10-Day Rwanda Chimpanzee Tracking & Eco Hive Guardian Tour

This 10 day Rwanda chimpanzee tracking tour takes you off the usual gorilla route. You start with game drives and a boat trip in Akagera, track chimpanzees in Nyungwe forest, spend a day with beekeepers through our Eco Hive Guardians initiative, cycle beside Lake Kivu and finish with golden monkeys in the volcanoes. A private vehicle, full board and all permits are included.

You begin in the savanna of Akagera, with a full day of game drives for lions, elephants, buffalo, giraffe and, with luck, rhino and leopard, then a boat trip on Lake Ihema. Our guide to the Big Five safari and the 6-day Akagera safari show how the park works. You then drive across the country to Nyungwe, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa. Read the Nyungwe National Park travel guide and the Nyungwe rainforest guide.

The chimpanzee trek starts before dawn, because the community is easiest to find in the early morning, and you spend one hour with them once found. The same day or the next you can walk the canopy walkway and fly across the forest on the zipline. Later you cycle part of the Congo Nile Trail, canoe on Lake Kivu and track golden monkeys. See our page on chimpanzee tracking, the golden monkey trekking guide and the Rwanda destination page.

On day 6 you spend most of the day with the Eco Hive Guardians, our beekeeping initiative near Nyungwe. We train local cooperatives, help them reach markets and raise awareness of why bees matter. You see honey being collected, talk to the beekeepers and learn why communities beside the park are central to keeping the forest standing.

Akagera is a conservation recovery story too, and your park fees support its rangers and the work that brought the wildlife back. Read how ecotourism is changing Rwanda and see our other community projects.

Moderate. Chimpanzee tracking means an early start and a walk of anywhere from one hour to several hours on forest trails that turn muddy after rain, and the time depends on where the chimpanzees went that morning. Once found, you can watch them for one hour. Canoeing is easy. The zipline runs in three sections and the canopy walkway is a short, calm walk. The hardest day is the cycle from Karongi to Rubavu, 80 to 90 km on hilly trail, with a support vehicle if you need to stop. Day 4 is a long drive of about seven hours. Tell us in advance about any mobility needs so we can adjust the activities.

June to September and December to February are the driest months, which suits Akagera game drives, forest trails and the cycling day. March to May and October to November bring rain, muddier tracks and greener scenery, and the chimpanzees can be tracked all year. Mornings in Nyungwe and the volcanoes are cool, so bring a fleece.

This journey suits active travellers who want primates and big game in one trip: couples, friends and families with older children. If you want to add gorillas look at our Signature Journey, the 7-day Rwanda gorilla trekking tour with culture and ReGreen. For a shorter version see the 6-day Rwanda chimpanzee and Akagera safari, and for the cycling only the 6-day Congo Nile Trail tour.

Read our Kigali city tour guide for your first and last day and the visa guide before you fly. The road cycling guide explains what to expect on two wheels. Lodges are confirmed once you book.