This 3 days Rwanda gorilla safari and golden monkey trekking will take you to Volcanoes National Park for two prime tour activities. Volcanoes National Park is one of the 4 national parks with mountain gorillas in the whole world and it’s located in the northwestern part of Rwanda near Musanze. The park is also a home of animals such as golden monkeys, buffaloes, elephants, bush pigs, duikers, giant forest hogs, and several primates. A gorilla permit in Rwanda costs $1500.

3 Days Rwanda Gorilla And Golden Monkey Trekking Safari highlights

Day 1: Kigali city tour – transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Day 3: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Detailed itinerary 

Day 1: Kigali city tour – transfer to Volcanoes National Park

Our English-speaking guide will pick you up from Kigali city airport or your hotel/residence in the morning to begin your 3 days Rwanda gorilla trekking safari and golden monkey trekking. you will start by touring the city before proceeding to Volcanoes National Park. Kigali is one of the cleanest and organized cities in Africa. There are so many places to visit in Kigali city among which include the Kigali genocide memorial, markets, Gisozi genocide war memorial city, former presidential palace, and many others. The genocide memorials in Kigali city were built in remembrance of the 1994 genocide incident in Rwanda where the Tsuti were killed by the Hutu. From the city tour you will head out for lunch after which begin, you’re a 2 – 3 hours’ drive to Volcanoes National Park. The journey from Kigali city to Musanze is fun as it takes you through rolling hills a reason why the country is called “The land of a thousand hills”.

Meal plan: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Virunga Lodge – luxury, Da Vinci Lodge – mid-range, Hotel Muhabura – budget

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park

After delicious morning breakfast, our driver-guide will pick you up from your lodge and drive you to the park headquarters of Volcanoes National Park (Kinigi). At the park headquarters, there will be ranger guides who will teach you the rules and regulations to follow while on a gorilla trek. After the briefing, you can be enjoying traditional Rwandan dancers and pure Rwandan coffee while waiting for your gorilla trek to begin. From here, you are distributed into 8 and allocated a gorilla family to trek. Volcanoes National Park has 10 habituated gorilla families meaning there are 80 gorilla permits available for sale every day. A ranger guide will lead you into the forest to look for these gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park can take you 2 – several hours to find these giant apes. When you meet them, you will keep a distance of 10 meters away from them while observing their behaviors, watch mothers breastfeed, the silverback patrol, the young ones play, watch them hunt and make nests while taking photos and recording videos to go share with your family or keep for memories. Gorilla trekking requires one to be physically fit to enjoy hiking in Volcanoes National Park. After gorilla trekking, you will head back to your lodge for relaxation and lunch.

If you are not tired, there is an option of visiting the Iby’Iwachu village that is found in Musanze near Volcanoes National Park Rwanda. At the cultural village, you will enjoy the cultural dances, poems and learn more about the culture of the people of Rwanda.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Virunga Lodge – luxury, Da Vinci Lodge – mid-range, Hotel Muhabura – budget

Day 3: Golden monkey trekking in Volcanoes National Park

After early morning breakfast, our driver will be ready to pick you from your lodge and drive you to Kinigi park headquarters for a briefing. During the briefing, you are taught about the rules and regulations of golden monkey trekking. Golden monkeys are primates that stay in the Virunga regions of Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. After the briefing, you will then be grouped and led by a guide to the forest in search of these primates. Golden monkeys are very active primates unlike gorillas and finding them can take you about 2 to 4 hours. After finding them you are given a maximum of 1 hour as you observe them while taking as many photos as you want as well as videos. Once you are done you will head back to your hotel for lunch, have some rest and start on your journey back to Kigali international airport.

Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch

3 Days Rwanda Gorilla And Golden Monkey Trekking Safari tour includes

Gorilla trekking permit

Golden monkey trekking permit

Transport

Accommodation

Meals

Service of the English-speaking guide

All mentioned activities except for optional ones

Drinking water

3 Days Rwanda Gorilla And Golden Monkey Trekking Safari tour excludes

International flight

Visa

Personal expenses

Tips

Insurance

Golden Monkey Trekking

Golden monkey trekking is one of the most done activities done in volcanoes national park after mountain gorilla trekking. Seeing Eye to eye the smaller and nimbler monkeys is amazing and adventurous way to visit volcanoes national park in northwestern Rwanda. The volcano forest is a habitat of the rare endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

Golden monkeys are called so because of their bright orange bodies, the can only be found in this park or Mgahinga national park in the whole of east Africa. Golden monkeys have a golden body, tail and cheeks with contrasting black limbs, crown and tail – end. Their behavior is not that much known but they stay in groups of about 30 individuals and they mainly feed on bamboo shoots, leaves, insects and fruits. Golden monkeys stay high on the mountain in bamboo and they leave in the same areas with mountain gorillas. They face the same threats with mountain gorillas such as snares, poaching, diseases and human encroachment.

Golden monkey trekking starts with briefing at the park headquarters from where you head to the forest to look for them with the help of a guide. Golden monkey trekking can take you 2 to 4 hours but when you find the habituated families, you will spend one hour with them as you see how they go about their daily life. You will see golden monkeys feed on the bamboo leaves and leap from one tree branch to another while female ones breast feed their young ones.

For one to do golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park, they must possess a golden monkey permit and this is purchased at $100 and this price includes park entrance fees and ranger guide fees.

At the beginning of the golden trek, you are given walking sticks free. Those with heavy luggage can hire porters at a fee of $10. With about 8 members in the group, you are led by a park ranger guide into the jungle and within 2 – 4 hours you will have already allocated these monkeys although they are shy and reserved. The habituated golden monkeys are very comfortable around human beings. After meeting golden monkeys, you are given a maximum of one hour to be with them but it’s truly amazing because these monkeys don’t run away. You can take them photos and record videos of golden monkeys swinging on the bamboo trees to go and share with your families and friends.

Volcanoes national park has so many activities to do and so many things to see but taking part in golden monkey trekking g is one of the exciting experiences that are very unique to this park as these monkeys only live in this park and Mgahinga national park in the whole world. Golden monkey trekking is not as difficult as gorilla trekking because they are easily found within a short time.

Visit volcanoes national park and have enough time to see and photograph the golden monkeys and it’s easy to take photos as these monkeys don’t move and they can come close to people but a good camera with a longer lens is recommended as they can be more active and move away from you if you decide to come close. The jungle has very large and aggressive stinging nettle so you are advised to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts and be careful when touching the plants around you.

Apart from golden monkey trekking in volcanoes national park, many tourists visit the park to take part in a once in a life time gorilla trekking and meet eye to eye with mountain gorillas. Seeing mountain gorillas is a great experience that will be unforgettable in your life. Gorilla trekking is expensive in Rwanda with a gorilla permit bought at $1500 but is worth it. Gorilla trekking is not only done in volcanoes national park but also Virunga national park at $400 in DR Congo, Mgahinga gorilla national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park at $700 in Uganda.

Apart from golden monkey trekking and gorilla trekking, in Rwanda you can take part in chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park, primate watching in Gishwati Mukura national park and wildlife game safari in Akagera national park.

What to pack for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking?

Hiking boots

Energy giving snack

Drinking water

Camera and extra batteries

Binoculars

Long-sleeved shirts

Insect repellents

Hat and sunglasses

Rain jacket