Primates And Big 5 Safari Itinerary Guide With Expert Local Tips

Primates And Big 5 Safari Itinerary Guide With Expert Local Tips. Experience two gorilla hikes, a special occasion, and the testimonies of individuals who collaborated with Dian. Find chimpanzee families in Nyungwe National Park’s woods. From a hot air balloon in the Maasai Mara, marvel at the Big Five and the Great Migration. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, The Giraffe Center, and the Karen Blixen Museum are all available as optional excursions.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda (Unforgettable)

Detailed Primates And Big 5 Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Volcanoes National Park

Go on a breathtaking drive through Rwanda’s picturesque terraced hillsides to Musanze, the base for gorilla tracking, after meeting your Kabira Safari guide in Kigali. Stop by the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center if you choose.

Have lunch once you check in and then spend the rest of the day making use of your lodgings.

Join a Kabira Safari guide for an exclusive dinner event this evening to hear the story of conservation in Rwanda, from its inception to the present day. Peter Veit, a famous mountain gorilla conservationist and former resident and collaborator of the original Karisoke Research Center with Dian Fossey, will be giving talks after supper.

Meals: Lunch and dinner included, breakfast at own arrangement.
Overnight: Virunga Lodge (or similar)

Kigali pre-tour accommodation options: Enquire for details

Day 2: Volcanoes National Park

GORILLA TREKKING in Rwanda

The day begins with an early breakfast, followed by a transfer to the park headquarters. Here, park officials will educate you on the upcoming activities. Afterwards, you will meet the rangers who will accompany you to your assigned gorilla family. There are only 96 gorilla permits provided daily to tourists in Volcanoes National Park, even though there are 12 completely habituated gorilla families living there. Reservations must be made in advance.

Even though the terrain and altitude can be tough at times, gorilla tracking does not pose a significant physical obstacle to an adult who is generally fit, regardless of age. It may take anything from two to six hours to track gorillas, with guides pausing often to let tourists recover.

Return to your lodgings for lunch following the hike. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. You have the option to take a tour of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s new Ellen DeGeneres Campus.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Virunga Lodge (or similar)

Day 3: Lake Kivu

Hike to the original Karisoke Research Camp, situated between two volcanoes, Mt. Karisimbi and Mt. Bisoke; embark on another gorilla trip; or try to spot the golden monkeys.

The huts are in ruins now, but if you listen to Peter Veit’s stories, you’ll get a decent idea of what Dian went through when she set up camp to study and protect the endangered mountain gorillas all those years ago.

Our journey to Lake Kivu will begin after lunch. The mountainous lake, which is located in Africa’s Great Rift Valley, has a rich green hue and is surrounded by water. It ranks as the sixth biggest lake in Africa and the biggest lake in Rwanda.

While on the road, we’ll take a guided tour of Imbabazi, the former flower plantation and cultural center of Rosamond Carr. You will have the remainder of the afternoon to yourself once you get to your lodging.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Lake Kivu Serena (or similar)

Day 4: Nyungwe National Park

Embark on a calm journey to Nyungwe National Park after a leisurely breakfast in the middle of the morning. The park boasts breathtaking beauty, a wealth of species, and the distinction of being one of Africa’s oldest rainforests.

Two of the world’s greatest rivers, the Nile and the Congo, receive their water from Nyungwe, which is comprised of Afromontane forests, grasslands, slopes covered with bamboo, and marshes. A watershed connecting the Nile and Congo drainage systems is formed by a forest ridge. Legend has it that the longest river in the world, the Nile, rises from a spring on the mountainside of Mount Bigugu.

Because of its high rainfall, Nyungwe is Rwanda’s primary catchment area and the source of water for 70% of the nation.

Indulge in a night of relaxation at the accommodation.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Nyungwe House (or similar)

Day 5: Nyungwe National Park

Chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park (& The Epic Suspension Bridge!)

Our quest for chimpanzees begins with an early breakfast, followed by a trek. With 15 other routes to choose from, there is a wide variety of optional hiking opportunities.

Keep an eye out for the elusive leopard, congo clawless otters, cerval cats, and mongooses among the 75 mammal species that call Nyungwe National Park home.

Migratory birds such as the ross’ turaco, grey-cheeked hornbill, red-breasted sparrow hawk, and royal sunbird can also be spotted. Indulge your inner birdwatcher at Nyungwe, home to over 300 species—10% of which are exclusive to the Albertine Rift region. Additionally, there are a lot of butterflies—at least 120 different species.

After lunch, you can relax and make the most of your accommodation’s amenities for the rest of the day.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Nyungwe House (or similar)

Day 6: Kigali

We start our guided tour along the 70-meter-long canopy walkway, which is 16 meters high, after breakfast. Exhilarating views of the old treetops and fauna are offered by the canopy walkway, which is suspended above a ravine in the verdant montane rainforest.

Alternatively, you may go to Nyungwe National Park to see the black and white colobus monkeys. These active monkeys are known to live in huge family groups, so seeing them in the wild is an exciting experience.

Returning to Kigali for a quick lunch, I will get some rest before having dinner with Rose-Marie Mukarutabana, a local historian, scholar, and genocide survivor. We will talk about Rwanda’s history, culture, and customs before to colonization, which begin in the 14th century.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Mille Collines (or similar)

Day 7: Maasai Mara

Our journey to Kenya’s most famous game reserve, the Maasai Mara, begins with an early breakfast before we fly from Kigali to Nairobi. Upon your arrival, take pleasure in a game drive through the late afternoon on the way to your lodging.

Located in Kenya in the middle of Africa’s Great Plains, the Maasai Mara is a veritable rainbow of wildlife and plant life, with breathtaking vistas of the grasslands and the greatest opportunities for birdwatching and game viewing in Kenya. One of the world’s natural marvels, the yearly wildebeest migration begins in July and ends in November in the Mara. Over 1.5 million animals participate in this spectacle.

When you get there, take it easy and make use of all the amenities your hotel has to offer. We have sundowners and then supper in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner included, lunch at own arrangement.
Overnight: Little Governors’ Camp (or similar)

Day 8: Maasai Mara

Kenya: Hot air balloon safari over Masai Mara

Hot air ballooning over the Maasai Mara National Reserve grasslands is an optional once in a lifetime activity that you can partake in today.

Our journey to the launch location begins at the crack of dawn. After a thorough safety briefing, your pilot will have you jump into the basket and get ready to take off as soon as it gets light.

Every trip is different since the flight path is determined by the wind. The flight lasts for an hour. In the midst of the beautiful Maasai Mara plains, after your basket has returned to the plains, you will be served breakfast with a glass of bubbly.

After your flight, take a game drive in the morning and again in the afternoon. After supper, head back to your lodgings for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Little Governors’ Camp (or similar)

Day 9: Maasai Mara

We will go on our last game drives of the day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve after breakfast.

Spectacular river crossings involving crocodiles capturing wildebeest are likely to occur in August. Little Governors’ Camp has occasionally been crossed by herds of wildebeest when they ford the Mara River. Zebras and wildebeests swoop across the grasslands, following the herds as they go.

Elephants with young calves are something to keep a watch out for. Elephants are a common sight in Little Governor’s Camp, where they munch on Teclea Nobilis trees and have been seen crossing the Mara River, according to eyewitness reports.

Enjoy a night of relaxation after your gaming drives.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Little Governors’ Camp (or similar)

Day 10: Nairobi

The unforgettable Giraffe Centre – Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya’s capital and biggest city, will be our destination after breakfast. The Nairobi River, which runs through the heart of the city, is named after the Maasai word “Enkare Nairobi,” meaning “cool water” in English.

After you arrive, we will take you to your accommodation to have lunch. After that, you’re free to unwind at your hotel or join one of the many optional activities, such as a trip to the Karen Blixen Museum, Kazuri Beads, The Giraffe Centre, or the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation center.

After a long day, head back to your lodging and relax for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Overnight: Hemingways (or similar)

Day 11: Departure

Before making your way to Nairobi International Airport and your next destination, have breakfast at your guesthouse.

You are free to do as you like today if your flight leaves in the afternoon or evening.

Meals: Breakfast included, lunch and dinner at own arrangement.
Nairobi post-tour accommodation options: Enquire for details
Extension tours: Enquire for details

End of the Primates And Big 5 Safari itinerary