3 Days Nyungwe Canopy Walk and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
3 Days Nyungwe Canopy Walk and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari : This 3 days Rwanda safari takes you on a safari adventure to Nyungwe Forest National Park – a primate haven in Rwanda and a home to a huge population of chimpanzees. On this safari, you will participate in the gorilla trekking safari experience on which you will encounter habituated chimpanzees, also do an adventurous canopy walk.
Highlights of 3 days Nyungwe Canopy Walk and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
Day 1: pick up from Kigali – City Tour – Transfer to Nyungwe National Park – Canopy walk
Day 2: chimpanzee trekking – Nature Walk
Day 3: Day 3 Departure to Kigali with stops at the Gisakura Tea Factory
Detailed itinerary of 3 days Nyungwe Canopy Walk and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
Day 1: Pickup from Kigali – City Tour – Transfer to Nyungwe National Park – Canopy Walk
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport or after breakfast at your hotel in Kigali City, you will be picked up by our representative and after a short briefing about the safari. You will go for a brief Kigali City tour visiting the genocide memorial center, the center city market, former presidential palace and artisan shops.
After the city tour, you will embark on a journey to Nyungwe National Park through Butare with amazing views of the countless hills of Rwanda, you will have stops at the Kamegeri’s rock, the National Ethnographic Museum in Huye, Murambi Genocide Memorial and the former King’s Palace. The museum houses a collection of artifacts and ethnographic objects from Belgium, Rwanda and other parts of the world. Much of the museum showcases all the cultural aspects of Rwanda and the people, you will have en-route and when you arrive in the park you will go for a canopy walk.
The exciting canopy walk is done on a metallic hanging platform which crosses over the tall and majestic trees of Nyungwe, this hanging platform is built 50 meters above the ground and is 200 meters long. During the walk, you will enjoy an aerial view of the forest, spot various bird species and primates such as monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys jumping from one tree to another. Head to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Accommodation options
- One & Only Nyungwe House or Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Luxury)
- Nyungwe Top Hills Hotel (Mid-range)
- Gisakura Guest House or Gorilla Nest (budget)
Meal plan: lunch and dinner
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking – Nature Walk
Wake up early for breakfast and prepare for a long day filled with adventure, your guide will take you to the park’s headquarters for briefing about chimpanzee trekking experience and the rules to follow. You will be assigned a chimpanzee trail to take and with armed rangers you will enter into the forests of Nyungwe looking for chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees are one of the closest relatives to humans sharing 98% of our DNA, they are highly intelligent and they can be taught sigh language and how to use specific tools.
The trek takes approximately 30 minutes to 4 hours of searching for the chimpanzees, when you find them you will spend one hour in their natural habitat while observing individuals grooming, breast feeding, mating and playing. You will take amazing pictures to commemorate the experience.
In addition to chimpanzees, you will also spot other primates residing in Nyungwe Forest National Park and these include Hamlyn’s Monkeys, owl-faced monkeys, golden monkeys, Dent’s Mona Monkeys, Angola Colobus, Silver monkeys, Olive Baboons, Red-tailed Monkeys, grey-cheeked Mangabeys, vervet monkeys and l’hoest’s monkeys and also spot many bird species.
After one hour, you will head back to your hotel for lunch and refreshment, you will then go for a nature walk on which you will spit more birds, smaller birds and waterfalls. Nyungwe Forest gas 14 trails designed to allow visitors experience the flora and fauna in the park, one of these trail is a waterfall trail which takes 3 hours to complete. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
After spotting the chimps, you will go for lunch at the hotel. After refreshment from the hotel, you will be taken for a nature walk to spot more birds, smaller primates and waterfalls. Nyungwe National Park has over 14 trials for nature walks. The trails are designed to allow visitors experience the flora and fauna in the park. The waterfall trail is popular and takes 3 hours to complete. If time permits, you could be taken to track Angola Colobus in Gisakura. Tracking Colobus monkeys takes a far shorter time than following any of the trails or chimpanzee trekking because they live at the edge of the forest.
Accommodation options
- One & Only Nyungwe House or Nyungwe Forest Lodge (Luxury)
- Nyungwe Top Hills Hotel (Mid-range)
- Gisakura Guest House (budget)
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3 Departure to Kigali with stops at the Gisakura Tea Factory
Enjoy early breakfast, meet your guide and head to Gisakura Tea Estate for a tour of the farm and factory where you will learn how tea is grown, processed and packed at the factory. You will then continue the journey back to Kigali, you will have stops to some of the places you did not checkout of the first day. You will then be dropped off at the airport for your flight back home marking the end of the safari.
End of 3 Days Nyungwe Canopy Walk and Chimpanzee Trekking Safari
The 3 Days safari in Nyungwe forest includes
- Chimpanzee permits
- Canopy walk
- Transport and a Guide/Driver with good English speaking skills
- Visiting Kigali city, cultural and historical sites
- Breakfast
- Lunch and Dinner
- Full board accommodation for 2 nights
- Airport transfers
The 3 days Nyungwe forest tour excludes
- International and domestic flight
- Rwandan Visa
- Medical and Travel insurance
- Optional activities
- Personal expenditures on Tips, alcoholic drinks, laundry and international phone calls
