Chimpanzee trekking safaris in Rwanda
Chimpanzee trekking safaris in Rwanda is done in Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park. Nyungwe forest national park is located in the southwestern part of the country protecting the highest population of chimpanzees while Gishwati-Makura national park is located in the western part of the country protecting a few of these primates.
Gishwati-Makura national park was gazetted in 2015 to protect the chimpanzees that were living in this park. The national park is home to other animals such as buffaloes, golden monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, l’hoest’s monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys among others. The national park is also a home to different bird species such as mountain yellow warblers. Dusky crimsonwing, grey crowned cranes, purple breasted sunbird, regal sunbird, Rwenzori batis, marital eagle among others.
Nyungwe forest national park was gazetted in 2004 to attract more tourists to the country and to also protect the endangered chimpanzees. The national park covers a total area of 970 sq. km as of today and it protects over 500 chimpanzees, 12 primates, 310 bird species, 85 mammals, and over 1086 plant species.
Chimpanzee trekking is the most done activity in Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park but there are other activities such as birding, nature walks, community visits, colobus monkey trekking, and canopy walk in Nyungwe forest national park. Both Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park can be accessed within a single day from Kigali city using road transport or air transport at any time of the year.
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest and Gishwati-Makura national park
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest and Gishwati-Makura national park give the same experience and the activity in all parks starts with a briefing. On the day of chimpanzee trekking, all participants will be required to gather at different park offices of each park where they will meet the park wardens for a briefing about the activity.
During the briefing, the trekkers are taught about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity and from here they are assigned armed ranger guides to lead them into the jungle. The ranged ranger guides lead them through different trekking trails searching for chimpanzees at the same time protecting them from dangerous wild animals.
While searching, the trekkers are able to meet different park primates such as blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, crowned monkeys, dent’s mona monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, primates such as duikers, otters, buffaloes, bush pigs, birds, water sources and different plant species. Once the chimpanzees are located, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them keeping rules and regulations, watching them do daily activities such as hunting, breastfeeding, nesting, learning about their behaviors, and taking photos.
Booking permits for a chimpanzee trekking safaris in Rwanda
There are so many ways tourists intending to spend time with chimpanzees in Rwanda can book the chimpanzee trekking permits. the chimpanzee trekking permits are documents that allow tourists to spend some time with the apes in the natural habits so without any, you can’t be allowed to trek the endangered primates.
The first way of booking chimpanzee permits for Rwanda is by yourself and this is possible when you send the Rwanda Development Board an email containing the dates you would want to be in this park for the chimpanzee trekking activity. The organization staff will use these dates to check for the availability of these permits and once they are available you will have to send them money and they will book the permits for you.
Africa Adventure Vacations limited also does help tourists from different parts of the world on booking chimpanzee trekking permits for Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park. All you have to do is send us an email containing different ways you want to trek the chimpanzees and using the days, we do check for the availability of these permits and once they are available, we shall send you different ways you can send us money. After receiving your money, we shall book the permits for you and send you a scanned copy.
Price of a chimpanzee trekking permit
A chimpanzee trekking permit is a document issued by the Rwanda Development Board allowing tourists to spend some time with chimpanzees. The chimpanzee trekking permit must be bought days or months before the day of the trekking permit most especially if you are to trek in the dry season. A chimpanzee trekking permit costs $100 per person per trek in Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park.
What to pack for a chimpanzee trekking safaris in Rwanda?
The packing list for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is an important matter to think consider before arriving in the country for the activity. There are essentials needed to have a successful chimpanzee trekking activity in Nyungwe forest and Gishwati-Makura national park and they do include waterproof hiking shoes, long-sleeved clothes, insect repellents, garden gloves, a rain jacket, hat, sunscreen, a pair of gaiters, a camera, and extra batteries, a pair of binoculars, drinking water bottle, energy-giving snacks, face mask, and sanitizer.
What is the best time to visit Rwanda for chimpanzee trekking?
Chimpanzee trekking safaris in Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park Rwanda can be done at any time of the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The drier months are the best for the chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda and they do occur from June to September and December to February. The drier months are characterized by little or no rainfall, the vegetation is shirt giving clear views of the park primates, the roads leading to the park are passable and the trekking trails are less muddy and not slippery.
Travelers most especially budget travelers can visit Rwanda for a chimpanzee trekking safari in Nyungwe and Gishwati-Makura national parks in the rainy season to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. The rainy months occur from March to May and October to November and they are characterized by heavy rainfall that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation in the park is tall giving unclear views of the primates, and the roads leading to the park are impassable.
Accommodation in Nyungwe and Gishwati-Makura national park
Tourists coming for Rwanda chimpanzee trekking safaris in Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park don’t have to worry about where they will stay when they want to spend a night or more in these parks. There are a number of accommodation facilities that are constructed around these national parks and the fact that the parks are close to each other, you can sleep in any of the lodges and trek chimpanzees the next day.
The accommodation around Nyungwe forest national park and Gishwati-Makura national park include Nyungwe Forest Lodge, One & Only Nyungwe House, Kitabi Eco Center Lodge, Gisakura Family Hostel, Nyungwe Top View Hotel, Gishwati Lodge, Peace Guest Hotel, Comoran Lodge, Golden Monkey Hotels, and Uwinka Campsite among others.
