Gorilla and Chimp Trekking in Rwanda with a Serengeti Safari: You can combine gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda with a Serengeti safari in Tanzania. Are you planning a Tanzania and Rwanda safari? The best combination offers gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and a game drive in Serengeti National Park. Planning early ensures you enjoy these safaris because they are top destinations, and thousands of tourists always try to book and see the wildlife in the national parks.
Serengeti National Park
It is located in northwestern Tanzania, close to Kenya’s border, and is best known for the wildebeest migration. Every year, millions of wildebeests cross the Grumeti and Mara Rivers into Kenya’s Masai Mara, following a change in the weather, and then return to the Serengeti. This cycle constantly happens, offering you a chance to spot different wildlife species within the National Park. On this safari, you can enjoy game drives in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, which boast the densest wildlife population on the African continent. Serengeti National Park has three sections: the Northern Corridor, the Western Corridor, and the Serengeti Plains. You will be able to see animals like elephants, elands, gazelles, zebras, lions, impalas, wildebeests, crocodiles, waterbucks, hippos, leopards, giraffes, and rhinos, among others, during a game drive.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area was part of Serengeti National Park but became independent in 1959. People describe it as the cradle of mankind because the Leakey family found the oldest human fossils in the famous Ngorongoro Crater here. It also harbors animals like primates, lions, hippos, zebras, wildebeests, and rhinos, among others.
Gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking ranks among Rwanda’s finest safari experiences. Volcanoes National Park sits within the greater Virunga region and shelters nearly three-quarters of the world’s remaining gorillas. Each trek day, rangers assign tourists to one of 15 habituated gorilla families.
Your adventure begins early morning with a detailed briefing. Afterward, your group walks to the starting point, and the trek begins. Note that only eight tourists trek with each gorilla family daily, spending one precious hour together.
Permits & Pricing: Purchase your permit in advance through Anthill Safari. Permits cost $1,500 for foreign non-residents, $500 for African citizens, and $200 for East African citizens.
Key Rules to Follow:
- Maintain a 7-meter distance from the gorillas at all times
- Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing
- Avoid eating, drinking, or smoking near gorillas
- Never use flash photography
- Carry out all rubbish
- Stay home if you feel unwell
Nyungwe National Park
Gorilla and Chimp Trekking in Rwanda with a Serengeti Safari. This is one of the top tourist attractions in Rwanda and the best place for chimpanzee trekking. Nyungwe Forest National Park is home to 13 different primate species, which you can trek best during the dry season. Two main chimpanzee families are trekked through the forest: one in Uwinka and the other in Cyamudongo. Chimpanzee trekking involves walking through the forest in search of the playful primates. After locating them, each group gets to spend an hour with the chimpanzees before returning to the lodge for lunch.
Chimpanzee trekking starts at one of the three centers in the park, including Gisakura, Kitabi, and Uwinka. You need to follow all the trekking rules and regulations when chimpanzee trekking. You must not feed the chimpanzees, keep a distance of 7 meters when with the primates, avoid eating, drinking, or smoking, refrain from touching the chimpanzees, spend one hour with the chimpanzees after tracking them, turn off the camera flash when taking photos, and always keep Nyungwe Forest National Park clean to protect the chimpanzees.
Suggested 7-day wildlife Safari in Tanzania, Gorillas and Chimps Trekking in Rwanda
Gorilla and Chimp Trekking in Rwanda with a Serengeti Safari. This seven-day itinerary starts from Arusha in Tanzania. We will drive to Serengeti National Park for numerous activities like birding, game drives, and cultural trips to the Maasai people, and after that, we will connect to Rwanda for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking.
Day 1: Pick up from Arusha and transfer to Serengeti National Park
Depending on your preference, a tour guide will pick you up early in the morning from your hotel or the airport in Arusha. After exchanging pleasantries and a brief meeting about the trip and what to expect on this safari, you will board your vehicle, and the drive to Serengeti will begin. Our driver guide will make stopovers at the Olduvai Gorge, where you can visit the museum and explore where people discovered the oldest human fossils. You then proceed to Serengeti National Park. Upon entrance, you will have a mini-game drive through the park where you can see wildlife like cheetahs, elephants, zebras, and giraffes, among others. After the drive, you will proceed to the lodge for overnight accommodation and dinner.
Day 2: Game drive through Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
This is a significant and eventful day; you must be ready for the events. Breakfast will be served early, and the morning drive will start through the Serengeti plains. You will be able to see more animals than you saw on your first day. The drive through the Serengeti will take about 2 hours, and after that, you will drive towards the Ngorongoro Crater, where you will have lunch and prepare for the afternoon drive.
After lunch, the drive inside the crater starts, and you will see a greater number of wildlife, so many people refer to it as the Garden of Eden. It has beautiful and incredible scenery and many animals because it offers enough pasture and water, attracting many wildlife species, including the big five. After the drive, you will return to the camp/lodge for the overnight and dinner.
Day 3: Drive to Ngorongoro and departure to Rwanda
Have breakfast and enjoy one last drive through the Ngorongoro Crater to view animals you might have missed. Early morning is the best time to spot the wildlife. Some animals you might see include ostriches, jackals, giraffes, bird species, and vultures. This will be a short drive for about 45 minutes to an hour, and after the drive, we will journey back to Arusha for the flight to Kigali. It is a 45-minute flight from Arusha International Airport to Kigali International Airport, and you need to leave early to get to Rwanda.
Day 4: Kigali to Volcanoes National Park
Your driver guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kigali and begin the city tour. People consider Kigali one of the world’s cleanest cities, and although it is small, it is an organized city. You can visit several places: The Artisan shop, The former presidential palace for a political and cultural trip, The Genocide Memorial Centre, and The primary market.
After lunch, proceed for the 2 to 3-hour drive from Kigali to northeastern Rwanda, where Volcanoes National Park is located. Once you reach the national park, you will check in, rest and refresh, and take a guided nature walk to the Twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Burera.
Day 5: Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Ibyiwacu Cultural Centre
Day five starts before sunrise with an early morning breakfast. Afterward, your driver guide will drive you to the headquarters for a briefing about gorilla trekking and verifying gorilla permits and passports. After placing you in groups of 8, the trek begins. Volcanoes National Park has a third of the world’s gorilla population, and you will spot the Mountain gorillas there.
The trek can take 2 to 6 hours, depending on where the gorilla family you are trekking with is located. When trekking and after finding the gorillas, you have to follow all the trekking rules and spend an hour with the gorillas, studying their social behavior. After one hour, you will head back to the lodge for lunch and a rest as you wait for the afternoon Ibyiwacu village trip.
The driver will take you to the village of Ibyiwacu for a cultural tour. The village was formed to create jobs and act as a refuge for ex-poachers. This was a way of protecting the Mountain gorillas, and it has worked so far, as many of the poachers now act as porters to tourists. You will be able to enjoy traditional music and dance from the locals, participate in daily activities, and learn more about the traditions of the locals, the gorillas, and any contribution you make to the community and the conservation of the Mountain gorillas. You then head back to the hotel in the evening for dinner and an overnight.
Day 6: Drive to Nyungwe Forest National Park
Day 6 is for checking out of the lodge and driving to Nyungwe Forest National Park. You will get to the national park in the afternoon, have lunch, and prepare for a canopy walk. The canopy walk in Nyungwe is the best in East Africa, rising about 70 meters above the forest. The walk is divided into three phases, and you can explore the park best from above. If you are afraid of heights, a guided walk through the park is available. After the canopy walk, we head back to the lodge for dinner and an overnight.
Day 7: Chimp tracking
Today is the day for chimp tracking, and it starts as early as 5:00 am with breakfast and a drive to the park, where you will meet the guide. The guide will inform you about how the day will be and remind you about the rules and regulations that you need to follow during the trek. You will then be grouped, and the track, which takes 2 to 6 hours, begins. After tracking the chimps and finding them, each group had one hour with the chimps. After that, one hour had passed, and we headed back to the lodge for lunch.
The driver guide will be waiting to take you to a Gisakura tea estate for a guided walk. During the walk, you will learn how people plant, harvest, sort, and process the tea. Before you leave, you will also have a taste of freshly brewed tea, and then drive back to the hotel for the night and overnight.
Day 7: Drive to Kigali
This is the last day of the trip. You will have breakfast before checking out of the hotel as you prepare for the journey back to Kigali. Upon reaching Kigali, you will be dropped off at the hotel or the airport for your departure flight.
The trip will include game park fees, park ranger fees, accommodation, meals, transportation, and bottled water for drinking throughout the safari. The exclusions include air tickets, personal shopping for souvenirs, premium drinks, insurance, tips, laundry, and alcohol. If you spend an extra day in Rwanda, you must pay additional accommodation costs.
The best time for a Serengeti, gorilla, and chimpanzee trek in Rwanda
Gorilla and Chimp Trekking in Rwanda with a Serengeti Safari. The best time for combining a gorilla and trekking safari in Rwanda with the Serengeti is during the dry months of June to September and December to February. You do game drives and watch the wildebeest migration best during the drier months since the wildlife always moves in search of food and water. You also do trekking through the forests of Nyungwe National Park and Volcanoes National Park, best during these months, with drier trek routes and limited vegetation, which enables you to spot the primates easily.
The wet season, from March to May and October to November, is a good time for visiting Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. This is the best time for bird watching and watching the animals during the birthing season. It is a low season for chimpanzee and gorilla trekking due to the slippery trek routes, but it is the best time to travel on a budget.
