Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda can be carried out in Nyungwe national park is one of the most rewarding activities that you can choose to participate in during your Rwanda safari. Nyungwe national park is the primate destination in Rwanda where you will get to see different monkey species like the grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkey, dents monkey, l’hoest’s monkey, and many other monkey species. The park is also a home you can also get the opportunity to see over 1000 chimpanzee species that can be seen when you participate in chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda.

What involves in Chimpanzee trekking

For tourists to participate in Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda, they should obtain a chimpanzee tracking permit either from the park entrance or a trusted tour operator around the country in order to access the habituated chimpanzee troops. In Nyungwe national park, chimpanzee tracking can either be carried out in cyamudongo forest or Nyungwe forest where you will get to spend time with the chimpanzees.

When you obtain your chimpanzee trekking permit you will present it the reception where you will be assigned to the guide who will take you through the briefing session on the rules and regulations to follow during the activity. After the session you will make your way to transfer to the forests to track the habituated chimpanzee troops, interesting about the activity is the fact that it is quite active and mobile compared to gorilla trekking where you will observe the gorillas in one place, chimpanzee trekking is quite different because you will get te chance to accompany the playful chimpanzees as they carry out their daily activities in the park.

The activity will give you the chance to understand their feeding patterns as you will get to see them eating a number of edible leave, roots, caterpillars and so on, you will also have the chance to see how they co- exist with one another as you will get the chance to see their grooming patterns, how they tke care of one another, how infants are taken care of by their mothers and adult females of a particular chimpanzee troops among other interesting features of the primates and at the end of your safari, you will head back to your starting point and that will mark the end of your safari.

Packing list

Insect repellent should be part of your packing list which will repel disease spreading insects like mosquitoes tsetse flies whose bites can be irritating and can also spread diseases like malaria.
You should also consider packing a camera that will give you the chance to capture the beautiful moments while in the park like exceptional views of the chimpanzee swinging from the tree branches, a number of bird species that will make your activity memorable.
Water bottle to stay hydrated as your hike through Nyungwe forest since the activity is very active which involves following the primates.
Binoculars can also be packed in order to see a number of bird species in the forest during chimpanzee trekking in the park.
Long sleeved trousers, through the hike in nyungwe national park, you will hike through the forests to avoid being scratched by nettles and tree branches.
Pain killers because the hike in the park can be challenging

Guidelines of chimpanzee trekking in the park

During chimpanzee trekking, you are advised to keep a distance of about 7 metres this is done to avoid the primates from contraction of diseases from trackers this is because the primates are highly vulnerable species.
It is advised that trackers are not allowed to eat in the presence of the chimpanzee because they can attack you in order to eat some which can be a threat to your health and their health
For safety during chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park, you should follow the lead of the guide who will give you an amazing and safe activity. The guide will take you through safe trails in the parks and direct you on how to engage with the
Avoid unnecessary movements and unnecessary during the encounters with the chimpanzee troops because it will trigger the primates as threats and this can lead them to attack you
Tourists under 15 years will not be allowed to participate in the activity.

Added benefits of chimpanzee trekking in the park

Bird species

Chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda involves tracking the chimpanzee troops while hiking through the forests of cyamudongo and Nyungwe which are also a home to over 400 bird species which is every birders dream. It will give you the chance to see a number of bird species both endemic and migratory species from the Congo biome. Among the bird species that can be seen include; Rockefellers’ sun bird, Chapin’s flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, strange weaver, red throated alethe, Blue turaco, Ross’s turaco, coqui Francolin, long tailed cisticola, bubbling cisticola, Miombo wren warbler, Chubb’s cisticola and many more and during your activity you will at least get to see 100 bird species that will make chimpanzee trekking in the park rewarding.

Primate species

Nyungwe national park is the ultimate primate destination in Rwanda which will give you the chance to see different primate species as you participate in chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda. Among the different primate that can be seen include the black and white colobus monkeys, the red tailed monkeys, Mona monkey, vervet monkeys, baboons which can be seen at the reception of the park and the monkey species that can be seen during your chimpanzee trekking experience in Rwanda.