3-Day Gorilla and Golden Monkey Trekking Tour in Musanze

Arrival at Kigali International Airport or pick-up from your hotel in Kigali, followed by a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.

Afterward, transfer from Kigali to Musanze city and check in at your lodge.

Early in the morning, you will be picked up and driven for about 15 minutes to the Kinigi office for your gorilla trekking briefing, where you will also meet your guides for the day. After completing the park formalities, you will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime experience of trekking mountain gorillas.

To ensure your comfort following your medical treatments, your driver-guide will speak with the park rangers to assign you to a gorilla family that is closer and requires a gentler, less strenuous hike. Once you spot them, you are allowed to spend one hour watching your closest long-lost cousin. This is perhaps one of the most breathtaking wildlife experiences on earth.

You get so close to these awesome giant primates. You stare at each other blankly, not knowing who will break the long silence first. Trekking the gorillas through the light mountain forest on the slopes of the Virunga is a magical experience. These massive primates are extremely rare, with fewer than 700 living today.

You will get within meters of the family and be privileged to spend an hour among them. The trekking may be strenuous, lasting up to six hours or longer at a relatively high altitude. We've had people as old as 70 years old do gorilla tracking, so this should not be a problem.

It is important to bring good hiking boots, long trousers, gloves for protection against stinging nettles, some snacks and sweets for yourself, and sufficient water, as the rainforest gets hot and humid during the day. You will spend one hour with the gorillas, but it is an hour you will never forget.

After the ultimate gorilla trekking experience, you will return to the starting point of the trek, where your driver will be waiting for you. You will then visit the Gorilla Guardian Village for a cultural experience before going back to your lodge for the night.

This day is set aside for golden monkey tracking in Volcanoes National Park. The drive takes about 20 minutes from the hotel to the headquarters, where you will begin with a briefing. After the briefing, you will drive for 25 minutes to reach the trek starting point and then walk for about 30 minutes to get to the park.

Entering dense stands of bamboo interspersed with open glades, you will make your way deep into golden monkey territory. Guides lead visitors to the habitat of groups of habituated golden monkeys - monkeys that have become accustomed to human presence. Though viewing is kept to a maximum of one hour, travelers can get an up-close look at the golden monkeys in their natural habitat.

Adult monkeys frolic in plain view, feeding on bamboo leaves and leaping from perch to perch. Females carry their young, completely comfortable among onlookers.

After the golden monkey trek, you will stop in Musanze for lunch. Then, enjoy a scenic drive back to Kigali. Upon reaching the city, you will pass by Kimironko local market to shop for gifts before your later drop-off at the airport or your hotel of residence.