Ultimate Primates Adventure

Day 1: Arrival Kigali & Overnight

Morning, afternoon or evening arrival into the Kigali International Airport. Meet and Greet Services by a Jambo Tours representative outside the Airport Arrivals section. After introductions and a short briefing you will be transferred to your Kigali hotel for check-in. Rest of the day or evening at leisure at your hotel, with dinner on own account.

Day 2: Nyanza & Butare

Early breakfast at your hotel, followed by check-out. Morning depart and drive south wards of Rwanda – to the historical towns of Nyanza and Butare (133km – 2.5hrs), for a short tour of their attractions.

Key Attractions:
NYANZA – Traditional King’s Palace & National Arts Museum;
BUTARE – National Ethnographic Museum & National University (the first and oldest higher level institution in Rwanda)

At the end of the tour, enjoy lunch at a Butare hotel or restaurant and then continue on your journey further southwest to the Nyungwe Forest (127km – 2.5hrs). Spend the evening at leisure, with dinner included.

Day 3: Nyungwe Forest National Park/Chimpanzee Trekking/Leisure Canopy Walk

Early breakfast at your hotel (or take picnic breakfast). Depart early morning for transfer to the park office, for registration of your Chimpanzee trekking. At the end of the chimps trek, return to your hotel/lodge for freshening up and lunch. Afternoon is at leisure – for optional activities, such as the Canopy Adventure Hike. After the hike, return to your hotel/lodge – for freshening up and evening at leisure.

Day 4: Lake Kivu/Kibuye/Volcanoes National Park

Breakfast at your hotel/lodge, followed by check-out. Morning, depart Nyungwe Forest and take the scenic drive along and parallel to the shores of Lake Kivu to the central Lake Kivu town of Kibuye (130km, 3hrs). Arrive in Kibuye in the mid-morning, for a brief relaxation on the lake-shore (Boat Ride, Swimming, Water Sports) or take an optional 2-hour boat to Napoleon Island (a.k.a. Bat Island) where you can see the residence of a large colony of bats. After lunch at a Kibuye hotel the tour continues to the Volcanoes Mountains region (150km, 3.5hrs). Arrive at your volcanoes lodge in the early evening, for check-in and evening at leisure, with dinner included.

Day 5: Volcanoes National Park/Gorilla Trek/Cultural Village

Early breakfast at your lodge (06:45hrs). After breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for registration of your gorilla trek and allocation of the particular gorilla family to visit. After registration and allocation of a gorilla family, the trekkers are put into groups – each group’s Lead Guide briefs the trekkers of the trekking procedures as well as the “do’s and don’ts while in the presence of gorillas. After the briefing, trekkers return to their respective vehicles for the drive up the mountain to the trek start point, or Trail-Head. Upon sighting the gorillas, you will stay with them for a magical one-hour as they go about their daily life, feeding, playing, resting; raising their young.

Coming face to face with a giant silverback must truly be one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth!

At the end of the trek, rejoin your driver-guide and transfer back to your lodge for freshening-up and lunch. Afternoon is at leisure – to simply relax at your lodge, or take up one of the optional activities, such as the Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village visit. Your evening at leisure at your lodge, with dinner included.

The Ultimate Experience!!

• A Walking Stick is provided at the start-point – to help steady your trekking
• Porters are also available – to help carry your water bottle/hand luggage and/or even hold hand in slippery/steep sections (this is at a minimal charge of US$10 per person, payable at the end))

Day 6: Volcanoes National Park – 2^nd Gorilla Trek or Golden Monkey Trek/Leisure

Breakfast at your lodge. Morning at leisure – one with nature under the shadows of the volcanoes mountains, with opportunity for a second gorilla trek or take-up the Golden Monkey trekking (the only other member of the primates species residing in the volcanoes).

For the Golden Monkey Trek:
Early breakfast at your lodge (06:45hrs). After breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for registration of your Golden Monkey Trek. At the end of the trek, rejoin your driver-guide and transfer back to your lodge for freshening-up and lunch.

Trekking to see the Golden Monkeys is another highlight of Volcanoes National Park. The Golden Monkey is a local sub-species of the widespread Sykes Monkey, also known as the “Blue Monkey” and is endemic to the high altitude forests of the Volcanoes National Park area. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping from bamboo branches or frolicking on the forest floor. Just as with the Mountain Gorillas, visitors are permitted to stay for only 1 hour with the Golden Monkeys.

Early afternoon is leisure or the optional activitiy of a visit to the nearby spectacularly beautiful and picturesque Twin Lakes of Burera & Ruhondo. (time and weather permitting). In the late afternoon we depart and drive down the foothills of the volcanoes, on a scenic but winding road and then through beautiful rolling hills back to Kigali (94km, 2.5hrs). Arrive in Kigali in the early evening, for check-in at your Kigali hotel. Evening at leisure at your hotel, with dinner on own account.

Day 7: Kigali City Tour/Depart

Breakfast at your hotel, followed by check-out. Then begin a sight-seeing tour of Kigali City, including the Genocide Memorial Museum. At the end of the city tour, enjoy lunch at one of Kigali’s popular restaurants or at the Hotel Mille Collines (depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda, the hotel became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994). After lunch, depart for Kigali International Airport for your evening outbound flight.