.png)
This spectacular 5-Day Nyungwe Forest Chimpanzee Trek & Lake Kivu Safari takes you deep into the heart of one of Africa's oldest, most biodiverse, and most scientifically significant tropical rainforests — Nyungwe National Park — before transitioning to the tranquil, jewel-like shores of Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes and one of the continent's most beautiful and serene natural wonders.
Nyungwe National Park in southwestern Rwanda is an extraordinary, ancient montane rainforest covering over 1,020 square kilometres of mist-shrouded mountains and valleys, and is estimated to be over 29 million years old — making it one of the oldest surviving forests in Africa and one of the most important centers of biodiversity on the entire continent. The park is home to 13 primate species including the highly intelligent common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), the spectacular Angolan black-and-white colobus in troops of up to 400 individuals — the largest troop of colobus monkeys found anywhere in the world — L'Hoest's monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and the eastern needle-clawed galago. An astonishing 322 bird species have been recorded within the park boundaries, including 29 Albertine Rift endemic species.
The crown jewel of any Nyungwe safari experience is undoubtedly the thrilling chimpanzee trekking experience — following habituated chimpanzee communities through the dense, atmospheric rainforest on foot, guided by experienced trackers who have dedicated their lives to understanding the chimps' behavior and daily ranging patterns. Observing our closest living relatives as they communicate, forage, play, and navigate their complex social hierarchies in the wild is a profoundly moving and humbling experience.
Another unmissable Nyungwe highlight is the iconic Nyungwe Canopy Walkway — a thrilling suspension bridge system suspended 60 metres above the rainforest floor that sways gently over a sea of green treetops, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the ancient forest and extraordinary opportunities to observe canopy-dwelling birds and primates from above. The walkway is one of only a handful of such high-altitude canopy bridges in all of Africa. After Nyungwe's dramatic forest adventures, the safari transitions to the resort-style shores of Lake Kivu for peaceful relaxation, boat cruises between beautiful lake islands, and glorious East African sunsets reflected in the still, blue waters.
Tour Type: Private Rainforest & Lake Safari
Duration: 5 Days / 4 Nights
| Included |
|
|---|---|
| Excluded |
|
 Travel With 4x4 Safari Vehicle | |
Arrive at Kigali International Airport and receive a warm welcome from your professional safari guide. Transfer comfortably to your hotel in Kigali for check-in and an introductory briefing about your upcoming 5-day Nyungwe adventure.
Enjoy a guided Kigali city tour including the moving Kigali Genocide Memorial, a visit to artisan craft cooperatives showcasing Rwanda's world-famous woven basket tradition, and a scenic drive through Kigali's immaculately maintained modern city center. In the evening enjoy a welcome dinner featuring Rwandan cuisine and prepare for your early departure tomorrow morning.
Meals: Dinner | Accommodation: Hotel in Kigali
After a hearty early breakfast, depart Kigali and drive approximately 5–6 hours southwest through Rwanda's spectacular countryside to reach Nyungwe National Park. This incredibly scenic journey passes through Rwanda's famous, emerald-green tea estates — some of the finest and most productive in East Africa — presenting extraordinary photo opportunities as workers in brightly colored clothing move through the tea bushes against misty mountain backdrops.
As the road climbs higher into the mountains, the air becomes noticeably cooler and cleaner, the vegetation increasingly lush and dense, and the ancient Nyungwe forest begins to envelope the highway on both sides. Your guide will point out interesting endemic bird species, roadside colobus monkeys, and the dramatic transition from Rwanda's agricultural landscape to the park's pristine, ancient forest interior.
Upon arriving at your beautiful forest lodge perched on the edge of Nyungwe, check in and enjoy a refreshing welcome drink, a hot lunch with spectacular forest views, and an afternoon wildlife walk in the lodge's surrounding grounds. Attend a comprehensive briefing from your guide about tomorrow's chimpanzee trekking experience.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge or similar
The most extraordinary and exhilarating day of your Nyungwe safari begins before dawn with an early breakfast and transfer to the park's ranger station for registration and a comprehensive chimpanzee trekking briefing. Armed with sturdy walking boots, your daypack, water, and your camera, follow your expert tracking team into the ancient heart of Nyungwe Forest in search of the habituated chimpanzee community.
Chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe is a genuinely wild, dynamic, and unpredictable experience — unlike gorilla trekking, chimpanzees move rapidly, vocally, and energetically through the forest canopy, and tracking them requires stamina, quick reflexes, and the patience to follow the trackers through dense undergrowth, across streams, and up steep forested hillsides. The reward of spending time observing wild chimpanzees — our closest living relatives, sharing 98.7% of our DNA — communicating in their complex, multi-layered vocal language, maintaining intricate social alliances, using tools to extract food from crevices, and displaying extraordinary individual personality traits is entirely and absolutely worth every muddy step.
After the trekking experience and a well-deserved picnic lunch in the forest, visit the iconic Nyungwe Canopy Walkway — a remarkable engineering achievement and one of Africa's most thrilling wildlife experiences. The suspended bridge system stretches 160 metres through the rainforest canopy at 60 metres above the forest floor, swaying gently as you walk, and offering extraordinary eye-level views of colobus monkeys swinging through the trees, sunbirds darting between flowering canopy plants, and the unbroken green ocean of Nyungwe's ancient forest stretching to the horizon in every direction.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Accommodation: Nyungwe Forest Lodge or similar
After a relaxed breakfast, depart the mist-shrouded forests of Nyungwe and drive to the beautiful resort town of Gisenyi or Kibuye on the shores of the magnificent Lake Kivu. Lake Kivu is one of Africa's Great Lakes — a vast, deep, freshwater lake stretching 89 kilometres in length and straddling the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its crystal-clear blue waters, palm-fringed shores lined with boutique hotels and local fishing villages, and the dramatic volcanic mountains rising behind the lake on both sides create an atmosphere of extraordinary, almost Mediterranean beauty.
Upon arrival at your elegant lakeside hotel, check in and enjoy a refreshing lunch on a terrace overlooking the shimmering lake. In the afternoon, embark on a relaxing and scenic private boat cruise exploring Lake Kivu's beautiful network of islands:
Optional activities available at Lake Kivu include swimming in the clear, bilharzia-free lake waters, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, beach volleyball, and a massage at the hotel spa. Dinner on the hotel terrace with spectacular lake views.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Accommodation: Lakeside Hotel, Lake Kivu
Enjoy a final leisurely breakfast with gorgeous Lake Kivu views before checking out of your lakeside hotel and beginning the scenic 2.5-3 hour drive back north to Kigali. The return journey passes through some of Rwanda's most beautiful and productive agricultural countryside, offering a full appreciation of the country's breathtaking landscape and the remarkable industry and creativity of its farming communities.
Upon arriving in Kigali, optional activities depending on your departure time may include a final visit to the bustling Kimironko Market — Rwanda's largest and most vibrant farmer's market — or the Caplaki Craft Village, where the finest examples of traditional Rwanda craftsmanship are available for purchase directly from the makers. Your guide will then transfer you comfortably and promptly to Kigali International Airport for your onward international journey, concluding an extraordinary 5-day Nyungwe chimpanzee and Lake Kivu safari.
Meals: Breakfast
