Chimpanzee trekking experience in Rwanda is enjoyed in Nyungwe forest national park. Apparently, chimpanzee trekking experience has become one of the fascinating key tourist attractions in the land of a thousand Hills. The activity attracts numerous tourists to the park on daily basis. It is also important to note that chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is the second best tourist activity that is done in the park after the great gorilla trekking experience in Volcanos national park.
Nyungwe forest national park is home to impressive populations of chimpanzees that have been habituated for tourism in the park. Chimpanzee trekking is the process of entering the park to search for the chimpanzee groups that have been habituated and are open for tourism. The habituated chimpanzees in the Nyungwe forest are friendly to human beings and they can not hide away when you visit them since they are used to the presence of human beings in the park.
The park is situated in the southwestern region of Rwanda and is one of the most interesting destinations to go to when you hire a car in Rwanda either on a guided trip or self drive. Nyungwe forest national park is famously known as the largest and oldest montane rainforest in Africa. The park is popular for the chimpanzee trekking experience although there other wildlife that can be spotted in the park such as; butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, primates species like the white and black colobus, grey checked Mangabey, vervet monkey, L’Hoest, Silver monkey, golden monkey plus mammals like duikers, African civet, Cats Family golden cats, triple Jackal among others.
Chimpanzee trekking experience in Rwanda is a different perception from Mountain gorilla trekking experience. Trekking is not as strenuous as gorilla trekking, the activity requires to move following the chimpanzees that keep running from one tree to another while making noise as they communicate to themselves. On the other hand the gorilla family are usually found in one place sited or feeding and you are allowed to spend one hour of the gorilla family from the time you locate it .
Chimpanzee trekking experience
Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda starts with briefing early in the morning from the reception Centre which is either Uwinka, Gisakura or Kitabi depending on the location of your accommodation. Wake up early for breakfast, get ready with your packed Lunch box and head out to the park headquarters, here you are grouped in groups and assigned a park ranger guide to protect you during the trekking exercise. Later transfer to the starting point to begin the trekking exercise.
The chimpanzee trekking exercise takes about one hour to half an hour of the day and this depends on the location of the chimpanzees. After locating a chimpanzees family, you are allowed to find one with them while taking photos, observing and learning more about their behavioral patterns of life in the jungle as well as study the humanlike characteristics and behaviors which defines them as close relatives to human beings. The chimpanzee trekking experience in Nyungwe forest national park is a extremely rewarding as you enjoy the warm welcome offered by these beautiful creatures in the forest. Along the trekking exercise you get an insight to spot some other wild animals that call the forest its home.
It is important to note that Nyungwe forest is home to over 60 habituated chimpanzee individual and all these a re open for tourism. The wonderful nature of the forest landscape allows you chance to clear get close and observe the chimpanzees. Although the Cyamudongo forest with a very smaller chimpanzee community offers excellent chimpanzee trekking experience due to its amazing location and Nyungwe forest is a portion of the Cyamudongo forest. From Kigali to the forest, it takes you about 4 and half hours drive to reach the park.
The cost of the chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda
For you to see the chimpanzees in their natural habitat, you are required to own a chimpanzee trekking permit which acts as a password to enter the park and to participate in the trekking experience. On this note for any traveler planning a chimpanzee trekking experience in Rwanda is required to purchase the permit or book with a local tour operator like Mumwe safaris in advance and get chance to be part of the chimpanzee adventure in Nyungwe forest.
In Nyungwe forest national park, there are about 64 chimpanzee permits that are issued out per day and each permits costs 90 USD per person for Foreigners and 60 USD per person for foreign residents. In a day there are only 8 people allowed to meet with a chimpanzee family . therefore if you are planning your trip in the peak season, don’t forget to book in advance before the chimpanzee trekking permits get sold out due to the competitiveness.
When you plan your trip with our reservation team, your chimpanzee trekking safari can be customized together with gorilla trekking experience in volcanoes national park for a perfect dreamlife safari experience in Africa. Rwanda prides in offering the most rewarding and exclusively luxury Mountain gorilla trekking experience in Africa.
Best time to go chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda
It is important to acknowledge that chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest national park plus all tourists activities offered are open to all travelers through out the year. However the best the best time to go chimpanzee trekking is during the dry season when the terrain in the park is dry, not muddy and less slippery during the trekking exercise. The dry season in nyungwe forest is experienced in the month of June to October, December to full day of February and it is characterized by little or no rains plus the hot temperatures. In the this season the roads leading to the park are easy to navigate through and trekking trails are not muddy and slippery compared to wet season that makes trekking a strenuous exercise as you follow the chimpanzee individuals leaping from tree to another in search for food thus there is a lot of movement done by these creatures throughout the park.
On the other hand the wet/ rainy season can be an ideal perfect time to travel to nyungwe forest for the chimpanzee trekking experience. This is because during the wet season, there is plenty of foods, vegetation and plants for the chimpanzees thus during the trekking adventure, you don’t need to move a lot since the food for the chimpanzees is allover the forest. And it is also important to note that wet season is also referred to as the low or off season, therefore some lodges and camps close to wait for the dry season or high season when a lot of visitors are coming to the park. on this note, other lodges and camps that remain in operation offer discounted accommodation rates to all visitors that book with them their stay during the chimpanzee trekking safari in the Nyungwe Forest national park.
The wet season occurs in the months of March, May, April and November. It is characterized by heavy rains that make the trekking trails wet, muddy and slippery. Chimpanzee trekking exercise in the wet season is extremely strenuous but it offers a fascinating adventure experience at the end of the safari. Therefore the wet season is best time for budget travelers to travel to park with the love to participate in the chimpanzee trekking experience. Also tour Operators like Mumwe safaris offer cheap and discounted tour packages for the chimpanzee trekking experience to Nyungwe Forest national park.
Besides, the chimpanzee trekking experience being a key activity in the park, there are other exciting tourist activities that you encounter in Nyungwe Forest such as; Guided Canopy walks, Guided walking safaris and all these are best during the dry season when the trails are dry.
Chimpanzee trekking gears in Rwanda
- Walking stick to support your movement in the forest
- Strong gum boots and long socking
- Insect repellents to protect you from wild insect bites
- Strong Water proof jacket and warm jacket to keep you warm incase it gets cold, and rain jackets can be of use when rain interrupts the trekking.
- Strong cameras and charged batteries to capture photos and videos during your chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda that will remind after visit to Africa.
- The Back pack for carrying enough water and snacks that keeps you energized until the end of the exercise.
- Long sleeved shirts, tops and trousers to protect your skin from the thorny bushes
- Garden groves to protect your hands from germs in case you torch the plants trying to support your movement.
- Don’t forget to hire a Porter who can assist you carry your heavy backer pack at an extra fee.
For More information regarding your chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda, feel free to book with Mumwe safaris one of the leading local experts in organizing unique exception safaris in the land of a thousand hills. For more information and inquiries, Contact our professional reservation team by sending an inquiry at info@rwandacarrentalservices.com or directly call the reservations team on +256-700135510 or Tel +256-414699459
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