Combine a day with Rwanda’s iconic mountain gorillas and a visit to the playful golden monkeys for a complete Rwanda experience.
This three-day itinerary is perfect for those who are short on time and want to see the best that Volcanoes National Park has to offer.
🦍Gorilla tracking. Golden Monkey Tracking
You will be picked up from your hotel or the airport and make your way to Musanze, Rwanda’s second largest city.
Set against the backdrop of the five Virunga volcanoes, Musanze is your starting point for exploring Volcanoes National Park.
After an early breakfast at your hotel, head straight to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters where you will meet your guides. After the briefing, you will embark on the once in a lifetime experience of tracking the enigmatic mountain gorillas.
There is no guarantee as to how long or difficult your tracking will be as it depends on where the gorilla family is located and the weather conditions. It can take between two and six hours as you trek through the mountain forest at a relatively high altitude. Fitness is highly recommended for this excursion.
Once you find the gorillas, you will be allowed to spend an hour getting up close and personal with them – one of the most unforgettable experiences you will ever have. You will have the privilege of getting within a few meters of a family of these rare and beautiful animals, observing their family dynamics and learning about each gorilla’s special personality at your leisure.
After your time with the gorillas, you will return to your hotel for lunch.
If time permits, you can spend the afternoon visiting the nearby Twin Lakes or the Iby Iwacu Cultural Village. Or you can just relax at your lodge.
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We will spend the day tracking down another of Volcanoes National Park’s primate residents: the beautiful golden monkeys, which are only found in the Volcanoes Conservation Area.
You will trek through sunlit glades and dense bamboo forests in search of these playful monkeys, who are accustomed to visitors. This means you can watch the golden monkeys playing, feeding and jumping from tree to tree as if you weren’t even there. The time you can spend with the monkeys is limited to one hour, but that’s enough time to observe the curious animals in their natural habitat.
After a warm lunch at your lodge, you return to Kigali and continue your journey.
Start planning your chimpanzee and gorilla safari