Four Day Primate Special: Gorillas and Chimpanzees

You'll depart from Kigali after breakfast for the long but beautiful drive south to Nyungwe National Park. Along the way you'll come to understand why they call Rwanda 'The Land of 1000 Hills'.

The trip will be broken up with a number of stops, including a visit to the Butare National Museum. You'll also pay a visit to Nyanza, where you can visit the former palace of the last Rwandan king as well as the local Arts Museum.

After lunch, you'll proceed to Nyungwe, passing through the forest along the way. You'll have the chance to see playful primates playing by the road as you travel.

You'll arrive at your Nyungwe accommodation in time for dinner and a good night's rest.

You'll rise early for breakfast and take a packed lunch with you as you go off in search of Rwanda's enigmatic and endangered chimpanzee population. With only four hundred chimpanzees in the country, there's no guarantee you'll see chimps during your day's hike, but your guide will do all he can to get you a glimpse of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

Once your chimpanzee trekking is complete, you'll make the trip to the lakeside town of Korongi to overnight with a view of Rwanda's largest lake.

You'll set off for Volcanoes National Park after breakfast, and you'll be hard pressed to find a more scenic drive on earth.

Arriving in the city of Musanze in time for lunch, you'll then pay a visit to the nearby Iby Iwacu Cultural Village to learn more about Rwandan traditional food, dance, and history.

After an early breakfast at your hotel, you'll proceed directly to the Volcanoes National Park's headquarters to meet your guides. After completing the briefing, you'll embark on the once in a lifetime experience of tracking the enigmatic mountain gorillas.

There is no guarantee how long or difficult your tracking experience will be as it depends on where the family of gorillas is and on weather conditions, It can take anywhere from two up to six hours of trekking through the mountain forest at relatively high altitudes. Fitness is definitely recommended for those wishing to undertake the excursion.

One of the most memorable experiences you're likely to ever have, you'll be allowed an hour of close contact with the gorillas once you've found them. You'll be privileged enough to come within mere metres of a family of these rare and beautiful animals, observing their family dynamics and getting to learn a bit about each gorilla's distinct personality in serene silence.

Once your time with the gorillas is done, you'll make your way back to Kigali for your onward travel.