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4X4
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2-20
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To be provided
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Kigali
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Hiking
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English, French, Chinese, Arabic, Spanish
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To be provided
Set off on an exhilarating journey to track the majestic mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is home to approximately 400 of these incredible creatures, representing nearly half of the estimated 880 mountain gorillas that exist worldwide. Following this unforgettable experience, you will have the opportunity to explore Lake Bunyonyi, often referred to as the ‘lake of a thousand islands’ because of its 29 picturesque islands scattered across its serene waters. To wrap up your adventure, you will engage in chimpanzee tracking in the lush Nyungwe Rainforest, situated in the southwestern part of Rwanda, which shares its borders with Burundi to the south and is flanked by Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
You will depart from Kigali to Nyungwe Forest early morning after breakfast so that we have enough time for a stopover at the Ethnographic Museum in Huye. The Ethnographic Museum (which is also the national museum of Rwanda) showcases the historic and cultural aspects of Rwanda through the ages. It has materials and guides to take you through the rich Rwandan culture and history. We will have lunch after the museum experience before continuing on our journey to Nyungwe Forest. The roads to Nyungwe after Huye are mostly winding which will give you amazing views of the famous "thousand hills". You will be arriving at your lodge not too far from the Nyungwe Forest later in the evening for dinner and overnight. Get ready to take on the chimpanzee trekking the next day.
Main Destination: Nyungwe National Park
Accommodation: Gisakura Guest House (Budget guest house just outside Nyungwe NP)
Meals & Drinks:
Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
The chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park starts very early in the morning. It requires that you leave your lodge as early as 5:00 am to make it to the briefing area at the Uwinka overlook. Nyungwe Forest has 2 main trailheads for chimpanzee trekking i.e. the Uwinka trail and the Cyamudongo section. The forest is rich in botanical diversity. It hosts over 200 species of trees and flowering plants, and 13 species of primates including colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys. There are also 300 bird species with several Albertine Rift endemics and several species of butterflies.
After the briefing, you will be advised on which trail you will take. If it is Cyamudongo, it requires you to drive out for a certain distance and your driver guide will transfer you to the starting point. After the chimp trekking, there is a canopy walk, or you can return to the lodge for relaxation and take the canopy walk later in the afternoon. Return for dinner and overnight.
Main Destination: Nyungwe National Park
Accommodation: Gisakura Guest House (Budget guest house just outside Nyungwe NP)
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Have breakfast and then transfer to Lake Kivu in Gisenyi where you will have a morning boat ride on the lake. You will have a chance to see many bird species. Lake Kivu is not only a lake where you can relax and chill out, but you can also swim in the lake. There are no hippos or crocodiles, and no bilharzia are found in Lake Kivu, making it the perfect natural swimhole. You will visit the hot spring at Lake Kivu and Punishment Island where they used to take girls that would get pregnant before getting married.
Lake Kivu has many islands, with one of the largest being Nyamirundi Island, which is home to a large coffee plantation. Here, you can learn all about the coffee-making process; from harvesting, drying, roasting and of course culminating in the opportunity to sample some exceptionally fresh, organic and award-winning Rwandan coffee. Later, return for dinner and overnight.
Main Destination: Lake Kivu (Rwanda)
Accommodation: Inzu Lodge (Budget tented camp located at Lake Kivu)
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
After breakfast at 7:30 am, transfer to Musanze at 8:00 am and proceed to visiting the Twin Lakes of Burera and Ruhondo. Enjoy a nature walk and visit the Karisoke Research Center and Exhibits. Have lunch at Migano Café, and later head to Hotel Muhabura for dinner and overnight.
Main Destination: Volcanoes National Park
Accommodation: Hotel Muhabura (Budget hotel, less than 1hr drive from Volcanoes NP)
Meals & Drinks:
Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
Wake up for an early breakfast and transfer to the park's head offices in Kinigi by 7:00 am. Join up with the other golden monkey trekkers, and meet the ranger guide for a few minutes' talk about the activity and the park. At 8:00 am, you transfer to the trailhead just outside the park. Enjoy great views of the mountain scenery as you start your trek into the park to find the golden monkeys. The golden monkeys live near the edge of the park in the bamboo forests where the ground is relatively flat and easy to trek. Find the monkeys and follow them as they feed. You will notice how they skillfully pick the young bamboo leaves from the tip of the bamboo tree. They may also move out of the park into the potato fields, and how they love the potatoes!
After an amazing 1 hour with the golden monkeys, you will return to the trailhead and drive back to the lodge for lunch. Thereafter, head to the border, and then proceed to Bwindi.
Main Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Accommodation: Broadbill Forest Camp (Budget tented camp just outside Ruhija)
Meals & Drinks:
All meals included
Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
You will have an early breakfast and be driven to the park headquarters for a briefing about what to do and not do while on a gorilla trek. After the briefing, you will set off for the trekking in very thick vegetation. Trekking gorillas in Bwindi, Uganda is quite challenging as it involves moving over the rugged terrain of steep slopes and valleys. The jungle is very lively with rich forest sounds. The trek ranges between 2 and 8 hours, and you have 1 hour to stay with the gorillas once located.
After the trek, you head to the border to cross to Rwanda and then drive to Kigali to catch your evening departure flight.
Main Destination: Kigali (Rwanda)
Accommodation: No accommodation (End of tour)
Meals & Drinks:
Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
Drinking water (Other drinks not included)
This tour is a premier “multi-country” experience that spans the best of the Albertine Rift. Your 6-Day Nyungwe, Lake Kivu, Golden Monkey & Gorilla Trek takes you from the primate-rich canopy of Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest to the high-altitude volcanic slopes of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, offering a complete overview of East Africa’s most iconic landscapes.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to roughly 400 mountain gorillas—nearly half of the world’s remaining population. By including Bwindi in your 6-Day Nyungwe, Lake Kivu, Golden Monkey & Gorilla Trek, you are guaranteed an authentic, rugged trekking experience in an ancient forest that has existed for over 25,000 years.
What is the significance of Lake Bunyonyi on this tour? Known as the “Lake of a Thousand Islands,” Lake Bunyonyi features 29 picturesque islands nestled among the terraced hills of southwestern Uganda. It is one of the safest lakes in Africa for swimming (free from hippos, crocodiles, and bilharzia), providing a serene “R&R” stop during your 6-Day Nyungwe, Lake Kivu, Golden Monkey & Gorilla Trek.
This is a true “Primate Triple Crown.” On your 6-Day Nyungwe, Lake Kivu, Golden Monkey & Gorilla Trek, you will track Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi, Chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest, and the playful, endemic Golden Monkeys in the bamboo zones of the Virunga Mountains.
Because you will visit both savannah-like islands and dense rainforests, we recommend:
Waterproof hiking boots with good traction.
Garden gloves for protection during the gorilla trek.
Light layers for the humid Nyungwe forest and warmer Lake Kivu. Binoculars for the “place of many little birds” (Lake Bunyonyi) and primate spotting.
