Mountain and Lowland Gorilla & Chimpanzee Safari

This is a chance to explore wildlife in DR Congo & Rwanda! This mountain gorilla safari experience offers you a complete primate tour to visit Africa's endangered gorillas. The Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park (plus we trek the chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park (in Rwanda)) and the Eastern Lowland mountain gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park (in DR Congo)! Don’t miss the opportunity to see for yourself the difference between these gorillas groups. 


Itinerary

  • Day 1: Johannesburg / Kigali Airport / Kigali

    The package includes return economy airfare with RwandAir from Johannesburg to Kigali Airport (departing at 16h45, arriving at 21h20). Meet and greet our representative at the Kigali Airport and transfer to the hotel.

    Stay: Amata n’Ubuki Boutique Hotel (Standard room)

    Meals: Breakfast

  • Day 2: Kigali / Volcanoes National Park

    After breakfast, we do a City Tour of Kigali and visit the Genocide Memorial Centre. The Kigali City tour offers you an in-depth overview of Kigali’s past and present, showing you the true heartbeat of the city. The nation's recovery is incredible and a testimony to humankind's resilience.  "Cleanliness and Security" is the motto of Kigali. By this motto, the city is a safe and secure place to live, visit, and explore. The Genocide Memorial Centre is regarded as one of the best museums in Africa! Learn more about Rwanda’s history from the pre-colonial era to the 1994 genocide war that shocked the world. No matter which part of the world you come from, this is the one place you must visit in your lifetime to be reminded and re-educated about life’s fragility and the danger of human vulnerability. 

    Enjoy lunch at the Hotel des Mille Collines (previously known as Hotel Rwanda) in Kigali before we travel to the Volcanoes National Park driving through the stunning scenery of flourishing green hills and valleys. This beautiful country is known for its huge indigenous forests, large tea plantations, and other types of farming that stretch as far as the eye can see.   

    Stay: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Cottage)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 3: Volcanoes National Park - GORILLA TREKKING

    Early morning departure from the lodge to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi for your mountain gorilla trekking experience. After a briefing from the authorities at the headquarters of the park, we take a short drive to the starting point. Trekking usually starts in cultivated land on the base of the volcanoes from where you are guided into the dense misty forests. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is one of the most memorable wildlife encounters in Africa, if not the world. Daily visits have an impact on gorilla activity patterns and are a source of animal stress, justifying the “only spend one-hour” rule while still allowing adequate time for photography and observing these great primates in their natural habitat.

    We will visit the nearby Iby'iwacu Cultural Village in the afternoon. A guided walk through this village will reward you with an unusual and unforgettable experience as you go to different sites in this community. You will be visiting the king's house, hearing all the interesting stories, and getting some insight into all the items in his house. Observe different types of traditional dances like Intore dance and Ibyivugo, performed by community members, using local and traditional musical instruments. Visitors can have an authentic traditional Rwandan experience of their daily lives by participating in day-to-day activities.

    Stay: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Cottage)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 4: Volcanoes National Park / Kamembe (Nyungwe Forest NP)

    After breakfast, we will drive along the lakeshore of Lake Kivu via Kibuye town. This drive is absolutely stunning. Winding roads hug the lakeshore and majestic hills make for some fantastic photo opportunities. You will see the locals at work, intensively cultivating bananas, cassava, sorghum, beans, rice, potatoes, and even coffee in their steep and tiny fields. In addition, there are several massive tea plantations, villages, innumerable tiny brickworks, and surprises around every corner. You'll be met with huge smiles and waves from the local children as you pass by and arrive at Kamembe in the late afternoon. 

    Stay: Emeraude Kivu Resort (Standard room)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 5: Nyungwe Forest National Park - CHIMPANZEE TREKKING

    Enjoy an early breakfast at the lodge before your transfer to the park board office to register for chimpanzee trekking. The Rwandan chimp population consists of about 500 individuals and is thought to be confined to Nyungwe Forest National Park. You will be able to hear them before you see them. From somewhere deep in the forest, an exciting hooting will start, just one voice at first, then several, rising in volume before stopping abruptly or fading away. Unlike most other primates, chimpanzees don’t live in troops, but instead, form extended communities of up to a hundred individuals. They move around the forest in small mobile subgroups that often revolve around a few close family members like brothers, mothers, and daughters. Following the excursion, we will return to the lodge for lunch and an afternoon at leisure.

    Stay: Emeraude Kivu Resort (Standard room).

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 6: Kamembe / Bukavu (DR Congo)

    After breakfast, we will do the Canopy Walk, which is situated in the Nyungwe Forest that hosts 25% of African primates. This walkway is 40 meters above ground level and 90 meters long. It is built above a steep, deep valley, that affords you a dizzying platform where you will be on an "eye-to-eye” level with different primate species and many bird species who all prefer the upper scales of the forest. We will then return to the lodge for lunch followed by a meet and greet at the hotel by your DR Congo guide. En route to the border into the DRC, you will see lush vegetation along the lake in this dense, green, mountainous area with its sparsely populated islands. There are a lot of small bays hiding ancient fishing villages and some beautiful beaches. We will transfer you from the port to your hotel in Bukavu. The city serves as the gateway to the Kahuzi Biega National Park and is situated on the southeastern edge of Lake Kivu.

    Stay: Orchids Safari Club Hotel (Standard room)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 7: Bukavu / Kahuzi Biega National Park / Bukavu - EASTERN LOWLAND GORILLA TREKKING

    Enjoy an early breakfast before driving (about an hour) to Kahuzi Biega National Park. After the briefing from the authorities of the Tshivanga Visitor Centre, set off to trek the endangered Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). The eastern lowland gorilla is arguably the most impressive of the gorillas. The silverback can reach a weight of 200 kilograms and a height of just under two meters when upright. Their faces are more elongated and its nose, with compressed nostrils, are narrower than in other subspecies. You can stay close to the gorillas for a maximum of one hour, allowing for observation and photography. After the trek, you have the option to return to Bukavu by a local boat on Lake Kivu or by vehicle.

    Stay: Orchids Safari Club Hotel (Standard room)

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 8: Bukavu / Kigali / Johannesburg

    After breakfast proceeds to the Rwanda border to drive back to Kigali across beautiful landscapes of rolling verdant terraced hills. Stop at Butare and visit the National Ethnographic Museum of Rwanda where a fantastic display of Traditional Rwandan dancing will lift your spirit before you delve deep into the history and artifacts of Rwanda. The next stop is the Kings Palace Museum at Nyanza. This is the historical and traditional power center of Rwanda and here we visit the reconstructed Kings Palace to see how traditional monarchs lived in pre-colonial times. On arrival in Kigali, we stop for dinner (included) at Kigali’s premier Indian restaurant Khana Kazana before transferring to the airport for your onward flight home (departing at 11h20 Rwanda time, arriving at 02h10 South African time). 

    End of service

We can send you a tailor-made quotation similar to the above itinerary - one designed specifically for you, around your taste, budget, interests and more.

  • Return economy airfare with RwandAir from Johannesburg to Kigali Airport
  • Including airport taxes
  • ALL transfers from Kigali Airport with English speaking driver guide 
  • 1-nights at Amata n’Ubuki Boutique Hotel (Kigali)
  • Standard room
  • Breakfast  
  • Kigali activities included:
  • Kigali City Tour
  • Genocide Memorial Centre
  • 2-nights at Mountain Gorilla View Lodge (Volcanoes National Park) 
  • Cottage
  • Lunch, dinner & breakfast  
  • Volcanoes activities included:
  • Mountain Gorilla trekking
  • 2-nights at Emeraude Kivu Resort (Nyungwe Forest NP)
  • Standard room
  • Dinner, lunch & breakfast
  • Nyungwe Forest NP activities included:
  • Chimpanzee trekking
  • 2-nights at Orchids Safari Club Hotel (Kahuzi Biega National Park) 
  • Standard Room
  • Lunch, dinner & breakfast  
  • Kahuzi Biega NP activities included:
  • Eastern Lowland Gorilla Trekking
  • On-route activities included:
  • National Ethnographic Museum of Rwanda
  • Visit the Kings Palace Museum
  • 4x4 stretched Land Cruiser safari vehicle (maximum 6 clients per vehicle)
  • Mini fridge you can use to stock with drinks (for your account)
  • Reference Books & Maps
  • Bottled water in vehicles
  • Flight by light aircraft from Kihihi airstrip (Bwindi) to Entebbe Airport (on last day).
  • All National Park entrance fees & ranger fees.
  • Comprehensive support from our operational office in Uganda for the duration of the safari. 
  • Travel information pack.
  • Free postage of travel documents.

  • Multiple entry visas for Rwanda
  • Entry visa to DR Congo
  • Yellow fever inoculation certificate or an exemption letter from your doctor - COMPULSORY!
  • Malaria preventive medication. Rwanda & DRC are malaria areas
  • Travel insurance (highly recommended)
  • Meals and drinks not specified  
  • Laundry services
  • Gratuities to the driver/guide, trackers, hotel staff, and porters 
  • All expenses of personal nature
  • Activities not specified

Dates & Prices

Dates

PRIVATE (TAILOR-MADE) SAFARI:
This safari has been crafted with knowledge and insight, showcasing just a few of the experiences you can enjoy while on safari in Uganda. It is merely an example, and any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Chat with one of our Safari Specialists, who will be able to help you to customise the ideal safari itinerary for you based on your interests, preferences and budget.

Rates

RAND Rate (SA residents ONLY) USD Rate
On Request On Request
(Excluding International flights & airline taxes)

 

  • Request a quote from our Safari Specialists for the best, most current rates according to your preferred time of travel.
  • Prices are based on 2 guests travelling – if more guest travel discounted rates are available.
  • All rates are subject to increases beyond our control, including fuel price, government taxes and exchange rate fluctuations.

 


National Parks

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga Mountains, which is a range of six extinct and three active volcanoes situated in Rwanda, Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the heart of Africa, so high up that you shiver more than you sweat, are volcanoes (the Virungas) towering up in the air for almost 3,000m, virtually covered in rich, green rainforest . Situated in the far northwest of Rwanda, the Parc des Volcano’s protects the steep slopes of this magnificent mountain range - home of the rare mountain gorilla - and the rich mosaic of montane ecosystems, which embrace evergreen and bamboo forest, open grassland, swamp and heath . An exciting trek through the cultivated foothills of the Virungas offers splendid views in all directions. This is the best location to track the rare and captivating mountain gorillas of Rwanda (Gorilla Beringei). The guides can find the gorillas within one to eight hours of starting, but this often involves a lot of strenuous effort scrambling through dense vegetation up steep muddy slopes. An encounter with a silverback male gorilla at close quarters can be a hair-raising experience; however, they are remarkably non-aggressive animals, entirely vegetarian, and usually quite safe to be around.


Nyungwe Forest National Park 

Set in southwest Rwanda, Nyungwe is one of Africa’s oldest forests, and rainforest in the purest sense, with regular rainfalls of up to 2,000mm per annum. Teeming with wildlife, the National Park is a great destination to include in a safari, especially if you like primates. It is known to be one of the richest areas of Africa for its endemic species and stunning biodiversity. While not guaranteed, it is not uncommon to spot troops of Angolan Colobus monkeys with over 300 swinging through the trees! There are also a good number of chimps in the forest, estimated at 500 in total. Other primates include the L'Hoest's monkey, silver monkey, golden monkey, olive baboon, and vervet monkey, several species of bushbabies, grey-cheeked mangabey and red-tailed monkey. There is an equally wide variety of flora in the forest, with over 100 orchid species alone and over 200 types of trees. The area also has the highest concentration and variety of birdlife in Rwanda, with nearly 300 species recorded, including iridescent sunbirds, giant hornbills and the extravagant blue turaco, and many species, which are endemic to the Albertine Rift. 

DR Congo: Kahuzi-Biega National Park 

Kahuzi-Biega National Park is in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 50km west of the town of Bukavu and near the Rwandan border. The Park was established in 1970 to conserve and preserve the Grauer's (lowland) gorilla. Kahuzi-Biega is named after two extinct volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi (3,308m) and Mount Biega (2,790m). The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It is distinguished from other gorillas by its stocky body, large hands and short muzzle. Despite its size, eastern lowland gorillas subsist mainly on fruit and other herbaceous materials, just like other gorilla subspecies. There are nine gorilla families in Kahuzi-Biega, and two are habituated for visitors. The Park is divided into two forest zones which are connected by a narrow corridor: on one side of the Park is mountain forest covering 600 sq km (altitude of 1,800m to 3,300m) and on the other hand, is a tropical forest (altitude 600m and 1,200m). Therefore, this makes the Park one of the most significant reserves serving to conserve flora and fauna in central Africa's high mountain regions. In 1990 the Park was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.