Rwanda Safaris: Gorilla Trekking, Chimpanzee & Wildlife Experiences.
Welcome to Rwanda, the land of thousand hills located within the East African community economically and geographically located in Central Africa Bordered by Uganda, DR Congo, Tanzania & Burundi. The Capital city of Rwanda is Kigali with Kigali International Airport as the hub for tourism of Rwanda and Government Projects.
Geography of Rwanda
Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator. It is highly elevated with its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the east, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. Rwanda has a population of over 12.6 million living on 26,338 km2 of land and is the most densely populated mainland African country with Agriculture and Tourism as the major income earner for the country.
Safety and Security
Rwanda s a very safe country, but opportunistic crimes such as petty theft, and home robbery do occur – just like any other country. Chances of being a victim are rare and incidences would most probably be in cities like Kigali. its the reason why Rwanda should be on the bucketlist for your African Safari tour.
How to Get Around
Rwanda is one of the safest countries within the Central African Region that can easily be accessed and ease to move around the country either through Self-drive Car Rental or Car Rental with Driver from Car Rental Congo or via the reliable Safari companies that offer safaris in Rwanda. Learn about the various ways to get around Kigali and other provinces in Rwanda.
Car Rental: Self Drive in Rwanda.
Car rental services in Rwanda for self-drive is not as cheap as the case in Uganda and it’s possible to drive the car within Kigali but take note of traffic jam that exists within the city during rush hours. Car Rental Congo does offer self-drive car hire in Rwanda for the various duration, ranging from daily to weekly and long term rental for monthly of up to 36 months with a great 3% discount. Book your Car Rental through experts in Car Rental.
By Boda Boda
If you’re brave try taking a Boda Boda around Rwanda. They are essentially motorcycle taxis best used for short distances and most travelers that wish to see more and explore Kigali as Local, using bodaboda is the best-recommended option. There are Rwanda safari companies that Bodaboda Tours in Rwanda at the most discounted prices which are budget-friendly to enable you to explore the land of thousand hills. Drivers drive fast and squeeze in and out of traffic. Boda-boda crashes in Kigali happen, stay warned.
Rwanda Safari Experiences.
Many Travelers planning Africa Safaris end up knowing that Rwanda is among the best destinations to be explored when on vacation. Rwanda ranked among the top exotic destinations for primate & wildlife experience in the 4 national parks of Rwanda that include Volcanoes, Nyungwe, Akagera National Park each with unique Safari activity to be enjoyed on Self drive Holiday in Rwanda.
Wildlife Watching in Rwanda
Seeing all members of the Big 5 is undeniably thrilling but Akagera’s abundance does not stop there. Get your bucket list ready because Rwanda has a lot to offer to travelers who visit Akagera National Park for Wildlife Safari. Akagera National Park hosts big five animals and a tour to Rwanda include a boat safari on Lake Ihema where you can spot various bird species such as the African fish eagle and red-breasted papyrus gonolek while enjoying the relaxing afternoon breeze
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Rwanda will lead you to Volcanoes National Park which is the home for the mountain Gorillas. Among Rwanda Safari companies that offer gorilla safaris in Africa accepted that Rwanda’s Gorilla trekking permits are not cheap and they are the most expensive within the gorilla trekking Region ( Uganda, Rwanda & DR congo) however since the experience is unforgettable irrespective of the price, travelers accept to pay in order to go gorilla trekking in Magical Rwanda.
In Rwanda, there are over 10 Gorilla Families that are open for watching, Don’t get worried about the gorilla permits in Rwanda, car Rental Congo will help you to book the gorilla permit in Rwanda for true Primate Watching. It’s a wonderful bonus knowing that your experience contributes to protecting these critically endangered Mountain Gorillas and the conservation, and even expansion, of their habitat. Local communities are also benefitting through revenue-sharing schemes from trekking permits, new infrastructure, and new business opportunities in tourism.
The Gorilla Trekking permit costs USD 1500 valid for one visit of watching the gorillas for one hour. Check the Rwanda Tour Operators for booking your Rwanda Safari Experience.
Chimpanzee Tracking in Rwanda
Chimpanzee Safaris in Rwanda will automatically lead you to Nyungwe forest National Park located close to Lake Kivu and Congo Border into Kahuzi Biega National park which is the home for the Eastern lowland gorilla tour.
The male chimps are the most habituated to humans and are the least shy group but the chimpanzee tracking experience in Rwanda is different compared to that of Uganda’s Chimpanzee Habituation. Chimpanzee Habituation is only available in Kibale Forest national park. you will Chimpanzees call and interact with one another!
Although the gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is expensive, it is a different case when it comes to chimpanzee permit which costs 90 Us$ compared to Uganda where it’s 150 $ and Congo where its 100 Us$
Chimpanzee Trekking vs. Gorilla Trekking?
Here is the most important fact in comparing chimpanzee Tracking and gorilla watching in Rwanda: chimps spend more time in trees. While gorillas eat and move through the forest on the floor although they also climb trees both the mountain and the Eastern Lowland Gorillas, it’s for these reasons that Car Rental Congo recommended a primate Safari experience in the primate World of Africa.
chimps spend a lot of their day moving through the trees. Watching them swing through the trees or build nests is fascinating but makes them harder to spot, harder to get good pictures of, and it can also make your neck hurt! Sometimes you just have to enjoy watching them and accept that your pictures won’t be amazing. That said, we got a few good ones!
chimps made more noise than gorillas. You feel like you are in among the group, surrounded by them and it makes the whole experience really exciting in a way that was quite different from my gorilla trekking experience. The chimp trek was much flatter than the gorilla trek but the forests are quite dense. Like gorilla tracking, chimpanzee tracking requires a permit and the total number of permits per day is restricted.
Mountaineering Experiences in Rwanda.
Among the top things to do in Rwanda is the mountaineering experience in the Virunga Mountains that are shared by Uganda, Congo & Rwanda. Rwanda is home to five of the eight Virunga Volcanoes.
Virunga Mountains: Virunga Mountains are a chain of volcanoes which range north of Lake Kivu in east-central Africa, extending about 50 miles (80 km) along the borders of Congo (Kinshasa), Rwanda, and Uganda. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift, a part of the Great Rift Valley.
These mountains include Mount Karisimbi, Mount Muhabura, Mount Bisoke, Mount Sabyinyo, and Mount Gahinga. All the mountaineering Treks to Rwanda lead you to volcanoes national park which is the home for the mountain gorillas & Volcanic Hikes to two of the 8 mountains that make up Virunga Ranges, Karisimbi, mount Visoke. The Longest Rwanda hiking trip is 2 Days Karisimbi hike and visoke is 1 Day Trek where you may have a chance of spotting other primates like Golden monkey, Mountain Gorillas which are found in the same park.
Note: Those who are more interested in Hiking, they can consider adding Rwenzori Trekking tours from either Uganda or Congo Routes for either 7 days Climbing Rwenzori or 9 Days Rwenzori Trekking
Self Drive Trips in Rwanda.
Apart from Uganda where self-drive trips are popular, the Republic of Rwanda is also an ideal destination for a self-drive Safari experience in Africa for Road trippers.
Planning to self-drive Rwanda? Good choice! The Republic of Rwanda is also known as the land of thousand hills that has a lot to offer to self-drive travelers that select to visit Central African Country of Rwanda that has primates Like Mountain Gorillas, Golden monkey & Chimpanzees without missing the big five in Akagera National Park. Alongside the wildlife and primates, the country is filled with birdlife, vast plains, jungle, rolling hills, and some of the friendliest people in Africa.
A scenic road trip through Rwanda is only complete once it’s combined with Uganda or Tanzania for long rental travelers since the country is not so big and it can be covered in 7 Days Rwanda Safari tour once booked with Reliable Safari Company for Guided tour but those with more than 2 weeks stay please consider extending to Uganda Safaris or Congo Safaris in Eastern DR congo for another wildlife experience of true Africa.
Key Points: beware of speed bumps, roads are decent and traffic police corruption is low. It’s the perfect country to self-drive, with a rental car with a rooftop tent from Car Rental Congo.
