2 Days Nyungwe Forest safari – Canopy Walk, Igishigishigi trail and Chimpanzees
DAY 1:PICK UP FROM KIGALI-CITY TOUR & TRANSFER TO NYUNGWE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
You should wake up early enough and prepare to meet our Guide/Driver for a briefing about the tour. The pickup will be at your residence, hotel or at the airport. After the briefing, the Guide will take you for a short tour of the city of Kigali. Kigali is small but one of the cleanest cities in Africa. The trip will include a visit to the genocide memorial Centre, the city market and the former presidential palace.
The Guide/Driver will then start the journey to Nyungwe forest but with a stopover at the museum in Butare. This Museum is one of the best places to learn about the cultural heritage of the people of Rwanda. You will have an opportunity to buy local crafts and souvenirs. If time permits, you can also stop at the Kamegeli Rock and the palace of the Nyanza King Palace Lunch will be at Huye. After that, you will continue the journey through beautiful Rwanda countryside. You will know why Rwanda is referred to as a land of a thousand hills.
Once you arrive at your hotel, you will have lunch and then be taken to the Uwinka visitors center to start hiking along the Igishigishigi trail which leads to the canopy walkway. While at the Igishigishigi trail, you will spot several species of trees, birds and primates for about thirty minutes. You will then step into the canopy walkway for even more amazing views of the forest. The walkway is a 60 meters suspended metallic bridge that is built on top of the trees. It offers an aerial view of the forest and its creatures like birds, colobus monkeys, grey cheeked mangabeys, baboons and countless species of plants. After the canopy walk, you will go and relax by the waterfalls.The canopy walk takes about 2 hours depending on your pace or that of your group.
Dinner and overnight at Gisakura Guest House (budget) and One&Only Nyungwe House (Luxury). Other hotel options include Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel (Luxury) and Emeraude Hotel (Budget).
DAY 2:CHIMPANZEE TREKKING & TRANSFER TO KIGALI
You should wake up early a take your breakfast as you prepare for an adventurous day tracking the primates. Chimpanzee trekking starts at 5 am. The reason why the activity starts early is because meeting the primates is not guaranteed. Starting early increases your chances of finding the primates. The Driver will take you to the park offices and visitor center in Uwinka for briefing and meeting the park Rangers/Guides who will be leading you into the forests. The Guides/Rangers will brief you about the rules and requirements for chimpanzee trekking. If there are many travelers booked for the day, you will be divided into two groups – One will start the trek from the Uwinka Visitor Centre and the other from the Cyamudongo area. There are about 500 chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest. As you enter into the forest, you will be welcomed by beautiful jungle noises of birds, primates and insects. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest is just as unpredictable as gorilla trekking in the Volcanoes National Park. The activity can take up to 4 hours depending on the location of the primates that day. Chimpanzees move as they wish and you will have to follow them through the forest. They are different from gorillas which generally stay in one place for longer periods of time. The good thing about chimps is that they are very vocal. Because of the constant loud screams, hoots and barks made by chimps, it is easy to pinpoint their location even before seeing one.
As you continue your search for the chimps, you will continue to encounter more beautiful scenery, birds, insects, butterflies, primates, waterfalls and so much more. The nature lover and birder will be very impressed even before finding the chimps. Once you find the find them in a stationary position, you will only be allowed one hour with them. This one hour excludes the time spent following them as chimpanzees can be very mobile. In that one hour with the primates, you should see them feed, play, build nests, mate and tease each other. Chimpanzees are our closest relatives – even more than gorillas. Each individual chimp has a unique character. Some are more aggressive while others are calm and mind their own business. The park Ranger will let you know which individuals to keep away from.
All our safaris are on private.
Children aged between 0-2 years are free of charge.
Children aged 3-12 years pays 50% of adult rates when sharing same room with adults.
Children aged 3-12 years pays 75% of rates when staying on their own room separate from adults.
Children of 12 years and above are recognized as adults