Rwanda Safari Activities | Primate Trekking & Big Five Safaris
Rwanda safari activities center on world-class primate trekking, primarily mountain gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park and chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe National Park. Visitors can also experience Big Five safaris in Akagera National Park, canopy walks, golden monkey tracking, bird watching, and cultural tours, often combined with relaxing at Lake Kivu.
Rwanda Safari Activities Best Unique Rwanda Safari Activities include: Rwanda Gorilla Tours, Wilderness Safaris in Rwanda, Kigali Day Trips, Luxury Bird Watching Tours to Rwanda
Rwanda is a land of endangered mountain gorillas, wildlife, bird species and beautiful people. Rwanda Gorillas are found in the Volcanoes National Park where tourists from world over can have a gorilla trekking tour any day of the year. Rwanda Safari Activities, Gorilla trekking, wildlife viewing, chimpanzee trekking, birding, and cultural tours are the top safari activities in Rwanda.
Rwanda Safari Activities
- Mountain Gorilla Trekking: The premier activity, allowing visitors to spend an hour with habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park.
- Chimpanzee Tracking: Located in Nyungwe Forest National Park and Gishwati-Mukura National Park, offering a chance to see primates in their natural habitat.
- Big Five Safaris: Game drives in Akagera National Park to spot lions, rhinos, elephants, leopards, and buffaloes in savannah landscapes.
- Golden Monkey Tracking: Trekking through Volcanoes National Park to see rare, playful golden monkeys.
- Canopy Walkway: A thrilling 160-meter-long, 70-meter-high walkway above Nyungwe Forest, offering views of birds and primates.
- Volcano Hiking & Nature Walks: Hiking in the Virunga Mountains, including the Dian Fossey tomb hike, for volcanic views and botanical insights.
- Boat Safaris & Water Activities: Boat trips on Lake Ihema (Akagera) for wildlife spotting and kayaking/canoeing on Lake Kivu.
- Cultural and City Tours: Visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial, local markets, and experiencing the Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony.
1. Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
Most accessible and easiest mountain gorilla trekking in Africa is the major draw card of Rwanda safari tours. Volcanoes National Park Rwanda is the closest gorilla safari park from its airport, Kigali International Airport.
Unlike in the other countries of Uganda and Congo, in Rwanda as soon as you arrive at Kigali International Airport you are just a few hours away from the park. Mountain gorillas of Rwanda are all fully habituated and open for trekking and still surviving in their natural habitat. (the best activity amongst all Rwanda Safari Activities)
Rwanda’s gorillas are the easiest to trek as they live in the bamboo covered slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes and live within an easy reachable range. It was on these slopes that the popular primatologist did her conservation works and the place where the movie Gorillas in the Mist was shot making Rwanda Gorilla trekking safaris popular world over.
2. Rwanda Wildlife Safaris
Wildlife in Rwanda is one of the key attractions in the country with several big cats and wild species. Though Rwanda safaris may not seem the classic African wildlife safari destination, in the east of the country is the scenic Akagera National Park that is worth exploring.
Akagera National Park is surrounded by savannah plains, rolling hills and deep valleys in the north, papyrus swamps and lakes to the east.
Akagera National Park is home to savannah wildlife species like giraffes, elephants, lions, zebras and many more. Rwanda is also home to several wildlife species including thirteen primates including chimpanzees, monkeys, and the Ruwenzori colobus arboreal colobus which move in groups of up to 400 individuals. This is the largest population troop size of primates you can sight in Africa.
3. Chimpanzee Trekking Rwanda
On Rwanda Safari Chimpanzees are one of the primates in Rwanda found in Nyungwe Forest National Park south west of Rwanda. Nyungwe forest is the largest remaining tract of forest with about 200 tree species covering approximately an area of 970 square kilometers.
Chimpanzee trekking safaris in Nyungwe Forest Rwanda starts off from three reception centers which are Uwinka, Gisakura and Kitabi where tourists meet the park rangers for a trek to the forest.
(Rwanda Safari Activities) To reach the chimp trek point, you will be driven to the start point where rangers take the trekkers to where the chimps are spending their day.
Chimpanzees share about 98.7% DNA with humans and have several human like behaviors that are amazing to watch for a maximum of an allocated 1 hour. These chimpanzees are habituated and safe to track easily noticeable by their deafening screams, loud hoots and booming hitting of the tree barks and buttress.
4. Rwanda Birding Safaris
Rwanda has a bird list of about 703 bird species and a high number of the Albertine Rift bird endemics. 29 Albertine Rift endemics are found in Rwanda and it’s one of the best places to see the red-collared babbler.
Rwanda birding safaris offer accessible birding spots and some of the most desirable African bird species. All the four (4) parks in Rwanda are good for bird watching tours, however, Akagera National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park are the top spots for avid birders.
Some of the bird species in Rwanda include the Rwenzori Nightjar, Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Grauer’s Warbler, Blue-headed Sunbird, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, Shelly’s Crimsonwing, Kungwe Apalis and many more.
5. Rwanda Cultural Tours
Cultural tours in Rwanda are one of the perfect ways of understanding the people who inhabit the hills of a thousand hills. Cultural tours, offer you chance to the famous cultural sites of the country including the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
Kigali Genocide Memorial has three permanent exhibitions that portray an outcome of violence. The largest of the exhibitions documents the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the other is a children’s memorial and the third exhibits a history of genocidal violence around the world.
This is one of the best educational spots for the history of Rwanda. There are several cultural sites in Rwanda some in the different museums as well as a lot that can be learned on a visit to the Rwandese communities.
6. Canopy Walk Nyungwe Forest
A suspension above the lush montane rainforest is the Canopy walk of Nyungwe Forest National Park, one that offers a spectacular view of the ancient forest tree tops as well as bird life and other species within.
Nyungwe forest canopy walk is suspended 70 m high and covers about 160m long. To have a canopy walk experience, you take either the Igishigishigi, Imbaraga or the Umuyove trails.
To reach the park you will be driven on a 4×4 safari vehicle, however, on arrival at the Uwinka visitor centre, you will walk to the canopy walk start point. Walking 60 meters above the forest floor could be anxiety causing for those people with height problems, but it’s worth undertaking and a remarkable experience. Learn More
7. Golden Monkey Trekking Rwanda
Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda takes place in Volcanoes National Park, offering a chance to see endangered golden monkeys in the Virunga bamboo forests. Permits cost $100 for foreign visitors, and the experience involves a relatively easy, half-day hike, usually allowing for one hour of observation. These active primates are known for their bright orange fur and are frequently visited as a lower-intensity activity compared to gorilla trekking.