Rwanda gorillas & golden monkeys – 5 days

TOUR DESCRIPTION

This gorillas and golden monkey safari takes you on a wonderful exploration of Rwanda’s most famous park and tourist destination – the Volcanoes National Park.

You will hike through dense forests in search of the endangered mountain gorillas that live there. After finding the gorillas, you will spend 1 hour with them before heading back. You will also search for the striking and playful golden monkeys as well as hike Mount Bisoke (3711 m asl).

The combination of gorillas, golden monkeys, and Mount Bisoke will enable you to fully explore the Volcanoes – their wilderness, landscapes, and people.

Take a look at the detailed itinerary to get a better feel of how such a safari would work for you. Keep in mind that all our safaris are customizable and our team of experts will gladly help you personalize any safari to your specific needs.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Rwanda and transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, you will be met by our driver/guide.

Depending on your time of arrival, your driver/guide will take you for a Kigali city tour which includes the Genocide Memorial Centre.

Later, you will be driven to Musanze near Volcanoes National Park where you will have dinner and an overnight stay. Getting to Volcanoes from Kigali is a drive of around 2 hours.

Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge 

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Today is the big day! Prepare yourself for an encounter with the gentle giants; the endangered mountain gorillas. After your morning breakfast, you will go to the headquarters of the park, where the park rangers will brief you about the gorilla trekking experience.

You will go into the forest in groups of not more than 8 in search of mountain gorillas. En route, your guide will point out previous signs of gorilla activity such as dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots.

Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo. Upon finding the gorillas, you will spend a maximum of 1 hour with them after which you will be led back to the starting point.

After the gorilla trekking, if time allows, you will have lunch and then go on an excursion to explore the beautiful twin lakes in the region (Lake Bulera & Ruhondo).

Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge 

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 3: Golden Monkey tracking in Volcanoes NP

After your morning breakfast, you will again go to the park offices where you will start your golden monkey trek. A visit to the golden monkeys is a very different experience from going to see gorillas, the monkeys react and interact differently; they will keep on playing hide-and-seek much to the delight of the visitors.

There are two habituated golden monkey troops that are available for visiting. The largest troop has about 80-100 monkeys. 

In a group of not more than eight people, you will trek for the monkeys in groups of not more than 8 & spend an hour with them once you find them. You might have to follow them around because they love jumping from tree to tree.

Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge 

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.

Day 4: Hiking Mount Bisoke (3.711 m)

After your breakfast, you will go to the park offices where you will be briefed before embarking on your hike.

You will start your hike and climb to the top of Mount Bisoke (3711 m asl) which is one of the volcanoes in the Virunga massif. After your summit, you will return to the starting point. Depending on the pace of the entire group, the entire hike takes 5 to 7 hours to complete.

Accommodation: Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge 

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 5: Kigali City Tour and Departure

After breakfast, you will be driven to Kigali where you will do a city tour to learn about the history, culture, and people of Rwanda.

The city tour will include a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where you can learn about the various aspects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and how the country has recovered and healed through unity. Understandably, a visit to the Genocide Memorial is quite emotional for most visitors, but it also creates a great platform for learning.

After your Kigali city tour, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Accommodation: None (last day)

Meal plan: Breakfast & Lunch