8 Day Rwanda Gorilla Safari, Chimps and Lake Kivu Tour
8 day Rwanda gorilla safari is designed for travellers who want to see Rwanda’s major primate and scenic highlights in one well-paced itinerary. The safari combines Kigali, Nyungwe National Park, Lake Kivu, Volcanoes National Park, gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking and the Dian Fossey Tombs hike. The journey begins in Kigali with a city visit before heading south through Huye to Nyungwe National Park for chimpanzee tracking and a colobus monkey walk. From Nyungwe, you travel to Lake Kivu, visiting Kibuye and Gisenyi for a relaxed break along the lakeshore before continuing to Volcanoes National Park. The main highlight comes in Volcanoes National Park, where you trek mountain gorillas and spend one hour with a habituated gorilla family. You also track golden monkeys and visit the Dian Fossey Tombs before returning to Kigali for your onward flight. This safari is ideal for travellers who want more than a short gorilla trek, with forest, culture, lakeside scenery and primate experiences included in one route.
Safari Highlights
- 8-day Rwanda gorilla safari starting and ending in Kigali
- Kigali city tour and Kigali Genocide Memorial visit
- Visit to Huye, formerly Butare, and the Ethnographic Museum
- Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe National Park
- Colobus monkey walks in Nyungwe Forest
- Lake Kivu visit with time in Kibuye and Gisenyi
- Optional nature walk or boat ride on Lake Kivu
- Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- One hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family
- Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park
- Optional Gorilla Guardians Village or Twin Lakes visit
- Dian Fossey Tombs hike before returning to Kigali
- Budget, standard and upmarket lodge options included in the route
Detailed Safari Itinerary
Day 1, Arrival in Kigali and City Tour
On arrival at the Airport, your driver guide will welcome you and begin the first part of your Rwanda safari. Depending on your arrival time, you will take a Kigali city tour with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. This visit gives important historical context before travelling deeper into the country. If your arrival is late or the memorial is closed on a public holiday, the visit can be adjusted to fit the route. After the city tour, transfer to your hotel in Kigali for dinner and overnight stay. Accommodation options: Budget option: Hôtel Chez Lando, Standard options: Hotel des Mille Collines or Hotel Umubano, Upmarket options: Kigali Serena Hotel or The Retreat
Day 2, Kigali to Huye and Nyungwe National Park
After breakfast, leave Kigali and drive south towards Huye, formerly known as Butare. In Huye, you visit the Ethnographic Museum, one of Rwanda’s important cultural museums. This stop adds useful background on Rwanda’s history, traditional life and cultural identity before the safari continues into the forest region. After the museum visit, proceed to Nyungwe National Park. The drive takes you through southern Rwanda’s hills, towns and tea-growing landscapes. Arrive at your lodge near Nyungwe in the evening for dinner and an overnight stay. Accommodation options: Budget option: Gisakura Guesthouse, Upmarket option: Nyungwe Forest Lodge
Day 3, Chimpanzee Tracking and Colobus Monkey Walk in Nyungwe
This day focuses on primates in Nyungwe National Park. Nyungwe is one of Africa’s great montane forests and is home to more than 10 primate species, including chimpanzees and colobus monkeys. You will wake up early and transfer to the briefing point for chimpanzee tracking. Chimpanzee tracking begins early because chimpanzees are active in the morning and can move quickly through the forest. You enter the forest with ranger guides to search for the chimpanzee community. Once located, you spend one hour observing their behaviour, which may include feeding, calling, climbing, grooming and moving through the canopy. After the trek, return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, take a colobus monkey walk. This gives you another primate experience and a calmer forest activity after the early chimpanzee trek. Nyungwe is especially known for its large troops of black-and-white colobus monkeys. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 4, Transfer from Nyungwe to Kibuye and Gisenyi on Lake Kivu
After breakfast, leave Nyungwe and drive towards Kibuye on the shores of Lake Kivu. Kibuye is known for its calm lakeside setting, green hills and views across the water. This stop helps break the journey between Nyungwe and the northern part of Rwanda while giving you time to enjoy the Lake Kivu scenery. After visiting Kibuye, continue to Gisenyi for dinner and an overnight stay. Gisenyi sits close to the northern shores of Lake Kivu and offers a relaxed change of pace before the safari continues to Volcanoes National Park. Accommodation options: Budget options: Ubumwe Hotel or Malahide Paradis, Upmarket option: Lake Kivu Serena Hotel, full board
Day 5, Lake Kivu Experience and Transfer to Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, enjoy a relaxed morning along Lake Kivu. Depending on your interest and timing, you can take a nature walk along the lakeshore or enjoy a boat ride on Lake Kivu. This gives you time to appreciate the lake scenery before leaving Gisenyi. After lunch, transfer to Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda. The drive from Gisenyi to the Musanze and Volcanoes region takes about 1 hour, depending on road conditions and lodge location. Arrive in the evening and check in at your lodge near Volcanoes National Park. Your guide will brief you about the next morning’s gorilla trekking arrangements, including what to wear, what to carry and the early reporting time. Accommodation options: Budget options: Kinigi Guest House or Muhabura Hotel, Standard options: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge or Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Upmarket options: Virunga Lodge or Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge
Day 6, Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
After an early breakfast, carry your packed lunch and transfer to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for a gorilla trekking briefing. At the briefing, rangers explain the trekking rules, health guidelines and how visitors are assigned to gorilla families. You will then drive to the trailhead and begin the trek with ranger guides and trackers. The trek passes through bamboo forest, farmland edges, thick vegetation and volcanic slopes depending on the gorilla family’s location. The duration can vary, so patience and a reasonable level of fitness are helpful. Once the gorillas are located, you spend one hour with the family. During this time, you may see a silverback, females with young ones, juveniles playing, feeding behaviour and quiet family interaction. Flash photography is not allowed, and you must follow the distance and health rules given by the rangers. After the trek, return to your lodge for relaxation. If you return early, optional activities can be arranged, such as a visit to Gorilla Guardians Village, formerly known as Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village, a canoe or kayak experience where available, or a visit to the Twin Lakes. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 7, Golden Monkey Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast, return to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for a golden monkey trekking briefing. Golden monkeys are active, colourful and fast-moving primates that live in the bamboo zones of Volcanoes National Park. The trek is usually less demanding than gorilla trekking, but it still gives a rewarding forest experience and another chance to explore the volcanic foothills. After the briefing, follow the ranger guides into the forest to search for the golden monkeys. Once found, you spend one hour observing them as they feed, jump through bamboo and move in groups. Return to the lodge after the trek. The afternoon can be used for rest or an optional local visit, depending on your interest and timing.
Day 8, Dian Fossey Tombs Hike and Return to Kigali
After breakfast, take the Dian Fossey Tombs hike in Volcanoes National Park. This trek leads to the former research area connected to Dian Fossey, the well-known mountain gorilla researcher. The hike is shorter than many volcano climbs and may take about 3 hours, depending on the pace of the group and trail conditions. During the trek, rangers explain Dian Fossey’s conservation work, her death and the impact her research had on mountain gorilla protection. The visit adds historical and conservation depth after the gorilla trekking experience. After the hike, return from the trail and begin the transfer back to Kigali. You will be dropped off at your hotel or at Kigali International Airport for your onward flight. This marks the end of the 8-day Rwanda gorilla safari.
Inclusions and Exclusions
Included
- Airport pickup in Kigali
- Kigali city tour, depending on arrival time
- Private safari vehicle and fuel
- English-speaking driver guide
- Accommodation for 7 nights
- Meals as stated in the final itinerary
- Chimpanzee tracking permit
- Colobus monkey walk in Nyungwe
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Golden monkey trekking permit
- Dian Fossey Tombs hike arrangement
- Bottled drinking water during transfers
Excluded
- International flights
- Rwanda visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Optional Gorilla Guardians Village visit
- Optional canoe, kayak or Twin Lakes visit
- Tips for driver guides, rangers, trackers and lodge staff
- Personal drinks, laundry and calls
- Extra accommodation before or after the safari