Primate Safaris in Rwanda
Primate Safaris in Rwanda are one of the top safari Expeditions that travelers love to engage in when they visit Rwanda for tours. Rwanda has become the world’s one-stop tourism centre in Africa because of the various Rwanda tourism packages that are offered where a number of activities can be participated in which has attracted a number of tourists to come into the country and take part in a number of activities that will ensure that you have an amazing adventure while in the country.
There are different safaris that are carried out in the park like but among the different safaris that are carried out during the Rwanda tour the primate safaris have gained popularity as one of the most sought after packages in the country because of the amazing experiences they have to offer. The primate safaris in Rwanda can be carried out in two national parks where different primate species can be seen and these include;
Nyungwe National Park
Nyungwe National park is the primate hub where different primate species can be seen during the primate safaris on your Rwanda tour. The park is known for housing over 500 chimpanzee species making them the dominant primate species in the park, there are other 12 primate species in the park where you will different monkeys like the silver monkey, Lhotse monkey, Hamlyn’s monkey, red-tailed monkey, Ruwenzori colobus and other different monkey species that can be seen in the park.
Chimpanzee trekking
As part of your primate safaris, you will have the chance to participate in chimpanzee trekking where you will have the chance to visit the different habituated chimpanzee troops in the park. Chimpanzee trekking in the park will involve you trekking the bigger troop that can be found in the park and the smaller troop in the Cyamudongo forest. The chimpanzee trekking activity in the park starts very early in the morning which means that tourists should wake up very early so that they do not miss out on the interesting activity.
Before tourists participate in chimpanzee trekking, pre tracking is carried out by the trackers in order for them to locate where they can find the different troops that are to be tracked thus is because of the fact that unlike gorillas, chimpanzees tend to move around often swinging from one tree branch to another, therefore, it is important that pre-tracking is carried out in order to locate the troop for easy tracking.
After the trackers locate the troop, they then head to the Uwinka reception area where the group of tourists interested in carrying out chimpanzee trekking comes together for briefing before they participate in chimpanzees and after the briefing session, tourists are then guided to the forest to track the chimpanzees. As you are about to reach the chimpanzee troop, you will hear the chimpanzee hooting and making noise in the trees and when you reach the troop you will then get the opportunity to understand the behavior of the chimpanzees, facts about the chimpanzees like their diet, the co-existence among the different chimpanzees among other interesting features of the playful primates.
Colobus tracking
Still in Nyungwe national park, tourists can participate in black and white colobus monkey trekking which is another interesting activity that can be carried out in the park. The tourists will also track the colobus species from which you will get to understand interesting facts about the monkey species; you can also have the opportunity of taking pictures of the primates to ensure that you have amazing memories.
Other activities that can be carried out in the park include participating in canopy walk, embarking on the hiking trails in Nyungwe which lead to different attractions in the park among other activities.
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Volcanoes national park is famous for housing five of the 8 Virunga Mountains which include Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke where you can find the different Rwanda gorilla families and the golden monkeys that are seen within the bamboo trees along the different slopes of the Virunga Mountains.
Golden monkey trekking
Golden monkey trekking involves hiking the different Virunga Mountains to the bamboo trees where the primate species can be seen. With golden monkey trekking, you will get the opportunity to understand the primate species, you will also understand the different facts about the golden monkeys, for instance, they eat bamboo trees as their source of food however they prefer eating fruit and during seasons when fruit is readily available, they can be seen abandoning bamboo for fruit.
Gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking can be carried out as part of the activities that can be carried out during the primate safaris in Rwanda. Gorilla trekking in the park can be carried out along the slopes of the different virunga mountains which can be found in the bamboo trees.
Gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park involves hiking the Virunga Mountains where tourists will find different gorilla families in the park with interesting features, for instance, the Susa gorilla family which featured in the gorilla’s in the mist movie which was based on the life of Dian Fossey the American primatologist who risked her life by protecting the mountain gorilla that were being killed by poachers.
For tourists to participate in gorilla trekking they will have to first obtain a gorilla trekking permit at a fee of 1500USD which you present at the reception area where they will be verified and after you be briefed and then you will participate in gorilla trekking where you will have amazing primate safaris in Rwanda. The primate safaris in Rwanda will ensure you have an amazing time while in the country and after participating in the safaris, you can participate in other safaris and activities like birding in Rwanda, city tours in Rwanda, family vacations in Rwanda among other safaris in the country.
