8 Days Volcanoes And Nyungwe Park Safari

8 Days Volcanoes And Nyungwe Park Safari :  A safari to Volcanoes and Nyungwe National Park takes you an adventurous experience and a lot of sights that are all combined together in two different parks in one safari. This safari to these parks is comprised of 8 days where you will engage in a number of activities and also spot a number of attractions. Volcanoes national park is positioned in the Northwestern part of Rwanda while Nyungwe is situated in the south western part of Rwanda.

Highlights

Day 1 : Arrival at Kigali Airport and transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Day 2 : Gorilla trekking and a cultural visit

Day 3 : Golden monkey trekking and nature walk

Day 4 : Hike to Dian Fossey Tomb and karisoke research center

Day 5 : Visit to Musanze caves and transfer to Nyungwe National Park

Day 6 : Chimpanzee trekking and a nature walk

Day 7 : Bird watching and a canopy walk

Day 8 : Depart to Kigali airport

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 : Arrival at Kigali Airport and transfer to Volcanoes National Park

On day 1, a guide will pick you from the airport upon arrival and you will go through a shirt briefing and get to know each other and then go through the details on how you are going to conduct your day1. You will then proceed for a tour in the city of Kigali at Kimironko market where you will purchase some items like clothes fresh fruits, souvenirs and many more according to your interest and you will get the chance to interact with the people in the market.

After Kimironko market, you will then head for lunch at a hotel in Kigali and proceed to Volcanoes National Park where you will spend the night. You will check into a hotel and then have dinner and get to bed.

Accommodation options

Luxury : One and only gorilla’s nest

Midrange :Sambora kinigi lodge

Budget : Hotel muhabura

Day 2 : Gorilla trekking and a cultural visit

On day 2 after breakfast, guide will receive you at the park headquarters for briefing before setting for a gorilla trekking experiences. Spotting these gorillas will entirely depend on their location and you will be entitled to one hour with them after spotting them. In this hour, you are permitted to interact and share moments with these primates and also take photos. This encounter enables you to know more about these primates.

After the gorilla trek, you will have lunch at the hotel in the park and then head for a cultural visits where you will have an encounter with the locals at iby’iwacu to village. You will interact with them and they get to share details with you about their culture, lifestyle and traditions.

You will then retire to the lodge for dinner and spend a night.

Day 3 : Golden monkey trekking and nature walk

On day 3, you will have breakfast as early as 6am and head to the park headquarters for briefing before you set off for a golden monkey trek. This trek will take about 30 minutes to 4 hours and after you spot the golden monkeys, you will interact with them for an hour and then head to the lodge to freshen up and have lunch.

After lunch, you will embark on a nature walk at volcanoes national park where you will see a number of birds and the beautiful landscapes within the park.

You will then have dinner at the lodge and retire to bed.

Day 4 : Hike to Dian Fossey Tomb and karisoke research center

On day 4, you will have a hike to Dian Fossey Tomb after having breakfast. You will be briefed at the park headquarters and then a guide will lead you through the trails to Dian Fossey Tomb and you will be able to see where Dian Fossey was laid to rest and after you will proceed to karisoke research center where you will see the history about the mountain gorilla that are harbored in this park and the those that were there before the poachers killed them.

You will then retire to the hotel for lunch  and then you rest.

Day 5 : Visit to Musanze caves and transfer to Nyungwe National Park

On day 5, you will check out of the hotel at volcanoes national park, have breakfast and embark on a visit to musanze caves where will have an encounter with the bats that reside in these caves. You will also hike through the trails around these caves while sighting a number of historical remains of the people that used to stay there after the war times. These caves keep the memories of the history of Rwanda that influences visitors to come visit it.

After the visit to Musanze caves, you will have lunch at a hotel in musanze and then head to Nyungwe National Park where you will have dinner, check into a hotel and spend a night.

Accommodation options

Luxury : Nyungwe forest lodge

Budget : Gisakura guest house

Midrange : Nyungwe top view hill hotel

Day 6 : Chimpanzee trekking and a nature walk

On day 6, you will have breakfast early in the morning and head to the park headquarters for briefing before you start a chimpanzee trek. A guide will lead you through the trails in the cyamudongo forest in order to spot the chimpanzees. This trek takes about 3 to 4 hours. You will be able to witness the behavior of these primates and how then conduct themselves.

After the trek, you will then have lunch at the hotel and then head for a nature walk through the various trails at Nyungwe National Park  and these include bigugu trail, igishigishi trail, muzimu trail, ngabwe trail rukuzi trail and many more where you will sight a number of birds and animals at a close distance.

After the nature walk, you will have dinner at the hotel and head to bed.

Day 7 : Bird watching and a canopy walk

On day 7, you will have breakfast and head to the park headquarters for briefing of which you will proceed for bird watching after the briefing. You will be able to see a number of birds which include the handsome francolin, yellow eyed black flycatcher, Ruwenzori batis, regal sunbird, cinnamon chested bee eater, Ruwenzori apalis, Ruwenzori night jar, Ruwenzori turaco, dusky crimson wing and many more. All these birds can be seen in Nyungwe forest with the guidance of a guide through the various trails in the forest.

After bird watching, you will head back to the hotel for lunch and then have a canopy walk that will take about 2 hours. Before going for this canopy walk, you will have a briefing at the park headquarters and the canopy walk will commence from Uwinka. You will sight numerous bird species while carrying out the canopy walk.

You will then retire for dinner and rest.

Day 8 : Depart to Kigali airport

You will check out of the hotel on day 8 of the safari at Nyungwe National Park, have breakfast and proceed to Kigali airport for your flight back home. A guide will leave you as soon as you get to the airport.

End of 8 Days Volcanoes And Nyungwe Park Safari

8 Days Volcanoes And Nyungwe Park Safari inclusions

• Bottled water
• 4WD safari vehicle
• English speaking guide
• Meals
• Accommodation
• Gorilla trekking permit
• Golden monkey trekking permit
• Pick up and drop off

8 Days Volcanoes And Nyungwe Park Safari exclusions

• Laundry
• Personal needs
• Visa fees
• Air fees