East Africa · Rwanda
Two-hour drive from Kigali to the gorillas, half that to Nyungwe chimps, and the only Big Five park on the Rwanda side of the Rift. Rwanda is the easiest primate country we work in.
Rwanda is geographically small, well-paved and orderly. Three nights is enough for a gorilla experience, two more for chimps, and a week ties it to Akagera or to a beach on Lake Kivu. It also pairs naturally with a Kenya or Tanzania safari — the Kigali–Nairobi flight is two hours and is on the way home for most travellers.
Gorilla permits cost more than the Uganda equivalent and the trek is shorter, the forest less dense, and the habituation tighter. We will tell you honestly when Uganda is the better fit (less money, harder trek, larger families) and when Rwanda is (ease, proximity, guarantee of a permit).
The places we work in and what each is for.
Gorilla tracking
Ten habituated gorilla families on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Two-hour drive from Kigali, hour-long treks (steeper than Uganda, shorter in distance), and a guaranteed hour with the family on the day.
Chimpanzee trekking
One of the oldest rainforests in Africa. Chimp trekking at dawn, a canopy walk suspended sixty metres above the gorge, and thirteen primate species total — including the endemic owl-faced monkey.
Classic safari
The Big Five in Rwanda, reintroduced over the past decade. Open savanna, pans full of hippo, woodland birding and boat trips on Lake Ihema — easily combined with a stay at the park lodge.
Beach
Two hours from Kigali, on the Congolese border. Fresh-water lake, paddle-boarding and kayaking, quiet lodges, and the closest thing Rwanda has to a beach holiday.
City stop
Cleanest capital in East Africa, with a serious food scene, an excellent craft market and a moving genocide memorial. We usually build in a night on each end of the trip.
Combination
Three nights gorilla tracking, then a Mara safari, finishing in Zanzibar. Or chimps in Nyungwe and a Serengeti week. Kigali sits naturally at the start or the end.
Rwanda gorilla permits are capped, available year-round, and sell out first from May to September. The chimp permits in Nyungwe are easier to come by. Send us dates six months ahead for July–September trips; shorter than that we will work with you to time the permit with a confirmed gorilla family.
Rwanda is more expensive per gorilla permit than Uganda. We will price both countries when you ask, and recommend the one that fits the dates and the trip you have in mind.
Gorillas, chimps, Akagera and the rest. Send us a note and we will lay out a route and a quote.
