Rwanda: 5-Day Gorilla and Chimpanzee Trekking Tour｜Rwanda

Spend 5 days immersed in Rwanda's wilderness. With experienced guides, see its forests, lakes, and canopies, and take part in a thrilling adventure: chimpanzee and gorilla tracking, which will allow you to come face-to-face with the country's most magnificent animals.

Day 1 – Kigali to Nyungwe National Park  

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you to Nyungwe Forest, one of the largest in East and Central Africa. This forest contains 13 species of primates and over 310 recorded bird species, making it a great bird-watching destination. Have dinner and overnight at the lodge (Emeraude Kivu Resort).  

Day 2 – Chimpanzee Tracking and Canopy Walk in Nyungwe Forest  

After a very early morning breakfast (4:30 AM), head to the chimpanzee trekking trail for an experience you’ll never forget. Hike through the forest’s secret paths with a professional tracker to look for the population of chimpanzees and to observe them in their natural habitats.  

In the afternoon, go for a 1.5-hour canopy walk, which takes place above a deep gorge cutting across a massive forest. Explore the beautiful foliage and animal habitats, and keep your eyes peeled for blue monkeys and unique birds that dwell in the upper levels of the forest canopy.  

Day 3 – Nyungwe to Volcanoes National Park  

After an early morning breakfast at the lodge, visit Lake Kivu and enjoy the morning breeze at its shores. Spend an hour there before getting back on the road to head to Volcanoes National Park (with lunch en route). In late afternoon, you’ll arrive at the park and head to your lodge to relax, have dinner, and stay overnight (Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge).  

Day 4 – Gorilla Tracking in Volcanoes National Park  

After breakfast, drive 30 minutes into the park to the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux. There, your guide will divide you into groups based on interest and fitness. From here, take an exciting journey into the forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboos to reach the gorillas’ location. Your guide will point out signs of previous gorilla activity, including dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots. Once the gorillas have been located, spend a maximum of 1 hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a humbling and emotional experience.  

Day 5 – Visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund - Transfer to Kigali  

After breakfast, visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda, which is a center for gorilla conservation and scientific research.

Later on, your guide will transfer you back to Kigali. Depending on your departure flight, you can visit the Genocide Memorial and Education Center, which opened in 2004. Your guide will then take you to the airport for your flight home.