7-Day Rwanda Primate Tour and Cultural Experience

By booking this wonderful 7 day Rwanda Primate tour and Cultural Experience, you will have explored the majority of the primates and the wildlife of Rwanda, as well as the cultural encounters of the indigenous local people of Rwanda, called the Rwandese. This safari will take you through the Rwanda Genocide Memorial Sites where you will be able to learn more about the genocide and how people have eventually come out of this trauma to turn Rwanda into an a prosperous country at the moment. This 7 day Rwanda Primate tour and Cultural Experience will lead you to some of the most interesting sites that you don’t need to miss out on, and these include the Musanze Cave, which harbors a lot of bats. You will also make your way to the Karisoke Primate Center that was set up by Diane Fossey and other places, including the safaris to the Nyanza Palace. This safari will ensure that you have the opportunity to see several primates and wild game in Rwanda’s best and most unique identified protected areas.

What to expect on our 7 day Rwanda Primate tour and cultural experience

• Visiting the Karisoke research center
• Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park
• Iby’Iwacu cultural village
• Musanze cave

Day 1 of our 7 day Rwanda primate tour and cultural experience; arrival at Kigali international airport-pickup to the Hotel

This 7 day Rwanda Primate tour and cultural experience begins on the day you arrive at Kigali’s international airport. Our punctual driver will pick you up from the Kigali international airport, welcome you to Rwanda, the country of a thousand hills, and transport you directly to your hotel or lodge in Kigali city. For relaxation and refreshing up, later you will, together with your safari guide, go for the Kigali city tours, which will include visitations to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, where you will witness the merciless killing of thousands of Rwandan blameless Tutsi in 1994, as well as a visit to the Rwanda Art Museum, before heading out for lunch.  And after that, you will drive to Volcanoes National Park where you will check into your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

For accommodation, try Virunga Lodge, or Mountain Rwanda, Gorilla View Lodge, or 5Volcano Boutique Hotel.

Meal Plan; Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Drive to the Volcanoes Park Headquarters to begin your gorilla trekking adventure.

You will wake up early in the morning, have a heavy and healthier breakfast in the morning, which will be served to you at the lodge, and then get ready with your proper dressing code, get into the vehicle, and drive to Kinigi Park headquarters for the gorilla trekking briefing session. The briefing session will give you the guidelines and regulations that you will follow when trekking the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. This is the most popular tourist activity in Africa as you will enjoy the amazing and fantastic views of the Virunga volcanoes and be close to seeing the endangered mountain gorillas. Once found, you will see their feeding habitats, how they play and interact, take photos and ask any questions that you may have about the mountain gorillas. You will do all this in one hour. As you trek through the jungle, you will also be able to encounter other animals such as forest elephants, buffaloes, and various other species of animals. After this exercise of seeing the gorillas, you will walk back to the starting point and be driven back to the lodge. You can also decide to go to the local community or relax and stay at the lodge waiting for the next activity.

Accommodation

For accommodation, try Virunga Lodge, or Mountain Rwanda, Gorilla View Lodge, or 5Volcano Boutique Hotel.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all on the menu.

Day 3: Cultural encounters at the Iby’Iwacu cultural village

This safari will also lead you to the Iby-Iwacu Cultural Center  where you will wake up early in the morning, have your tasty breakfast  and then start the cultural experience whereby you will drive to the Iby”Iwacu Cultural Villages and participate in the real cultural activities with the local people. You will also have the opportunity to taste the locally made beer, and learn about the local folklore and culture. There are several activities that you will engage in while in this local village, and these will include storytelling, dancing, and dancing by the visitors at the campfire especially at night in the  cultural village. After all these activities, you will have an evening in the traditional hut, which is specially made for the visitors.  Enjoy the local and traditional environment of the people and see how they have supported the conservation efforts. Overnight stay in the Iby”Iwacu Cultural Village

Day 4: Exploring the Musanze Cave in Rwanda

 In the morning, you will wake up and get a taste of the traditional and locally made breakfast before you leave with your guide for the amazing experience of the bat caves in Musanze. Here you will explore different types of bats as you enjoy the scenic views of the twin lakes that are named Burera and Ruhondo, as you explore more wildlife attractions that are near you. After this, you will have lunch and proceed to explore the Karisoke Research Center, which was established by Dr. Diane Fossey, who had a passion for the endangered mountain gorillas. After this, you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

For accommodation, try Virunga Lodge, or Mountain Rwanda, Gorilla View Lodge, or 5Volcano Boutique Hotel.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all on the menu.

Day 5: Visit the Kings’ Palace in Nyanza

In the early morning breakfast, our safari guide will take you to the Nyanza which has got the historical attachment of the traditional Rwanda kingdom chiefs. Here you will get exposed to the traditional Rwandan practices of the kings. Later, you will drive to Butare, which is also a center for other traditional and cultural experiences. Have the Batwa cultural experience and learn their ways of life; see them dancing and perming traditional dances for you; and later in the evening, you will return to your lodge for the overnight stay.

Day 6: Visit the Rwanda Genocide Memorial.

After breakfast, you will travel to Rwanda to see the annihilation commemoration sites, where a large number of honest Rwandans lost their lives in the 1994 disaster. You’ll hear harrowing accounts of people being brutally murdered on the basis of their ethnicity. After that, you will dine and then proceed to Lake Kivu to relax at Gisenyi beach, and later in the evening, you will retire to one of the hotels near Lake Kivu for supper and short-term accommodation.

Day 7: Transfer to Kigali.

You will have a relaxed breakfast in the morning and then checkout of your lodge and drive to Kigali International Airport. This marks the end of your 7 day Rwanda Primate tour and cultural experience.

The safari package includes

• The gorilla trekking permit
• The accommodation for the six nights
• Meals as stipulated in the itinerary
• The Kigali city tour
• The services of the English tour guide

The price excludes

• Tickets for international flights
• Insurance and a visa card
• Laundry service
• Tipping
• Soft and hard drinks