3 days golden monkey tracking Rwanda, Visit Volcanoes national park Rwanda on this 3 days golden monkey tracking safari to track the primates in their natural habitat. Learn about Rwanda’s traditional culture with a cultural tour at the Gorilla Guardian’s Village. Finally, you also tour the New Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to get insights into the history and latest scientific research being used to conserve gorillas and their habitats in the Virunga Mountains.
Highlights for 3 days Golden Monkey trekking Volcanoes Rwanda
- Kigali city tour
- Golden monkey tracking
- Community Walk at the Gorilla Guardian’s village
- Ellen DeGeneres Campus tour
Detailed 3 days Golden Monkey trekking Volcanoes Rwanda itinerary
Day 1: Kigali city to Volcanoes national park
Before traveling to Volcanoes national park in northern Rwanda, you can explore Kigali city attractions. Your guide will pick you up at the hotel after breakfast and start with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center, a resting place for over 250,000 victims of the genocide against Tutsi in 1994. Seeing that the offenders and victims coexist peacefully is enlightening. From there, go to Nyambirambo, one of the vibrant neighborhoods of Kigali city. Engage in a walk through the bustling markets, street murals, and check out the Women’s Center for lunch. After lunch, depart Kigali and transfer to Volcanoes national park, which is a 2-hour drive. Arrive at the lodge and check in for dinner and overnight.
The protected area is part of the Virunga Mountains, a chain of 8 volcanoes that straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and DR Congo. Volcanoes national parks encompass 8 volcanoes offering some of the spectacular views from the lodge. The park has four different types of vegetation from tropical forests, bamboo, to afro-alpine zone at the higher slopes of Mount Karisimbi, the park’s highest peak. The park’s rich biodiversity includes mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, over 178 species of birds including Albertine rift endemics such as purple breasted sunbird.
Day 2: Golden monkey tracking and cultural tour
At 7:30 am, you will depart from the lodge with a picnic lunch, water to drink, and all of your hiking gear. Arrive at Kinigi Park Headquarters and after undergoing a briefing from rangers from the Rwanda Development Board, head into the forest to look for the critically endangered golden monkeys. Known for their playful nature, you will spend an hour observing the primates before making your way back to the center and the lodge for lunch. Visit the Gorilla Guardian’s village in the afternoon to experience a bit of traditional Rwandan life.
The majority of those employed by the cultural center are former poachers who gave up poaching in favor of farming and cultural preservation as alternate sources of income. You can engage in interactive activities including the Intor dance performances, shooting bows and arrows, and taking part in the marriage ceremony and tasting local banana beer. Thereafter, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer back from Volcanoes National Park to Kigali
From the lodge on your way back to Kigali, you will make a detour at the New Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the largest scientific research facility for gorilla conservation in central Africa. The curator will give you a tour of the museum’s displays featuring the latest scientific research in conservation and Dian Fossey’s original life as she lived it while studying gorillas in Rwanda and DR Congo. Continue to Kigali to mark the end of 3 days golden monkey tracking Volcanoes national park safari