Overview
The 3 Day Rwanda Chimpanzee trekking and Lake Kivu Tour takes you through Nyungwe forest and Kivu exploration and Tea plantation tour. The 3 days takes you switch from jungle to lake. You land in Kigali, drive south 5 hours, and by afternoon you’re walking on a bridge 70 meters above Nyungwe forest canopy. Day 2 you’re tracking chimpanzees through ancient rainforest, then touring tea farms that Rwanda is famous for. Day 3 Lake Kivu slows everything down — cool water, beaches, and views of the Congo hills before Fuga drives you back to Kigali.
Fuga Tours runs this Nyungwe and Kivu route for travelers who want primates without the gorilla permit price, plus real relaxation at the end. We secure chimp permits, book lodges on Nyungwe’s edge so you’re 20 minutes from the trailhead, and time everything so you actually enjoy Lake Kivu instead of rushing through it.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival Kigali → Transfer to Nyungwe National Park and Canopy Walk Adventure
Upon arrival at Kigali International Airport, our team will welcome you and brief you about your 3 day tour and then transfer you to Nyungwe National Park The road is good tarmac most of the way, then climbs into Rwanda’s tea country. You’ll pass endless green tea plantations around Huye/Butare. The hills roll and the air cools as you climb toward Nyungwe. This is one of Africa’s oldest rainforests — 1,000km² of montane forest with 13 primate species .Check into a forest lodge 20 minutes from Nyungwe’s Uwinka visitor center. Drop bags, then head straight for the Canopy Walk. It’s a 90m suspension bridge strung between treetops, 50-70 meters above the forest floor.
You walk across with the forest below you. Colobus monkeys swing through branches at eye level. Hornbills fly under the bridge. On clear days you see for kilometers across the forest. It’s 1.5 hours round trip and it hits different than any game drive — you’re in the forest, not looking at it from below. Back at lodge by late afternoon. Dinner as the forest goes dark around you. The sound here is different — no cars, just insects, frogs, and sometimes colobus monkeys calling. Early sleep. Chimp trekking starts at 5am briefing, and Nyungwe chimps live high in the forest, so you need energy. Fuga books lodges close to Uwinka so you’re not driving 1 hour on mountain roads before dawn.
Day 2: Chimpanzee Tracking and Tea Experience
Wake up very early at 4:30am. and take light light breakfast, then drive 20 minutes to Uwinka park office for Briefing which is at 5am. Rangers explain Nyungwe chimps behavior and safety rules. Then you split into groups of 8 and walk into the forest. Nyungwe chimps are wild and fast. They don’t stay in one spot like gorillas. You’ll hike 1-3 hours, climbing and listening. Rangers imitate chimp calls and listen for answers. Then you hear them — screaming, branches breaking, movement 30 meters up. Suddenly a male swings into view, stops to look at you, then disappears. A female with a baby feeds on fruit. The whole troop moves through the canopy like it’s a highway. You get 1 hour with them once found. They’re less habituated than Kibale chimps, so it feels more raw, more real. Out by late morning, legs tired, heart full. Back to lodge for lunch and shower. Afternoon we drive 30 minutes to a tea plantation and factory. Rwanda tea is world-famous and you see why. You walk through rows of bright green tea bushes, pick leaves with the farmers, then tour the factory. Watch leaves get weighed, withered, rolled, dried, and packed. You taste fresh tea straight from the line, still warm. I t’s slow, hands-on, and smells amazing. Fuga arranges the tour so you meet farmers who’ve worked these hills for generations. Buy tea here if you want — it’s cheaper and fresher than Kigali shops .Back to lodge for dinner. You’ve walked canopy, tracked chimps, and picked tea in one day. Nyungwe is intense.
Day 3: Lake Kivu and Return to Kigali
Sleep in. No 5am alarm today. After breakfast we drive 3-4 hours west to Lake Kivu. The road drops down from Nyungwe’s mountains into the Albertine Rift valley. You descend 1,000m and the air gets warm and humid. Lake Kivu is massive one of Africa’s Great Lakes. The water is fresh, no crocs, no hippos. Check into a lakeside lodge in Kibuye/Karongi or Gisenyi depending on your flight time. Fuga tours recommends Kibuye for the 3-day trip it’s halfway, quiet, and the views of Congo hills across the water are unreal.
Afternoon is yours. Swim in the lake the water is clean and cool. Take a boat ride to one of the islands, just 15-20 minutes out. Kayak if you want. Or sit on the deck with a cold drink and watch fishermen in wooden boats. Lake Kivu is what Nyungwe wasn’t: quiet, slow, flat. Late afternoon we drive 3 hours back to Kigali. Fuga times it so you arrive at Kigali International Airport 3 hours before your flight. If your flight is next day, we drop you at a Kigali hotel. From jungle canopy to lake beaches in 3 days. That’s Rwanda for you.
End of Tour
Inclusions
- Park fees
- Chimp permits
- All activities
- All accommodation
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation
- Meals
Excludes
- International flights
- Additional accommodation
- Souvenirs
- Travel Insurance
- Visa Fees
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees