an early morning briefing about the chimpanzee trekking safari activity. The forest is rich in botanical diversity hosting over 200 species of trees and flowering plants and about 300 bird species. Nyungwe Forest National Park is home to 13 species of primates including Olive baboons, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Ruwenzori colobus, Vervet monkeys, silver monkey, Grey-cheeked manga-bey, red-tailed monkey, etc. Our main focus on this safari will be trekking the chimpanzees.

The chimpanzee trekking activity starts at either Uwinka center or at Cyamudongo. The latter will, however, require your driver guide to transfer you there from the park headquarters. You will enjoy the trek in the forest as your guides keep in touch with fellow ranger guides to easily locate the chimpanzee troop. The trek usually takes between 1 hours – 4 hours of search depending on where chimpanzees nested the previous night. On meeting the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to stay with them for a maximum of 1 hour. You may enjoy the photography during this 1 hour but with NO FLASHLIGHT. After the trek, you will be transferred to Kigali for your outbound flight departure. Meal plan – Breakfast and Lunch

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is done in Nyungwe Forest national park located in the southern part of Rwanda. Nyungwe has two main sectors where chimpanzees can be trekked, namely; Cyamudongo and Uwinka. Your guide will take you through on the location you are expected to trek. This activity starts off with a briefing before you start the trek. Chimpanzee trekking begins early morning with visitors expected to arrive at the briefing point in Uwinka to start trekking at 5:00 am. When you find the chimpanzees, you are allowed to stay 1 hour with them as you watch their human like behaviour.

Nyungwe forest is oneof the oldest montane forests in Africa with 13 primate species and over 500 chimpanzees. The other primates include, Rwenzoricolobus, L’Hoest’s monkey,  , silver monkey, golden monkey, owl-faced monkey, red-tailed monkey, Vervet monkey, Den’tmona monkey, Angola colobus – delightfully acrobatic monkeys which move in large troops of over 400 individuals, olive baboon, grey-cheeked mangabey and three species of bush baby.

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda tips

• You must be 15 years of age and above to be allowed to trek chimpanzees
• Wearing trousers and long sleeved shirts is recommended
• Wear water proof boots or hiking shoes, the forest is hilly
• Insect repellent to keep the mosquitoes away
• Carry bottled water for drinking