Overview
This three-day Rwanda gorilla safari and golden monkey trekking includes two of the best safari activities in the volcanoes national park: Rwanda gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking. Following your gorilla adventure, you will get the opportunity to discover more about Rwandan culture by visiting a cultural hamlet.
Safari highlights
- Gorilla trekking
- Golden monkey trekking
- Iby’Iwacu cultural village/ Gorilla Guardians Village
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival for Rwanda gorilla safari & golden monkey trekking
When you arrive at the airport, a Kagera Safaris representative will greet you and welcome you to ‘the country of a thousand hills.’ You will begin with a tour of Kigali before heading to Volcanoes National Park. Depending on your arrival time and therefore time in the city before the journey to Musanze, you can visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, Kigali Craft Markets, and the Kandt National Museum. The city trip is optional; you may skip it and head straight to Musanze, where you will experience gorilla trekking in Rwanda the next day.
You enjoy lunch in Kigali after your quick tour of the city. After lunch, you will begin your journey to Musanze in preparation for your gorilla hike.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
Following an early morning meal, the driver guide will transport you to the briefing area at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters. The ranger guide will provide advice on how to best enjoy your stay in the park and see mountain gorillas. While you wait for your trip to begin, you may enjoy traditional Rwandan dancers and authentic Rwandan coffee. Following the briefing, you will be divided into separate gorilla groups to begin the trip. To enjoy hiking in the Volcanoes, you must be reasonably fit for gorilla trekking.
If the gorilla family you see is nearby and you have time in the morning, you may visit the gorilla guardians village to learn more about Rwandan culture and the people who co-existed with the gorillas for generations.
Day 3: Rwanda Golden monkey trekking – Volcanoes national park
Today, after breakfast, we will go to the briefing area once more, but this time for golden monkey trekking. Golden monkeys are primates found in the Virunga Mountains of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The golden monkey is more energetic than the gorilla. This necessitates that you constantly follow them as they seek for food, particularly the delectable bamboo shoots. They are occasionally observed digging for potatoes in the adjacent gardens. However, they are often not located too far away, making the walk to their habitat much more bearable than for some of the gorilla families. Like the previous day, you will be briefed at the park headquarters before embarking on your golden monkey journey.
You can bring a packed lunch, but the hike is generally short and you may return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, your driver guide will transport you to Kigali, where you will return to your accommodation or catch your flight home.
