A trip to Rwanda takes you through its exceptional tourist attractions, endless mountains, the open savanna grassland and not to leave out its glorious tropical rain forests. Rwanda wildlife safari takes you through the 4 national parks, each of which features distinct wildlife species. They include Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, Akagera National Park and Gishwati Mukura National Park.

In Volcanoes National Park

Rwanda wildlife safari is complete with trek to see mountain gorillas. Remarkably, these are Rwanda’s iconic attractions. While on African primate safari, count it a must on your bucket list. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is only done within Volcanoes National Park northwest. To take part in this life changing primate experience, you need $1500 to help you secure your permit that allows you to explore 1 of the 10 habituated families set for tourism in the Volcanoes National Park. The habituated gorilla families that have been set for visitor exploration in Rwanda include the Susa A, Susa B, Kwitonda, Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Umubano, Hirwa, Agashya, Ugenda and Bwenge. For starters, to make your gorilla trip successful, take note of;

  • Your packing list. For starters, in your packing list, consider the following items a must to include-waterproof hiking boots, gardening gloves, rain jacket or poncho, insect repellent, camera with no flashlight, long sleeved shirt or t-shirt, sweater, trousers, bottled water, hat, sun screen, gorilla permit, valid passport, visa, water proof day pack, energy giving snacks, walking stick (this can be got at the park headquarters or safari lodge) and many others. Pack essentials first and should be light!
  • Best time to go for gorilla trekking. When planning for a gorilla trek in Rwanda, the dry and wet/rainy season are the 2 important seasons to put into consideration. The dry season starts from June to September and December to February. This period is characterized by low rainfall and the habitat is kept relatively drier hence favoring your primate adventures. However, it is characterized by food shortages and that gorillas in most cases tend to move to long distances to look for what to eat. The wet season comes with plenty of rainfall and much forage is available for these creatures to depend on. During this season, the ground can be muddy thus making it a little bit challenging for one to hike through the dense vegetation and steep slopes.
  • Deal with a reliable tour operator to plan your holiday

Other wildlife experiences like golden monkey tracking and bird watching.

Akagera National Park

A visit to Akagera National Park gets you the best of African wildlife experience. It is Rwanda’s only stunning savanna grassland and wildlife park. It gets you a chance to view several African elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, warthogs, leopards, lions and many antelope families, giraffes, zebras and many bird species. These diverse wildlife species are best spotted while on game drive in the pristine savannas of Akagera National Park and while on a boat cruise along Lake Ihema, don’t miss amazing sights at huge concentration of hippos, crocodiles, water birds a mention but a few. Akagera National Park is set strategically in eastern Rwanda.

Nyungwe Forest National Park

Nyungwe Forest National Park is one of the best destination for you to catch a glimpse at varied primate species. Over 13 distinct primate species are all confined within this particular part of Rwanda. While in this park, chimpanzee tracking is that one exceptional wildlife experience not to miss to take part. Nyungwe National Park is a home to 500 chimpanzees and there are also other primates to look out including the blue monkeys, black and white Colobus, olive baboons, Red Colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys and many others. There are habituated groups within Cyamudongo forest and Nyungwe forest which are set for chimpanzee tracking.

Gishwati Mukura National Park

Gishwati Mukura National Park is Rwanda’s newly established protected area and it gets you the best of chimpanzee trekking. This also comes with other incredible sights at L’Hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, Red River hogs, blue monkeys a mention but a few.

In summary, a visit to Rwanda while on African wildlife safari allows you to take part in numerous wildlife safari experiences. With the above destinations, visitors on Rwanda wildlife safari have opportunity to enjoy wide range wildlife experiences.