7-Day Bwindi Gorillas & Nyungwe Chimps

This 7-day tour offers unforgettable experiences with gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park. It is a unique journey that gives you a chance to meet some of Africa’s most famous primates in Uganda and Rwanda. You will also see colobus monkeys, visit a Batwa community, explore the Gisakura tea plantation, and enjoy a canopy walk in Nyungwe.

The tour starts and ends in Kigali, Rwanda. You will first travel to Nyungwe Forest in southwest Rwanda, then to Uganda with a stop in Musanze, and finally to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park before returning to Kigali. The package includes meals, accommodation, and transport.

7-Day Bwindi Gorillas & Nyungwe Chimps Tour Highlights

Visit Rwanda and Uganda in one safari.
Trek chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Enjoy a canopy walk through the forest treetops.
Go colobus monkey trekking with expert guides.
Visit the Gisakura tea plantation and learn tea processing.
Explore Musanze town and enjoy scenic views.
Trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Visit the Batwa community and learn about their forest culture.
Enjoy scenic countryside drives and border crossings.
Begin and end your safari in Kigali, Rwanda.

Brief 7-Day Bwindi Gorillas & Nyungwe Chimps Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali to Nyungwe
Day 2: Chimp trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe
Day 3: Colobus monkey trekking and Gisakura tea plantation tour
Day 4: Transfer to Musanze for overnight stay
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi National Park
Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Batwa village tour
Day 7: Transfer back to Kigali and departure

Detailed 7-Day Bwindi Gorillas & Nyungwe Chimps Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Pick up from Kigali to Nyungwe

Your driver will pick you up from your hotel in Kigali or at Kigali International Airport. After a short briefing, you will start your journey to Nyungwe National Park in southwest Rwanda. Along the way, you will visit Kimironko Market during a short Kigali city tour.

Enjoy lunch en route and continue the scenic drive to Nyungwe. Arrive at your lodge, check in, and relax for the evening as you enjoy the cool forest air. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Day 2: Chimp trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe

Start the day with breakfast, then drive to the Uwinka Visitor Center for a briefing about chimpanzee trekking. With a park guide and ranger, enter the forest to look for a habituated chimpanzee group. When you find them, you will have one hour to observe and take photos.

Return to the starting point after the 2–5-hour trek and head back to your lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, go for a canopy walk on the Igishigishigi trail. Enjoy the forest views, see birds and monkeys, and experience the forest from above. Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3: Colobus monkey trekking and Gisakura tea plantation tour

After breakfast, return to the park for colobus monkey trekking in either the Uwinka or Gisakura area. After a short briefing, follow your guide into the forest to find the colobus monkeys. Spend an hour watching them play and feed before heading back to your lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon, visit the Gisakura tea plantation. Learn how tea is planted, harvested, and processed, and enjoy a cup of freshly brewed tea. Interact with the local farmers to understand their work and traditions. Return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay.

Day 4: Transfer to Musanze for overnight stay

Have a relaxed breakfast and check out of your lodge. Your driver will take you on a scenic 230-kilometer journey to Musanze in northern Rwanda. Enjoy lunch along the way. Upon arrival, check in at your lodge, have dinner, and rest for the night.

Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi National Park

After breakfast, check out of your lodge and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Cross the Cyanika border and continue for about 72 kilometers to your lodge in Bwindi.

Arrive in time for lunch, check in, and spend the afternoon relaxing or exploring around the lodge. Have dinner and overnight stay at your accommodation.

Day 6: Gorilla trekking and Batwa village tour

Start the day with an early breakfast, pack lunch, and head to the park headquarters by 7:30 a.m. for a briefing about gorilla trekking rules. Accompanied by experienced rangers, walk through the forest to find a habituated gorilla family.

Once you find them, spend one hour watching and photographing them. The trek usually takes 2 to 6 hours depending on the gorillas’ movements.

In the afternoon, visit a nearby Batwa village to meet the local community. Learn about their traditional forest life, hunting methods, fire-making, and music. Enjoy their cultural performances before returning to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 7: Transfer back to Kigali and departure

Have a relaxed breakfast and check out of your lodge. Drive back to Kigali through the Cyanika border, a journey of about 164 kilometers. You will have lunch en route before being dropped off at Kigali International Airport for your flight.

This marks the end of your 7-day Bwindi gorillas and Nyungwe chimps tour.

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