5 days Nyungwe National Park Safari Rwanda
Nyungwe Forest National Park is a great choice and favorite location location for active adventure. Trekking with wildlife, experiencing local culture, and relaxing in beautiful scenery are all part of this Nyungwe safari. This 5 days Nyungwe national park safari is a combination of different adventures from hiking among chimps, colobus monkeys, hiking along the forest trails, seeing the forest canopy to touring tea estates and knowing more about the 1994 Rwanda genocide moments.
Tour highlights of 5 days Nyungwe National Park Safari Rwanda
- Day 1:Arrival and transfer to Nyungwe
- Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy Walk
- Day 3: Colobus monkey tracking and Gisakura Tea plantation visit
- Day 4: Water fall hike and birding
- Day 5 : Return to Kigali Via Murambi genocide Memorial
Detailed itinerary of 5 days Nyungwe National Park Safari Rwanda
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Nyungwe National Park
On arrival, our company representative / safari guide will meet you at Kigali International Airport, brief you about the 5 days trip to Nyungwe Forest national park and then set off to the dense equatorial forest park in southern Rwanda. You will be driving through Rwanda’s breathtaking countryside. The drive takes 5- 6 hours.
If time is by your side, have a stop over at the Ethnographic Museum to observe what Rwandan culture was before colonization. In Butare town, you can also have lunch at one of the good eateries, later, proceed to Nyungwe and drive direct to your accommodation .
Dinner and over night at One and Only Nyungwe house (Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge (midrange), Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe (budget).
Day 2: Chimpanzee tracking and Canopy Walk
In the morning, of your second day in Nyungwe National Park, start with an early breakfast, then proceed to the park headquarters to receive a briefing about chimpanzee trekking.
Chimpanzees can move fast, which makes it simpler to spot them before they are awake. On encounter, spend an hour studying, interacting with them, and taking memorable photos. After your trek, return to the lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon, experience the Nyungwe Canopy Walk. This is a unique 200m raised walkway that offers breathtaking views of the forest canopy and incredible wildlife that spend most of their time in tree branches, such as monkeys and birds. After the adventure return to the accommodation for dinner and overnight at One and Only Nyungwe house (Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge (midrange), Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe (budget).
Day 3: Colobus monkey tracking and Gisakura Tea Plantation visit.
Another day in Nyungwe national park: On this day of the trek, you will receive a briefing at the Uwinka Park Headquarters regarding the guidelines to follow and those to avoid while on the adventure. The park has a group of more than 500 habituated white and black colobus monkeys Uwinka and about 60 monkeys in Gisakura sector of the park ready for daily tracking. Tracking is done in two sessions, at 8 am and 3pm and last for 2 – 3.5 hours depending on your tracking sector and location of the monkeys.
Once you locate the monkeys, you are allowed to spend one hour in their presence. Other primates you may encounter on your trek include Red-tailed monkeys, the Grey-cheeked Mangabey, and L’Hoest monkeys. Interacting with the baby Black and White Colobus monkeys is truly an amazing experience.
In the afternoon, visit Gisakura Tea plantation where you will meet the locals working on the plantation. Watch them select and gather tea leaves into their baskets. You can join them to enjoy the activity too you will be taken through all the processes of tea production. With your descent camera, take memorable photos. At the end of your experience, you can taste a cup of the delicious Rwandan tea. Later return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at One and Only Nyungwe house (Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge (midrange), Chimpanzee Lodge Nyungwe (budget).
Day 4: Waterfall hike and birding.
After breakfast, embark on a full day experience which will involve both hiking and birding. With your packed lunch, hike along the Isumo waterfall trail. It starts on the Gisakura side which gives another chance to see the tea plantation again, proceed along the terraced hill side into the densely wooded and steep sloped rain forest. The hike takes a round trip of 4 hours depending on your pace, but since you have to involve birding, you will make several stop overs in the forest to capture photos of several bird species. lunch will be at one of the stopovers. Some of the bird species that can be spotted include the Rwenzori turaco, Red throated Alethe, Paradise Flycatcher, forest horn bills, Lemon Dove, Dusky turtle among others. This trail offers high chances of spotting different monkey species, insects, and butterflies. The trail ends at a magnificent 25-meter-high cascade of the Isumo waterfall the trail is so scenic and favors photography. After the experience, return to the accommodation for relaxation.
Dinner and overnight at One and Only Nyungwe house (Luxury), Nyungwe Top View Hill Lodge (midrange), Chimpanzee Lodge (budget).
Day 5: Return to Kigali Via Murambi genocide Memorial
After breakfast, drive back to Kigali. You will make a stop over at Murambi genocide memorial site to have a simple briefing of what happened in the dark days in1994. Use at least one hour to explore the place and later proceed to Kigali where you will have lunch. Depending on your schedule, drop off will be at the airport or at an accommodation of your choice.
End of 5 days Nyungwe national park Safari.