What To Expect During Chimpanzee Trekking Safari in Rwanda

During chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda, expect to share the same space with some of the endangered chimpanzees in the world living in limited destinations in the world. The diminishing presence of chimpanzees and their habitats in the world is attributed to modernization which had ended into desertification. Request For A Qoutation

Nyungwe National park in Rwanda is one of the few leftover rain forests where chimpanzees are still living freely in the world. While on chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda, expect to move via trails with undergrowth and these are constructed by regular visitors.

Expect to encounter other forest dwellers including birds, other primate species, forest elephants, duikers and more. Do not panic upon spotting these forest dwellers but adhere to instructions provided by the ranger guide to get away as panic may end in a forest stampede.

The chimpanzees normally breech the 8 meters gap recommended by the authorities during chimpanzee trekking and get closer but do not be tempted to reach out to touch the baby chimpanzees. The rest of the chimpanzee troop may misunderstand you for your act of kindness and cause a scene. Although chimpanzees are bearlike, they are wild animals that you must not touch.

What Are The Requirements For Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda

• Acquire a chimpanzee Trekking permits from Rwanda Development Board.
• Reserve accommodation to used during chimpanzee safari in Rwanda
• Pack the right gears to wear for chimpanzee trekking adventure including safari boots, garden gloves, camera, rain proof gears and more.
• Do some mild exercises to keep your body fit help you traverse the forest in search of the chimpanzees. The nature of the landscape of Nyungwe forest is composed of highlands so expect to hike. Having some level of fitness gets you through the entire Rwanda safari adventure.
• You can choose to participate in the morning or afternoon chimpanzee trekking adventure.
• Be in good health as days of chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda close in. Do a body checkup before the chimpanzee trekking adventure because the chimpanzees are highly susceptible to human communicable infections.
• The age limit for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is 15 years and beyond. This age limit was set because people of this age are expected to adhere with the rules of chimpanzee trekking. Chimpanzees are very sensitive to unfamiliar behavior that you may show when close to them.

 What Time Do You Take On Chimpanzee Trekking Adventure In Rwanda

 When you start the chimpanzee trekking adventure in Rwanda, time you may take is about 30 minutes to more to locate the chimpanzees. Nyungwe forest is vast and the chimpanzees live freely in it with no specified location where to find them.

Finding the chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest depends on factors prevailing in the forest including weather conditions, mood in the forest and more.

Tourists are encouraged to maintain some level of patience before locating the chimpanzees because they are very mobile primates. You hear the chimpanzees before facing them as they keep communicating with each other as if alerting them about your presence.

When you finally find the chimpanzees only one hour of viewership is allowed with them so maximize it to the best of your interests. Human presence disrupts the chimpanzee activities for the day that is why time is minimized to one hour.

Return to your lodge to relax.

How Much Is The Cost Of Chimpanzee Trekking Safari In Rwanda

The cost of chimpanzee trekking safari in Rwanda varies with package you choose that is luxury, Mid-rage or basic. The cost of a chimpanzee permit for Rwanda is currently $150 per person for international non residents, $75 for international residents and $25 for East Africans.

The chimpanzee trekking package for Rwanda also includes safari amenities including transport, accommodation, driver guide cost and more.

Do not forget to include extra cash when costing for this safari to spend while on chimpanzee safari in Rwanda.

Tipping is a token of appreciation which we encourage our clients to extend to those who offer great service to you while on Safari. This is not a compulsory gesture.

In case you wish to hire a porter to assist you carry your chimpanzee trekking gears, plan for this. Porters are from the local community and in order to incorporate them in the conservation of the chimpanzees plus their habitats, they are allowed to assist as porters and other odd jobs around and within the parks.

How Safe Is Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is a safe adventure even though this happens in a dense jungle. Tourists must be escorted by an armed ranger guide and no one is allowed to move in the forest without a ranger guide.

Before chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park, tourists booked for the day must attend compulsory briefing where emphasis and details of this adventure are communicated. Every participant is advised to adhere to the guidelines of chimpanzee trekking because these have been approved overtime.

Tourists move in groups so that no one is forgotten in the forest and remaining in the tight group while around the chimpanzees is advised to avoid suspicions.

When you notice something odd about the chimpanzees, do not panic as this will antagonize the entire forest especially when you shout. Wait for the ranger guide to provide new guidelines on how to behave when with agitated chimpanzees.

How Easy or Hard Is Chimpanzee Trekking In Rwanda

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda is quite strenuous because of the rugged makeup of the landscape of Nyungwe forest.  The forest being a pristine rain forest that seems to be forgotten by time, Nyungwe forest has tangled vines that you have to push through to get to the other side. The ranger guide with a machete uses it to trim the creepers and create an open for tourists to go through.

Wearing the right chimpanzee trekking gears saves you from landing on rough surfaces that may hurt you. Carry a supporting stick to give you extra support while on chimpanzee trekking adventure. Hire a porter to assist with carrying your gears and lift off your shoulder the burden of their weight.

Despite the challenges of the jungle, when you finally locate the chimpanzees you may forget these a focus on their amazing characters. Chimpanzees are charming primates that live a life similar to humans. Many that have done chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda have testified feeling a connection with these primates as they seem to give life to the past human history.

How To Plan The Chimpanzee Trekking Safari In Rwanda

• Book a chimpanzee permit per your date of preference and time that is morning or afternoon session
• Reserve accommodation and transport to use during chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda
• Engage in some prior exercises to keep your body fit for chimpanzee trekking. If you have physical challenge and cannot hike, do book a sedan chair to help you get to the chimpanzees but advance reservation is necessary.
• Plan to arrive in Rwanda atleast a day before starting the chimpanzee trekking tour in Rwanda so that you can get every thing together before moving into the countryside.
• Choose additional Rwanda safari activities to combine with chimpanzee trekking safari incase you have extra time in the country.

Are chimpanzees in Rwanda Violent

The chimpanzees open for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda are none violent because they undergo the habituation process. Chimpanzee habituation process is used to assist a community of wild chimpanzees get used from human presence without altering their nature.

The chimpanzee habituation process is done by a team of researchers with knowledge of the behavior of the chimpanzees. The chimpanzee researchers and take notes of the characteristic of each individual chimpanzee and the entire troop.

All participating tourists for the day on chimpanzee trekking safari must attend briefing where guidelines on how to behave before, when with and after meeting the chimpanzees is communicated. Some of these guidelines help to regulate actions that can trigger the chimpanzees to lose their cool.

 If not provoked, chimpanzees are very peaceful primates that freely move in the forest and in most cases retreat into the deeper ends of the forest without causing trouble to visitors.

Note that chimpanzees have feeling and can charge when they sense some unfamiliar behavior amongst tourists.

What to pack for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda

Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest Rwanda is in the jungle so wear attire that is wilderness friendly. When packing for chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda, here is a guiding list you can follow.

Safari boots that are water proof

Long sleeved shirt

Garden gloves

Camera

Touch

Sweet treats

Foldable water bottle

Safari hat

Warmers

Extra wear to change into after the chimpanzee trek

Back pack

Extra hard cash

Toiletries

 Insect repellant

Sun screen

First aid kit

Binoculars

When is the best time to do chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda

The dry season which is normally June to September and December to February is preferred season to do chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda. Nyungwe forest is known for its high precipitation however in the dry season, the forest experiences drier conditions. Trails in Nyungwe forest are drier and rivers or streams flow in normal course.

More sunlight filters through the Nyungwe Forest dense leaves to the ground creating a favorable ambience to spot other forest dwellers. For photography, the sunrays that sip through Nyungwe forest cause an amazing environment to take nature inspired photos or film.

The dry season is normally the peak tourism season in Rwanda so more tourists are received in the country. Competition for chimpanzee permits is high too creating scarcity for late bookers.

Chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest spend more time closer to the ground rather than the canopy in the dry season as they search for a meal to satisfy them.

The wet season should not stop you from engaging in chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda as chimpanzees are still present in the forest. The wet season which is March to May and November is characterized by heavy down pour keeping the forest wet and dense. The chimpanzees spend more time away from the ground.

What Are The Chances Of Finding Chimpanzees On Rwanda Chimpanzee Trekking Safari

• There are 99% chances of finding chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda. Nyungwe chimpanzees are first habituated a process that helps them adopt to human presence without altering their behavior.
• When starting the chimpanzee search in Rwanda, rangers lead tourists on the trail heading where the chimpanzee community was last seen the previous day. Chimpanzees do not just relocate but stage their feeding location in a particular area until food is proved insufficient to all.
• Tourists are encouraged to follow the guidelines of chimpanzee trekking as these help not to scare the chimpanzees that can flee into unrecognizable areas in the forest in case they sense something odd.
• Chimpanzees leave behind clues like foot prints, freshly chewed foliage, keep loud communications and more and these can be used to trace them.
• Each day a team of chimpanzee trackers follow the chimpanzee communities to find out where they nested then update rangers with tourists about their possible direction for the day.

What Is the Distance from Nyungwe National Park To Kigali

From Kigali, the distance to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda is about 218 to 219 kilometers depending on the route you take. You can choose to take road transport or charter from Kigali international Airport to reduce on the time to spend at the road.

Roads up country in Rwanda sometimes get messy so it is better to hire a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle or terrain resistant vehicle to navigate these challenges.

For charter flights during chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park Rwanda, advance booking is advised and hire a transfer vehicle from the airstrip to your lodge

What Accommodation To Use On Chimpanzee Trekking Safari In Nyungwe National Park

Nyungwe National park accommodation choices are limited but some of those available include Nyungwe Safari lodge, Nyungwe Nziza Eco lodge and more.

Most of the accommodations around Nyungwe forest do not offer full board services so before booking find the inclusions and exclusions of their package.

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