7 Days Primates and Dian Fossey hike Rwanda is a one week adventure tour in Rwanda that introduces you to spot a number of primates and a hike to Dian Fossey grave who was a primatologist murdered by poachers. In volcanoes national park you’ll spend an hour with mountain gorillas and another hour with golden monkeys. In Nyungwe forest national park, you will go for a canopy walk and you will spend an hour with chimpanzees. This 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey hike is one of the best Rwanda safaris that is frequently booked by primate lovers and adventure travelers.

7 Days Rwanda Primates And Dian Fossey Hike Safari highlights

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to volcanoes national park

Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park

Day 3: Hike Dian Fossey tomb and visit Iby’iwacu cultural village

Day 4: Golden monkey trekking and visit twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo

Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park

Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park

Day 7: Transfer to Kigali

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and transfer to volcanoes national park

On your first day of 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey hike, you will be welcomed by a guide from Africa adventure vacations who will be ready to pick you from Kigali international airport upon landing. The driver-guide will brief you about this 1 week Rwanda adventure as you head to any good hotel in Kigali for lunch. After lunch, you will start your game drive to volcanoes national park in Ruhengeri where you will reach in the evening, check in your lodge for dinner, and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique hotel – luxury, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge – mid range, Garden palace Hotel – budget

Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park

After early morning breakfast on your second day of Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey hike, park some energy giving snacks, drinking warm and other necessities then be driven to volcanoes national park headquarters for pre-gorilla briefing where you will learn the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. You will then be grouped into 8 and you will be given a gorilla family to trek and a ranger guide to lead you into the forest. You will start on your journey of looking for the habituated gorilla family and once you find the gorilla family, you will be given a maximum of one hour to be around it, observe the gorilla behaviors, watch them do about their daily activities as you take photos and record videos for memories or share with friends and family. After an hour with mountain gorillas, you will start on your trek back to the starting point where you will find your driver guide ready to drive you to the park headquarters for your certificate of participating in gorilla trekking. After this, you will head to your lodge for lunch in case you didn’t move with your packed lunch. You will spend an evening relaxing

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique hotel – luxury, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge – mid range, Garden palace Hotel – budget

Day 3: Hike Dian Fossey tomb and visit Iby’iwacu cultural village

After morning breakfast on the 3rd day of your safari, your driver-guide will be ready to pick you up from your lodge and drive you to the park headquarters to take part in a briefing before starting on your hike to summit the grave of Dian Fossey. After the briefing, you will be given a park guide and start your hike to Karisoke research center where Dian Fossey was buried next to her favorite gorilla digit after being murdered by poachers on the 26th December 1985 during her mission to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that were at a point of extinction in the world. During the hike to Dian Fossey grave, there are so many encounters such as primates, birds, mammals, and beautiful views of volcanoes like Bisoke and Karisimbi. If you moved with your packed food you will have a lunch picnic and if you never carried it you will descend back to meet your driver guide who will drive you to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch, you will have some relaxation and then in the evening, you will go for a cultural tour to Iby’iwacu cultural village which is one of the cultural tours you shouldn’t miss while on a Rwanda safari in volcanoes national park. At the cultural village, you will be rewarded with exciting cultural entertainment of traditional dance and drama, and storytelling. You will later get back to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique hotel – luxury, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge – mid range, Garden palace Hotel – budget

Day 4: Golden monkey trekking and visit twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo

After early morning breakfast, pack all you need and meet your driver guide who will transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking. You will then be grouped a d each group will be given a ranger guide to lead them into the forest to search for the habituated golden monkey troops. Trekking golden monkeys is more fun as you enjoy golden monkeys freely jump on your shoulders and tree branches. You will be given an hour to spend with these cheerful primates after walking for about 30minutes to 5 hours. You will then get back to your lodge for lunch.

After enjoying your beautiful lunch, you will start on your walk to visit the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo that give you stunning views of Virunga volcanoes like mount Muhabura, Gahinga, Bisoke and Sabyinyo, birds, butterflies, and many more. After visiting the twin lakes, you will return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Five Volcanoes Boutique hotel – luxury, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge – mid range, Garden palace Hotel – budget

Day 5: Transfer to Nyungwe forest national park

After early morning breakfast, you will check out of your lodge and meet your safari driver ready to transfer you from volcanoes national park to Nyungwe forest national park. The journey to Nyungwe forest national park is very rewarding with lots of attractions along the way including the farmlands, craft shops, and beautiful views of Lake Kivu. You will have an en route for lunch after which proceed to the park. Upon arrival at your booked lodge you will check-in for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Nyungwe House – luxury, Nyungwe Top View Lodge – mid-range, Gisakura Guest House – budget

Day 6: Chimpanzee trekking and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park

You will wake up early for your morning breakfast on the 6th day of your safari then meet up with your driver guide who will transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing where you will get to know about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda. After the briefing, you will be grouped and led into the forest to trek habituated chimpanzees that are used to human beings. During chimpanzee trekking, you will meet other animals such as primates, mammals, birds, and flora of the forest among others. Trekking chimpanzees might take you 30 minutes to 5 hours in Nyungwe forest national park. When you meet the habituated chimpanzees, you will be given a maximum of one hour to be with them in their natural habitats and return to your lodge for lunch.

In the afternoon after lunch, you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer you to the park headquarters for a briefing about the canopy walk. This canopy walk is the best in east Africa. The canopy walk is built 50 meters above the ground giving you a stunning encounter with several wildlife species such as primates, mammals, birds, and many more. The canopy walk also gives you an aerial view of Nyungwe forest national park. After the canopy walk, return to your lodge for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay.

Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Nyungwe House – luxury, Nyungwe Top View Lodge – mid-range, Gisakura Guest House – budget

Day 7: Transfer to Kigali

On your last day of the safari, you will be served breakfast after which check out and meet your safari guide who will be ready to transfer you back to Kigali from Nyungwe forest national park. You will have an en route for lunch on your way. If you still have time you can go for a Kigali city tour which will take you to the Kigali genocide memorial site where thousands of people from the 1994 Rwanda genocide were buried, explore Kirimonko market, craft shops and so many others. Once you are done with the city tour, you will then be driven to Kigali international airport to end your 7 days Rwanda primates and Dian Fossey Hike with a lot of memories

Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch