5 Days Rwanda Gorilla & Chimpanzee Trekking

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Kigali Arrival & Cultural Discovery

For many, the first impression of Kigali includes calm, cleanliness, and “almost startlingly green” verdancy. Your driver greets you in the arrivals hall, offering a cool towel and bottled water—most welcome after a long-haul flight. Staying at a boutique hotel overlooking Kigali’s rolling hills offers a gentle introduction to the city, along with relief from dehydration in the warm climate.

Later, you’ll tour the Kigali Genocide Memorial. You’ll walk out quieter, with a deeper appreciation for the resilience lived here. To describe it as moving is an understatement. In the afternoon, wander Kimironko Market: vendors greet you with warmth, ripe mangoes, and bright kitenge fabrics.

Sip a latte at Question Coffee Café—your coffee experience will be redefined. In the evening, discover tilapia and plantain at Heaven Restaurant. Gorilla trekking starts before sunrise, so an early night it is.

Overnight

• Budget: Five to Five Hotel Kigali
• Standard: Heaven Boutique Hotel
• Luxury: The Retreat by Heaven

Day 2 – Volcanoes National Park: Gorilla Trekking

All other travel after this day will be measured against it. Set out for Volcanoes National Park, where the road winds alongside farmland and volcanic peaks cloaked in morning mist. Meet park rangers for your briefing. Guidelines: no touching the gorillas, no sudden movements, no eye contact—not even if the baby ones get close enough to coax you. Start hiking. Bamboo creaks underfoot. Every few steps, the undergrowth hints at movement that makes your heart accelerate.

The first glimpse of these massive, quiet creatures shows you how small and humbled you really are. A silverback picks apart leaves as if he’s reading a novel. The younger ones engage in mock battles. You have an hour of immersion. In the afternoon, head back to your lodge. Nothing feels as rewarding as a hot shower after spending the day wrestling with nature. Dinner by the fireplace follows. Some recall their first times encountering a gorilla. Others say nothing at all, simply letting the wonder settle in.

Overnight

• Budget: La Locanda
• Standard: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
• Luxury: Bisate Lodge

Day 3 – Nyungwe Transfer: The Long Scenic Drive

Today you cross Rwanda—and the scenery is endless. Eat breakfast, then drive southwest towards Nyungwe National Park. Hills, tea plantations, and waving children line the route. Midday, stop to stretch your legs in Huye. Visit the Ethnographic Museum—its artifacts piece together this country’s rich heritage.

In the afternoon, arrive at your lodge in Nyungwe. It sits along the edge of the forest, where colobus monkeys sometimes linger near pathways. From your windows, dine while gazing at the treetops. The air smells of earth and damp wonders, harmonizing with the endless possibilities lingering beyond.

Overnight

• Budget: ORTPN Gisakura Guesthouse
• Standard: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
• Luxury: One&Only Nyungwe House

Day 4 – Chimpanzee Trekking: Nyungwe Forest

Long before sunrise, the rainforest begins its daily symphony. Set out to meet your guide. The hike is brisk and challenging—chimpanzees are not known for taking the easier paths. You hear their unmistakable calls—urgent and purposeful. Just as you think you’ll need to turn around, they’re overhead. A female chimp sits in a fig tree, her gaze fixed on you.

For a moment, you’ll believe the fact that they share 98% of our DNA. Return to the lodge for breakfast. If you’re like most, you’ll savor the muddy, exhilarating experience. A guided walk in the lower forest is available, though sitting with a book as the rainforest hums around you is also an option. Dinner at the lodge follows. If you haven’t yet, try the local banana beer—you’ve earned it.

Overnight

• Budget: ORTPN Gisakura Guesthouse
• Standard: Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel
• Luxury: One&Only Nyungwe House

Day 5 – Departure & Nyungwe Canopy Walk

A last viewpoint—literally above them all. The Canopy Walk—step onto a suspension bridge stretching over the treetops. Birds flit between the branches as sunlight filters down. It all forms a living masterpiece. You’ll be reminded the place you’re visiting is as alive as any city you’ve ever known. Checkout from the lodge with fresh coffee and a warm shower.

In the afternoon, return drive to Kigali. The kilometers ahead are filled with green hills and small villages. In the evening, transfer to the airport. Departure. You leave carrying stories you’ll struggle to explain, and memories you won’t want to let go.

Overnight
Not applicable (departure day).

Practical Tips

Fitness: Moderate to good—both treks involve uneven ground and slopes.
Permits: Gorilla and chimpanzee permits must be booked months in advance.
What to Pack:

• Waterproof hiking boots
• Lightweight layers for cool mornings and warm afternoons
• Vegetation-gripping gloves
• Camera (no flash)
• Binoculars for Nyungwe

Timing: Best trekking is during the dry season (June–September).

Rwanda’s gorilla and chimpanzee tracking are not experiences you simply consume—they are encounters you fully inhabit. Returning home, you’ll find your timeline split into before and after you met the gaze of something truly unimaginable.