6 Day Rwanda Congo (DRC) Chimpanzee & Lowland Gorilla Trekking
Overview
There’s no betterway to fly into/out at Kigali International Airport to experience the primates trekking in Rwanda and cross over the border to Kahuzi Biega National Park for Eastern Lowland Gorilla Trekking.
Kahuzi Biega NP is a UNESCO World Heritage site, inscribed in 1980 for its unique biodiversity of rainforest habitat and its eastern lowland gorillas.
It is situated near the western bank of lake Kivu and the Rwandan border. Established in 1970 by the Belgian photographer and conservationist Adrien Deschryver, the park is named after two dormant volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi and Mount Biega, which are within its limits. With an area of 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi), Kahuzi-Biega is one of the biggest National Park is one of the biggest national park in D.r.congo, Set in both mountainous and lowland terrain, it is one of the last refuges of the rare specie of Eastern Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri), an endangered category under the IUCN red List. Both Chimpanzee Trekking at Cyamudongo Forest and Canopy walk will take Place at Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda.
Included/Excluded
- Gorilla Trekking permit
- Services of english speaking driver guide
- Accommodation listed on the itinerary or similar
- Chimpanzee Trekking permit
- Canopy walk permit
- Meals (5 Breakfasts, Lunches & Dinners)
- Cross country transfer
- Price excludes all other things of personal nature like the bar Bill's, interstate flights, personal insurance, phone calls, covid tests fees, inbound/outbound flights among others.
Tour Plan
Day 01; Kigali transfer to Cyangungu
After an early morning breakfast at your residence or at your hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, your entire safari guide meets you and do the safari introduction shortly after the briefing start the journey and drive through South west of Rwanda besides Lake Kivu. lunch enroute arriving cyangungu late in the afternoon. Upon arrival you will be checked in to your rooms for refreshment and relaxing preparing your self for the Gorilla Adventure due for next morning. Overnight at Emeraude Kivu Resort or similar
Day 02; Lowland Gorilla Trekking Kahuzi Biega National Park, Dr. Congo
The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a World Heritage site. A vast area of primary tropical forest dominated by two spectacular extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, the park has a diverse and abundant fauna. Some of the last groups of eastern lowland gorillas live here at between 2100 and 2400 m above the sea-level. They have black coats, and the males develop silver backs as they mature. With the help of a ranger and trackers, we approach this rare primate. The walk can take several hours, but coming across the group in its particular habitat is an inspiring moment. After the democratic republic of Congo lowland gorilla trekking transfer back to cyangungu. Overnight at emeraude kivu resort or similar
Day 03; Relaxing and chilling day at Lake Kivu
a day trekking lowland gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo involved hiking up and down in search of gorillas in addition to a busy border crossing point. A day relaxing and chilling out after the strenuous previous day is worth it. You will have a leisurely morning breakfast and take time to go through the gorilla trekking pictures. Overnight at Emeraude Kivu resort or similar
Day 04; Chimpanzee Trekking & Canopy Walk, Nyungwe National Park
After an early morning breakfast we will embark on the journey to Chamudongo Forest in Nyungwe Forest National Park, on arrival we will be led by a team of senior rangers to the rain forest in search of our closest cousin. There's always no assurance of finding them but on luck day they can easily be found as they can be located by the vocalization. Once you the chimpanzees you will only be allowed to spend an hour with them afterward transfer to Uwinka Visitors center for a canopy of walk. Overnight at Chimpanzee Lodge or Similar.
Day 05; Nyungwe National Park transfer to Lake Kivu, Rubavu
After a leisure breakfast transfer to Lake Kivu Kibuye for chilling & relaxation besides on shores of Lake Kivu. Overnight at lake Kivu Serena Hotel or Similar.
Day 06; Lake Kivu – Kigali
After a leisurely breakfast and depending on your outbound deprture flight time, you will drive back to Kigali and upon arrival visit Kigali Genocide Museum to pay your last respect for the 1994 Rwanda genocide victims which is followed by a transfer to the airport marking the end of your Rwanda & D.R.Congo Lowland Gorilla trekking & Chimpanzee Trekking Trip. End
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Communication via WhatsApp to make arrangements went very smooth with Aron being quick and clear in his responses.
Aron drove us most of the time, but we also had a ride with driver Barnice. Every time they were in time, most of the times even early to make sure we could leave whenever we wanted. The service was more than just a private taxi service: Aron told us many interesting things about Uganda and let us taste some local food. That really made our trip more colourful and interesting.They know a lot of good places all over the country, like restaurants and accomodation. Although we organized our trip by ourselves, that was still an advantage. Above that, Aron uses his business in Uganda to help other Ugandans as well.
We would definitely recommend to travel with Safari 2 Gorilla Tours.
Jon Peters
USA
In my iniitial email to him I had explained that I'm Kenyan and would be travelling to Rwanda from Nairobi, Kenya. As an east African citizen I thought this information was useful in terms of national park fees and so on; little did I know that it would affect my whole Gorilla trek experience.
I'd settled the balance of my invoice in November 2019 and Aron emailed to confirm full payment. I never heard from Aron again except when I emailed him to find out the arrangements for when I arrived in Rwanda. At the time I didn't think much of it as I'd read so many glowing reviews of Aron and his tour company; his attentive nature, professionalism and general good nature. A fortnight or so before my arrival I'd still not heard from him so I emailed to find out the itinerary for when I arrived in Rwanda - nothing. Just a curt response confirming that he had the number for my hotel and presumably (Aron did not confirm) that he would call me at my hotel to arrange a time to pick me up from my hotel.
I arrived at the hotel, following a 10 hour flight from London on Friday, 24 January to find there was no message was left by Aron advising when I'd be picked up the following day. On Saturday, 25 January at about 9 am the receptionist knocked on my door to inform me that a driver had arrived to pick me up and drive me to Uganda. As I'd not had any advance information of this arrangement I was not ready; i hadn't showered or eaten breakfast. And so we did not set off until gone 10 am. This was the first poor service i'd received.
I'd paid for a 3-day Gorilla trek etc which included on the first day a visit to the Rwanda Genocide memorial. When the driver set off we'd been driving and passed a sign to the memorial site, after almost an hour I asked if we were still going to the memoial site, and only then did the driver inform me that due to the late departure he had decided to postpone the visit to the memorial until the return leg of my three day trip. The second poor service i'd received.
Bwindi national park is in Uganda and so I was driven through Rwanda to Uganda via a land border, an eight hour journey that ordinarily shouldn't have taken that long. The third poor service.
During the drive Aron maintained constant communication with the driver - whose name escapes me - and not once did he ask the driver to pass the phone to me so that he could speak to me. By that I mean even welcoming me, asking me how my trip was, finding out if there was anything I needed, any issues or problems with the trip I'd paid for. The fourth poor service I received
When we arrived at Rushaga camp each visitor at dinner was assigned a table with the name of their guide on it; stupidly I immediately thought Ohhh so Aron had sent a driver to pick me up from Rwanda and that now I was going to meet him! How wrong i was. When i sat down expecting to meet Aron who should turn up? but the driver! Cheekily I asked if he was Aron and offended he curtly replied no!. When i asked what happend to Aron he informed me that Aron had been in constant communication throughout the day! When I asked why Aron hadn't even said hello or welcomed me he just said that Aron was on another tour. At that moment I realised what was happening and why. In Aron's eyes I was a black African tourist that yes, had paid for the same service and support that my white counterparts had received but due to his low perception of me and fellow black Africans I did not warrant the same service, attention, or even respect. I did not speak to the driver again for the rest of the evening. I was surrounded by fellow travellers that were accompanied by guides who made them feel welcome, valued and respected; they sat together sharing stories from their travels whilst I and the driver sat silently. Even as I tried to get the driver to understand how insulted and disrespected I felt he just didn't get it. A part of me feels if i was white he wouldn't have found it so hard understanding how poorly I'd been treated. But as a black African what reason did I have to complain? The fifth poor service I'd received
On the second day i was due to visit Mgahinga national park almost a two hour drive away. As debrief started at 8 am we arranged to leave Rushaga Gorilla camp by 6 am; arranging to meet for breakfast at 05:30 am. 06:00 am the driver was nowhere to be found. Finally at 06:30 he appears in the dinning room feigning an alarm malfunction. I had to demand an apology from him. The sixth poor service i'd received.
We arrived at the national park at 08:25. I was the only black tourist and when I asked the guide to summarise the debrief he audibly commented that as I'd arrived late he'd not be able to repeat it for me. Cynically I felt that If I was white he'd problably have ignored the fact that the driver had got me to the debrief late and still gone through the key points. The seventh poor sevice I'd received.
I could go on and on but I won't. I think you get the gist. I never once spoke to Aron, met him or communicated with him during my time in Rwanda and Uganda. I left Rwanda on Tuesday, 28 January 2020 and have delayed posting this review until now to see whether or not I'd hear from Aron. I haven't and I know I never will.
I would never recommend this company to anyone regardless of who you are. I pity and despise racists and would never support a business that openly discriminates against black Africans.
Would absolutely recommend Safari 2 Gorilla Tours! Thanks Aaron and Martin for an unforgetable trip!
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Makanga Hill,
P.O.BOX 568 Kabale